He Dares Spit in the Very Face of God Himself!
The sermon warns against the dangers of fretting against God during times of suffering and emphasizes the need for trust and repentance.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes the folly of fretting against God during times of distress, illustrating how individuals often blame God for their suffering instead of recognizing their own sins that lead to misery. He cites examples from scripture, such as Pharaoh's defiance and Jonah's misplaced anger, to show that a fretful heart can lead to a direct challenge against God. Brooks warns that fretting only brings more suffering and that true wisdom lies in accepting God's will rather than rebelling against it. He encourages believers to refrain from anger towards God and to seek understanding in their trials.
Text
Many, when they feel the rod to smart--ah, how they
do fret and fume! Isaiah 8:21, 'Distressed and hungry,
they will roam through the land; when they are famished,
they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse
their king and their God.' Prov. 19:3, 'A man's own folly
ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.' The
heart may be fretful and froward when the tongue does
not blaspheme. Folly brings man into misery, and misery
makes man to fret. Man in misery is more apt to fret and
chafe against the Lord, than to fret and chafe against his
sin which has brought him into sufferings.
2 Kings 6:33, Psalm 37:1, 7-8.
A fretful soul dares fly at God himself! When Pharaoh is
troubled with the frets, he dares spit in the very face
of God himself--'Who is the Lord, that I should obey
Him?' Exod. 5:2. And when Jonah is in a fretting humour,
he dares tell God to his face, 'that he does well to be angry!'
Jonah had done well if he had been angry with his sin--but
he did very ill to be angry with his God! God will vex every
vein in that man's heart, before He has done with him, who
fumes and frets, because he cannot snap in sunder the
cords with which he is bound, Ezek. 16:43. Sometimes
good men are sick of the frets--but when they are, it
costs them dear, as Job and Jonah found by experience.
No man has ever got anything by his fretting and flinging,
except it has been harder blows or heavier chains;
therefore fret not when God strikes!
Sermon Outline
- I points: - Understanding the nature of fretting - The consequences of a fretful heart - Biblical examples of fretting
- II points: - The folly of blaming God for our misery - The relationship between sin and suffering - How fretting leads to spiritual turmoil
- III points: - The danger of confronting God in anger - Lessons from Pharaoh and Jonah - The cost of a fretful spirit
- IV points: - The call to trust in God's sovereignty - Finding peace in suffering - The importance of repentance
Key Quotes
“A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” — Thomas Brooks
“No man has ever got anything by his fretting and flinging, except it has been harder blows or heavier chains.” — Thomas Brooks
“Fret not when God strikes!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Reflect on your own responses to suffering and seek to trust God rather than fret.
- Recognize the connection between personal sin and the struggles you face.
- Learn from biblical examples to avoid the pitfalls of confronting God in anger.