We Have but Added Fuel to Those Burning Coals!
The wicked will face eternal punishment and regret their rejection of God's righteousness.
Thomas Brooks delivers a powerful sermon on the eternal consequences of one's choices, emphasizing the stark contrast between the fate of the wicked and the righteous as depicted in Matthew 25:46. He vividly describes the torment and regret that the wicked will experience upon realizing their folly in rejecting the righteous, lamenting their lost opportunity for salvation. The sermon serves as a sobering reminder of the reality of eternal punishment and the urgency to heed the call to righteousness. Brooks urges listeners to reflect on their lives and the choices they make, warning that neglecting the truth leads to a fate of despair. Ultimately, he calls for repentance and a turning towards God to avoid the eternal flames of judgment.
Text
"And they will go away into eternal punishment, but
the righteous will go into eternal life." Matthew 25:46
Oh! what trouble of mind,
what horror of conscience,
what distraction and vexation,
what terror and torment,
what weeping and wailing,
what crying and roaring,
what wringing of hands,
what tearing of hair,
what dashing of knees,
what gnashing of teeth
will there be among the wicked--when they shall
see the saints in all their splendor, dignity, and
glory--and themselves forever shut out of heaven!
Then shall the wicked lamentingly say, "Lo! these
are the men whom we counted fools, madmen, and
miserable! Oh but now we see that we were deceived
and deluded! Oh that we had never despised them!
Oh that we had never reproached them!
Oh that we had never trampled upon them!
Oh that we had been one with them!
Oh that we had imitated them!
Oh that we had walked as they, and done as they
--that so we might now have been as happy as they!
Oh but this cannot be!
Oh this may not be!
Oh this shall never be!
Oh that we had never been born!
Oh that now we might be unborn!
Oh that we might be turned into a bird, a beast, a toad, a stone!
Oh that we were anything but what we are!
Oh that we were nothing!
Oh that now our immortal souls were mortal!
Oh that we might die--so that we may not eternally exist!
But it is now too late!
Oh we see that there is a reward for the righteous!
And we see, that by all the contempt which we have
cast upon these glorious shining saints, whose splendor
and glory does now darken the very glory of the sun,
that we have but treasured up wrath against the day
of wrath! We have but added fuel to those burning
coals, to those everlasting flames--in which we must
now lie forever! "And they cried to the mountains and
the rocks--Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One
who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb!"
Sermon Outline
- The Wicked's Eternal Punishment
- The Bible's Promise of Eternal Life
- The Wicked's Regret and Lamentation
- The Consequences of Rejecting God's Righteousness
Key Quotes
“Oh that we had never despised them! Oh that we had never reproached them! Oh that we had never trampled upon them!” — Thomas Brooks
“We have but added fuel to those burning coals, to those everlasting flames--in which we must now lie forever!” — Thomas Brooks
“And they cried to the mountains and the rocks--Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb!” — Thomas Brooks
Application Points
- Recognize the consequences of rejecting God's righteousness and the righteous.
- Avoid contempt and reproach towards those who follow God's ways.
- Seek to imitate the righteous and walk in their footsteps.