Visibility Zero | Billy Graham Classic Sermon

Are you willing to accept the free gift of forgiveness God offers you? “God has offered His mercy from the cross, and He says, ‘I will forgive you and cleanse you from every sin that you’ve committed,’” Billy Graham said in this 1988 sermon from Hamilton, Ontario. Watch more #MondayNightClassics every Monday at 8 p.m. ET. CONNECT with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: on Facebook:   / billygrahamevangelisticassociation   on Instagram:   / bgea   on Twitter:   / bgea   on Pinterest:   / bgea   on YouTube:    / billygraham   on TikTok:   / bgeaofficial 

from our archives the Billy Graham

[Applause]

classics tonight I want to speak about a

blind man in the Bible that came in

contact with Jesus it’s found in the

10th chapter of Mark’s gospel the 10th

chapter of Mark’s

gospel beginning with verse

46 and they came to Jericho and as he

went out of Jericho with his disciples

and a great number of people blind

bardus the son of tus Sat by the

highways side begging and when he heard

that it was Jesus of Nazareth he began

to cry out and he said Jesus thou son of

David have mercy on me and many charged

him that he should hold his peace but he

cried the more a great deal thou son of

David have mercy on me and Jesus Stood

Still and commanded him to be called and

they called the blind man saying unto

him be of good Comfort rise he calleth

thee and he casting away his garments

Rose and came to Jesus and Jesus

answered and said unto him What wilt

thou that I should do unto thee the

blind man said unto him Lord that I may

receive my sight but there are many

people today that are just like that I

read the other day that there are 42

million people in the world who are

blind Health authorities estimate that

from all causes half a million children

become irreversibly blind around the

world each year and this is a great

tragedy and many people in countries and

health agencies are working to turn it

around a tragedy of equal or greater

proportion though is the spiritual

blindness that people have because the

Bible says you have two sets of eyes you

have physical eyes in which you can see

and you have spiritual eyes and you can

see physically but you may not be able

to see

spiritually and spiritual blindness

affects everyone in this audience there

are thousands of people here tonight

that you can see me up here but you are

spiritually blind and it’s a blindness

that keeps you from really knowing god

now bmus was a blind man and he came out

of the little place where he had spent

the night and he never had any hope that

he’d ever be able to see and he would go

outside the Gate of Jericho and he would

beg from the people that passed by

people on the way to Market or people

coming to their business that day and he

would say help the blind help the blind

help the blind help the blind he had his

Cane he had an old Shaggy coat he’

