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Praise, One of the Chief Employments of Heaven | Jonathan Edwards · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. It is.
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It is excellent to have you with us today.
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We have a fascinating theological discussion lined up
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for you. Thank you, I'm really looking
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forward to getting into this material.
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Today, yeah, we are pulling this directly from the archives of
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early American Protestantism. Our focus for this deep dive is
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a Thanksgiving sermon that was preached by Jonathan Edwards.
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Right on November 7th, 1734. Correct.
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The sermon is titled Praise one of the Chief Employments of
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Heaven. Now, when people hear the name
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Jonathan Edwards, you know they usually brace themselves.
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Oh, absolutely. They brace themselves to hear
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about individuals dangling over a pit of fire like a spider.
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Right. He is so widely associated with
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those strict, terrifying warnings and severe rhetoric,
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but the source material we are examining today showcases an
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entirely different side of his pastoral heart.
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It really does. It is a side that is incredibly
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joyful and, well, musical. Yes, musical.
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So our mission today is to unpack Edwards's vivid,
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scripturally grounded vision of heaven.
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We want to move past those cultural cliches of idleness.
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You know the ones we mean. Yeah, the popular, almost
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cartoonish ideas of people sitting on clouds doing
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absolutely nothing, maybe playing a tiny harp while
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battling eternal boredom. Which is such a massive
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departure from the biblical text.
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It is so instead of that we want to understand the active, joyful
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reality of glorifying God forever.
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To help us analyze the theological weight of Edwards's
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arguments, I am joined by our resident expert.
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Glad to be here, we. Are going to examine how this
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text aligns with the Reformed tradition.
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Specifically, we will look at the framework of the Westminster
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Confession and what it means for how you view eternity.
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OK, let's unpack this. Well, when we look at this
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sermon, we immediately see Edwards grappling with the
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Apostle John's vision in the Book of Revelation, specifically
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Revelation chapter 14, verse 2 and.
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What does John say there? John writes, and I will quote
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the text here. And I heard a voice from heaven
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as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great Thunder.
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And I heard the voice of Harper's harping with their
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harps. Wow, that is quite an image.
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It is, and Edwards observes, 3 distinct elements concerning
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this heavenly voice. He looks at its distance, its
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magnitude, and its melody. What we are witnessing here is
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John's absolute struggle with human vocabulary.
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Because he is trying to describe something completely outside our
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earthly experience. Precisely, he is trying to
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describe a reality that transcends earthly physics and
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human comprehension. He hears a vast, innumerable
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multitude praising God from the heavenly realm.
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And he just doesn't have the words for it.
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Right. The only way he can convey the
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sheer volume and impact of that sound is by comparing it to the
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most majestic, overwhelming auditory experiences known to
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man. Like the many waters.
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Yes, he uses the imagery of the roar of many waters.
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Think of the deafening, all-encompassing sound of a
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massive waterfall like Niagara Falls.
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And he also mentions the sound of mighty Thunders.
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Which is the kind of sound that actually rattles your chest.
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It inspires a sense of awe and maybe even a little terror.
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That is a great way to put it. These descriptions convey an
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extraordinary fervency. The volume is not a sign of
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chaos, but a sign of absolute unyielding passion.
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But then he adds the harps. Right at the very same time,
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Jean hears Harpers harping with their harps.
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This introduces A fascinating theological tension that Edwards
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highlights beautifully within the text.
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Is a wild contrast when you think about.
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It it is. The noise is terrifyingly loud,
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like a massive thunderstorm breaking directly overhead.
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Yet it is perfectly sweet, organized and melodious.
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So John aggregates these differing earthly similitudes
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because no single earthly sound can capture the full reality of
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heavenly praise. Spot on.
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He needs the Thunder to explain the volume, and he needs the
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harp to explain the beauty. The tension between the
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deafening roar of Thunder and the delicate sweetness of a harp
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is something you can try to orally imagine for you
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listening, think about it like this.
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Imagine standing miles away from a massive modern stadium.
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That is a very helpful. Analogy.
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Inside that stadium, 100,000 people are shouting at the top
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of their lungs. Typically, in our earthly
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experience, that kind of volume from a massive crowd would reach
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you as a chaotic, dissonant roar.
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It would sound like a riot or a disaster.
