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in the hands of an angry God
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00:00Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.
00:06The text for Jonathan Edwards' sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, is taken from the book of
00:15Deuteronomy, chapter 32, verse 35.
00:21And it reads,
00:23Their foot shall slip in due time.
00:30Their foot shall slip in due time.
00:36In this verse, the violent anger of God is threatened upon the wicked and unbelieving Israelites, who were God's chosen
00:45people, living under the benefits of his grace.
00:48But who, despite all God's wonderful works toward them, were without sense, and had no understanding in them.
00:57Though cultivated by the blessings of heaven, they brought forth only bitter and poisonous fruit.
01:07The verse I have chosen for my text, their foot shall slip in due time.
01:15Relate to the punishment and destruction of these wicked Israelites.
01:21It implies the following things.
01:25They were always exposed to destruction, just as someone who stands or walks in slippery places is always in danger
01:32of falling.
01:34It also implies that they were always exposed to sudden, unexpected destruction, just as he who walks in slippery places
01:43is always liable to fall.
01:45He cannot foresee from one moment to the next whether he will stand or fall.
01:48When he does fall, when he does fall, it is sudden and without warning.
01:56The only reason they have not fallen already is that God's appointed time has not yet come.
02:04The text says that when their appointed time does come, their foot shall slip.
02:13Then, by their own weight, they will be left to fall.
02:19God will not hold them up in these slippery places any longer, but will let them go, and at the
02:26very instant he does, they will fall into destruction.
02:35From these words, I insist on this, nothing keeps wicked people out of hell for a single moment except the
02:47mere pleasure of God.
02:50By the mere pleasure of God, I mean his sovereign pleasure, which is not hindered or restrained by anything.
02:56It is only the sovereign will of God that preserves the life of a wicked person.
03:00Nothing else preserves the wicked for one moment except God's mere will.
03:06The truth of this observation may be seen in the following thoughts.
03:10God does not lack the power to throw wicked people into hell at any moment.
03:14The hands of men are weak when God rises up against him.
03:18The strongest men are defenseless against God, and no one can be rescued from his hand.
03:23God is not only able to throw people into hell, but he is also able to do it easily.
03:28Nothing can defend you from his power.
03:31Even the wicked people, when joined together in great numbers against him, they are easily broken into pieces.
03:37They are like great piles of weightless chaff in a tornado, or large heaps of dry stubble in the path
03:45of devouring flames.
03:48We find it easy to step on and crush a worm crawling on the ground.
03:53It is just as easy for God to cast his wicked enemies into hell whenever he pleases.
04:01The wicked deserve to be thrown into hell.
04:04God is not unjust in using his power to destroy them.
04:07No, on the contrary, justice calls aloud for an infinite punishment of their sins.
04:14Divine justice says of the tree that bears grapes like Sodom, cut it down.
04:21Why does it use up the ground?
04:24The sword of divine justice waves over their heads at every moment,
04:30and nothing but God's sovereign mercy and mere will holds it from falling on them.
04:36Wicked people are already under a sentence of condemnation to hell.
04:40Not only do they justly deserve to be thrown into hell,
04:43but the sentence of God's eternal and unchangeable standard of righteousness,
04:49his law, which he has placed between himself and mankind,
04:52stands against them so that they are already hanging over hell.
04:57John 3.18 says,
04:59He who does not believe is condemned already.
05:06The reason they are not thrown down into hell now is not that the sovereign God is not angry with
05:11them
05:11as he is with the many miserable people who are already tormented in hell and bearing his fierce wrath.
05:16No, God is much angrier with unbelievers who are still here on earth,
05:22and very likely many now in this congregation than he is with many of those now in the flames of
05:28hell.
05:31So the reason why God has not loosened his hand and cut them off
05:34is not that he is unaware of their wickedness or tolerates it.
05:37God is not like them, though they imagine him to be.
05:40The wrath of God is burning against them.
05:43Their damnation is not sleeping.
05:45The pit is prepared.
05:47The fire is already made.
05:48The furnace is hot and ready to receive them.
05:51The flames, even now, rage and glow.
05:54The shiny sword is sharpened and held over them.
05:57The pit has opened its mouth under them.
06:01Within the souls of wicked people, hellish desires reign.
06:07Were it not for God's restraint, those desires would kindle and flare up into hellfire.
06:13In the very nature of carnal men lies the basis of the torments of hell.
06:19These corrupt desires controlling and possessing them are the very seeds of hellfire.
06:25They are active and extremely violent.
