Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

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Jonathan Edwards sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is an example of a sermon that few preachers these days would ever preach from their pulpits.  Listen to this audio for a modern day exposition of God’s Righteous Anger and Wrath. Why do we not preach this then? Isn’t it that we don’t want to offend? Folks, God’s wrath is coming, we must be about warning everyone who will listen to flee to the only escape from it that God has provided.

Also, when we do this we will be standing in a most holy place. It will cause people to hate us and persecute us. We must not flinch from it, but obey our Lord in telling the Truth. George Whitefield did this. Did he suffer for it? Look at the painting below of him preaching in England. (Click on it to enlarge it) Look at how people are trying to attack him and distract people from hearing him. Let’s get serious about our obedience in this world so we won’t be ashamed in the next.

Whitefield Preaching

21 thoughts on “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

  1. I join in your questioning (lament?) of popular sermon offerings. In my experience both sin and God’s wrath are downplayed (as are the book of Revelations, the minor prophets, and Tanakh in general…etc, etc…) in an effort to be “seeker-friendly”. God’s wrath and His grace are beautifully intertwined such that the preaching of the first heightens one’s awareness of the latter (praise God!). However, as demonstrated by specific revivalism pastors, this can be a slippery slope! I’ve only begun to research the various American “awakenings”, but it seems to me that sermons on the wrath of God (“fire and brimstone”) led many revival-era pastors to “anxious seats” and altar calls – forever altering the landscape of Christian religion in the US. Such leaders seemed to be saying “Avoid the fire – make the decision – pray the ‘sinner’s prayer’ today!” – with the focus on conversion rather than repentance. I would greatly enjoy reading “fire and brimstone” sermons as given by reformation-influenced pastors (i.e. Spurgeon) during or following the Second Great Awakening – but I don’t know where to look! Do you have any recommendations?

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  2. Let’s get serious about our obedience in this world so we won’t be ashamed in the next.

    Amen! We NEED to get serious in this life because the billions and billions of years and way beyond in the eternal life hereafter is going to depend alot on what we do in this very short speck of time we are living right now. We should be glad to suffer persecution and tribulation unto death in this life because God rewards those who suffer and die for His sake and these rewards are ETERNAL and pale in comparision to the suffering we endured to earn it.

    No wonder the Bible says that what profited you who gain the whole world but loses his soul? If you traded your soul to own the whole world, you will only have a puff of smoke of time to enjoy it, then you die for eternal damnation of hell that, after only one day, will surely be not worth those short years of massive prosperity. Solomon says “vainity of vanity, all is vanity.”

    Eternity means never-ending. Think about it….the life we live right now is extremely tiny in time so shouldn’t we be glad to endure suffering for such a tiny amount of time for the eternal rewards God so graciously gives?

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  3. I said “suggering we endured to earn it” but I really mean “suffering we endured for it.” Can’t really say we EARNED it for we really never earn God’s favor.

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  5. Mike,

    That’s a great sermon! I tried to print it up one day but I was unable to. I thought I would pass out copies to people I know. I think I will buy a copy somewere and do just that. People need to wake up and soon! I wittness any chance I get. I manage a small store and I don’t mind at all talking about our Lord. I usually have some Christian music playing to counteract the world, and once in awhile someone tells me they listen to that also. Sometimes when I am waiting on a customer they curse a little then they apologize. I think it makes some people a little nervous hearing that in the background, but it’s just normal to me. I don’t know if the seeds I plant grow but that is His part. Praise Him!

    Blessings and love,
    Deborah

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  6. Deborah,

    The reason we feel such urgency is that God has given that to us. Time is short, God’s wrath is coming. We must tell everyone to flee to Christ. You are doing more than most Deborah, keep up the good work.

    In Christ

    Mike Ratliff

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  7. Mike,

    Is He giving this urgency to us? Sometimes I think I am just getting paranoid and it’s just my imagination. I am so concerned about these lost people but my children aren’t saved. It is breaking my heart. Did you ever hear John Piper talk about his unsaved son in some of his sermons? You can hear his voice breaking up. I am really frightened for them. Please pray for my children everyone. Bless you all.

    Deborah

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  8. Deborah,

    No, you aren’t being paranoid and yes we should be very concerned about our children’s salvation. All we can really do is pray for them and share our faith with them.