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Right. But in John's vision, that
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immense thunderous roar reaches his ears as a perfectly tuned,
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harmonious choir. It is the volume of a hurricane
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combined with the precision of a master Symphony.
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Which is just staggering to consider.
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Edwards tells us that the Saints are singing with such immense
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fervor that heaven literally rings with their praises.
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Everyone is praising God with all their might.
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They are not holding anything. Back there is no hesitance, no
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self consciousness. No holding out for the next
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verse either. It is a full throated, unified
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shout of adoration, and what that stadium analogy helps us
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grasp is the absolute unity of the heavenly host.
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Yes, the unity is key here. In our human experience, getting
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even 10 people to sing in perfect harmony requires immense
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practice and effort, and even then someone might be slightly
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off key. Very true.
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But in this innumerable multitude, there is 0
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dissonance. Every single voice is perfectly
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aligned with the others. The sheer magnitude of the sound
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does not distort the melody, it amplifies.
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It the majestic roar of Thunder and the delicate plucking of the
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harp strings merge into a single expression of worship.
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It is incredible. And that harmonious Thunder
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proves one thing very clearly. The Saints in heaven are
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incredibly busy. The volume and the fervency of
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their song indicate A staggering amount of continuous activity.
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Which leads directly into Edwards's first major
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proposition from the text. Yes, he states that the Saints
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in heaven are employed. They are not idle, they have
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much to do and they have a work before them that will fill up
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eternity. Now, Edwards anticipates an
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objection here, doesn't. He he does because he knows that
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the Scriptures frequently describe heaven as a place of
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rest. He explicitly cites Hebrews
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chapter 4, verse 9. There remaineth the rest for the
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people of God. Right.
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But he makes a crucial distinction here, one that is
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vital for understanding Reformed eschatology.
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The rest of heaven does not consist of idleness, sleep, or a
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cessation of all action. Which completely shatters that
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popular image of people napping on clouds.
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It does. Instead, it is a cessation from
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the trouble, the toil, and the tediousness of action.
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They rest from the labor, the weariness, the grief, the care,
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and the watchfulness that plague us here on earth.
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Because in our current state, action is almost always followed
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by depletion. Precisely.
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We work, we expend energy, and then we must sleep to recover.
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Our bodies breakdown, our minds grow foggy, and our spirits grow
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faint. But in the glorified state, they
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do not cease from action because the action itself no longer
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depletes them. That is correct.
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Perfection of happiness in the reformed theological framework
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Edwards is operating within does not equal inactivity.
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It equals perfect, unimpeded action.
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But in our human experience, the physical act of doing something
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and the exhaustion that naturally follows it are
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inherently linked. We cannot separate the 2.
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That is our daily reality, yes. Every time we exert ourselves,
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whether physically, mentally, or emotionally, we drain our
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reserves. So how does Edwards logically
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separate the physical act of doing something from the
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exhaustion that naturally follows it?
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He does this by pointing out that believers rest from the
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specific curse of sin. They rest from the agonizing
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toil and the sweat of their brow that was pronounced in Genesis
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chapter 3. Oh, that makes sense.
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The friction of living in a fallen world is entirely
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removed. Right, they do not stop moving,
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thinking and acting. Rather, their activity is
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completely free from unpleasantness.
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Edwards paints a picture of a society that is hyperactive, yet
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completely free from fatigue. In this present world, we labor
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in the wearisome heat of the sun.
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We face resistance in everything we do.
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Exactly. I mean, yes, we face resistance
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from the weeds in our gardens to the miscommunications in our
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relationships, to the doubts in our own minds.
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But in heaven, that heat, that exhaustion, that internal and
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external resistance is entirely gone.
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It is wiped away. So you have this massive
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multitude shouting like Thunder, playing their harps, completely
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and totally engaged in what they are doing, and yet they are
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perfectly rested. It is an active rest.
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They are doing the very thing they were created to do, without
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any of the friction that sin brought into the world.
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It redefines our entire conception of what it means to
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be at peace. And to grasp the mechanics of
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this active rest, we have to look at the theology proper that
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undergirds. Edwards is thinking here.
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God himself enjoys infinite happiness and perfect bliss, yet
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God is not inactive. No, he is always working.
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In His very nature, God is a perfect act.
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He is continually at work, bringing His purposes and ends
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to pass, sustaining the universe and manifesting His glory.
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He does not slumber or sleep, nor does he grow weary.
