Quotes #6…Reverand Paul Ford (Karl Malden) Early 1900s’

September 22, 2025

“Death comes unexpectedly.  And the God Jehovah will execute his vengeance on ye who despise his dying love and trample his benefits underfoot.  The unconverted soul, the foolish children of man do miserably delude themselves in the false confidence of their own strength and wisdom.
Now the great King of heaven and earth will abolish and annihilate this pride, will crush the hardened wretch of the polluted infinite abomination and rain on him a deluge of fire and brimstone…”

This is the first half of the second worse sermon ever preached.

Here is the full two minute sixteen second video of the second worse sermon ever preached.

This is the sermon that Reverand Paul Ford (Played by Karl Malden) “preached” in the fictional town of Beldingsville, Vermont where the movie Pollyanna (1960) was set. When I first saw it, I called it “the second worst sermon ever preached.” What is the law without the gospel after all?

Preacher Ford is a legalist who thinks that he can bully his congregation into good behavior (and maybe salvation) by preaching sermons that are all law and no gospel. Any sermon like this one, devoid of the greatest message given to the world through Jesus Christ our Lord, is an abomination to the purposes of God. There, I have given the legalist his own medicine.

One of the central themes of the movie, Pollyanna, is the power of optimism. Would I rather Preacher Ford give a sermon containing only optimism, completely ignoring the law? Absolutely not! I would consider a sermon like that possibly “The third worse sermon of all time.” A sermon like that would sound like something done by Joel Osteen, Robert Schuller, or Norman Vincent Peale. Most of those sermons weaken the gospel message by understating the seriousness of the law. This creates a misunderstanding of the power of the gospel. If a person doesn’t understand the importance of the law, a person doesn’t understand why we need the gospel. Sermons that don’t attempt to balance the truths of the law and gospel distort the truth found in the Bible.

CR

Note: I have highlighted the movie Pollyanna on this blog before. I enjoy the movie because the acting is great and it captures some truths found in a small town, both good and bad. They have done a good job of capturing the time period as well. It is a secular movie because it does not include the gospel message even though there are Christian themes within.

Here is my previous post about this movie from 12 years ago.

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If you like debates…

September 18, 2025

If you like debates, you have probably found places where you can occasional watch one. One of the places I keep an eye on is the You Tube channel called “Standing for Truth.” I do not like debates that are not civil or where name calling is allowed. Usually, in a debate, when name calling starts the debate is over and it becomes hard to hear any constructive debate on real differences.

Although the normal moderator is a young man, Donny Budinsky, he has moderated many debates and he does a good job keeping discussions civil. Debate formats are discussed before each debate so that there are no questions about how the debate will take place. Nearly 100% of the debates on on themes that deal with faith or personal beliefs. I started watching Donny’s channel for some of the debates he had on the subject of Creation/Evolution. Since then, I have watched multiple debates on many different subjects.

If you are interested in seeing some of the subjects of the debates on the channel, you can click on “Standing for Truth.” The channel has almost 150 playlists, most of them with multiple videos. Of course, most debates take a good deal of time to digest so they aren’t for everyone. The last one I watched dealt with the different views of two believers on the subject “Is Compatibilism Biblical?” It is an interesting discussion on Calvinism that lasts almost three hours:

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Quotes #5…William S. Plumer 1867

September 15, 2025

“It is easy for God to destroy his foes…..Behold Pharaoh, his wise men, his hosts, and his horses plouting and plunging, and sinking like lead in the Red Sea. Here is the end of one of the greatest plots ever formed against God’s chosen. Of thirty Roman emperors, governors of provinces, and others high in office, who distinguished themselves by their zeal and bitterness in persecuting the early Christians, one became speedily deranged after some atrocious cruelty, one was slain by his own son, one became blind, the eyes of one started out of his head, one was drowned, one was strangled, one died in miserable captivity, one fell dead in a manner that will not bear recital, one died of so loathsome a disease that several of his physicians were put to death because they could not abide the stench that filled his room, two committed suicide, a third attempted it, but had to call for help to finish the work, five were assassinated by their own people or servants, five others died the most miserable and excruciating deaths, several of them having an untold complication of diseases, and eight of them were killed in battle, or having after been taken prisoners. Among those was Julian the apostate (Flavius Claudius Julianus) . In the days of his prosperity he is said to have pointed a dagger to heaven defying the Son of God, whom he commonly called the Galilean. But when he was wounded in battle he saw that all was over with him, and he gathered in his clotted blood, and threw it into the air, exclaiming, ‘Thou has conquered, O Thou Galilean.*’ Voltaire has told us the agonies of Charles IX of France, which drove the blood through the pores of the skin of that miserable monarch, after his cruelties and treachery to the Huguenots.”