begged some bread from a woman as he’d

gone on his way and he got some milk and

there he sat with other blind people and

other Beggars and they were begging

hoping that the people would throw them

a little bit of money or give them

something and so I look at bmus and I

see myself or I see you the Bible says

he is blind

spiritually and our world leaders are

groping I listen to some of these things

on television from some of our world

leaders and I’m amazed at the spiritual

blindness and I have talked to some of

them privately and

and I I just I I want to reach over and

grab them and shake them and tell them

that they need Christ because Christ

could go open their eyes and I think

only the the True

Believers really know what’s wrong with

the world because what’s wrong with the

world is a spiritual

problem now this barus could not see his

Rags he couldn’t see his filth he

couldn’t see even Beauty and from time

to time we read of someone living in a

house or apartment that’s filled with

empty containers and refu and

garbage and the person living there may

appear to lead a perfectly normal

life and they’re well-dressed I know a

home like that right now where the lady

is well-dressed

uh the husband is is a doctor and they

are respectable they’re fine people and

when you see them out you you think

they’re the most wonderful couple in the

world but but if you ever get into their

house it is a mess it looks like a hog

pin and that’s the way it is with so

many of us we appear all right on the

outside but down in our hearts and in

our souls we know that something is

wrong and for some reason the person

doesn’t seem to even care the scripture

says but the natural man that’s the

ordinary man the man before he comes to

Christ receiveth not the things of the

spirit of God for their foolishness unto

him neither can he know them because

they are spiritually

discerned and it seems foolish for me to

stand here and tell you that because

Jesus Christ died on a cross 2,000 years

ago and rose from the dead that that can

have an impact on your life today and

now and give you assurance and peace and

joy that you never knew before and help

settle many of the problems and

relationships that you face and give you

a burden for your fellow man but it’s

true and some people would call that

foolish the Bible says that the pro

proclamation of the Gospel is

foolishness to them that perish you see

you are blinded by the God of this world

now who is the God of this world Jesus

called him the devil The Prince and

power of the air the prince of this

world there’s another force in the world

and that other Force has Supernatural

power too and that other force is the

devil and there is a conflict going on

the conflict of the ages between the

forces of God and the forces of the

devil you say why does God allow that

that is a great mystery it’s a mystery

as to where the devil came from now the

Bible tells us in the 28th chapter of

Ezekiel it also tells us in the 14th

chapter of of Isaiah we get a little

picture of it and we get other pictures

and glimpses throughout scripture but

there is a devil now he he doesn’t rule

in hell he’s never been to Hell he’s

alive he settled on this planet now you

can call evil anything you want to but

we all know that there’s evil in the

world and we all know that something is

wrong but we don’t know what now the

Bible tells us that back of it all is

the devil you say but why doesn’t God

kill the devil and get it all over with

well someday God is going to do just

that he’s not going to kill him he’s

going to throw him into the Lake of

Fire but that day hasn’t come yet but

the devil has already suffered a great

defeat and there’s been a great Victory

by God at the cross the cross looked

like a defeat for God but it was

actually a defeat for the devil and you

and I can enter into the victory that

Christ won at the cross when we come to

know him but till then the God of this

world has blinded our eyes so our eyes

are supernaturally blinded and that’s

why only the Holy Spirit can lift those

blindfolds that are on your eyes just

now he was not only blind this man but

he was poor and we read about the

poverty in the world today and it breaks

our hearts many of us are suffering

tonight from spiritual poverty and then

this man was not only blind and poor but

he was helpless barus expected to die in

his blindness no one could heal that

kind of

blindness but there was a aray of Hope

to

bardus bardus had heard many rumors of

this stranger From Galilee that was

going up and down the country healing

people and helping people and preaching

to people and he heard the approach of a

great crowd of people his ears were very

keen and he could hear them he heard the

children he heard the people talking

among

themselves and he said what’s going on

what’s going on nobody would tell him

and the crowd was getting Clos and

closer and he grabbed the skirt of a

fellow that was passing by and he said

tell me who who is this passing through

town and this stranger that no one knows

his name turned and said Jesus of

Nazareth passeth by and baramas thought

to himself Jesus of Nazareth I’ve heard

