Friday, February 25, 2005
Preaching the Judgment
Have you ever read Jonathan Edwards’ sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”? If you have, did you agree or disagree with the way the message was preached, that is do you think preaching hell-fire and damnation is effective? If you have not read it, Edwards utilizes powerful imagery of hell and a biblical view of the Lord to warn sinners of their impending destruction. As he said in regards to sinners outside of Christ, “There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God”(n.d.9). These warnings of divine judgment are an effective tool that the prophets used to turn people, especially lost Christians back to the Lord. This tool should be used more often and more appropriately, in three major ways. The first area in which it is not used enough is evangelism. The second way is that when these warnings are preached, it is an open rebuke by the Spirit of the Lord that should result in repentance. The third way is that this type of preaching edifies and builds up the Church.