    In Christ

    Mike Ratliff

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  9. Deborah,

    You are planting seeds and that is all we can do. Be encouraged and continue to do what God has led you to do. Be bold my sister. I have already failed in my boldness today, God forgive me. It is always harder to try and correct it afterwards. God bless you and continue to do everything you can and are led to do.

    Love in Christ,
    Rachel

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  11. Mike,

    God is love, God is love, God is love…. and on an on they preach.

    Seems that they, the preachers of today, can’t read or are not reading the same Bible as I; because I read, God is just, God hates workers on iniquity (Ps 5:5), God will indeed put His wrath on unrepentant sinners, God hates pride, liers, murders, schemers of evil, those quick to do mischief and those that sow discord among brethern as well as false witnesses (Pr 6:16-19). David, a man after His own heart (1Sa 13:14, Ac 13:22) hated those who hate God with a perfect hatred (Ps 139:21-22). And Jesus told us who to fear in Luke 12:5. And have they forgotten Ananias & Sapphira?

    Why is it that some only speak and believe the “good” parts of New Testament and only the “good” parts of the Old Testament?

    What part of “God is un-changing”, “God is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb 13:8) do they not understand?

    Certainly, God is love in the purest sense, but His love does not include any form of sin or anyone continuing in a lifestyle of sin because He abhors sin which is by definition, a rebellion against God.

    …but, I feel like I’m preaching to the choir here;-)

    I thank the Lord that His mercies are renewed every morning because I need His forgiveness everyday. Without the hope I have in Him, the brief vapour that I am is nothing.

    Grace to you,
    Paul

    An after-thought: The church I attend seems to be on that slippery slope away from message of the full gospel ( 40 days of this and 40 days of that ); yet, I see so many vivid answers to prayer amongst our congregation. This does cause me some confusion.

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  12. Rachel,

    Thank you very much. I do share my faith with them and I do pray for them. I think my problem is faith . I have faith about my salvation and God is very much able to wake them up without all of my help.

    Blessing and love
    Deborah

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  13. Deborah,
    I just prayed for your children. I encourage you to continue being an ambassador for Christ to them.
    May our Lord’s will be done in your childrens lives!
    In Christ,
    Derrick

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  14. Derrik,

    Thank you so much. It really is comforting that I am not the only one praying for my children. I really don’t think anyone in my family and extended family pray for others. The lost really need our prayers. I will continue being the ambassador for all of my family and anyone that wants me to pray for them. My boss asked me to pray for him two years ago and I still continue to do that. He is starting to come around ever so slowly. He is a catholic but prays to the Lord. He just purchased a Bible within the last 2 months. Praise God!

    Blessings and love my brothers and sisters in Christ

    Deborah

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  15. Great message Mike!

    The wrath of God is not preached enough. God is Love yes, but He is also a God of Wrath. He looks apon sin with such disgust and rightfully so. It’s not preached enough in the church today because we are afraid to offend. Hell is real and so is God’s Wrath, He proved that when He put His son on the cross.

    Cristina

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  16. We have absolutely no idea how the wrath of Almighty God will come upon this world, much less about eternal damnation. The reason that most of the evangelical world doesn’t believe it any further than a doctrinal tip of the hat is because it isn’t preached anymore.

    Whitefield and Edwards and Finney preached the judgment of Almighty God with such anointing that people literally fell on their face before God crying out for mercy. Why don’t people do that anymore? Well it’s either because the church has no need of repentance or they don’t see their need of it.

    And with millions on the very brink of eternal torment the middle to upper class American evangelical world are asking people to pray that God will help them sell their $400,000 home quickly so they can buy a $750,000 home. I have often said to my class that a crisis in an American Christian’s life is when his electric pool cleaner burns out. That calls for prayer and intercession.

    It sometimes feels as though we’ve departed from the faith once delivered to the saints. God is calling out a remnant to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. If we knew God’s judgment was coming tomorrow would we pray differently? If so we are allowing a time frame dictate us not the reality of coming events regardless of when.

    Sleep on, church, the alarm continues to sound even as you press the snooze button.

    If he knew at what hour the thief would come……….

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  21. Adam asked the same question I was going to ask. though I am not into colonial paintings, I had to look at that beautiful painting for some time. I noticed that “the cares of this world” could not distract those being convicted by Whitefield’s preaching. The video has been removed from the sight, but as Sarah said, you can get it at sermonaudio.com. one should file it and listen to every now and then. It renews a lagging evangelistic zeal. And you just might find in your heart a love for enemies you thought might be hard to have.

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