Skip to main content

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Sometimes you just need a good dose of the classics.  I recently listened with great intensity as I heard the classic sermon, "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" by Jonathan Edwards, originally given in 1741.  The recording that I listened to was either made in the 50's or made to sound like it was recorded 50 years ago.  The scratchy sounds reminded me of listening to a well loved LP.  The voice of the orator heralded the poignant words of the sermon notes as if Edwards himself had risen from the grave to preach this masterpiece to a much needed audience.  The result of the old-time sound made it easy to believe that I was sitting in church listening to Jonathan Edwards preach this hell-fire and damnation sermon.  It was said when this sermon was first preached, the congregation began clutching the pews in fear that the ground would open up and swallow the wretched sinners.    

The other classic that I have been enjoying is Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.  Instead of reading this again, I purchased the audiobook so I could listen to it.  At work, in my car, going for a walk are all places in which I have been enjoying this classic.  I have to confess, I didn't know that C.S. Lewis was so funny.  The printed matter didn't convey to me the same sense of humor that I am now enjoying.

May I recommend that you immerse yourself in a classic, whether for first time or the 10th time.  They are classics for a reason and have had impactful influence on the greatest theologians and pastors alive today.

You can find the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" many places on the web but here is a great resource for all things classic - Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org.  Here's a direct link to the sermon.  http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edwards/sermons.sinners.html 

An audio version is available at Sermonaudio.com.  It's not the one I listened to but it is a free audio version as well as a pdf version of the sermon.  http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=770213541

ENJOY!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If I Could Turn Back Time for 13 Seconds

     In the Star Trek parody Galaxy Quest , they had a device called the Omega-13 that could turn back time for 13 seconds.  What good is 13 seconds you ask?  It’s enough time to change one mistake.  As you might guess, they had a chance to use it and redeem a life altering oversight.          I often wish that my future self could come back and talk to my present self.   Imagine the mistakes I could avoid.   How often do we say to ourselves, “I wish I hadn’t done that” or “I wish I had done…”   Lately I have been trying to work out in the mornings.   It sounds great the night before, but when that alarm goes off, I only have about 3 seconds to thrust my feet over the side of the bed before I tell Alexa to wake me up in an hour.        Since the Omega-13 device only lives in Hollywood, it seems to me I need to make the right decisions at the right time.  Here’s a couple of things that I have found helpful. Have a plan a.      I know that if I don’t sit up on the edge of bed when

Spiritual Influencers

According to the Nashville Film Institute’s website ( www.nfi.edu ) top influencers can earn anywhere from $40,000 a year with a modest following to celebrity influences that can earn over a million dollars per post .  They yield a persuasive power over their followers to redirect focus and entice the follower to buy or believe in whatever they are promoting.  Most of us have some realm of influence.  It may be family, friends, co-workers, social media, church, sports, online, etc.  As we emerge from the COVID Cocoon, we need to be “spiritual influencers”.  Imagine how many of us have suffered loss during COVID.  Do you know how many people are battling depression?  How many are struggling to pay their sky-rocketing rent?  There is real pain, real suffering and a serious lack of HOPE all around.  People are desperate for hope, help and genuine love.  They are ready to buy into anything that an influencer will peddle.  Envision a host of people intentional about spiritual influencing? 

We Should All Smile Like That

  I just finished watching a YouTube video featuring an aged Peter Frampton and Eric Clapton.  Frampton and Clapton were playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".  I couldn't get over the joy on Frampton's face as he was playing.  He loved what he was doing.  He loved playing with Eric Clapton.  He loved making the audience "gently weep".  And he loved everything about it. He was taking in every second and appreciating for what it was, a once in a lifetime moment to play with Eric Clapton.  It was a perfect blending and appreciation for each other and their impact to the world of music.  I didn't sense any egos, just radiant joy.  It was impossible to not smile as you watched Peter play, even Clapton smiled (a rare moment).  Peter's joy was infectious.  As I watched his contagious joy doing what he loves, I wondered if I still exude joy for my passions? What are you passionate about?  What brings you joy?  Pursue those things with all your heart, soul