Title: It'll Take Your Breath Away
Author: Jerry Watts
Text: Revelation 8:1-13
The place was in Enfield, Connecticut. The year was 1741. The guest preacher who was called on to preach was Jonathan Edwards. It seems he had just arrived in town from a 30 miles horse or buggy trip from his home, Northampton, MA and was not scheduled to preach. The man who was scheduled was not available, so Edwards was asked to preach. One person has said that he likely went to his saddle bags and pulled out a message that he had preached at his church in Northampton where it had little effect and didn't get to review his notes. This required him to almost read the message. He possessed a deep burden about the spiritual state he observed. That day he delivered the message, "Sinners in the Hands of an angry God." His text was one phrase out of Deuteronomy 32:35, "Their foot shall slide in due time." The full verse in the KJV says, "To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." Obviously, the congregation was well versed in scripture because the impact of this sermon was strong. Historically we are told that the power of God fell in that place and that, as a result of that message, some 500 people came to faith in Christ. One of my college professors said that conviction was so great that they were gnawing the pews. This was part and parcel of the Great Awakening, a time when people saw their need and returned to their faith in God.
When I read the history of that message, it seems that the judgment of God, like we are reading about today in the Revelation, became a reality in the lives of these people. It was not just a Bible story, fairy tale, or a good sermon, it was something they could see, feel, and touch and thus they had to respond to it.
Reading this part of the unveiling of our Lord literally, takes my breath away, so I've entitled this ...
Author: Jerry Watts
Text: Revelation 8:1-13
The place was in Enfield, Connecticut. The year was 1741. The guest preacher who was called on to preach was Jonathan Edwards. It seems he had just arrived in town from a 30 miles horse or buggy trip from his home, Northampton, MA and was not scheduled to preach. The man who was scheduled was not available, so Edwards was asked to preach. One person has said that he likely went to his saddle bags and pulled out a message that he had preached at his church in Northampton where it had little effect and didn't get to review his notes. This required him to almost read the message. He possessed a deep burden about the spiritual state he observed. That day he delivered the message, "Sinners in the Hands of an angry God." His text was one phrase out of Deuteronomy 32:35, "Their foot shall slide in due time." The full verse in the KJV says, "To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste." Obviously, the congregation was well versed in scripture because the impact of this sermon was strong. Historically we are told that the power of God fell in that place and that, as a result of that message, some 500 people came to faith in Christ. One of my college professors said that conviction was so great that they were gnawing the pews. This was part and parcel of the Great Awakening, a time when people saw their need and returned to their faith in God.
When I read the history of that message, it seems that the judgment of God, like we are reading about today in the Revelation, became a reality in the lives of these people. It was not just a Bible story, fairy tale, or a good sermon, it was something they could see, feel, and touch and thus they had to respond to it.
Reading this part of the unveiling of our Lord literally, takes my breath away, so I've entitled this ...
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