I have been preaching through the book of Hebrews over the last year and have
enjoyed what I have discovered. I came to chapter 10 verse 31 that says, “It is a
terrifying thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.” It was that verse that
stopped me in my tracks. I know that we live in a world that teaches us how much
God loves us and how He is always there to bless us and care for us. He is with us
wherever we go and is our Guide and Helper. Do we ever stop and consider what it
will be like to fall into the hands of angry God? We spend our lives thinking that
we will avoid this moment if we deny His existence, believe we are worthy, or
even think that, somehow, I can appease God through my generosity. The reality of
our world today is that we think we can live anyway we want, and God will just
embrace us anyway because He is so loving. I don’t preach many, if any, “hellfire
and brimstone” sermons. I don’t hear many of them either. The church, our culture,
our authors and our leaders seemed to have slipped away from proclaiming the
news that it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. God’s
holiness and justice demand all those who enter His presence be holy. Holiness
does not come through my personal goodness, effort or generosity. Holiness comes
through my faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because of Him, I need
not worry about the hands of God. I wonder if we are doing a disservice to our
world by failing to warn people of what it will be like to stand before God without
Jesus. Maybe a hellfire and brimstone sermon is called for again. What do you
think?