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And Edwards relates this to the angels as well.
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He does. We also look at the angels, whom
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the Scriptures describe as a flame of fire.
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Fire is one of the most active, moving dynamic elements we can
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observe in the natural world. It is constantly consuming,
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constantly reaching upward, constantly generating heat and
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light. Therefore, when a human being is
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glorified, when the principle of holiness is perfected within
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them at the resurrection, that principle is immensely active.
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While in this life, as Edwards notes, believers are often dull,
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heavy and inactive due to the weight of the flesh in the
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remnants of sin. We struggle to maintain focus in
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prayer. Our voices falter in singing.
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And our minds wander during worship.
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But in glory, believers become like a flame of fire.
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What's fascinating here is how Edwards describes the
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interaction between God and the glorified believer.
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They're not just sitting there passively.
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Right. The Saints in heaven are not
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passive receptacles of happiness.
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They do not just sit back in a catatonic state of bliss and
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passively absorb God's glory. There is an active volitional
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engagement. They mutually act towards him.
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Edwards calls it an action and reaction.
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God communicates His glory, His light, and His love to them, and
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they react by actively returning praise, adoration, and joy.
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This dynamic, continuous, unbroken cycle of giving and
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receiving is the very essence of heavenly happiness.
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It is a beautiful cycle. So if they have all this
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boundless energy 0 fatigue and exists as a flame of fire, what
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precisely are they directing all that energy toward?
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They cannot just be aimlessly busy.
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No, they have a very specific focus.
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That question brings us to Edwards's next major
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proposition. Their employment consists very
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much in praising God. Edwards points out that almost
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every time John had a vision of heaven in the Book of
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Revelation, he saw the inhabitants praising God.
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Whether it is the four living creatures around the throne or
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the 24 elders casting their crowns.
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Or the innumerable host from every nation, tribe and tongue.
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They're constantly giving glory to God and the Lamb.
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Now, Edwards is careful to acknowledge that we have a
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limited understanding of the future state.
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He says without doubt they have various employments.
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Right. They dwell in a vast society,
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contributing to each other's delight and conversing with one
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another. They contemplate God's glorious
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works to gain knowledge, studying the intricacies of His
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creation and Providence. But the one thing we can
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determine with absolute, undeniable certainty from the
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biblical text is that a massive, overwhelming portion of their
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time is spent in audible, fervent praise.
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And Edwards outlines 4 specific reasons why praise is their
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primary employment. Let's look at the first one.
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The first reason centers on what theologians call the beatific
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vision, or seeing God directly. Edwards references Matthew
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chapter 5 verse 8 where Christ states that the pure in heart
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shall see God. The concept of the beatific
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vision is central to Reformed thought regarding the eternal
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state. It is when the Saints see God.
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Praise is the only logical, unavoidable outcome.
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Edwards argues that God is a being of such infinite
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Excellency, such boundless beauty, that the mere sight of
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him necessarily influences the beholder to praise him.
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So it is not a coerced praise. Not at all.
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It is a spontaneous, irresistible reaction.
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It awakens and rouses all the faculties of the soul.
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It irresistibly impels them into acts of praise.
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In this life, as the Apostle Paul states in First Corinthians
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chapter 13, we see through a glass darkly.
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We only catch faint, obscured glimpses of God's Excellency
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through the reading of His Word, the preaching of the gospel, and
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the observation of His Providence.
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Our spiritual side is clouded by our own sin, our finite
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limitations and the distractions of the world.
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But in heaven the Saints dwell in his immediate glorious
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presence and see Him face to face.
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The glass is removed, the clouds are parted.
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Edwards contrasts our current limited apprehension of God with
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the full, unhindered, blazing view we will have in glory.
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When you behold the infinite wisdom of God, a wisdom so vast
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that it orchestrates every detail of cosmic history, you
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cannot help but praise it. When you view His infinitely
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pure holiness, a holiness so exceedingly bright that the
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heavens themselves are not pure in comparison, it draws out an
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exalted, thunderous shout of praise.
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And Edwards uses a really helpful analogy to explain that
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vast difference in our vision of God.
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Yes, he says that our earthly vision of God is like seeing the
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sun's light reflected off the moon at night.
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When you look at the moon, it provides light.
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It is beautiful and it guides you in the dark.
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But it is a pale, reflected, indirect and cold light.