about him I’ve heard that he can heal

people that he can help people maybe he

could help

me you know there only comes a few times

in our lives when Jesus of Nazareth

passes by and we have an opportunity

like we have tonight to receive him you

see people have been praying and the

Holy Spirit has been working and many

people have already received Christ and

what an hour and what a moment for you

to come this

stranger gave him the message Jesus of

Nazareth is passing by I remember the

story of the Surgeon General of Portugal

a former Surgeon General and he was

walking down the street one day and a

piece of paper stuck to his foot he went

home he pulled it off of his shoe and

looked looked at it and it was a gospel

track and he decided to read it and he

read it and to make a long story short

he was converted to Christ and became a

great Christian leader and a great Bible

teacher just a simple little witness

like that God can use all of those

things and that’s why we ought to always

be faithful in our witness because you

never know when that waitress in the

restaurant or that person that you meet

at your work they’ll watch your life of

course to see if you’re backing it up by

the way you live

Jesus has been passing by in Hamilton

Jesus has been passing by in the Golden

Horseshoe he may be passing by in your

home he may be passing by in the room

that you occupy at a hotel he’s passing

by here in Southern

Ontario and in desperation Bemus cried

at the top of his voice Jesus thou son

of David have mercy on me have mercy on

me and the other Beggars said close your

mouth close your mouth the magistrates

will hear about this and they’ll come

and put put us in

prison but he kept on crying out this

was his one moment this was his one

chance Jesus was there and he was going

to take advantage of it and the others

said keep still Bemus who wants to hear

anything from a poor old beggar like you

but the more they rebuked him the more

he cried out and I want you to notice

several things about it first he cried

for the right thing he cried for

Mercy he needed other

things but the thing that he needed most

most of all was Christ he needed God

have mercy upon me you son of

David have mercy upon me that’s what we

all need tonight is God’s

Mercy

Mercy when I stand at the Judgment seat

of Christ I’m not going to say Lord I

want

Justice if I get Justice I’m going to

end up in

hell I want

mercy and God has offered his Mercy from

the cross and he says I will forgive you

and cleanse you from every sin that

you’ve ever committed you’ll never have

to face the Judgment you will never be

in danger of hell if you surrender your

life to Jesus Christ and so you have to

say first of all I am a sinner you have

to say that to yourself and maybe to

others just like an alcoholic before you

can help an alcoholic you they have to

be willing to say I’m an alcoholic

before you can help in drug addiction

you have to say I am a drug addict I

need

help and when you come to Christ you

must say I am a sinner I need help and

oh Lord God please help

me and then the second thing not only

did he cry for the right thing but he

cried to the right person he cried to

the Lord Jesus Christ the son of the

Living God the only one in all the world

that could help him stood right there

and all of his hopes was centered in him

the Bible says None other name is given

among men whereby we must be saved

except through the name of Jesus to whom

shall we go thou Hast the words of

eternal life Jesus had said I am the way

the truth and the life no man cometh to

the father but by me and this man

baramas was coming in the right way he

was coming to the right person he was

coming to Jesus the son of God and he

cried at the right time Jesus was

passing by suppose he had waited and

said I’m going to see what the scribes

and the Pharisees and the religious

leaders have to say about him I’ll wait

till he comes to Jericho again Jesus

never came to Jericho again he may never

come in this way again like this when

will we ever see a sight like this in

Hamilton

again it’s been a long time since this

many people came and heard the gospel

and so many people worked and prayed and

believed as they’ve done here and the

Churches United and cooperated as

they’ve done

and God has been speaking and many

people have been finding Christ and

tonight you can find

Christ no he called at that moment the

Bible says he that hardened his heart

being often reproved shall suddenly be

cut off and that without remedy in other

words when you hear the gospel and do

nothing about it it hardens your heart a

little bit more God the holy spirit will

continue to speak to you but you can’t

hear him because you get deaf

the Bible says Heim is joined to his

idols let him alone there comes a

point I don’t know where it is or when

it is but there’s a point Beyond which

you can go that your heart is so hard

that even though God will still speak

you cannot hear so come now while you

have an

opportunity the great Governor Felix was

trembled when Paul was speaking to him

about the gospel and he said go your way

Paul

when I have a more convenient season

