A Soul Given Up to Sin
The sermon emphasizes the dangers of being left to sin and the importance of humbly begging God not to give us up to our own desires.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the grave danger of being left to sin, portraying it as the greatest judgment one can face. He warns that when God allows a person to follow their sinful inclinations without resistance, it signifies His rejection and a path leading to destruction. Brooks reflects on the dire state of those who are unteachable and incorrigible, highlighting the need for divine intervention to avoid the ways of one's own heart. He expresses a deep desire for God to afflict or tempt him rather than abandon him to his own sinful desires, echoing Augustine's plea for deliverance from oneself.
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It is the greatest judgment in the world to be left to sin.
O unhappy man--when God leaves you to yourself, and
does not resist you in your sins! Woe, woe to him at
whose sins God winks at. When God lets the way to hell
be a smooth and pleasant way--that is hell on this side
hell, and a dreadful sign of God's indignation against
a man; a token of his rejection, and that God does not
intend good unto him.
That is a sad word, "Ephraim is joined to idols--let him
alone!" (Hosea 4:17) Ephraim will be unteachable and
incorrigible; he has made a match with sin--and he shall
have his bellyful of it!
And that is a terrible saying, "So I gave them up unto
their own hearts' lusts, and they walked in their own
counsels." (Psalm 81:12). A soul given up to sin is
a soul ripe for hell--a soul hastening to destruction!
Ah Lord! this mercy I humbly beg--that whatever You
give me up to, You will not give me up to the ways of
my own heart! If You will give me up to be afflicted,
or tempted, or reproached--I will patiently sit down,
and say, It is the Lord, let Him do with me what seems
good in His own eyes. Do anything with me, lay what
burden You will upon me--but do not give me up to
the ways of my own heart!
Augustine says, "Deliver me, O Lord, from that evil
man--myself!"
Sermon Outline
- I. The Judgment of Being Left to Sin
- A. A soul given up to sin is a soul ripe for hell
- B. A soul hastening to destruction
- II. The Consequences of Being Left to Sin
- A. A smooth and pleasant way to hell
- B. A token of God's rejection and indignation
- III. The Dangers of Idolatry
- A. Ephraim is joined to idols--let him alone!
- B. A soul given up to sin is a soul that has made a match with sin
Key Quotes
“It is the greatest judgment in the world to be left to sin.” — Thomas Brooks
“A soul given up to sin is a soul ripe for hell--a soul hastening to destruction!” — Thomas Brooks
“Deliver me, O Lord, from that evil man--myself!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- We should humbly beg God not to give us up to our own desires and instead guide us in the right path.
- We should be aware of the dangers of idolatry and the consequences of being left to sin.
- We should pray for deliverance from the evil of our own heart and seek God's guidance and protection.