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It is nothing compared to the source itself.
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The Heavenly vision, however, is like looking directly at the Sun
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of Righteousness shining in full Meridian glory at high noon.
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When you finally see that direct, blazing light, praise
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becomes an automatic reflex. The infinite grace of God, which
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Edwards describes in his other writings as a boundless ocean of
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mercy and love, is suddenly standing right in front of you,
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unmediated and unobscured. How could you possibly avoid
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celebrating that grace with the highest, most energetic praise
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imaginable? You would burst if you tried to
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hold it in. You really would.
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Observation guides us to the second reason why the Saints
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praise God so loudly. Here's where it gets really
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interesting. It is not simply about seeing
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God's attributes in the abstract.
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Right, it is highly specific. It is about gaining a completely
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new, historically grounded sense of the sheer magnitude of His
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mercy. Believers in heaven will grasp
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the full, staggering scale of God's goodness in creation, in
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His ongoing Providence, and especially in the specific acts
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of redemption. Edwards creates A striking
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hierarchy of mercies here to explain the focus of heavenly
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worship. He points out that in heaven the
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Saints will see with perfect clearness how God's goodness
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replenishes the entire universe. They will see the intricate,
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staggering details of how he sustains all ranks and orders of
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being. From the highest, most
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magnificent Archangel down to the lowest most microscopic in
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sect, they will understand the manifold communications of His
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goodness, pouring forth and vast profusion into every part of
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heaven and earth. Just as light diffuses endlessly
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from the sun. They will see the beauty of the
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physical creation and the perfection of the moral law.
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However, while they will deeply admire God's Providence in
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sustaining the stars and the insects, their highest, most
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fervent, most thunderous praise is strictly reserved for the
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work of redemption. This is a crucial distinction in
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the text. Edwards stresses that the Saints
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have an immensely greater sense of the exceeding greatness of
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God's grace bestowed in their salvation than they do of His
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power in creation. Why is that?
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Because they truly comprehend what a staggering gift it was
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for God to give His only begotten Son, They understand
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the infinite dignity of Christ's Person, that He is the eternal
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second Person of the Trinity, Co equal and Co eternal with the
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Father. And therefore they realize what
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a monumental, incomprehensible thing it was for him to take on
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human flesh. Yes, to become a man, subject
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himself to the law, and endure the shameful, accursed,
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agonizing death of the Cross. It is almost uncomfortable to
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think about it that way. Edwards is actually placing the
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historical event of the crucifixion above the entire
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entire eternal state of heaven in terms of glory and
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significance. It's a massive thought.
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Let's unpack the weight of that. Edwards says that Christ
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becoming a man and laying down his life is a far greater act
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than even the glorification of All Saints combined.
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He is saying that God the Son suffering on a piece of wood in
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1st century Judea is a greater display of divine love and glory
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than the entirety of heaven shining in perfection.
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Let that sink in, because the Saints in heaven finally have a
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perfect, unclouded understanding of the true weight of sin.
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They understand the true horror of the misery they were
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delivered from. In this life, we only have a
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theoretical understanding of hell and a partial understanding
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of our own guilt. But in heaven, that
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understanding is complete. Edwards notes that they are
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proportionably more sensible of how great a mercy it is to be
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delivered from that eternal torment.
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They have experienced the absolute pardon of sin.
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They're currently tasting the untainted sweetness of the
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blessedness Christ purchased for them with His own blood.
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This is why the sacrifice of Christ is the central dominating
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object of heavenly admiration. It is the greatest fruit of
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God's mercy that has ever existed.
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And because we on earth only have a tiny fractional
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conception of the greatness of those benefits, our earthly
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praises are often low, dull, and uninspired.
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But in heaven, that full realization fuels an explosion
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of gratitude that sounds like mighty thunders.
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That boundless gratitude is intimately connected to
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Edwards's third reason for heavenly praise, which is
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perfected humility. This is a brilliant paradox in
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Edwards thought. It strikes at the very core of
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human pride and how we view status.
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He sets up a basic premise based on human nature.
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A proud person assumes all praise for himself and is
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entirely indisposed to ascribe it to God.
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When a proud person achieves something or receives honor,
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they internalize it. They believe they earned it.
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It requires genuine humility to deflect that honor, and say, not
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unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name be the glory.
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Now the paradox Edwards presents is this.
