Reformed. Christianity. Evangelism. Modern Culture.
[Re-posted from 2017] One of the best youth messages I have come across was Paul Washer’s “shocking youth message”. It was a biblical message about what it truly means t o be a Christian. It was so good that he wasn’t welcomed back! (No kidding)
It’s a tremendous privilege for me to be here this afternoon with you. Before we begin with any further speaking, I would also like to go to the Lord in prayer. I would ask you to pray. There is so much going on here this afternoon, so much that you don’t understand, but I’ll tell you where I’m coming from. I’ll preach as a dying man to dying men and women and youth….
Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.
Father . . .Father, I am so small and so pitiful, Father, in so many ways. You know, Lord, You know, though dear God, should false fire be the only thing ever placed on Your altar, or could fire come down from Heaven amidst all the noise and the clamor and the activities . . . could fire come down from Heaven and these dead bones live…. Breathe on them. Grant them repentance. Grant them faith. Bring them into Your Kingdom, Lord, for Your own glory, for the sake of Your own great name, do this thing, Lord. As the brother said, let it be so, Lord, so that no man will take credit for it, so that no man will lay his hand to the ark of God and, if he did, that You would strike him down dead, Lord. Oh, God, move among us, please, because we have no other hope. We have no other hope. These children have no other hope except that You move…Amen.
I stand here today . . . I’m not troubled in my heart about your self-esteem. I’m not troubled in my heart about whether or not you feel good about yourself, whether or not life is turning out like you want it to turn out, or whether or not your checkbook is balanced. There’s only one thing that gave me a sleepless night. There’s only one thing that troubled me all throughout the morning, and this is this. Within a hundred years, a great majority of people in this building will possibly be in hell. And many who even profess Jesus Christ as Lord will spend an eternity in hell…
And then, when they look around at others who profess to know Christ and see those people also just as worldly as the world, and they compare themselves by themselves, nothing troubles their heart. They think, well, I’m the same as most in my youth group. I watch things I shouldn’t watch on television and laugh about the very things that God hates. I wear clothing that is sensual. I talk like the world. I walk like the world. I love the music of the world. I love so much that’s in the world, but bless God, I am a Christian… there was a time in my life when I prayed and asked Jesus Christ to come into my heart.
What you need to know is that salvation is by faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith alone in Jesus Christ is preceded and followed by repentance . . . a turning away from sin, a hatred for the things that God hates and a love for the things that God loves, a growing in holiness and a desire not to be like Britney Spears, not to be like the world, and not to be like the great majority of American Christians, but to be like Jesus Christ! [The audience then erupts in applause].
I don’t know why you’re clapping. I’m talking about you. I didn’t come here to get amens. I didn’t come here to be applauded. I’m talking about you.
Here is the full transcript.
Full video:
For the background to this message check here!
A Twisted Crown of Thorns ® 
Weeks after my wife and my conversion at the age of 37 and after 18 years of marriage, God used Paul Washer and this message to take that experience of salvation and show us the truth about the life lived out. It caused us to leave the church we came to faith in and to seek a Bible centered church unwavering in the truth and faithfully expositing the word of God. In the words of Robert Frost, “and that has made all the difference.”
Reblogged this on Truth2Freedom's Blog.
the always transformed my life.i wish one day you came to KENYA(AFRICA) God Almighty blessed you ev.
Iam blessed by this Godly man’s msge His passion n boldness.Not only this 1 even His other msge.God bless u sir!
This is the sermon that had me searching for more of his sermons.. I like his boldness.. others feel he is out of touch with Gods grace..
I am concerned about those who would seek to make being a Christian so hard.
Of course we should be angry with those things that make our LORD angry, and of course we need to be aware of not taking our savation seriously, good grief it cost our Father the most wonderful thing in the universe, His son.
But to constantly be self consconsciously second guessingetting ones salvation would seem to me counter productive. We are saved, do we accept that? We can never be good enough? Can we accept that?
Or are we so paralysed by doubt and fear that we fail to do those things we are saved to do?
Lots of fear based motivation here. I don’t see Apostle Paul BEGINNING ANY of his epistles to the Church with such fear. He builds up the identity or position of the believer and then teaches later in the epistle how then a RIGHTEOUS son or daughter should then walk.
paul washer , I pray that you continue in your concern for our souls.. I feel really convicted and looking forward to watching more of your sermons online… I am very proud of you
as he had said, stop worshipping preachers. to God be all the glory.
okay what you are saying is true but as the evangelists also do, once come to Christ it become the end of that and after that they are left to fend for them selves, forgive me maybe my mentality is wrong but I think it is better for some one to be ignorant than for someone to be miss lead or to start in the faith and loss their way because of lack of support, so maybe you can think about it and ask God about my question. what can be done to help those who are really converted to continue on the right path because even if the conversion is real the only support seems to be corrupted so who can blame people for being lead astray? what can be done or what more can be done.
IGNORANCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE.
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life”
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I believe we need more messages like these. Messages that will shock us back to reality; many are just walking in a dreamy, make-believe world….
By all means we need to save some…God bless you!
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This sermon really convicted me in college. I’ve left seminary to become Catholic now and have a different view on the “saved” question, but I still appreciate Washer’s love for Christ.
Not every body who listens to a message even in church will obey the message. Many will shed a tear , get emotional but will not repent.
He is a tough one and quite proud of not being invited back to speak…
I love Paul Washer’s boldness and his passion for souls. It is sad that some even organisers prefer having speakers who only come to excite the crowd.
but he does excite the crowd…just invited to speak in front of the wrong ones. Sometimes I wonder if churches invite him to do what they are afraid to do…i pray that Paul is not discouraged and is continually strengthened at that God would consume him with His love – thanks again for sharing!
He’s not “proud of it,” but it’s important to note.