A Heaven Unto Me!
The sermon emphasizes the importance of heart-affecting knowledge, which draws us to Christ and makes Him a heaven unto us.
Thomas Brooks emphasizes that true knowledge accompanying salvation is deeply heart-affecting, drawing the soul closer to Christ and igniting a passionate love for Him. He illustrates how the more one knows Christ--His nature, names, and beauty--the more one's heart is captivated and desires Him above all else. Brooks warns against mere intellectual knowledge that lacks affection for Christ, which ultimately leads to a lifeless faith. He passionately expresses that Christ is everything to him--his life, love, joy, and crown--making Him a heaven unto his soul. The sermon concludes with a stark reminder that a lack of love for the Lord results in a curse.
Text
That knowledge which accompanies salvation, is a
heart-affecting knowledge. It affects the heart
with Christ, and all spiritual things. Oh, it does
wonderfully endear Christ and the things of Christ
to the soul.
"Oh, feed me with Your love--Your 'raisins' and Your
'apples'--for I am utterly lovesick!" Song 2:5 "Oh,"
says the spouse, "my heart is taken with Christ, it is
ravished with His love; my soul is burning, my soul is
beating towards Christ. Oh, none but Christ, none but
Christ! I cannot live in myself, I cannot live in my duties,
I cannot live in external privileges, I cannot live in
outward mercies; I can live only in Christ, who is . . .
my life,
my love,
my joy,
my crown,
my all in all.
Oh, the more I come to know Him . . .
in His natures,
in His names,
in His offices,
in His discoveries,
in His visits,
in His beauties,
the more I find my heart and affections to prize
Christ, to run after Christ, to be affected with
Christ, and to be wonderfully endeared to Christ!
Oh, God forbid that my heart should be affected
or taken with anything in comparison with Christ.
The more I know Him, the more I love Him;
the more I know Him, the more I desire Him;
the more I know Him, the more my heart is knit unto Him.
His beauty is captivating,
His love is ravishing,
His goodness is attracting,
His manifestations are enticing,
His person is enamoring,
His lovely looks please me,
His pleasant voice delights me,
His precious Spirit comforts me,
His holy word rules me;
All these things make Christ to be a heaven unto me!
Oh, but all that mere notional knowledge, that speculative
knowledge, which leaves a man short of salvation--never
affects the heart; it never draws it, it never endears the
heart to Christ, or to the precious things of Christ. Hence
it is that such men, under all their notions, under all their
light and knowledge, have . . .
no affection to Christ,
no delight in Christ,
no workings of heart after Christ.
"If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed."
1 Corinthians 16:22
Sermon Outline
- I. The Knowledge of Christ Affects the Heart
- A. It endears Christ and the things of Christ to the soul
- B. It makes Christ a heaven unto us
- II. The Nature of Heart-Affecting Knowledge
- A. It is a knowledge that accompanies salvation
- B. It is a knowledge that draws us to Christ
- III. The Dangers of Notional Knowledge
- A. It leaves a man short of salvation
- B. It does not affect the heart or endear it to Christ
Key Quotes
“Oh, feed me with Your love--Your 'raisins' and Your 'apples'--for I am utterly lovesick!” — Thomas Brooks
“Oh, the more I come to know Him in His natures, in His names, in His offices, in His discoveries, in His visits, in His beauties, the more I find my heart and affections to prize Christ, to run after Christ, to be affected with Christ, and to be wonderfully endeared to Christ!” — Thomas Brooks
“His beauty is captivating, His love is ravishing, His goodness is attracting, His manifestations are enticing, His person is enamoring, His lovely looks please me, His pleasant voice delights me, His precious Spirit comforts me, His holy word rules me; All these things make Christ to be a heaven unto me!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- We must seek heart-affecting knowledge that accompanies salvation and draws us to Christ.
- Notional knowledge that leaves us short of salvation is not enough; we must know Christ in a deeper way.
- Our love for Christ should be the greatest love in our lives, and we should be willing to live only for Him.