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The glorified Saints in heaven are elevated to a station of
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honor and happiness far higher than any believer on earth, yet
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they are vastly lower in humility.
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Their humility is perfected. In our earthly experience,
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promotion almost always breeds pride.
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The higher we climb in status, the more we tend to think of
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ourselves. But in heaven, the total
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opposite occurs. They do not strut around the
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golden streets boasting about the crowns on their heads or the
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white robes they wear. Instead, their elevated state
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produces A crushing, overwhelming awareness of their
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own past vileness and total unworthiness.
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Why does this happen? Because their elevation allows
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them to know more of God, they see His infinite greatness, His
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absolute purity, and His Highness with perfect clarity.
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And that blazing bright light of God's majesty completely exposes
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the absolute absurdity that he would take such notice of.
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That he would forgive their treason and grant them such
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intimate communion. The psychological shift
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described there as massive. It is the sight of God's
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absolute perfection that gives them a true, unvarnished sight
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of their own unworthiness. They remember what filthy, vile
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creatures they were by nature. They remember how they provoked
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God by their actual historical sins during their earthly lives.
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The memory of their sin is not erased, rather the sting and the
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guilt are removed, but the factual knowledge remains to
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fuel their worship. They see the sheer evil and
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ugliness of them far more clearly than we do right now.
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And because they have that perfect clarity regarding both
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God's holiness and their own past wretchedness, they admire
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the love of God and giving Christ to die for them so much
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more. Their humility actually expands
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their hearts. It enlarges their capacity for
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praise. It is not a degrading,
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depressing, self loathing type of humility that we often
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associate with the word today. No, it is a joyful, freeing,
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liberating humility. It is a humility that says I
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brought absolutely nothing to the table, I deserved wrath, and
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yet you gave me everything at the cost of your own son.
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Therefore, I will shout your praises forever.
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The ego is completely annihilated, and in its place is
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perfect joy. And that realization transitions
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perfectly into the fourth reason they praise God, which is
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perfected love. Edwards identifies love as the
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principal driving ingredient in the grace of thankfulness.
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He argues that there could be a counterfeit thankfulness without
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love, perhaps a cold acknowledgement of a debt owed.
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But all sincere, acceptable thankfulness has love and active
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burning exercise. And in the heavenly state, that
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love reaches its absolute zenith, completely free from the
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dampening effects of selfishness or fear.
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Referencing the Apostle Paul again from First Corinthians
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chapter 13, Edwards notes that prophecies shall fail, knowledge
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shall vanish away, faith shall cease in vision, and hope shall
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cease in fruition. When you're in heaven, you no
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longer need faith because you are looking directly at the
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object of your faith. You no longer need hope because
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you possess the very thing you were hoping for.
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But love never fails. Love crosses the threshold of
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eternity intact in heaven. The hearts of the Saints are, as
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Edwards vividly describes it, a pure flame of love.
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This grace is exalted to its greatest possible height.
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And what is the natural, unavoidable action of perfect
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love? It vents itself and praise.
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The person who truly loves God seeks the glory of God above all
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else. They want His name to be
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magnified. Therefore, heaven rings with
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praise because it is absolutely saturated with love for God.
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That innumerable host we discussed earlier, the one
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sounding like many waters and mighty thunderings, is not
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making noise out of obligation or duty.
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They are animated by an ardent, vigorous, and incredibly
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powerful principle of divine love.
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Without that pure love, the noise would just be noise, a
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clanging cymbal. But with that love, it is the
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most glorious, harmonious melody in the entire universe.
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Now, after laying out these four reasons, seeing God directly
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grasping the staggering magnitude of His mercy, existing
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in a state of perfected humility, and burning with a
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perfected love, Edwards moves into the specific application of
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his doctrine. This is where he talks about the
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dignity of man and issues a very stark warning.
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He starts by pointing out that this heavenly work of praising
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God actively and voluntarily is the unique dignity of human
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nature. This specific capacity elevates
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humanity above the vast majority of the rest of creation.
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Think about the sun, the moon, the stars, the towering trees of
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the field, the massive oceans and the roaring rivers.
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They all glorify God, yes, but they do it passively.
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They glorify God simply by existing and blindly obeying the
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physical laws God set for them. At the dawn of time, a star
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cannot choose to stop shining. It simply burns.
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But human beings are given a radically different capacity.
