A God-Enthralled Vision of All Things: The Costly and Dangerous Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards

Sermon Notes

Proposition

4 costly and dangerous resolutions so that you will maximize both your pleasure AND impact not only in this age, but also in the one to come 

An abbreviated biography of Jonathan Edwards

Costly and dangerous Resolution #1—Resolve to live ultimately (#1, 2 &4)

“Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions…”

Resolution #1: “Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence.” 

Costly and dangerous Resolution #2—Resolve to live eternally (#9, #22, #50, #55)

Resolution #55: “Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as if I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and the torments of hell.”

Resolution #22: “Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, of which I am capable, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.”

C.S Lewis: “Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” 

Costly and Dangerous Resolution #3—Resolved to live urgently (#5, #6, #17, #52)

Resolution #5: “Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can. 

Resolution #6: “Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.”

Resolution #17: “Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.”

Resolution #52: “I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: resolved, that I will live as I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age.” 

Costly and Dangerous Resolution #4—Resolved to live violently (#24, #37, #48, #56, #60, #65, #68) 

Resolution #24: “Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.”

Resolution #48: “Resolved, constantly, with the utmost precision and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not…” 

Resolution #56: “Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.” 

J.C. Ryle: “A true Christian is one who has not only peace of conscience, but war within…A holy violence, a conflict, a warfare, a fight, a soldier’s life, a wrestling, [these] are spoken of as characteristic of the true Christian…He that would understand the nature of true holiness must know that the Christian is a man of war.”

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Jerod Gilcher

Jerod is the former College Pastor at Faith Bible Church. He is now the senior pastor at Christ Community Bible Church in Arlington, Texas. He and his wife Sarah have three daughters and he enjoys learning languages, particularly ancient languages. 

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