06:28If it were not for God's restraining hand,
06:31they would soon fan out as widely as the corruption and hostility that fills the hearts of the condemned
06:35and produce the same kind of torments in them.
06:41Sin is the ruin and misery of the soul.
06:45It is destructive by nature, and if God were to leave it unrestrained,
06:49nothing else would be needed to make the soul perfectly miserable.
06:52The heart is extremely corrupt, and its fury knows no boundaries.
06:56Sin is like fire confined by God's restraint.
07:00But if let loose, it would set ablaze the whole course of nature.
07:06It is no security to wicked people for one moment that they are not in any apparent danger of dying
07:14soon.
07:15It is no security for the natural man that he is now healthy,
07:18or that he does not foresee how he might suddenly be taken by some accident.
07:24The unseen and unexpected ways that people suddenly leave this world are too numerous to imagine.
07:30The unconverted walk over the pit of hell on a rotten bridge,
07:37and there are countless places on that bridge that are too weak to bear their weight.
07:42These places go unseen.
07:46All the schemes and efforts the wicked to escape hell while they continue to reject Christ and remain wicked
07:53do not secure from them hell for any moment.
07:57Almost every natural man that hears about hell deceives himself that he will escape it.
08:02He rests on his own false security,
08:04flattering himself with the good things he has done, is now doing, or intends to do.
08:08Every man plots how he will escape damnation,
08:11and flatters himself thinking that his plans are ingenious,
08:14that his schemes will not fail.
08:16He clearly hears that only a few will be saved,
08:20and that the greater part of humanity who have died before him have gone to hell.
08:25But each one imagines that his plans to escape are better than theirs.
08:30He has no intention of going to that place of torment.
08:33He tells himself that he will carry out his plans with such care that they cannot fail.
08:38These foolish people miserably trick only themselves with their own schemes.
08:43By putting confidence in their own wisdom and strength,
08:46they are only trusting a shadow.
08:49Most of those who until now have lived under the same means of grace are now dead and in hell.
08:55This is not because they were not as wise or did not plan for their escape as well as those
08:59who are alive today.
09:00If we could ask them one by one whether when they were alive and heard of hell,
09:05they ever expected to suffer its misery.
09:07They would doubtless say,
09:09No, I never intended to come here.
09:11I had other plans.
09:12I thought I could manage well, and my scheme was sound.
09:15I intended to carry out all my plans, but death took me by surprise.
09:19I wasn't looking for it at the time or in that way.
09:23It came like a thief in the night.
09:25Death outsmarted me.
09:26God's wrath was too quick for me.
09:27My curse and foolishness.
09:30All this time I was flattering myself with my empty dreams of what I would do later.
09:34And just when I was saying to myself,
09:36Peace and safety, destruction overcame me.
09:41God is not bound by any promises to keep natural man out of hell for one moment.
09:49He has certainly made no promises of eternal life or of any deliverance from eternal death
09:54except those given in the covenant of grace.
09:57The promises to us in Christ, in whom all the promises are yes and amen.
10:05But surely those who are not children of the covenant,
10:09who disbelieve all the promises and disregard the mediator of the covenant,
10:14they have no share in the promises of this covenant of grace.
10:21Therefore, regardless of what people have imagined and pretended about promises made to natural men's earnest seeking and knocking,
10:28it is clear that whatever pains one takes in religion,
10:31whatever prayers he makes,
10:32unless he believes in Christ,
10:35God is under no obligation to keep him from eternal destruction for one moment.
10:42The devil is waiting for them.
10:44Hell's mouth is open for them.
10:46The flames gather and flash around them,
10:48longing to take them and swallow them up.
10:50The fire trapped inside their own hearts is struggling to break out.
10:54And they have no hope of a mediator.
10:58Nothing within their reach can give them any security.
11:02In short, they have no refuge and nothing to grab hold of.
11:06The only thing that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will
11:13and the uncovenanted, unobliged patience of an incensed God.
11:25The purpose of this terrifying subject
11:31is to wake up the unconverted in this congregation.
11:35What you have heard is true of everyone
11:37who do not believe and trust in Christ.
11:43The world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone,
11:48is spread right beneath you.
11:50And you have nothing to stand on or grab onto,
11:53nothing between you and hell but the air.
11:56Only the power and mere pleasure of God holds you up.
11:59You are probably unaware of this.
12:01You notice that you are being kept out of hell,
12:03but you do not see that it is God's hand keeping you out.
12:07Instead, you look at other things, such as your good health,
12:09the way you take care of yourself,
12:10the things you do to preserve your life.
