LOUISVILLE — Ear-splitting contemporary music mixed with an old-time Gospel message to bridge the generations Saturday night as thousands of young people heard Billy Graham preach in grandfatherly terms that belief in Jesus surpasses any earthly pleasures.

        The 82-year-old evangelist geared his message to teen-agers and young adults who composed much of the near-record crowd at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

        Mr. Graham, himself a grandfather and great-grandfather, said the earthly pleasures sought by many are short-lived and empty, but acceptance of Jesus will result in ever-lasting life.

        “There are people today who literally live for pleasure,” Mr. Graham said in his short sermon. “Many people live their lives like that. They can hardly wait for the weekend to go out drinking and partying. But know this: Pay day is coming.”

        As the service concluded, hundreds of people, young and old, came forward to publicly commit to Jesus. As he has for decades, Mr. Graham spoke directly to those offering their lives to Jesus, urging them to read the Bible, pray daily and love others.

        The crowd of 46,000 was the biggest yet for the four- day crusade that concludes Sunday night, and was just off the stadium record of 48,000 that attended a country music concert.

        The music Saturday was high voltage, with an underlying message of God's love. The crowd roared as people raised their arms, jumped, swayed to the rhythm and sang along with the performers.

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