The Dregs of Old Age!
Thomas Brooks warns against the folly of delaying repentance until old age, emphasizing the dangers of a hardened heart and the unpredictability of death.
Thomas Brooks warns against the folly of postponing repentance until old age, emphasizing that many believe they can live sinfully and still die as saints. He highlights the dangers of relying on a last-minute plea for mercy, as true repentance is often not genuine when delayed. Brooks stresses that the longer one defers repentance, the harder their heart becomes, making it increasingly difficult to turn back to God. He urges listeners to recognize the frailty of life and the unpredictability of death, advocating for a life of devotion to God rather than a last-minute attempt to seek His grace. Ultimately, he calls for a sincere commitment to God throughout life, rather than offering Him the 'dregs' of old age.
Text
"Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my
end be like theirs!" Numbers 23:10
Many desire to repent when old age comes--when . . .
their wits are cracked,
their souls distracted,
their senses stupefied,
their hearts astonished,
their minds darkened, and
their bodies diseased and distempered.
Oh, then they think that they will be able to leap into
heaven, with a "Lord have mercy upon me" in their
mouths. Even though they have lived like devils
--yet they hope they shall die like saints!
Do you think, O vain man--that after you have spent your
time, and wasted your strength, and exhausted your energies
in the work of Satan, and in the service of your lusts--that
God will receive you to His grace and favor? If you do thus
flatter yourself--it is ten thousand to one--that you will
deceive yourself! Though true repentance is never too
late--yet late repentance is seldom true. Ah, how many
millions are now in hell--who have thought, and resolved, and
said that they would repent hereafter--but that hereafter
never came!
You say "Tomorrow, tomorrow I will repent," when you know
not what a tomorrow will bring forth. Alas! how many thousand
ways may death surprise you before tomorrow comes! Though
there is but one way to come into the world--yet there are a
thousand thousand ways to be sent out of the world. Oh, the
diseases, the hazards, the dangers, the accidents, the deaths
--which daily--which hourly attend the life of man!
Ah friends! it is a dangerous thing to make repentance to be
the task of old age. The longer any man defers his repentance,
the more difficult it will be for him to repent:
his heart will every day grow more and more hard, and
his will more and more perverse, and
his judgment more and more corrupted, and
his affections more and more disordered, and
his conscience more and more benumbed or enraged, and
his whole life more and more defiled and debauched.
Friends, do not deceive yourselves! Old age is but a tottering
and sinking foundation for you to build your eternal hopes
and happiness upon--your eternal making or marring upon!
Are the dog-days of old age--are the trembling hands, the
wrinkled face, the failing eyes, the gasping lungs, the fainting
heart, the feeble knees, and the broken down legs--are these
a sacrifice worthy of a majestic God? Is a body full of sores,
aches, and diseases--and a soul full of sin--an offering worthy
of a holy God? Surely not!
Oh, what madness, what wickedness is this--to serve Satan,
your lusts, and this world with full dishes--and to put off God
with scraps! To serve Satan, your lusts, and this world in the
flower, in the prime and primrose of your days--and to put
off God with the dregs of old age! Oh, do not let Satan
deceive you, do not let your own hearts delude you!
Sermon Outline
- I points: - The illusion of late repentance - The dangers of deferring repentance - The reality of death's unpredictability
- II points: - The consequences of a hardened heart - The corruption of judgment and affections - The impact of a debauched life
- III points: - Old age as a weak foundation for hope - The inadequacy of a dying body as an offering - The madness of serving the world over God
- IV points: - The urgency of repentance - The folly of procrastination - The call to serve God wholeheartedly
Key Quotes
“Though true repentance is never too late--yet late repentance is seldom true.” — Thomas Brooks
“Old age is but a tottering and sinking foundation for you to build your eternal hopes upon.” — Thomas Brooks
“To serve Satan, your lusts, and this world in the flower, in the prime and primrose of your days--and to put off God with the dregs of old age!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Consider the state of your heart and the urgency of repentance before it's too late.
- Do not wait for old age to seek God; serve Him with your best while you are able.
- Reflect on the consequences of living for worldly desires and make a commitment to prioritize your relationship with God.