12:12But in fact, these things are nothing.
12:15If God withdrew his hand,
12:16these things would no more keep you from falling
12:18than thin air holds up a person suspended on it.
12:24The bow of God's wrath is bent and straining.
12:28The arrow is already set on the string
12:31and justice aims it directly at your heart.
12:35It is nothing but the mere pleasure of God,
12:38an angry God who is not restrained by any promise or obligation
12:43that keeps that arrow from being drunk with your blood.
12:47This means that all of you whose hearts have never been changed
12:51by the power of the Holy Spirit
12:52and who have never been born again
12:55and made new creatures,
12:56raised from being dead in sin to a new light and life,
13:00all of you are in the hands of an angry God.
13:06However unconvinced you are now about the truth of what you are hearing,
13:12when you die,
13:14you will be fully convinced of it.
13:17But others who are in your position now
13:19see that these things are true.
13:22For most of them, destruction came suddenly
13:24when they least expected it.
13:25They were saying peace and safety,
13:27but now they see that the things
13:29they trusted to give them peace and safety
13:31were nothing but thin air and empty shadows.
13:36God is holding you over the pit of hell
13:39as someone holds a spider
13:41or some repulsive insect over a fire
13:44and he abhors you and is dreadfully provoked.
13:50O sinner,
13:52think seriously about the fearful danger you are in.
13:58Yet you have no interest in a mediator
14:01and nothing to grab hold of to save yourself,
14:04nothing to fend off the flames of wrath,
14:06nothing in yourself.
14:09Nothing you have ever done,
14:11nothing you can do to persuade God
14:13to spare you for one moment.
14:19For now,
14:22God stands ready
14:23to have pity on you.
14:27This
14:27is a day of mercy.
14:31Now,
14:32you may cry with the hope
14:34of obtaining mercy,
14:36but
14:37once the day of mercy
14:40is passed,
14:43your most serious
14:44and desperate cries for mercy
14:48will be in vain.
14:50You will be forever lost
14:52and God will
14:54throw you away.
14:56No longer giving thought
14:58to your welfare,
14:59God will have no other use for you
15:01except to make you suffer misery.
15:04You shall exist
15:06for no other purpose.
15:08You will be
15:09objects of his wrath
15:12prepared for destruction.
15:15And there will be no other use
15:18for those objects
15:19but to be filled
15:20full of God's wrath.
15:30It would be dreadful
15:34to suffer
15:35this
15:36fierceness
15:37and wrath
15:38of almighty God
15:41even for one
15:43moment.
15:44But you will suffer it
15:46for eternity.
15:48There will be no end
15:49to this intense
15:50and horrible misery.
15:51When you look ahead
15:53you will see
15:53a long forever
15:54an unlimited length
15:56of time before you.
15:57This will swallow up
15:59all your thoughts.
16:00It will amaze your soul
16:01and you will be
16:02in absolute despair
16:03of ever being delivered,
16:05of its ever coming
16:06to an end
16:06or of receiving
16:07any reduction of torment
16:09or any rest at all.
16:10You will know for sure
16:12that you must wear out
16:13many long ages,
16:16millions and millions
16:17of ages
16:17in struggling
16:18and fighting
16:19against this
16:20merciless vengeance
16:21and when you have
16:22struggled and fought
16:23through all these
16:23many ages
16:24you will realize
16:25that hardly
16:25a second has gone by
16:29and eternity
16:31still remains.
16:33Your punishment
16:34will be infinite.
16:36Oh, who can express
16:37the horrible state
16:40of a soul
16:40in that condition?
16:42How dreadful
16:43is the state
16:44of those
16:45who are in danger
16:45of this great wrath
16:47and infinite misery
16:48every hour
16:49of every day?
16:50Yet this is
16:51the dark and gloomy
16:52condition of every soul
16:53in this congregation
16:54who has not
16:56been born again.
16:57However moral
16:58and strict,
16:59serious and religious
17:00he or she may be,
17:02oh, that you would
17:03consider this
17:04whether you are
17:05young or old.
17:07There is reason
17:08to think
17:09that many
17:10in this congregation
17:12now listening
17:13to this message
17:14will actually suffer
17:15this very misery
17:16for all eternity.
17:18We do not know
17:19who they are
17:20or where they are
17:20seated
17:21or what they may
17:21now be thinking.
17:22It could be
17:23that they are now
17:24at ease
17:24and remain undisturbed
17:26by hearing
17:27all these things
17:28assuring themselves
17:29that they are not
17:30the ones spoken of
17:31and promising themselves
17:32that they will escape.
