John R. Rice Quotes of the Week

Judgment is coming!
It comes, Brother, and you will face it. Your knees that won't bow to pray now, will bow then. Every knee is going to bow and that tongue of yours that won't call on God, that will not talk for Him- then God will have a way of making you talk. You will admit then that you are a sinner. You will admit that Christ is Lord, the Son of God. There will be no modernists then. No, sir.
But, my friends, let me remind you of this: You are going to face that and you are lost! Lost! LOST! You are a lost sinner if you haven't been born again; you are lost and facing judgment. - John R. Rice

People have an idea that preachers ought to hold their attention, even Christian people, church people. No, you ought to come and listen so earnestly that any message out of God's Word would be sweet. It shouldn't have to be illustrated and made interesting to hold your attention. You ought to set your attention on God. - John R. Rice

Someone says, "Brother Rice, the thief on the cross was saved at the dying hour." Yes, but that is only half true. You say the thief was saved at the dying hour, but which thief? There were two thieves there. One was not saved. He had the same opportunity as did the other. It is recorded that one thief was saved so that we might know that God has mercy. But it is also recorded that the other thief died and went to Hell so that we might not presume on that mercy. There will come a time when God can't be found. If you are not saved, then seek God today while He may be found. - John R. Rice 

God did not harden Pharaoh's heart to make him lost; he was already lost. God did not harden Pharaoh's heart to keep him from being saved; he had already turned away so he would not be saved. God made his heart stubborn so he could use him as a public example. He was a man already lost. Already he had chosen wickedness. Already he was headed for Hell. And God said, "All right, I will let him be stubborn. I will make him a public example." So God hardened Pharaoh's heart while Pharaoh hardened his own heart. - John R. Rice

God did not harden his heart when he was a boy. God did not harden the wicked heart of this man [Pharaoh] when he was a young and untried man. The first time he ever sinned, God did not harden his heart. But after murder and oppression year in and year out, because of his sin, God said, "I have enough. I am going to bring this thing to a showdown and make a public example of him for his sin."
Sin always has to have a showdown. You think you can sin and get by, but you cannot. As certain as there is a God in Heaven, God will force it to a showdown sooner or later. It may be later instead of sooner. God may be patient. - John R. Rice

Sin is coming to judgment as certainly as there is a God in Heaven. - John R. Rice

Sin always leads to a hardened heart. You cannot sin and be the same. You cannot sin and say, "Tomorrow I will be done with sin." But sin is not done with you. You think you can play with sin and when you are ready, leave sin alone. When you are ready to leave sin alone, sin is not ready to leave you alone. Sin of itself, necessarily and always, changes the character, hardens the heart, dulls the sensibilities to right and wrong, sears the conscience as with a hot iron, makes it so you do not want to do right, though you once did. Your conscience is defiled. You do not have the sensitiveness to righteousness. You do not have the heart tendered to the call of God. Sin itself hardens the heart. You cannot blame God for forcing the issue and hardening Pharaoh's heart. Sin always hardens the heart. It always turns out that way. - John R. Rice