Sinners in The Hands of a Merciful Father

Welcome to The Cory Lee Show. In this episode, I share with you my latest book:

Sinners in The Hands of a Merciful Father.

 

In this episode I share the entirety of my new book which you can purchase here if you prefer a physical copy:

https://www.coryleeleadership.com/mercifulfather

 

Here's the Intro:

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” —Proverbs 25:11 (NKJV)

The Word of the Lord is powerful, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword (see Heb. 4:12). A word from Him, Jesus the Word, bypasses the mind and goes straight to the heart. This is true for the individual, but it is also true for society as a whole.

On July 8, 1741, Puritan pastor Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon that pricked the hearts of his congregation and an entire generation. It was a word in season. He titled his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Edwards did not hold back in his message—he used vivid, graphic language to appeal to the emotions of his listeners and to emphasize the importance of repenting from sin.

Edwards was a well-known revivalist, and he has been considered to be one of the most important and original philosophical theologians in America. He played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening and oversaw some of the first revivals that occurred in the 1730s. Edwards is famous for his many books (two of which defend the revival that was happening) and has inspired thousands of missionaries throughout the nineteenth century. His impact on the Kingdom of God and society is undeniable.1

While Edwards’ message was fit for his generation, I believe that God has a different message for our generation. The truth of God’s message never changes, but the needs of culture, including which words help them to receive the truth, do. His nature and character are always constant, but society is ever changing. I believe that God has a message specifically directed at the hearts of men and women of our generation.

The Lord has a word that is fitly spoken in this day and time and meets the needs of our hearts in this hour. The message for our current times, while not contradicting the message shared by Edwards, holds in closer view a different aspect of His nature, His ways, and His character. He is a kind, compassionate, and merciful Father Who desires to establish a personal relationship with each individual, desiring that none would perish. The reality and severity of Hell remain unchanged, but it is out of His Love that He has provided not only a way for us to escape from eternal condemnation but also to have an intimate relationship with the One Whom our souls yearn for.

Part of our challenge is holding Truth in tension.

Which is true, the message of sinners in the hands of an angry God or sinners in the hands of a merciful Father? The answer is yes. The answer is both. Both are true. Knowing which truth to apply requires wisdom and understanding of the times and seasons. We know this in the natural: There are times of planting and there are times of harvesting. If you try to harvest when the timing of the season requires planting, then you will be sorely disappointed in the harvest that you reap. Why? Because you were out of season.

I had a mentor say to me one time, “Cory it does you no good to be in the right place at exactly the right time if you lack the awareness that you are even there.” He was saying that you can be in the right place at exactly the right time and still lack the awareness that you are even there, resulting in an inability to respond to the opportunity that is present. Wisdom requires an understanding of times and seasons.

I believe that we are in a season where people are hungry for real and authentic. They desire and crave something, but they don’t know what it is, so they just grasp for anything bright and shiny, only to discover that the emptiness remains. The very thing that they are grasping for is not a thing but a person, and that person is Jesus.

The message for Jonathan Edwards’s day was that we are unworthy sinners and can be cast into Hell any minute now—if we remain in unrepentance. The message for us today is that the veil in the temple has been torn in two and that God so desires an intimate relationship with us that He paid the highest possible price to make it a possibility. His Voice and Call are going out—“Come, enter, and be with Me.” The reality of being with Him is available at this very moment.

In this book, I have included Jonathan Edwards’s sermon titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Following it, I have also included a message that I believe is relevant to our generation, which I have titled “Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful Father.”

In part one, you will find the complete sermon of Jonathan Edwards. In part two, you will find a message that is relevant to our generation today.

I pray that as you read “Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful Father” you will experience the Father’s love firsthand and make the decision to surrender your life to Jesus. May your belief in Him be based on your own encounter with Him, rather than secondhand information.

I pray that from the moment you pick up this book the Holy Spirit will start stirring your heart and drawing you closer to Him.

I pray that this book will transform you and lead you to a deeper relationship with the Father, Who loves you and created you. By simply reading this book, may your passion for Jesus continue to grow with age. May the Light of Jesus burn brightly through you to a world longing to get out of the dark.

 

Connect with Cory:

🎤 For speaking requests, email me at: cory@coryleeleadership.com  

For More information about leadership training for your team: www.coryleeleadership.com  

📖 To grab a copy of my book Heart of The Father: www.coryleeleadership.com/heartofthefather  

📖 To grab a copy of my book Leading with Insight: www.coryleeleadership.com/leadingwithinsight