Back in 2018, as the Easter season was approaching, the SiriusXM radio company came together with the Billy Graham organization to play Dr. Graham’s messages 24/7 throughout the Easter season. This was advertised as a limited time agreement, and when the Easter season ended, the messages went away.
Well, the response to the great evangelist’s preaching must have been very positive because he is still on SiriusXM. This time it is a full-time, every-day, 24-hours-per-day, permanent agreement. You can now hear Dr. Graham’s messages on channel 460 around the clock.
And I have been listening.
Each message is introduced and located by the date on which it was preached. Some of the messages were recorded live from his huge stadium events, and some of them are the replay of his weekly thirty-minute radio program. All are worth your time.
For over seven decades, Billy Graham preached the gospel. He preached during times of war. He preached during times of peace. He preached during times of racial unrest. He preached when our nation was going through serious financial crises. He preached in the aftermath of the assassination of President Kennedy and when we landed our astronauts on the moon. He preached through the administrations of twelve US presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama). He preached during the terrible days that surrounded September 11. He preached when his children were growing up and when his wife died. No matter what was happening in our world or in his world, Billy Graham preached.
I am not telling you something you do not already know. You may have listened to him and perhaps even attended one of his many events. This Easter season, I want to remind you of the scope of Dr. Graham’s preaching because I want to talk to you about the subject of his preaching.
I cannot begin to tell you how my heart has been stirred over these last several weeks as I have listened to his sermons. In spite of the myriad of issues before him, he confronted them all with one thing: the gospel of Jesus Christ. He never wavered, he never changed, he never apologized, and he seemed to get stronger and better as he got older. As I have listened to him, I have found myself thinking of Paul’s words: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).
As we grapple with world, national, local, and even personal events, we often ask: Where do we go from here? The answer: We go to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe the gospel alone can triumph over the many challenges we are facing in our culture and our world, not only at Easter, but always.
That is what was confirmed to me as I listened to the great evangelist on the radio. He knew the gospel was the answer to any question, and he preached that gospel as if it were our only hope.
Because it is!
I have unwavering joy, even in these last days, because the gospel is triumphant, and Jesus is victorious. Nothing can stop Him, and no one can stall His work on earth.
In the early days of the church, after the first Easter and Christ’s resurrection, the Jewish high officials in Jerusalem couldn’t figure out what to do with the apostles. During a gathering to discuss the issue, Israel’s most respected rabbi, Gamaliel, rose to speak. He told the officials: “Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:38–39).
As far as we know, Rabbi Gamaliel was not himself a Christian. But on this occasion, he spoke true wisdom, and his words have rung true for two thousand years. They are true for you. Your influence, your work, and your service for the Master cannot be stopped.
Living In Triumph
That is why I wanted to share this special message about the triumph of the gospel with you this Easter. The time grows short, but I feel a sense of anticipation… There’s no room in these days for defeated Christians. The Bible says, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Cor. 2:14, emphasis added).
Don’t you like that word triumph? Try saying it aloud. It’s a powerful, biblical word.
Moses wrote, “I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously” (Ex. 15:1).
The psalmist told us, “Shout to God with the voice of triumph!” (Ps. 47:1).
According to the book of Revelation, this is the ultimate consummation of biblical prophecy: “See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed” (5:5).
As usual, the apostle Paul stated it brilliantly: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, [Jesus] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them” (Col. 2:15).
I think the people of Colossae would be somewhat at home in our world. They were facing what we are facing. While surrounded by a vile and pagan culture, they were also endangered from within by false teachers and weakened doctrine. As I pointed out in the Jeremiah Study Bible, the apostle Paul probably never set foot in the town of Colossae, which was nestled in the Lycus Valley some one hundred miles east of Ephesus. A man named Epaphras, a native Colossian who had been converted under Paul’s ministry, started a church in this small town.
Things went well at first, but then false teachers showed up. All around them was a pagan Roman culture, and now false teachers threatened to erode their internal foundation of faith. Epaphras was so alarmed that he sought out Paul, who was imprisoned in Rome, asking him to write to this little congregation. The great apostle did so—four glorious chapters about the transcendence of Christ and the triumph of the gospel.
Paul wasn’t just writing to Colossae, but to us, as he exhorted us to never allow ourselves to be “moved away from the hope of the gospel” (Col. 1:23). A good message for us always, but especially at Easter.
Paul went on to warn: “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (2:8–10).
Who are the principalities and powers over whom Jesus triumphed?
They are fallen supernatural beings—principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness in this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). They are malevolent forces in the unseen realm, associates of Satan. The devil has a dark and demonic network of evil—an invisible grid that encircles our world.
There is no way to explain the acceleration of evil in our day apart from principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and the spiritual hosts of wickedness. They are firing at us like enemy combatants, and their intent is to kill. But Jesus Christ is victor over every shadowy figure in the universe—even death itself.
