1
00:00:02,310 --> 00:00:06,250
When young preacher boys ask me for advice

2
00:00:06,250 --> 00:00:10,010
on how to preach, I usually point them

3
00:00:10,010 --> 00:00:10,970
in one direction.

4
00:00:11,730 --> 00:00:15,110
I can't recommend seminary to teach you how

5
00:00:15,110 --> 00:00:18,850
to preach, friend, because I have two doctorates

6
00:00:18,850 --> 00:00:22,870
from two different seminaries and neither one taught

7
00:00:22,870 --> 00:00:24,010
me how to preach.

8
00:00:24,550 --> 00:00:27,210
If you are serious about being used to

9
00:00:27,210 --> 00:00:30,350
God as a preacher, then you must study

10
00:00:30,350 --> 00:00:34,010
men whom God has used in the salvation

11
00:00:34,010 --> 00:00:34,970
of souls.

12
00:00:35,230 --> 00:00:38,690
I had an evangelist ask me once to

13
00:00:38,690 --> 00:00:41,450
give him advice on how to be a

14
00:00:41,450 --> 00:00:42,570
more effective preacher.

15
00:00:43,050 --> 00:00:45,810
I told him to study the life of

16
00:00:45,810 --> 00:00:49,930
Mordecai Ham and preach the two doctrines that

17
00:00:49,930 --> 00:00:54,950
Mordecai Ham preached, which were repentance and the

18
00:00:54,950 --> 00:00:57,890
absolute lordship of Jesus Christ.

19
00:00:58,190 --> 00:01:00,530
But that man wouldn't do it.

20
00:01:00,870 --> 00:01:03,690
He just kept doing things his way with

21
00:01:03,690 --> 00:01:04,770
no impact.

22
00:01:05,230 --> 00:01:08,310
If you're serious about preaching and you want

23
00:01:08,310 --> 00:01:11,170
to become a better preacher, then I suggest

24
00:01:11,170 --> 00:01:13,130
the following to you.

25
00:01:13,530 --> 00:01:18,730
Study the last sermon Sam Jones ever preached.

26
00:01:18,970 --> 00:01:23,250
At his death in 1906, it was said

27
00:01:23,250 --> 00:01:26,990
that Sam Jones had spoken to more Americans

28
00:01:26,990 --> 00:01:30,070
than anyone who had ever lived.

29
00:01:30,990 --> 00:01:34,310
I believe that's true, friends, because in the

30
00:01:34,310 --> 00:01:38,230
days of Whitefield, America was still a colony

31
00:01:38,230 --> 00:01:42,130
and the population was considerably small.

32
00:01:42,690 --> 00:01:46,690
Whitefield preached to 20,000 people on Boston

33
00:01:46,690 --> 00:01:50,950
Common when Boston only had a population of

34
00:01:50,950 --> 00:01:54,710
60,000 inhabitants, but he reached a third

35
00:01:54,710 --> 00:01:57,250
of the city, and that's pretty astounding.

36
00:01:57,870 --> 00:02:02,230
I believe percentage-wise George Whitefield preached to

37
00:02:02,230 --> 00:02:05,210
more people in his day than anyone else,

38
00:02:05,530 --> 00:02:09,350
but numerically, I believe Sam Jones tops the

39
00:02:09,350 --> 00:02:09,830
list.

40
00:02:10,390 --> 00:02:13,690
I have taken the time to pre-record

41
00:02:13,690 --> 00:02:17,250
a Sam Jones last sermon for you, friends.

42
00:02:17,750 --> 00:02:22,010
I preached it verbatim without altering one word.

43
00:02:22,570 --> 00:02:25,950
Sam Jones preached that message a day before

44
00:02:25,950 --> 00:02:29,570
he died, and it's entitled, Sudden Death.

45
00:02:30,050 --> 00:02:33,670
He was addressing a men's meeting in Oklahoma

46
00:02:33,670 --> 00:02:36,610
City, and his last words to those men

47
00:02:36,610 --> 00:02:39,950
were that before his voice died out in

48
00:02:39,950 --> 00:02:42,570
their ears, they would get news of a

49
00:02:42,570 --> 00:02:43,790
sudden death.

50
00:02:44,250 --> 00:02:47,370
Well, Sam Jones died suddenly the next day

51
00:02:47,370 --> 00:02:50,130
while traveling back to Georgia on a train,

52
00:02:50,370 --> 00:02:53,290
and it was as if his sudden death

53
00:02:53,290 --> 00:02:56,410
was an explanation point to his sermon.

54
00:02:57,290 --> 00:03:01,870
When Sam Jones preached, God blessed, and entire

55
00:03:01,870 --> 00:03:03,490
communities were altered.

56
00:03:04,110 --> 00:03:07,410
The following is a quote from an Atlanta

57
00:03:07,410 --> 00:03:11,870
newspaper dated April 17, 1896.

58
00:03:12,530 --> 00:03:15,530
It records the results of a Sam Jones

59
00:03:15,530 --> 00:03:17,850
meeting in the city of Atlanta.

60
00:03:18,310 --> 00:03:23,090
Never has Atlanta been shaken by such a

61
00:03:23,090 --> 00:03:27,010
tremendous force as a result of the religious

62
00:03:27,010 --> 00:03:31,050
wave that swept over Atlanta during the Sam

63
00:03:31,050 --> 00:03:32,090
Jones meetings.

64
00:03:32,750 --> 00:03:36,510
Five hundred deck of cards had been burned,

65
00:03:36,930 --> 00:03:43,830
two saloons closed, arrest for drunkenness curtailed, attendance

66
00:03:43,830 --> 00:03:48,330
at theaters reduced, and a thousand people added

67
00:03:48,330 --> 00:03:49,710
to the church rolls.

68
00:03:50,230 --> 00:03:53,470
When Sam Jones came to town, all hell

69
00:03:53,470 --> 00:03:54,490
broke loose.

70
00:03:54,930 --> 00:03:59,590
His sermon, entitled Southern Death, is a classic

71
00:03:59,590 --> 00:04:00,070
sermon.

72
00:04:00,630 --> 00:04:02,310
Listen to that sermon, friend.

73
00:04:02,730 --> 00:04:05,030
It will teach you how to preach better

74
00:04:05,030 --> 00:04:08,510
than any seminary class ever could.

75
00:04:08,930 --> 00:04:11,430
Take the time to listen to it.

76
00:04:11,730 --> 00:04:14,390
You can upload it by my sermon audio

77
00:04:14,390 --> 00:04:18,370
homepage in the search screen under the title

78
00:04:18,370 --> 00:04:21,390
Sam Jones Last Sermon.

79
00:04:21,510 --> 00:04:24,270
Give it a listen and take good notes,

80
00:04:24,610 --> 00:04:26,190
and you'll be glad you did.