What Does a Person Need to Believe to Be A Christian?

What Does a Person Need to Believe to Be A Christian? by Dr. Alan Cairns

The Texts for this message are as follows:

 Acts 16:31:

"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

Romans 10:9:

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

1 Corinthians 15 (I won't post all of 1 Corinthians here, but click on the link and it will bring you there!)

This is a very short message (4 minutes) that could have everlasting consequences! Here are some longer messages/sermons that could have equally important consequences!

The New and Improved 2017 Edition of the Romans Road to Salvation
Five Minutes After I Die!
The God of the Bible Kills People (Video)  
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards (Preached in 1741):

Misc. Quotes for Tuesday, September 6, 2016

The following quotes are from Jonathan Edward's sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (1741). The Biblical text was Deuteronomy 32:35  "Their foot shall slide in due time."
------------- 

 
"It would be dreadful to suffer this feirceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look foreward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverances, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengende; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite."

"...Natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked: his anger is as great towards them as those that are actually suffering the execution of the fierceness of his wrath in hell... "

"The devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out; and they have no interest in any Mediator... "

"The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons to a conviction of their danger. This that you have heard is the case of every one out of Christ. That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you..."

"the sun does not willingly shine upon you, to give you light and to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase, to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies..."

"There are black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder, and were it not for the restraining hand of God they would immediately burst forth upon you."

"The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string; and justice directs the bow to your heart, and strains at the bow; and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being drunk with your blood..."

"...all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from the dead in sin, to a state of new, are in the hands of an angry God..."

"However unconvinced you may now be of the truth of what you hear, by and by you will be fully convinced of it..."

"There is no other reason to be given, while you have been hearing this address, but his mercy; yea, no other reason can be given why you do not this very moment drop down into hell. O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in!"

"You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in a mediator..."

"How awful are those words of the great God, I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury: and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiments"- Isaiah 63:3,4

"Now God stands ready to pity you, this is the day of mercy; you may now cry with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain..."

"Some may be in hell in a very short time, before this year is out. And it would be no wonder if some hearers, who are now in health, and quiet and secure, may be there before tomorrow morning..."

"There case is past all hope, They are crying in extreme misery and perfect despair; but here you are in the land of the living, blessed with Bibles and Sabbaths, and ministers, and have an opportunity to obtain salvation. What would not those poor damned souls give for one days opportunity such as you now enjoy?"

"And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands calling and crying with a load voice to poor sinners."


For further study:

Osteen: Preaching About Hell is Obsolete

 

I Saw the Dead

I Saw the Dead, by Dr. David P. Murray

This somber gospel sermon is based on the following Biblical text:

Revelation 20:11-15

"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Also recommended:

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards

Misc. Quotes for Friday, June 17, 2016

"Yet we in our day, much as we love to sing Amazing Grace (I suppose because we like the tune), are not inwardly amazed by grace as the Puritans were; it does not startle us that the holy Creator should receive sinners into his company; rather, we take it for granted! 'God will forgive. That's his job!' was the final scoff with which the French cynic went to meet his maker. " - J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life

"To the question, 'should one preach doctrine?' the Puritan answer would have been, 'Why? What else is there to preach?' Puritan preachers were not afraid to bring the profoundest theology into the pulpit if it bore on their hearers salvation...doctrinal preaching certainly bores the hypocrite; but it is only doctrinal preaching that will save Christ's sheep. The preacher's job is to proclaim the faith, not to provide entertainment for unbelievers. In other words, to feed the sheep and not amuse the goats." - Dr. J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: A Puritan View of the Christian Life
 
"If trouble must come, let it come in my day, that my child may live in peace." - Source unknown 

"Since arriving in Canada I've been accused of thought crimes, threatened with criminal prosecution for speeches I haven't yet given, and denounced on the floor of parliament (which was nice because that one was on my 'bucket list')." - Ann Coulter, Never Trust a Liberal Over 3 (Especially A Republican!)