I’ll call for you but he never had a

more convenient season that was his

moment that was his hour before God and

he didn’t take advantage of it the Bible

says now is the accepted time now is the

day of salvation not tomorrow they may

never be a tomorrow for you this may be

the moment for

you he that Harden his heck neck being

often reproved shall suddenly be cut

off notice how Jesus met his need here

was a great crowd of people and we have

a a way today that we think in terms of

great crowds there’s a great crowd here

tonight 18,000 people I’m told and we

think in terms of crowds we think in

terms of filling our churches and

filling an auditorium or having a big

crowd at a ball game we think in terms

of crowds but it’s interesting not only

did Jesus preach to the crowds but the

greatest sermons I think he ever

preached with to

individuals he stopped and Stood Still

when this blind man called him a great

crowd of leaders were around him he

could have said I don’t have time I’m on

my way to Jerusalem to die for the sins

of the world but he stopped on his way

to the Cross to hear this Beggar’s cry

he stopped dying on the cross in order

to hear that Thief say remember me when

thou comest to thy kingdom he stopped

when a woman touched His

Garment and Jesus will stop for you

tonight because you see he sees you

tonight as though you’re the only person

in all the world he doesn’t see you as a

part of this great crowd he sees you as

you are he knows all of your thoughts

and all of your intents and all the

struggles that’s going on inside of you

and the Bible says he loves you and he

died for you and if you had been the

only one in the whole world he would

have died for you and Jesus not only

stopped but he said call

him the scripture says in Luke 19:10 he

came to seek and to save that which was

lost lost you’re lost psychologically

spiritually you’re lost you need

somebody to find you and put their arms

around you that’s what he’ll do for you

tonight and there was a surprise on the

face of the people in the crowd to call

that poor old blind beggar filthy and

dirty the first time anyone I suppose

had ever called him someone threw his

cloak about him someone gave him his

Cane he threw him both away and came

running and fell down before Jesus and

Jesus asked him a strange question he’d

been blind all these years and Jesus

asked him what do you want me to do for

you can you imagine that what do you

want me to do for

you and he said Lord and that word Lord

means that at that moment he had

received Christ into his heart my very

own

Lord that I might receive my sight and I

think he was talking not only about his

physical eyes but his spiritual eyes as

well scientists believe that 33 million

of the 42 million blind people in the

world either can be cured or their

blindness could have been prevented

spiritual blindness cannot be prevented

it’s caused by sin and we all have it

but it can be cured by the Lord Jesus

Christ he’ll open your eyes and he can

open your eyes

tonight what is your need what do you

want Christ to do for you

tonight what do you want me to do he

said some of you say I want him to

forgive my sin I want him to give me

assurance and so that I can know that if

I died at this moment I’d go to

heaven I want peace I’d like to

rededicate my life I’ve been baptized or

I’ve been confirmed but somehow I don’t

have that personal relationship with

Christ and I don’t have that walk with

him that I ought to have and I’d like to

have that and so I’d like to reconfirm

my confirmation vows whatever it

is and Jesus said to him go your way

your faith has made you whole not money

not good works but your faith has made

you whole last December an 18-year-old

student pilot named Kim was making a

solo flight cross country when she

became lost in a storm she couldn’t see

anything out the windshield of her small

plane she didn’t know where she was or

how to get out of the storm and back to

the safety something had gone wrong with

one of her instruments so she reached

for her radio and made contact with a

local air traffic controller and she

said I don’t know where I am I need some

help please please help me the

controller located her on his radar

screen and began talking her down toward

a nearby airport where the weather was

good she couldn’t see a thing but he

could see her on the radar he knew where

she was which direction she was headed

where she needed to go and the best way

to get there she trusted her life to a

man she had never seen whose name she

did not know and he got her out of the

storm and safely to ground

tonight you can trust in the Lord Jesus

Christ you’ve never seen him with your

naked eye you may not know

but he’s there waiting for you with open

arms to help you so I’m asking you to

quit Flying Blind trust yourself to

Jesus Christ follow the guidance of his

instruments which is the word of God the

Bible and then the scripture says and

immediately immediately he received his

sight for some people it’s that quick

for other people it’s a period of time

in which you’re convicted of the spirit

of God and you grow gradually into the

knowledge but there comes a moment when