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We are created to glorify God actively, as a cause, by
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counsel, understandingly and voluntarily.
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We have intellects to comprehend His goodness and wills to choose
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to praise Him for it. This is what you were made for.
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It is the highest honor imaginable for a creature of the
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dust to engage in the very same employment as the majestic
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heavenly inhabitants. But then Edwards pivots sharply,
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and he addresses a very solemn warning to what he calls natural
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persons, meaning those who are unconverted and remain in their
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fallen state. The warning Edwards delivers
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here is dark. It is unflinching and requires
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careful attention. Operating strictly from the
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source material and his theological framework, Edwards
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addresses those who are aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel.
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These are individuals who do not belong to the covenantal Society
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of God's people. He tells them point blank that
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they have no right, no portion, and no inheritance in heaven if
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an. Unconverted person were to
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somehow arrive at the gates of this blessed musical society and
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try to be admitted in their present degenerate state, they
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would be thrust out immediately. Edwards uses the vivid imagery
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drawn directly from Revelation Chapter 22 and the parables in
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the Gospels. They will hear the terrifying
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word depart. They will be shut out into what
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the scriptures call outer darkness.
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They will not be permitted to sing among the children of God,
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but will be driven out to howl among dogs.
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Instead of spending eternity joyfully singing perfectly
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harmonious praises, it will spend it in weeping, wailing and
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gnashing of teeth. If we connect this to the bigger
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picture of Reformed covenant theology as expressed in the
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Westminster Confession, heaven is not a generic open door
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afterlife for anyone who happens to die.
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It is not a default destination for humanity.
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It is a specific covenantal Society of the redeemed.
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It is reserved exclusively for those who are united to Christ
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by faith. That is a crucial, nonnegotiable
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distinction in this framework. Outsiders cannot simply walk in
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and join the choir uninvited. You cannot learn the new song of
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redemption if you have not actually been redeemed by the
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blood of the Lamb. It would be entirely foreign to
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your nature. Edwards paints A devastating
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picture for the natural person, seeing others coming from the
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East and the West, from every corner of the globe, sitting
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down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, joining their voices in
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magnificent heavenly music while they themselves are cast out to
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cry for sorrow of heart. It is a heavy, sobering
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application that forces the listener to completely stop and
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evaluate their own standing before God.
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But Edwards does not end his application on that note of
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terror. He moves on to an exhortation
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aimed squarely at the church itself.
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And he introduces a concept that bridges the gap between our
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current flawed reality and that perfect heavenly vision.
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He examines the relationship between the Church Militant and
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the Church Triumphant. So what does this all mean for
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us today, right now, as we go about our daily lives?
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It means that the Church on Earth and the Church in Heaven
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are are not 2 entirely separate, disconnected entities.
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They are one single family. Edwards is very explicit about
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this theological reality. The triumphant part of the
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Church is currently residing in heaven, enjoying the act of rest
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we discussed earlier, and the militant part of the Church is
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currently fighting the good fight of faith here on earth,
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but there is only one universal church.
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They share one body, one animating spirit, 1 Lord Jesus
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Christ, and one God and Father of all.
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The vast physical and spiritual distance between heaven and
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earth does not separate them into two different societies or
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species. The Saints on earth are simply
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sojourning abroad. They were traveling through a
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hostile territory toward their proper eternal home.
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Edwards's logical deduction from this reality is vital for the
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listener to grasp. If we belong to the exact same
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family, have the exact same father and share the exact same
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inheritance, then we should be engaged in the exact same work.
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If we genuinely hope to spend eternity continually singing
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loud, fervent praises to God and the Lamb, it is entirely
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disagreeable and hypocritical to live in the neglect of praising
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God right now. This present life is a state of
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probation and preparation. We must have our souls molded,
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tuned, and fashioned for that eternal work right here, right
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now, amidst the trials of life. I appreciate how Edwards phrases
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that concept. He says the light must dawn this
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world or the sun will never rise in the next.
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You cannot expect to arise in heaven, cross the threshold, and
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suddenly know how to praise God fervently if you have not
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practiced it here on earth. If your heart is not tuned to
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praise in this world, if you find worship boring or tedious
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now, you will be completely out of place in the next.
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The song would make no sense to. You and Edwards offers a the
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really compelling, almost ironic argument for why our earthly
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praise is so incredibly necessary.
