Billy Graham - The Reason for My Hope: Salvation

THE REASON
FOR MY HOPE

2013 William F. Graham Jr.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked BBE are from The Bible in Basic English, translated by Professor Samuel H. Hooke, 1941 (NT) and 1949 (OT), and in the public domain. Published in 1965 by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the English Standard Version. 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-8499-2204-6 (IE)

ISBN 978-0-8499-6527-2 (ebook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Graham, Billy, 1918

The reason for my hope : salvation / Billy Graham.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-8499-4761-2

1. Salvation--Christianity. 2. Hope--Religious aspects--Christianity. I. Title.

BT751.3.G725 2013

234.25--dc23

2013007539

CONTENTS

O NE OF THE GREATEST PRIVILEGES OF MY LIFE HAS been the opportunity to associate with numerous men and women throughout the years whom God has used to shape my life and sharpen my understanding of His Word, the Bible. In this book I have attempted to summarize the Good News I have preached during my ministry, and I thank God for the contribution these countless individuals have made to my lifeand thus to this volume.

I am especially grateful to my son Franklin for his vision for this project and for his constant encouragement during its writing. I am very thankful also for my longtime colleague Dr. David Bruce, who gave invaluable assistance to this project by coordinating its development and publication. As they have done on previous projects, my editors at Thomas NelsonDavid Moberg and Matt Baugherhave given unstintingly of their time and wisdom in this endeavor.

My special thanks to Donna Lee Toney, whose research skills enabled me to include a number of contemporary illustrations that will, I believe, make the timeless message of the Bible come alive for a new generation of readers. Of even greater importance, however, was her diligence in working closely with me to shape the manuscript into its final form. Without her dedication, unique knowledge of Scripture, and writing skills, this book would not have been possible.

Billy Graham

Montreat, North Carolina

May 2013

H OPE IS A GIFT. Have you ever taken hold of such a prize that leads you out of uncertainty into profound assurance? If so, you have possessed hope. When it arrives, despair departs. An old Scottish proverb says, Were it not for hope, the heart would break. What is your hearts condition?

Mankind is barraged with news about uncertainty in the world. Hearts are paralyzed with fear about the unknown. In an article published by World Trends Research regarding our fast-paced and high-tech society, Van Wishard wrote, The next three decades loom as the most decisive 30-year period in history. Indeed, we live in tumultuous times.

Uncertainty is so widespread that the latest fad in the greeting-card industry offers encouragement through designer e-cards that pop up on user screens. One reads, In the face of uncertainty there is nothing wrong with hope. Another card simply shows a street sign: HOPE Avenue with a placard pasted below pointing ONE WAY.

Indeed, there is only one way that leads to such certainty for today and for the future, and this is the message I want to share with you in the pages of this book. In times like these, we need a sure hope.

What is hope? Some equate it as a fanciful wish. But the word explodes with confidence to believe in something greater than ourselves, and it is not found in science, medicine, government, or technology. It is a grand gift that does not drain us of life but infuses us with lasting benefits that spring forth from its seemingly veiled treasures. If you doubt my thesis, consider these truths.

Hope is the breath of nature that surrounds us every day.

Hope is seen in a sprig that shoots up from the crevasse of a sundried rock, proving the water of life within.

Hope is the first ray of sunshine that peeks above the horizonwithout failevery morning with blazing truth, telling us we can make it through.

Hope is dispatched when the moon rises in the dark night, foreshadowing that a new day will dawn.

Hope swells within a sea-weary drifter when he spots a distant speck of a ship that grows larger with each passing wave.

Hope headlines commencement addresses, inspiring graduates as they embark on the new life that lies ahead, as they step out on the pathway strewn with possibilities.

Hope is the cry of a newborn baby once bound, now free.

Have you glimpsed the glow of hope? Strike a match and burn a candle. You will discover that the whisper of its flame brings life to a room, making the candle useful. Is your flame alive and making a difference in the world? You see, HOPE PIERCES THE DARKNESS.

It is the absolute assurance that there is life after death. For those who have lost loved onesand we all haveHOPE BRINGS COMFORT to our aching souls. It perseveres, persuades, prevails.

A GIFT TO THE WORLD

For decades the world has marveled at a once crown jewelthe Hope Diamondthe dazzling, blue 45-carat gem with an estimated value of $250 million. Solitary, it sits encased by thick bulletproof glass.

What hope does this rare stone bring to the peoples of the world? While it is grand in glory, it is untouchable; valuable but not priceless; a gift to the world but protected from the world, locked for safekeeping.

Is hope for you locked up, inaccessible, untouchable?

Maybe you are longing for hope and cannot find it. In these pages we will see ourselves in this pursuit of hope that brings certainty if we embrace it. You see, it is not kept from you, locked away in a museum. It is made available and comes to you as hope from above. It is not a futuristic aspiration; it is a faith builder.

A NEW DOCUMENT

A contemporary philosopher, the late Richard Rorty, claimed that hope placed in the promise of Jesus Christ returning to earth has failed because He has not returned. This philosopher believed a new document of promise is needed for hope to exist again.

My friend, there is a document of promise that has never grown old. It is new every morning.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the very hope that lies within. He is Earths only hope. He came to unlock the door of your soul to bring the light of salvation into your life. His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is [His] faithfulness (Lamentations 3:2223). This is