you make that step from Death to life

from Darkness to light I’m asking you to

take that step tonight and if you have

any doubts about it in your heart make

your commitment tonight did you know

that each night we’ve been here we’ve

seen more than 700 people both nights

each night come to Christ and come and

make a commitment and what I’m going to

ask you to do is what we’ve done all all

over Latin America all over Europe all

over the

Orient All Over America all across

Canada we’ve asked people to get up out

of their seat and come and stand in

front of the platform and say by coming

symbolically I need Christ I want his

Mercy I want his love and his grace I

want to know him for

myself why do I ask you to come forward

and make that a public declaration

because Jesus hung on the cross publicly

for you he didn’t do it in private he

did it publicly and people were against

him sneering at him he was naked and

bleeding and he did it publicly and he

said that if we’re not willing to

confess him publicly before men he will

not confess us before his father which

is in heaven it’s a public commitment

and I’m going to ask you to make that

commitment tonight and after you’ve all

come and stand here I’m going to say a

word to you and have a prayer with you

and give you some a book that you can

take home with you to help you in your

Christian growth and if you’re with

friends or relatives they’ll wait if

you’re in a bus they’ll wait and you

people in the other Auditorium or the

other room that could not get in here

you can get up and come and the ushers

will let you in this building so that

you can join those that are going to

come and from the balcony it’s taking a

little bit longer than I thought the

first night it’s going to take at least

3 minutes for you to come so get up and

start now but don’t let a little bit of

time keep you back and don’t let the big

crowd keep you back you just get up and

come because it’s you before God tonight

the most important commitment that you

have ever

made and if you want to bring a friend

with you bring your friend but get up

and come and don’t let anything keep you

back we’re going to wait and people are

going to be praying all over this great

Coliseum as you come

you’ll never have another moment quite

like this you come we’re going to wait

right

now and after you’ve come I’ll speak to

[Music]

you as you can see many hundreds are

responding to Mr Graham’s invitation to

to make Jesus Christ their Savior and

trust him as Lord you too can make that

decision there’s a phone number on your

screen right now that you can call for

Spiritual help and counseling make that

call now special friends are standing by

waiting to talk and to pray with you

you that have been watching by

television you can see that here in

Southern

Ontario God has been speaking mightily

to hundreds of people and hundreds have

already come and still are coming and

you can make that commitment where you

are and say yes to Jes Jesus Christ

he’ll come into your heart he’ll forgive

your sins he can make you a new person

you can have a

transformation right now in your life

Surrender Your Life to him and if you

will pick up the phone and call that

number that you see on that screen there

are people that are standing by and if

you get a busy signal call back a few

minutes later you’ll get you’ll get

through because there are hundreds of

lines and be sure and go to church next

weekend

[Music]

you can still call the number on your

screen and make your decision for Jesus

Christ right now if the line is busy

simply write the number down and call

later we’ll be there as long as the

calls keep coming in we do want to help

you so call the number now we hope that

you’ll make your plans to join us again

tomorrow night for the next in this

series of programs from Hamilton

Ontario our special guests will be

Sheila Walch David lambir Myrtle Hall

and George Beverly Shay Mr Graham sermon

is entitled time to come home so plan to

join us tomorrow night and invite a

friend to share The Telecast with you

now for Billy Graham and all the team

this is Cliff Barrow saying good night

and may the Lord richly bless you if you

just prayed that prayer with my father

or if you have any questions about a

relationship with Jesus Christ I’ll just

call that number that is on the screen

there’ll be someone there to talk with

you pray with you and answer those

questions and

remember God loves

you if you would like to commit your

life to Jesus Christ please call us

right now tollfree at

877772

4559 that’s

877772 45

559 or you can write to us at Billy

Graham 1 Billy Graham Parkway Department

C Charlotte North Carolina

28201 or you can contact us on the web

247 at peacei good.tv we’ll get the same

helps to you that we give to everyone

who responds at the invitation on behalf

of Franklin Graham and the Billy gram

Evangelistic Association thank you for

watching and thank you for your prayers

we still have a window of opportunity to

reach a lost and Dying World with the

truth of God’s

love it’s not too late we’ve got an

opportunity to tell others about Jesus

Christ what are you going to do with it