Quote on Psalm 2:5,9 in C.H.S.’s Treasury of David (Exposition of the Psalms)

*Battle of Samarra in 363 AD

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Quotes…#4 Adam Clarke 1762–1832

September 10, 2025

“‘That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.’ Mark certain circumstances of their differing characters and conduct. The ungodly man is unconcerned about religion; he is neither zealous for his own salvation nor for that of others; and he counsels and advises those with whom he converses to adopt his plan, and not trouble themselves about praying, reading, repentance, etc., etc.; ‘there is no need for such things; live an honest life, make no fuss about religion, and you will fare well enough at last.’ Now, ‘blessed is the man who walks not in this man’s counsel,’ who does not come into his measures nor act according to his plan…”

Quoted about Psalm 1:1 in C.H.S.’s Treasury of David (Expositions of the Psalms)

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Quotes…#3 Anne Herring 1978

September 7, 2025

“So why should I worry? Why should I fret?

‘Cause I’ve got a Mansion Builder

Who ain’t through with me yet.”

—————————————

Refrain from the song “Mansion Builder”

THE SONG

This part of the song is based on John 14:2:

2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (King James Version)

2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  (New American Standard Version)

Many translators feel that, In light of the ancient Greek, mansions is better translated “dwelling places.” The noun mone (connected to the verb meno, “stay” or “remain”) means “a place to stay.” 

Some feel that “In light of God’s nature, it is better to translate it mansions. Whatever dwelling place God has for us in heaven, it will be as glorious as a mansion.” (1)

(1) Enduring Word Commentary on John 14:2

Note: I’ll be happy for any space I’m given in heaven. My plan is to spend a good amount of time at the place mentioned in Revelation: 22:

1 “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

cr

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Quotes…#2 John Trapp 1660

September 1, 2025

“The psalmist saith more to the point about true happiness in this short Psalm than any one of the philosophers, or all of them put together; they did but beat the bush, God hath here put the bird into our hand.”

Quoted about Psalm 1 in C.H.S.’s Treasury of David (Exposition of the Psalms). Some think Trapp may have been referring to Psalm 16.

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Quotes…#1 Spurgeon 1855

August 27, 2025

“The preaching of good works and the exhorting of men to holiness, as the means of salvation, is very much admired in theory, but when brought into practice, it is found not only ineffectual, but more than that—it becomes even ‘a savour of death unto death.'”
So it has been found, and I think even the great Chalmers himself confessed that for years and years before he knew the Lord, he preached nothing but morality and precepts. But he never found a drunkard reclaimed by showing him merely the evils of drunkenness. Nor did he find a swearer stop his swearing because he told him the heinousness of the sin.
It was not until he began to preach the love of Jesus, in His great heart of mercy—it was not until he preached the Gospel as it was in Christ, in some of its clearness, fullness, and power, and the doctrine that, ‘by grace ye are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,’ that he ever met with success. But when he did preach salvation by faith, by shoals the drunkards came from their cups, and swearers refrained their lips from evil speaking, thieves became honest men, and unrighteous and ungodly persons bowed to the sceptre of Jesus.”

It has come to my attention that I have been way too quiet in this space for way too long. Even though I rarely have words of my own that I think are important enough to share, I am constantly running across quotes that I would like to share with others. Here is the first in a series that I’ll call “Quotes.”

LINK TO THE SERMON WHERE THIS QUOTE IS FOUND

LINK TO MR. SPURGEON’S SERMONS

God’s blessings…

Chris Reimers

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R.C. Sproul: I Am the Lord, There is No Other

July 20, 2025

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Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah!

April 20, 2025

I wish you and your family a blessed Easter Day!

Chris Reimers

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ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND

February 2, 2025

While thinking about the state of our world, part of an old Hymn came to me today. At times it sure seems like things are spinning out of control. This is one of those times for me and the hymn I thought of communicates a stability that this world can’t give.

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood,
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]

This hymn was written by Edward Mote, who lived and preached in England during the 19th century. He didn’t enter the ministry until his 50s and was pastor at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham, West Sussex, England for 26 years.

This hymn reminds me of so many instructive and comforting words found in God’s Word.

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

John 16:33

33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Romans 12:2

“…do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

1 Peter 1:3

3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

So many other verses come to mind, but these suffice for now.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand.

CR

Photo attribution: Pixabay

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