Franklin Graham used the biblical story of Lot’s flight from Sodom to urge thousands in Manchester on Saturday night to seek forgiveness through Christ and accept His gift of salvation. He warned them not to be like Lot’s wife, who looked back and was lost.
“Are you ready to stand before God? Are you ready to give an account to Him?” Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), asked the crowd Saturday at Manchester’s Co-op Live. “The Bible says it's appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment.”
The BGEA president shared the Gospel message as part of his “God Loves You Tour," using the biblical account of Lot, his wife and the destruction of Sodom to encourage listeners to examine their lives and consider whether they have placed their faith in Jesus Christ.
Graham said Lot was surrounded by sin in Sodom and was miserable because of what he saw around him. He suggested that some in the Manchester audience might feel the same way.
“Lot wasn't happy. He was miserable,” the evangelist said. “He wasn't happy with all the filth and trash that he saw going around him. His soul was miserable. And maybe many of you are here tonight at the same place.”
The evangelist said many in the audience may have given in to sins they try to justify because everyone around them does the same thing.
“But deep down in your heart, you know it's wrong. Something's missing in your life tonight,” Graham stated. “And maybe you've come here tonight searching, wanting to know, does God have a plan? Does He have a purpose for your life? Maybe you've come tonight wanting to know, can you be forgiven for the things you have done?”
Though he is the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham and grew up in a prominent Christian family, Franklin Graham said he did not give his life to Christ until he was 22.
Growing up in a Christian home or attending church does not, by itself, mean a person has personally trusted in Christ, Graham said, explaining that coming to Christ requires repentance — turning away from sin — and receiving Him by faith.
“See, if you come to Christ, you've got to repent. Repent means to turn. To turn your life, your mind from sin,” Graham said. “You've got to turn from it. You've got to repent. And then you've got to be willing to receive Christ by faith, simply by faith, believing in who He is, that He is God's son, that He did take your sins, that He died in your place.”
The evangelist warned the audience that judgment is coming, saying, “God is a God of wrath, and He will judge sin.”
He described Sodom as a prosperous city where people were busy with commerce and business but lived in what he called widespread wickedness and sin.
Graham said Sodom’s people pursued sinful pleasure and had a false sense of security because of their scientific achievements, military power and economic strength. God sent angels to warn Lot that Sodom would be destroyed and to lead him and his family out of the city. The angels told the family to flee and not to look back.
But as they fled toward Zoar, the Bible says, Lot’s wife disobeyed the warning and looked back, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.
“She was almost saved,” Graham said about Lot’s wife. “I've had people say, 'Well, I'm this close to being a Christian.' Well, you might as well be a million miles away because … either you're saved, or you're not.”
“[Lot’s wife] was offered salvation. You're offered salvation tonight,” the evangelist continued. “God is offering you forgiveness. He's offering you cleansing. He's offering you a new life, a new beginning through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. But you've got to choose.”
Graham said everyone in the audience is guilty of sin, listing transgressions such as lying, stealing, coveting, adultery and sexual activity outside of marriage. He also addressed abortion, saying its legality does not determine whether it is morally right before God.
He told women in the audience who have had abortions and still carry guilt over them that they could receive forgiveness through Christ.
“But I'm here tonight to tell you that God loves you, and He'll forgive you, and He'll cleanse you, and He'll take that guilt and shame,” Graham said. “But you've got to come to Him His way, and that's through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.”
Throughout his message, the BGEA president emphasized that Jesus shed His blood for the world and died on the cross to save people from sin.
“He came to save us, and He'll save you tonight, and He'll forgive you,” he declared. “But you've got to come to Him confessing your sin, repenting and by faith believing on his son Jesus Christ.”
At the end of his message, Graham invited those who had never trusted Christ as their Savior to leave their seats and come forward, saying, “Come, come while you can. Do it now, do it now.”