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He. Points out that the supreme
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reason the Saints in heaven praise God, the incarnation, the
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intense sufferings and the bloody death of Christ, that
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monumental event happened right here on earth.
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The eternal Son of God did not become an Angel.
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You became human flesh and dwelt among us.
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He was crucified on a literal hill outside the physical city
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of Jerusalem that is an earthly location.
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So Edwards asks a brilliant rhetorical question, essentially
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saying, shall heaven be completely filled with
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thunderous praises for what was done on earth, and shall there
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be no praises on earth where it was actually done?
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It is a striking. Point It is wildly inappropriate
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for the earth to be silent and indifferent while heaven rings
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with thunderous praise for an event that happened on our own
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soil for our own benefit. Building on that unassailable
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logic, Edwards provides highly practical instructions for how
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the listener should go about cultivating this true praise.
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He does not leave the listener guessing.
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First and foremost, he states that it requires genuine
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supernatural conversion. An unconverted person, a natural
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man, never once sincerely or acceptably praises God because
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their heart is fundamentally opposed to Him.
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You must actually be a regenerate part of the Redeemed
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society to learn the song. Secondly, you must labor
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diligently to obtain a clear spiritual site of God.
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You need frequent, illuminating discoveries of His nature made
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to your soul through the diligent study of the
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Scriptures. You cannot praise a God you do
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not know. Thirdly, you must labor to get
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your mind thoroughly impressed with a sense of the greatness of
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His goodness to you. Specifically, you must count
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your blessings and meditate on His Providence.
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Fourthly, you must actively pursue perfect humility.
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You must look at the law of God, see your own littleness and
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vileness, and acknowledge that you are less than the least of
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all His mercies. Pride kills praise.
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And finally, you must seek through prayer to have your
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heart inflamed with divine love. When you gather these elements
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together, conversion, spiritual sight, gratitude, humility, and
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love, you are practically engaged in the work of heaven.
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You are preparing your soul for eternity.
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And when you practice that, when you engage in those specific
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steps, Edwards says, you begin to experience actual foretastes
29:51
of heavenly joy right now, even amidst your earthly struggles.
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If you praise Him sincerely, He will draw near and show you more
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of His glory, giving you even more 'cause to praise Him, it
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becomes an upward spiral of grace.
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Now, as we move into the final portions of Edwards's text, he
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offers both a sharper proof and a staggering consolation.
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First, let's look at the reproof.
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He directly challenges those within the church who neglect
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the actual vocal singing of God's praises.
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He says this neglect is completely discordant with the
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stated hope of spending eternity in that very work.
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If you claim you want to go to heaven to sing, but you refuse
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to sing in church on Sunday, your actions contradict your
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profession. He points out that singing
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praises is not an option accessory to the Christian life.
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It is an explicit appointment of God for divine worship.
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The biblical mandate for this practice is incredibly clear,
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and Edwards sites several passages to support his reproof.
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He points to the historical example of Christ and his
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disciples singing praises together in Matthew chapter 26,
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right before they went out to the Mount of Olives.
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He references the Apostle Paul's explicit commands in Ephesians
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chapter 5 to speak to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual
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songs, singing and making melody be in your heart to the Lord.
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He points to Colossians chapter 3 calling the church to actively
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teach and admonish one another through singing.
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This is a core, non negotiable part of the Christian life.
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Furthermore, Edwards gives very specific practical instruction
31:20
to parents regarding this duty. They must be careful to instruct
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their children in singing. If parents truly desire their
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children to go to heaven and join that eternal choir, they
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must train them up in the very skills and habits that occupy
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the heavenly inhabitants. They should teach them the
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tunes, teach them the theology within the songs, and model A
31:38
joyful attitude in singing. To neglect this duty is to act
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discordantly with the profession of faith and the mercies God has
31:46
bestowed upon the family. It is a sharp reproof,
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especially for those who perhaps feel too self-conscious to sing
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loudly in church. But Edwards immediately follows
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it up with immense, breathtaking comfort.
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For the godly listener, for you who are listening to this right
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now and feeling the weight of your own failures, Edwards
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offers incredible consolation. He knows that sincere believers
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often feel they never praise God enough.
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You might feel like your heart is currently cold or dead or
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dull. You might feel weighed down by a
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wandering, unsteady mind during worship, by lingering hypocrisy,
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by the heavy, exhausting burdens of earthly life, physical pain
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or financial stress. Edwards uses a very specific
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evocative phrase to describe this earthly condition.