"We believe in God in 3 persons, blessed Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. This is the essential truth. There is no gospel without it." - Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones (1899-1981)

"Maybe the prophets wanted the rich to invite the poor into their homes, maybe they wanted the poor to be befriended and supported by gentle arms of friends. Maybe friendliness. But at least justice, at least the rights of the poor respected." - Dr. Lewis Smedes (1921-2002)

"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverances, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite." - Jonathan Edwards  (1703-1758)

Misc. Quotes for Thursday, May 12, 2016

"Maybe the prophets wanted the rich to invite the poor into their homes, maybe they wanted the poor to be befriended and supported by gentle arms of friends. Maybe friendliness. But at least justice, at least the rights of the poor respected." - Dr. Lewis Smedes (1921-2002)

"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverances, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite." - Jonathan Edwards  (1703-1758)

"It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning." - Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Recommended Sermons for Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Our Nation Laid in God's Balance, by Dr. Joel Beeke
They That Are in Hell Are in Despair, by Jonathan Edwards

Recommended Sermon for Friday, January 22, 2016

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards

Recommended Sermon For Monday, August 10, 2015

Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards

Recommended Sermon For Monday, May 4, 2015

Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

You may also want to Read Jonathan Edwards great book:


Religious Affections

Recommended Sermon For Sunday, March 29, 2015

Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

You may also want to Read Jonathan Edwards great book:

Religious Affections

Here are some excerpts from the above sermon (preached in 1741):

"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverances, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengence; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite."

"...Natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked: his anger is as great towards them as those that are actually suffering the execution of the fierceness of his wrath in hell... "

"The devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out; and they have no interest in any Mediator... "

"The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons to a conviction of their danger. This that you have heard is the case of every one out of Christ. That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you..."

"the sun does not willingly shine upon you, to give you light and to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase, to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies..."

"There are black clouds of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder, and were it not for the restraining hand of God they would immediately burst forth upon you."

"The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string; and justice directs the bow to your heart, and strains at the bow; and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being drunk with your blood..."

"...all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from the dead in sin, to a state of new, are in the hands of an angry God..."

"However unconvinced you may now be of the truth of what you hear, by and by you will be fully convinced of it..."

"There is no other reason to be given, while you have been hearing this address, but his mercy; yea, no other reason can be given why you do not this very moment drop down into hell. O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in!"

"You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it asunder; and you have no interest in a mediator..."

"How awful are those words of the great God, I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury: and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiments"- Isaiah 63:3

Now God stands ready to pity you, this is the day of mercy; you may now cry with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain..."

"Some may be in hell in a very short time, before this year is out. And it would be no wonder if some hearers, who are now in health, and quiet and secure, may be there before tomorrow morning..."

"There case is past all hope, They are crying in extreme misery and perfect despair; but here you are in the land of the living, blessed with Bibles and Sabbaths, and ministers, and have an opportunity to obtain salvation. What would not those poor damned souls give for one days opportunity such as you now enjoy?"

"And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherin Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands calling and crying with a load voice to poor sinners."

Recommended Sermons for Monday, February 24, 2014

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards
What is God So Mad About? by Rodney King

Recommended reading (my post):

Read the Bible in 2014! Sunday, February 23, 2014

If John the Baptist Were Alive Today...

If Jonathan Edwards were alive today, I have no doubt that he would begin his ministry preaching Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. And if Charles Spurgeon were alive today, I think he may well begin his ministry by preaching Compel Them to Come In.

But what if John the Baptist were alive today? I think he would would have barged into the Gosnell Murder trails and preach the following sermon by Jon Speed:

God Hates the Murder of the Unborn

Heaven Has a Floor - And Hell Has A Clock!

I believe that 'time' is a concept that is limited to this present world. Once we die, time as we have known it will cease to exist. That doesn't mean that we will cease to exist. As the last Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones once said, "The life has got to end and your soul will go on. What therefore will happen to you?"

But the idea of time, as something that can be measured by seconds, minutes, days, months and years will no longer have any meaning.  In the great hymn by John Newton, Amazing Grace, we (Christians!) sing:

"When We've been there 10,000 years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun."

That is a wonderful hymn, but I don't think there will be any clocks or calenders in heaven to remind us how long we have been there. And while I don't think there will be clocks in hell either, I do think that those who are in hell will be aware of the passing of time. And they will know beyond all shadow of a doubt that their torment will never end. Jonathan Edwards talks about this very sobering concept in his great gospel sermon, Sinners in the hands of an angry God:

"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look foreword, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite."


