In Billy Graham’s final days, he had a deep desire to preach one more time. This is his last message—recorded in his North Carolina, mountaintop home.
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the moment you read in the paper that
billy graham is dead
you’ll know that he’s more alive than
he’s ever been before
and i’m in heaven
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we’ve become spectators we watch the
events happening all around the world
and it seems that it’s going to happen
to everybody else but it won’t happen to
you
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most people think that about death
they say well the other fellow’s gonna
die but i i’m not gonna die it’s gonna
happen to somebody else
we live as though we’re going to live
forever and we’re not
you’ve been to a funeral
for a few moments you’re solemn you’re
thoughtful
that night you go back you go to bed you
think about it
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you try to put it out of your mind you
don’t want to think about it
and yet the bible says it’s appointed
unto man once to die
that is the hearse carrying the body the
reverend billy graham
in that simple casket
built by prisoners in louisiana
it’s just something
for that man to even
want me to build his character
one of these days they’re going to be
taking me out to the cemeteries
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they’ll be saying some words over me
is that the end
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is it all over
here is the question
if a man die
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shall he live again
so
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reverend billy graham one of the most
inspirational spiritual leaders of the
20th century
he was a giant he won’t see his likes
again i want us to look at the cross
tonight he’s met and talked and preached
the kings queens and heads of state
around the globe i’m just an ordinary
messenger of the kingdom of god the
humble farmer’s son who helped change
the world
is a spiritual gift to all of us
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got that locked down
there you go
you ready
you know as i look back over my life
it’s full of surprises
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i never thought i would become friends
with people
in different countries all over the
world
i want us to look at the cross tonight
i see how god’s hand guided me what a
wonderful and glorious hope
love one another when i began preaching
many years ago it was not with any
thoughts that i’d be preaching to large
audiences
come to the cross his gospel is for
everyone
god has done this
christ is alive modern america today
there is a victim of the soul our
country is in great need
of a spiritual awakening
well there have been times that i’ve
went as i’ve gone from city to city and
i’ve seen how far
people have wandered from god
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of all the things that i’ve seen and
heard
there’s only one message
that can change people’s lives
and hearts
there is a way
if you come by the way of the cross
i want to tell people about the meaning
of the cross
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not the cross that hangs on a wall
or around someone’s neck
we receive our freedom purchased by the
ransom at the cross but the real cross
of christ
the cross expresses the great love of
god his scarred and blood state
his was a rugged cross real purpose for
coming was to die i know that many will
react to this message
but it is the truth
and with all my heart i want to leave
you with the truth god says i love you i
love you i love you with an everlasting
love that he loves you
willing to forgive you of all your sins
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i look out across an audience
when i stand up to preach
and i think of all the people within
different backgrounds and their various
needs
and i know that they are objects of
god’s mighty love
to the point
that he gave his son
his only son
to die upon a cross and the cross was
the most terrible
form of execution by the romans for
criminals
and jesus endured all that
in our place
because of our sins
we deserve the cross we deserve hell
we deserve judgment and all that that
means
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i know that there are many people that
dispute that
people don’t want to hear that they’re
sinners
to many people it’s an offense
the cross is offensive
because it directly confronts
the evils which dominate so much of this
world
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you see the bible teaches that all of us
are wrong we’ve all gone astray with
everyone turned to his own way
and when we turn to our own way we go
astray from god’s way and that includes
the whole human race and that’s why the
world is in such terrible danger right
now
it’s not dangerous so much because we
have atomic bombs it’s dangerous because
of the human hearts back of the bombs
filled with envy and hate and strife and
greed and lust and all the other things
that could pull the trigger
now these things about the cross of
christ
being able to save people and find
forgiveness of sin and find eternal life
at the foot of the cross
sounds foolish
to modern ears
the bible says but the natural man
receiveth not the things of the spirit
of god for their foolishness unto him
neither can he know them because they
are spiritually
discerned you see your mind was affected
by sin
our minds have been distorted
all of us are sinners we’ve turned our
back on god
and that’s a very dangerous thing for us
as individuals
sin is a disease in the human heart it
affects the mind and the will
and the emotions