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You feel the clogs and burdens from corruption.
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You want a sore, but you feel chained to the ground.
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But the promise here, derived directly from the text, is that
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a day is absolutely coming when all of those clogs will vanish
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forever. You will have a whole unending
32:44
eternity to praise Him properly. Your heart will be fully
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enlarged to comprehend His love. You will be unable to praise Him
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in an in an immensely more perfect, exalted and energetic
32:54
manner. You will no longer have to fight
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against your own flesh, your own fatigue, or your own wandering
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thoughts to sing to your Creator.
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The friction will be gone. This raises an important
33:04
question regarding how we view our current, often frustrating
33:08
struggles in worship. We frequently feel isolated,
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weak, and inadequate in our attempts to glorify God.
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We hear our own voices crack, we lose our place in the hymnal,
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and we feel our affections lagging.
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But Edwards comforts the weary believer by noting that in
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heaven, you will not be alone in this endeavor.
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If you currently long to have everyone, praise God, you will
33:29
find more than enough help there.
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Thousands upon thousands of majestic angels and perfectly
33:33
glorified Saints will surround you.
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They will be united to you in the dearest, most intimate love
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imaginable. They will be fully disposed to
33:40
praise God not only for their own salvation, but they will
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sing loudly for His specific mercy to you.
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You will join a vast, perfectly united, perfectly harmonious
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assembly. The weakness, the dissonance,
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and the frailty of your present song will be entirely swallowed
33:54
up and perfected in the thunderous, glorious roar of the
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redeemed multitude. That is such a beautiful,
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encouraging reality to hold onto, especially when you feel
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the heavy clogs of corruption dragging you down.
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As we bring this deep dive to a close, let's summarize the
34:09
vision Jonathan Edwards has laid out for us so clearly.
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Heaven is not a static waiting room where we sit around killing
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time. It is not a place of boring,
34:18
eternal idleness or perpetual napping.
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It is a loud, fervent, hyperactive state of joyful,
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perfectly humble worship. It is a place where the Saints
34:27
are completely and permanently freed from the curse of sin and
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the exhaustion of the body, allowing them to engage in an
34:33
unbroken, eternal cycle of receiving God's blazing love and
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returning a thunderous, perfectly harmonious praise.
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They see God directly, without any veil.
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They comprehend the staggering magnitude of His mercy,
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especially the incomprehensible mercy of the cross.
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They are perfectly humble because they see His Majesty and
34:51
they burn with a pure, unquenchable flame of love.
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And because we are one single family with that heavenly host,
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our primary duty on earth is to begin practicing that eternal
35:01
song right now, fighting through our current clogs and burdens,
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knowing that the day of perfect active rest is coming.
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To leave you with a final thought to Mull over as you
35:13
consider the text and your own worship, think about the nature
35:16
of the angels. The angels are magnificent,
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powerful beings who have never fallen into sin.
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They have always existed in the blazing presence of God.
35:24
They have never known guilt, shame or rebellion.
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Yet they sing my praises with the volume of mighty Thunder.
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If the angels who never needed a savior to shed his blood for
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them sing that loudly and with that much passion, how much
35:37
louder and more fervent should the song of redeemed humans be?
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We are the ones who are actually plunged into treasonous
35:43
rebellion against the King. We are the ones who actually
35:45
experienced the astonishing grace of being pulled from the
35:48
outer darkness into the Kingdom of light at the unimaginable
35:51
cost of the Son of God's own life.
35:53
The angels can observe redemption, but we are the ones
35:56
who experienced it. Our reason for praise is
35:59
distinctly our own, and it is a reason that even the angels
36:02
cannot fully claim. That is a staggering truth to
36:05
dwell on. It really is.
36:06
It is an incredible thought to carry with you throughout your
36:09
week. If the unfallen angels sing like
36:11
Thunder, the redeemed Sinner has infinitely more reason to raise
36:14
the volume. Thank you for joining us on
36:16
Reformed Thinking. We hope this examination of
36:18
Jonathan Edwards sermon has encouraged you to keep your mind
36:21
fixed on the realities of the text, to shake off the clogs of
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corruption as best you can, and to raise your own voice in
36:27
fervent act of praise today. Have a great week.