In a time when many churches are softening their message to keep seats filled and ears comfortable, Pastor Mark Driscoll is swinging the pendulum hard in the other direction—and he’s not apologizing for it.
In a recent sermon, Driscoll pulls no punches, warning that “on the other side of this life is a judge and He will determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell.”
He makes it clear that his conviction has only intensified after three decades behind the pulpit: “Hard words produce soft people, and soft words produce hard people.”
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That message, in all its stark contrast, is the heart of his sermon based on Hebrews 4. The passage, which references God’s wrath and the concept of divine rest, framed what Driscoll called the ultimate spiritual dividing line: “Eternally, there are two groups of people: wrath and rest.”
According to Driscoll, the stakes couldn’t be higher. He doesn’t mince words: “You don’t know [when] your last day might be—it might be today… You should prepare every day for that last day.”
And prepare how? Driscoll emphasizes repentance, not tolerance. “Tolerance of sin does not lead to salvation. Only repentance of sin leads to eternal life. Amen.”
The fire didn’t cool from there. He challenges what he sees as the empty shell of cultural Christianity: “What happens to people who play church but don’t practice faith?… They’re everywhere.”
Driscoll then lays out the imagery of judgment day with clarity and urgency: “We will stand before Judge Jesus. He will open the Word of God and we will be judged according to the Word of God. And heaven and hell hang in the balance.”
But for all the talk of wrath, Driscoll isn’t without offering hope. For those who trust in Christ, his prescription for that final moment is a simple but powerful prayer: “Thank You for living without sin. Thank You for dying for my sin. Thank You for rising as my Savior… Jesus, I’m here because of You and I love and bless and worship You.”
Then came the visual that stuck—the cup of wrath.
Driscoll explains: “Each of us has a cup, and on that cup is written our name… That cup contains the wrath of God against you and me.” He explains this in two parts: passive wrath, which allows sin to go unpunished for a time as we “store up wrath,” and active wrath, when God demands the debt be paid.
To many, it’s a jarring image—but for Driscoll, that’s the point. In his words, “To see evil and not oppose it is to be evil… For God to be holy, He must hate evil and He must end it.”
The sermon doesn’t end with comfort. It ends with a call to honesty, repentance and preparation for the only court that truly matters. And maybe that’s exactly what makes his message worth wrestling with.
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James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