Jonathan Edwards has been called a "Latter Day Puritan." Here is what one of the earlier Puritans, Ralph Venning, had to say on this very sobering subject:

"It's as if the sinner should say to the Lord in the day of judgment, 'Lord have mercy upon us.'"
'Have mercy upon you?' says God. 'No, I will have no mercy upon you. There was a time when you might have had mercy without judgment, but now you shall have judgment without mercy. Depart! Depart!'
If they should then beg and say, 'Lord, if we must depart, let it be from Thy throne of judgment, but not from Thee.'
'No,' says the Lord. 'Depart from me. Depart form my presence, which is joy. Depart, and go to hell!'
'Lord,' they say, 'seeing we must be gone, bless us before we go, that Thy blessing may be upon us.'
'Oh no,' says God, 'Go with a curse. Depart ye cursed.'
'Oh Lord, if we must go from Thee, let us not go into the place of torment, but appoint a place, if not of pleasure, then of ease.'
'No, depart into fire, burning and tormenting flames.'
'Oh Lord, if into fire, let it be only for a little while. For who can dwell in everlasting burning?'
'No! Neither you nor the fire shall know an end. Be gone into everlasting fire.'
'Lord, then let it be long before we go there.'
'No, depart immediately. The sentence shall be immediately put into execution.'
'Oh Lord, let us at least have good company who will pity us, though they cannot help us.'
'No, you shall have none but the tormenting devils. Those whom you obeyed when they were your tempters shall be with you as tormentors.'
What misery sin has brought on man to bring him to hear this dreadful doom."

Please take time today to listen to Dr. David Murray's sermon, The Most Important Question and Answer

Recommended listening:

The Burning Hell that Jesus Preached, by Dr. Ian Paisley
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, by Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards Quotes

Who is Jonathan Edwards?

Sermons I've listened to by Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Books I've read by Jonathan  Edwards: Religious Affections

"It would be dreadful to suffer this feirceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look foreward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverances, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengende; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite."

"...Natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell; they have deserved the firey pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked: his anger is as great towards them as those that are actually suffering the execution of the fierceness of his wrath in hell... "

"The devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in thier own hearts is struggling to break out; and they have no interest in any Mediator... "

"The use of this awful subject may be for awakening unconverted persons to a conviction of their danger. This that you have heard is the case of every one out of Christ. That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you..."

"the sun does not willingly shine upon you, to give you light and to serve sin and satan; the earth does not willingly yeild her increase, to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God's enemies..."

"There are black cloads of God's wrath now hanging directly over your heads, full of the dreadful storm, and big with thunder, and were it not for the restraining hand of God they would immediately burst forth upon you."

"The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string; and justice directs the bow to your heart, and strains at the bow; and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being drunk with your blood..."

"...all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from the dead in sin, to a state of new, are in the hands of an angry God..."

"However unconvinced you may now be of the truth of what you hear, by and by you will be fully convinced of it..."

"There is no other reason to be given, while you have been hearing this address, but his mercy; yea, no other reason can be given why you do not this very moment drop down into hell. O sinner, consider the fearful danger you are in!"

"You hang by a slender thread, with the flames of divine wrath flashing about it and ready every moment to singe it, and burn it assunder; and you have no interest in a mediator..."

"How awful are those words of the great God, I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury: and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiments"- Isaiah 63:3

Now God stands ready to pity you, this is the day of mercy; you may now cry with some encouragement of obtaining mercy. But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dalorous cries and shreiks will be in vain..."

"Some may be in hell in a very short time, before this year is out. And it would be no wonder if some hearers, who are now in health, and quiet and secure, may be there before tomorrow morning..."

"There case is past all hope, They are crying in extreme misery and perfect despair; but here you are in the land of the living, blessed with Bibles and Sabbaths, and ministers, and have an opportunity to obtain salvation. What would not those poor damned souls give for one days opportunity such as you now enjoy?"

"And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherin Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands calling and crying with a load voice to poor sinners."

Jonathan Edwards Sermons

Who is Jonathan Edwards?

Sermons

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

God is very angry at the sins of children - Their hearts are naturally full of sin

"Shoot Me First!" - Remembering Marian Fischer

It has been almost exactly 6 years ago today that a gunman entered into an Amish school an murdered 5 young Amish children. The oldest one, Marian Fischer, in an apparent attempt to buy time for the others, pleaded with the gunman to "Shoot me first!" He obliged.

I was 5 years into a 10 year prison sentence at the time, and I remember writing in my diary that as soon as the bullet entered Marian's body, and her life left her, she woke up immediately in the arms of her Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who wiped the tears from her eyes (Revelation 21:4), and said to her, "Well done Marian, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.'

I don't know what has become of the gunman who murdered Marian and her small classmates. Maybe he went to prison, and was exposed to the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and he will join Marian in heaven one day. If not, he is going to spend eternity in hell. Here is what he will have to look forward to (From Jonathan Edward's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God):

"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that