17:34If we knew
17:35that there was
17:36even one person
17:37in this whole congregation
17:38who would suffer
17:39such misery,
17:40what an awful thing
17:42it would be
17:42to think of.
17:45even more
17:46if we knew
17:47who that person was.
17:49How horrifying
17:50it would be
17:51to see that person
17:53in such a state.
17:54But I tell you
17:56it is likely
17:57that not just one
17:58but many
17:59will remember
17:59this sermon
18:00while they are in hell.
18:01It would be surprising
18:02if some who are now
18:03present here
18:03were not in hell
18:04in a very short while
18:05even before this year is over.
18:07I would not be amazed
18:08if some people
18:09now sitting here
18:10in this service
18:11in good health,
18:12content,
18:12secure
18:13were there
18:14before tomorrow morning.
18:19Your damnation
18:20is not sleeping.
18:22It will come swiftly
18:24and most likely
18:25very suddenly
18:25upon many of you.
18:27But here you are
18:29in the land of the living
18:30in the house of God
18:31and you have an opportunity
18:33to obtain salvation.
18:34What would those
18:35poor damned hopeless souls
18:37not give
18:37for the opportunity
18:38you now have?
18:40now you have
18:41an extraordinary opportunity.
18:43This day
18:44Christ has thrown
18:44the door of mercy
18:45wide open
18:46and stands calling
18:47and crying
18:47with a loud voice
18:48to poor sinners.
18:50Many are flocking to him
18:51and pressing into his kingdom.
18:52They are coming daily
18:53from the east
18:53and the west
18:54and the north
18:55and the south.
18:56Many who until
18:57very recently
18:57were in the same
18:58miserable condition
18:59that you are in
19:00are now happy.
19:02Their hearts filled
19:02with love for him
19:03who has loved them
19:05and washed them
19:06from their sins
19:07in his own blood.
19:09They are rejoicing
19:10in the hope
19:11of the glory of God.
19:13How terrible it would be
19:15to be left behind
19:17in such a day
19:18to see others feasting
19:19while you are grieving
19:20and perishing.
19:21How awful it would be
19:22to see so many people
19:23rejoicing and singing
19:24with joy
19:25from their hearts
19:26while you can do
19:27nothing but mourn
19:28and feel the sorrow
19:29in your heart
19:30and cry
19:30because your spirit
19:31is so afflicted.
19:33How could you rest
19:34for one moment
19:35if you are now
19:36in that condition?
19:39Therefore let everyone
19:40who is without Christ
19:43now wake up
19:44and flee from the wrath
19:46to come.
19:47The wrath of almighty God
19:49is now without a doubt
19:50hanging over a great part
19:52of this congregation.
19:53Let everyone flee
19:54from Sodom.
19:55Escape for your life.
19:57Do not look behind you
19:58nor stay anywhere
20:00in the plain.
20:01Escape to the mountains
20:03lest ye be destroyed.
20:10The power of this sermon
20:11lies in the terrifying vividness
20:13of its descriptions
20:14and the truth
20:15that God's holiness
20:16does not tolerate sin.
20:19But let me also suggest
20:20that it is a reminder
20:22of the gospel of grace.
20:24Philippians 2 tells us
20:25that Jesus humbled himself
20:26and was obedient
20:28to death on the cross.
20:29Why did he do that?
20:31Because our sin
20:32demanded it.
20:34Jesus took on himself
20:35the wrath of God
20:36that Edward
20:37so vividly described
20:38so that we would
20:40never have to take it.
20:42This is the gospel.
20:43Whenever we lose sight
20:45of the significance
20:45of the gospel,
20:46I would encourage you
20:48to listen again
20:48to Edward's sermon.
20:49it will remind you
20:51of how much
20:51we need Jesus
20:52and give you
20:53a new desire
20:54to follow the one
20:55who loved us so much
20:56that he himself
20:57would satisfy
20:58God's demand
20:59for justice.
21:01As Romans 3 tells us,
21:03all have sinned
21:04and fall short
21:05of the glory of God
21:06and are justified
21:08freely
21:09by his grace
21:11through the redemption
21:12that came
21:13by Christ Jesus.
21:15God presented him
21:17as a sacrifice
21:19of atonement
21:20through faith
21:21in his blood.
21:22He did this
21:23to demonstrate
21:24his justice
21:25so as to be just
21:26and the one
21:28who justifies
21:29those who have
21:30faith in Jesus.
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