A Fool Repeats His Folly
Jonathan Edwards Sermon Summary
We may leave our evil path for a while. But like a dog returning to its vomit, we tend to return to what was bad for us [1].
For a while, we may become religious: Seek salvation, like the Israelites searching for John the Baptist; grieve for our mistakes, like Saul’s bitter weeping and Ahab’s fasting; believe in Christ’s words; leave everything to follow Christ, like the disciple Judas; or have affection for God, like the Israelites committing to following God’s commandments [2].
Like the Israelites, we can experience God’s majesty, as at Mount Sinai; His numerous miracles; His punishment and judgment; and His blessing [3].
Pain and suffering can bring us closer to God, but after our misery has subsided, our love for God may disappear quickly [4].
We may behave well because of our love for worldly interest, honor, our children etc. But while we may be good in one area, our wickedness shows up in another.
Our original nature is corrupt and is a slave to sin. Unless our nature is changed, our resolution to do good is built on sand. We will return to our filth, and gratifying our lust [5].
Without a change in nature, there is no sure foundation for our goodness. We may even become worse than before [6].
By ourselves, we cannot change our nature. We need God to give us a new heart and make us holy [7].
With our sinful nature changed by God, we will have a new understanding, a new conviction, and a new appetite for God’s word. Then we can imitate God’s character by doing just and holy things.
Summarized from a Jonathan Edwards sermon, “A Fool Repeats His Folly”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQZosI2QMPI&t=124s
For a while, we may become religious: Seek salvation, like the Israelites searching for John the Baptist; grieve for our mistakes, like Saul’s bitter weeping and Ahab’s fasting; believe in Christ’s words; leave everything to follow Christ, like the disciple Judas; or have affection for God, like the Israelites committing to following God’s commandments [2].
Like the Israelites, we can experience God’s majesty, as at Mount Sinai; His numerous miracles; His punishment and judgment; and His blessing [3].
Pain and suffering can bring us closer to God, but after our misery has subsided, our love for God may disappear quickly [4].
We may behave well because of our love for worldly interest, honor, our children etc. But while we may be good in one area, our wickedness shows up in another.
Our original nature is corrupt and is a slave to sin. Unless our nature is changed, our resolution to do good is built on sand. We will return to our filth, and gratifying our lust [5].
Without a change in nature, there is no sure foundation for our goodness. We may even become worse than before [6].
By ourselves, we cannot change our nature. We need God to give us a new heart and make us holy [7].
With our sinful nature changed by God, we will have a new understanding, a new conviction, and a new appetite for God’s word. Then we can imitate God’s character by doing just and holy things.
Summarized from a Jonathan Edwards sermon, “A Fool Repeats His Folly”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQZosI2QMPI&t=124s
[1] Proverbs 26:11
[2] 1 Samuel 24:17, 26:21; 1 Kings 21:27; John 2:23-25; Matthew 19:27, 13:20-21; Galatians 4:11, 15-16; Exodus 15:1-19; Deuteronomy 5:27, 29
[3] Exodus 24:16-18, 32, 13:21-22, 16:14-17; Joshua 10:13; Luke 16:31; Numbers 11:3, 16:41, 16:31, 21:6, 21:1; Deuteronomy 32:13-16; Isaiah 26:10
[4] Isaiah 1:5, Proverbs 27:22, Hosea 6:4
[5] John 8:23, 34; Romans 7:14; Jeremiah 17:9, 13:23; Matthew 7:26; 2 Peter 2:20-22
[6] Mark 4:17, 1 John 2:19, Hebrews 10:38, Luke 14:29-30, Ezekiel 18:24
[7] John 3:4