On July 7th, 1741 a preacher named Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon called "Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God" to his congregation in Northampton, Massachusetts. It became the catalytic sermon that was read by countless thousands of Christians - even to this day.
It is considered by many historians as one of the influential sermons to ever have been preached ushering in THE GREAT AWAKENING in America.
The thesis was this - On the cross Jesus saved us from our sins, from slavery, from oppression and conformity to this world; He saved us from spiritual death, but most of all He saved us from the wrath of God. Jesus drank the wine of God’s fury which is poured full strength into the cup of His wrath- for us – in our place – on that cross.
Jonathan Edwards was born at Windsor Farms Connecticut on October 5, 1703. He died at the age of 54 on March 22, 1758. He was third generation preacher, his father was a minister and his mother was a minister’s daughter. He was an only son with ten sisters. He was trained for college by his father and by his elder sisters, all of whom received an excellent education. He began the study of Latin at the age of six, and before he was thirteen had acquired a good knowledge of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. One month before he was thirteen he entered Yale College, and was graduated, with the highest honors of his class, in 1720.
He is considered by many to be the greatest theologian America has ever produced.
On January 12, 1723, (20 years old) Jonathan Edwards made a solemn dedication of Himself to God. It was one of the defining moments of His life.
Edwards gave himself to God with these words:
I made a solemn dedication of myself to God, and wrote it down; giving up myself, and all that I had to God; to be for the future, in no respect, my own; to act as one that had no right to himself, in any respect. And solemnly vowed, to take God for my whole portion and felicity; looking on nothing else, as any part of my happiness, nor acting as if it were; and his law for the constant rule of my obedience.
On July 28, 1727 in the year of his ordination, he married Sarah Pierpont (17yrs) in New Haven. Her father was James Pierpont (1659–1714), the head founder of Yale College. They were married for 30 years. They had 11 children - which he made sure that he spent an hour with every evening.
Of his known descendants:
- Over 300 ministers/missionaries
- 120 university professors
- Over 100 became lawyers
- 60 prominent authors
- There are 30 judges
- 14 college presidents
- 3 members of congress
- And 1 vice-president.
"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is considered a "fire and brimstone" about the realities of hell if one didn't repent of their sins.
Revival quickly spread from the Presbyterians to the Puritans and Baptists of New England. By the 1740s, the clergymen of these churches were conducting revivals throughout that region, using the same strategy that had contributed to the success of the Tennents.
In the case of “Sinners in the Hands of an angry God” he actually read the sermon word-for-word, hunched over the lectern, rarely lifting his head to look at the congregation -- and all of this in a drone-dull monotone guaranteed to anesthetize the most focused listener.
What was the result of this dry presentation?
Congregants convulsed as the Spirit convicted them of their sin and their precarious position before a Holy and Just God whose judgement cannot be deflected.
Here is a little excerpt from that sermon - "Yes, God is a great deal more angry with the great numbers that are now on earth; yes, doubtless with the many that are now sitting in this congregation, who feel completely at ease, than He is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell. It is not because God is unmindful of their wickedness, and does not resent it, that He does not let loose His hand and cut them off. God is not like them, though they imagine that He is. The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames now rage and glow. The glittering sword is sharpened and held over them, and the pit has opened its mouth under them... Your wickedness makes you as heavy as lead, and adds a downwards tendency with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf; and your good health, and your own care and prudence, and best plans for salvation, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider’s web would have to stop a falling rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you for one moment...If God should only withdraw His hand from the floodgate, it would immediately fly open, and the fiery floods of the fierceness and wrath of God would rush forth with inconceivable fury, and would come upon you with omnipotent power; and if your strength were ten thousand times greater than it is, yes, ten thousand times greater than the strength of the stoutest, sturdiest devil in hell, it would never be able to withstand or endure it...The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice points the arrow at your heart, and strains 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 second from being made drunk with your blood. Thus all of you that never had the great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all of you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a new state, and never experienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God.
(You can Google this sermon if you want to read the whole of it.)
It is comforting and easy to think about a God who loves us and and cares about our every need. It is unnerving to think about a God who is angry - one who has His bow drawn to our heart and his knife sharpened to deal with our sin.
But it is the truth. Our sins will be dealt with and we will be responsible for all our actions on earth.
Heaven is a real place - and so is hell. We are accountable for all our actions and sins upon earth. The only escape is to go to Jesus who bore God's wrath upon the cross. In essence - God gave us the cross to save us from Himself, His wrath.
May God deal with us all today as allow the Holy Spirit to convict and clean our hearts from ALL that which is an offence to Him.
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, (Acts 3:19-20 ESV)
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