every part of our being is affected by
this disease
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how can we break this bondage
how can we be set free
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we’re under condemnation
we’re already condemned we’re on death’s
road
right now all of us
and god through the cross
is saying to you
i’ll pardon you
i give you a pardon
i’ll forget your sins
i’ll never hold you accountable for your
sin again
you can enter the kingdom of god
and have eternal life
but first we’ve got to settle the score
with god and that’s what christ did on
the cross he made atonement he
reconciled us to god
on that cross god was laying on jesus
our sins
they not only put nails in his hands
but before that they scourged him
a roman scourge was a terrible thing
they took whips
and pellets on those whips and beat a
person
almost to death
and then they took that cross
and made him carry the cross
which was in his weakened condition
was almost impossible
but he carried that crosstalk place
outside of jerusalem
and then they put nails in his hands
but that was not the real suffering
the real suffering is when he said
my god why i still forsaken me in that
terrible moment
he and god the father
were separated
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he shed his blood
and the shedding of that blood carries
with it
god’s very life
the blood is the meeting place between
god and man
and the bible says without the shedding
of blood there’s no forgiveness and
that’s what christ was doing on the
cross he was making atonement for our
sins
he became sin think of it jesus christ
the greatest person that ever lived the
holiest person that ever lived the son
of the living god
became sin
he had never known sin and he became
guilty at that moment of adultery
he became guilty of lying of idolatry
he became guilty of every ugly dirty
thing you can think of
because it was your sins poured out on
him
jesus took it on the cross and shed his
blood for us
and he was shedding his blood now when
you take the blood out that means you’re
giving your life
and that’s what it means it means the
life of christ
the cross and the resurrection of christ
offers forgiveness of sin offers a whole
new life and offers you eternal life
if you come to the cross by repentance
and faith
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there is no other
way of salvation except through the
cross of christ
jesus said i’m the way the truth and the
life
no man cometh to the father but by me
the only way to the father
father god
is through his son
jesus christ
now why jesus
he’s the only one
that was born in this world without sin
but more than that he was a righteous
one
and when you come to him you’re clothed
in his righteousness
god no longer sees your sin
he no longer
sees your own heart
he sees jesus
now i don’t understand all about it
there are many things about the cross
and about salvation that i do not
understand and i’m not told that i have
to understand it all i’m told that i’m
to believe and that word believe means
commit i commit my life totally to him
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jesus christ from the cross
says i will save you
i will forgive you
i will change you i’ll make you a new
person
if you come to the cross by repentance
and faith
come to christ
come to christ
when you come to christ you come by the
way of repentance
repent means to change
to change your way of living
and turn from
your sins
and turn to jesus christ
and say bye my son
i need forgiveness
and i know that you’re the only one
that can change me
a lot of people say well i don’t really
want to change in my life
the scripture teaches without that
change that god demands we’ll never get
to heaven
but for me i was a member of a church
but i hadn’t really come to christ
from the very beginning i was reading a
christian atmosphere
my father and mother both were
christians
by the time i was a teenager there came
an evangelist out town mordecai ham
iron back got under such conviction
and one night
they gave the invitation
to receive christ and i reluctantly went
but
i really meant business with the lord
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i came
just as i was
with all my sins
all my failures and the lord received me
and changed me
that has
transformed me till this day
i’ve never been the same
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i found during the latter years of my
life
when i’ve had sicknesses and been in the
hospital and so forth
there’s a piece that just resides there
and stays there
that i cannot explain
everybody could have that same peace
if they received christ as their savior
i know i’m going to heaven
i’m looking forward to it with great
anticipation
because of what jesus did on that cross
he died for us but he was raised by god
if christ is alive
there is hope in the world
yes jesus christ is alive
he rose from the dead in that day that
easter sunday morning that first easter
when mary and mary magdalene and
stallone
went to the grave expecting to anoint a
dead body
they saw the angel sitting there
and they said where is jesus
the angel said he is not here he is
risen i submit to you tonight that
that’s the greatest news the world has
ever heard
he is not here
he has conquered the grave he’s alive
and the whole early church went up and
down the country preaching the
resurrection of jesus christ
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and you’ll notice that when the
disciples went out after
the cross and the resurrection
it says they went out preaching that
jesus was alive
and that because he lives
we too are going to live someday
in that same resurrection glory
and because of the hope we have in jesus
we can all be in heaven
someday forever
but first