That’s the triumph of the gospel that we celebrate at Easter! When our Lord Jesus Christ came out of the tomb He triumphed over every power, every principality, every ruler of darkness, every spiritual force of evil in the unseen realm. He has triumphed over the world, the flesh, and the devil. He conquered sin, death, and hell. He broke the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil, and freed those who were held in slavery by their fear of death (Heb. 2:14–15).
In days to come, during the final moments of earth’s history, the Antichrist and his cohorts will make one last stand. “They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers” (Rev. 17:14).
Biblical prophecy never leads us down dark pathways of chaos and cataclysm. It leads us past chaos and cataclysm to Christ Himself, who is victorious overall.
Consider this. Every year on Palm Sunday we sing and preach about the triumphal entry of Jesus as He entered Jerusalem at the beginning of Passion Week. We see Him riding a donkey while multitudes cheer Him with cries of “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Mark 11:9). By the end of the week, Jesus had been crucified.
If we call our Lord’s first coming “triumphal,” what can we say of His return?
It will be triumphal times a trillion! That’s why the signs of the times bring us songs, not sighs or sobs. When we see all that’s happening around us, we lift up our eyes because our redemption—our Redeemer—is drawing near.
What Does This Mean?
Whenever we read the letters of Paul, we find him articulating the message of the gospel from different viewpoints. In Colossians, he put it like this: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13–14).
Without Christ, we’re in Satan’s grip. But because of His great love for us, Jesus shed His blood and died to redeem us from our sins, giving us full forgiveness. He rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and resumed His position of supreme authority. When we believe and receive His good news, He instantly conveys us into His family and into His kingdom. That is the triumph of the gospel that we celebrate at Easter—the victory of Jesus on our behalf.
The Message of the Gospel Is Transforming
This message is life-altering. It instantly changed the lives of a handful of people in the town of Colossae, snatching them from the power of darkness and conveying them into the kingdom of light. Two thousand years later, the same gospel is transforming hearts today.
It’s not often I quote a press release from an atheist society, but just as the pandemic began to fade from the headlines, another news item caught my eye. A group called the “Atheists in Kenya Society” in Nairobi issued a press release dated May 30, 2021: “This evening, regretfully, the Secretary of the Atheists in Kenya Society Mr. Seth Mahiga, informed [us] that he has made the decision to resign from his position as Secretary of the society. Seth’s reason for resigning is that he has found Jesus Christ and is no longer interested in promoting atheism in Kenya. We wish Seth all the best in his newfound relationship with Jesus Christ. . . . The position of Secretary of the Society has been rendered vacant.”1
We cannot imagine how many people like Seth are saved by the blood of Christ every single day in this world. Only heaven knows that statistic, but each life is radically transformed.
Paul told the Colossians, “We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you” (1:4–6).
The Work of the Gospel Is Expanding
Furthermore, the work of the gospel is expanding. Paul went on to say, “[The gospel] has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit” (v. 6). Even in Paul’s day, he saw the gospel spreading and expanding like concentric circles throughout the entire known world.
Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14).
From my own experience, I can tell you I’ve never seen a moment in my lifetime of ministry in which followers of Jesus are reaching more people, witnessing more conversions, and touching more nations than now. Easter is one of the best times to share the gospel with others, so I hope you will invite family, friends, colleagues—anyone—to celebrate the triumph of the gospel with you at an Easter church service. It’s hard to be discouraged with the headlines when a bigger story is unfolding. We can’t fully document it, but the gospel is yielding unprecedented fruit around the globe.
Yes, I know we’ve talked about apostasy and the perceived decline of Christianity in the West. But that’s not the whole story. The triumphant gospel is penetrating new areas, and truly amazing things are happening.
Perhaps you’ve heard rumors of the growth of Christianity within the borders of Iran. Those rumors are true! One report said the gospel is spreading through that nation at a “sizzling pace.” Another report said the Holy Spirit is “on fire” in Iran.
As you know, the leaders of Iran adhere to an apocalyptic form of Islam, and they’re doing everything possible to discourage this revival. Anyone suspected of being a Christian is arrested or oppressed. But do you know what’s happening? Plans are unfolding for Billy Graham to preach in Iran! Yes, Dr. Graham’s sermons are being dubbed into Farsi and broadcast into the country. It’s believed his sermons will reach over twenty million Iranians in the safety of their own homes. That’s only one tidbit about the spiritual awakening currently taking place in this country which, as I’ve indicated, will play a role in the unfolding of the tribulation.
In another case, there’s an evangelist named Dr. Hormoz Shariat. In 1979, Dr. Shariat was on the streets of Iran shouting, “Death to America!” He was a fanatical Muslim, but something happened to him when he started reading the Bible and comparing it to the Quran. “I realized Jesus is the way,” he said. “And when my life was changed so dramatically, I knew I mustn’t keep it to myself.” He uses satellite TV to reach millions of Iranians, and his messages are penetrating homes twenty-four hours a day.
As followers of Christ, we read the news differently than other people. When you hear reports of an Iranian nuclear deal or the ayatollah’s apocalyptic threats, remember there’s more going on than meets the eye. The Lord is at work behind the headlines, and the gospel is spreading into every corner of the earth with its message of triumph.
