- Is it significant that he doesn't mention "grace" once in the sermon?
- Do you believe he's earnestly seeking humility given statements about how much preaching this sermon will cost him personally?
- Do you find his "altar call" at the end interesting given his take on "praying a prayer"?
- What do you make of his reference to "God's law" from Matthew 7:23 ("evildoers")?
- Does his story of the boy who died for his faith (near the end) seem out-of-place given his stated intention of not using such stories to ellicit an emotional response?
- Most importantly: Does he present a Christ-centered gospel or a form of legalism?
By God's Grace, Jeff
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Paul Washer
Check out this video sermon by Paul Washer on YouTube and let me know what you think. It's a sermon on Matthew 7:13-27 that he gave to a large gathering of youth at a baptist camp. This was brought to my attention during a meeting I had yesterday with some local EFCA pastors that I meet with regularly. He's speaking to youth but it is certainly not the typical youth message if you've been to as many youth camps as I have. Apparently his name and messages (this one in particular) are sweeping through some churches in my area (and so I'm guessing just about everywhere else too). Some concern was expressed over whether his message is tending toward legalism. I watched his sermon last night and it seems pretty solidly evangelical (even if his style is not what I would prefer). However there are a few questions I had that I'd appreciate any thoughts on as you watch it:
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2 comments:
Higgs, I think we can pick at Washer's style, but his message, I think, is still a solid, solemn warning of how often we take God's grace lightly and callously. He is issuing a stern caution to a sleeping church (not all churches are sleeping, but the church in America is often quite passed out). He's warning that even though we have grace by faith, many of us are using grace as a free-ticket-out-of-hell.
I think that Washer may not be the guy you want to bring to your youth group, but his message is a solid one that needs to reverberate through the halls of the church in America. At least, that's my opinion (ever so humble).
I'll be curious a response if you are interested.
Pastor Jeff, When you look at the stats of how many of our evangelical highschoolers (60-80%)(see Ken Ham's book "Already Gone)are leaving the church never to re turn, I don't think Washers pleas are any too strong. The Church needs to wake up and take a good look at all this "decisional regeneration" that has been used for the past 50 years which I believe is unbiblical:ie,man making a decision for God Instead of it being a work of The Holy Spirit regenerating the human heart from stone to flesh.
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