there must be a decision here
and now
in this life
today
i’m asking you
to put your trust in christ
i’m going to ask you to pray this prayer
sentence by sentence after me
dear heavenly father
i know that i’m a sinner
and i ask for your forgiveness
i believe you’ve died for my sins
and rose from the dead
i turn from my sins
i repent of my sins
i invite you to come into my heart and
life
i want to trust and follow you
as my lord and savior
in jesus name
amen
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he’s alive
i’ve given my life not to a dead christ
but to a living christ
i know where i’ve come from i know why
i’m here i know where i’m going
do you
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guilty
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i’m guilty
was all that i could say
mercy
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your mercy
crashing like a wave
and all my sin was washed away
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washed away
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forever
washed away
spotless
spotless
wider
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covers
and all my sin was washed away
washed away
you took them all
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forever washed away
and all my sin was washed away
washed away
you took them all
there’s not a trace
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forever
washed
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away oh
precious
is the flow
that
makes me
white as snow
no
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nothing but the god of jesus
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is
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is
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precious
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the focus of billy graham’s message and
ministry was the cross of christ his
book what happened at the cross explores
the true meaning of this extraordinary
event
as a thank you for your support we’ll
send you this powerful book call
877-567-8989
or go to billygram.org
book
for over 60 years billy graham shared
the good news of the cross and
resurrection and today that work
continues
partner with the billy graham
evangelistic association in our ongoing
mission to proclaim the gospel through
every means available
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internet evangelism allows us to reach
the world with the good news 24 hours a
day
our rapid response chaplains offer hope
to the hurting during times of tragedy
and we continue to share god’s love
through franklin graham festivals and
willgram celebrations
join us in taking the gospel to the ends
of the earth visit billy graham.org book
or call 877-567-8989
as a thank you we’ll send you what
happened at the cross by billy graham
call or log on today
you’re invited on a journey of discovery
at the billy graham library
retrace billy graham’s path from humble
farm boy to international ambassador of
god’s love
tour the restored grand family home
place browse ruth’s attic bookstore and
have a meal at the dairy bar
enjoy special exhibits events and
seasonal activities for the whole family
admission is free so come walk this
journey of discovery at the billy graham
library
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millions of people are searching for
answers to the crushing problems and
fears that they face today
that ought to give us a new urgency
to declare the one answer
my father his whole ministry he never
got sidetracked he stayed focused on
what god has called him to do jesus said
follow me follow me
there’s a generation now that doesn’t
know billy graham that doesn’t know
jesus christ doesn’t know anything about
god
we see a spiritual need
here at the billy graham evangelist
association we’re called to meet it
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the billy graham archive and research
center will be a facility that will hold
all of my father’s correspondence and
records
it will be a state-of-the-art facility
it’s going to be two-story 34 000 square
feet
of the audio and visual and photography
records
papers
everything about this 70-year plus
ministry
we’re bringing all that together in
charlotte
we feel that this is so important for
future generations to have this material
where people can study
what god did through billy graham and
how god did it
i’m sure mr graham had no idea that he
would develop such a treasure trove of
materials first of all of the
manuscripts that he carried into the
pulpit
probably the most valuable piece of the
archives are those sermon notes that
reflect that incredible anointed
preaching ministry
right next door is the billy graham
library what’s so neat about the archive
center being right beside the library
is that you get not just the research
side but the practicality side of it so
when people come to study
his life they can go to the library and
see his life
and how god brought a group of men and
women around him to reach millions and
millions of people for
jesus the ultimate impact of the billy
graham archive center linked to the
library is to encourage
a younger generation to the task of
proclamation evangelism
and that’s what i hope that this archive
center will do that it will call young
men and women to proclaim the good news
of jesus christ wherever they go and
that’s what’s exciting to see
if this center
can be a place that spurs them on
and gives them an inspiration
for fulfilling the great commission in
their day then it’s worth every dollar
that’s raised
every
moment of work that it takes to bring it
together so that someone else can learn
to do the work of evangelism
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you