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Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God By Jonathan Edwards

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“This is the case of every one of you that are out of Christ: That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone, is extended abroad under you…” This excerpt is from Jonathan Edwards’ acclaimed sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” In this sermon he used descriptive, truthful words to deepen the understanding of God and Man, to show there is redemption. Edwards was a major player in The Great Awakening; he preached with conviction, with power. The Holy Spirit was upon him to give this message to these people. Many consider this sermon to be persuasive. Persuasive is often seen as one human saying to another: “I want you to believe what I believe.” However, in the case of Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, it seems the Holy Spirit is the …show more content…

“The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present; they increase more and more, and rise higher and higher, till an outlet is given; and the lover the stream is stopped, the more rapid and mighty is its course, when once it is let loose.” Edwards uses this imagery the people are familiar with to display the majesty of our Lord. Before this quote, Edwards stated: “Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards 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…” This is a representation of us as pitiful humans, not deserving God’s mercy. It is a very personal passage, as the word ‘you’ is used multiple times to emphasize you and your sins. Further down, Edwards discusses how God’s wrath is like a bent arrow, ready to drink our blood. At this point all seems hopeless, however, Edwards soon explains the miracle of mercy God displays to us, the humans with wickedness that “pressures us towards …show more content…

“And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God.” The imagery here is very intense. A door is visualized being thrown open and many plunging for it. This certainly shows the serious need we have for mercy, reiterating my earlier point of how lowly we, as humans, are. “Therefore, let everyone that is out of Christ now awake and fly from the wrath to come. The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation…” Edwards says this at the very end of his sermon. He is proclaiming these words he so believes because he knows the Bible is true, and because the Holy Spirit is using him as a vessel to not only that congregation, but to humans worldwide and for generations. The message of the undeserved salvation offered to sinners is greatly displayed in this

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