From the Heart of Spurgeon

Christ Asleep in the Vessel (S1121)

Are you tempted to think, in some way or other, that Christ does not really care for you? Do your present circumstances lead you to fear that he has no regard for your well-being? Against such doubts and fears Spurgeon turns his guns as he reasons with us as to how we should think and what we should believe lest we fall into this trap, describing the genuine regard that our Lord has for his beloved people under all circumstances, and assuring us that this will become apparent to us in due course. He gives us an anatomy of ungodly fear and of God’s own care. Again, here is the blend of tender rebuke and careful encouragement at which our preacher excels; here is that pastoral insight into the hearts of men and that faithful grasp of the heart of God which blend together in preaching to the soul so that we both see what is wrong and are led to what is right.

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Onward! (S1114)

This sermon develops, early on, into a broadside against spiritual self-satisfaction. Spurgeon demolishes—with unusual thoroughness—any sense of spiritual smugness, by taking Paul’s desire for holiness as his proper standard, as well as considering other models of godliness and his broader experience of mankind. He digs deep, asking by what routes men attain to such a sense of contentedness with their present condition, and the root of such self-applause. Having done most of the heavy lifting in the first and bulkiest part of his sermon, considering the present life, he then hits us rapidly with the other three points which form the outline of his sermon: how Paul looks on his past with accuracy, to the future eagerly, all the while engaging fervently. For all his evangelistic fervour, Spurgeon never lets slip the connection between salvation and true godliness, and here he urges us not to become complacent with present attainments in holiness, but rather to press onward—while we rejoice that Christ’s work for us is complete, we must recognise that the Spirit’s work in us is ongoing, and labour accordingly as new men in Christ.

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A Call to Worship (S1107)

How can you tell when God is among his people in a distinctive way? What are the marks of God’s present favour? What are the indications of reviving among the saints? Using Zechariah 8:21 as his springboard, Spurgeon identifies several of the signs of God’s presence among his people: their great interest in divine worship; their encouragement to one another to use the means of grace; their urgency and immediacy in using these means; their eye particularly on God in these duties; and, their personal resolve and investment in waiting upon the Lord. This preacher has a sweet talent for both cutting and binding up; he knows how to expose and clean the wound, but he also knows how to pour in the balm. He is skilled in drawing us to God in Christ, making the exercises of religion seem sweet and delightful to the awakened soul. Here is a true call to worship indeed, not lacking in rebuke for our coolness and dulness, but painting a happy portrait of a people taken up with God, knowing and seeking and enjoying his ministrations toward them.

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Good Cause for Great Zeal (S1097)

There is a danger in appreciating sermons of robust exhortation, a potential spiritual sado-masochism of sorts, in which we pride ourselves on having received a good whipping, without being any the better for having undergone the experience. One antidote to this is to make sure that the exhortation rides on the back of appreciation, and it is this which Spurgeon does here. He wants us to understand how blessed we are as God’s people, how richly favoured and fed from the royal table, and what that means in terms of our regard for the King’s honour, and how that works out in various spheres of life. That emphasis on blessing is not intended to send us on a ‘guilt trip’ either—it is not mere manipulation to say that if we have fallen short, and our love has cooled, then we ought to repent and do our first works, given how greatly we have been loved and blessed. So, then, let us not indulge ourselves in a bit of self-satisfied self-recrimination, but consider the mercies which God has bestowed, and the honour to which he is entitled from those whom he has so privileged.

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Always, and for All Things (S1094)

This is Spurgeon at his scripturally-centred best, digging deep into his text to tell us the what, and the when, and the why, and the whom, and the how of true thanksgiving. Wisely and insightfully, he reminds us that this must be the fruit of the reconciled heart, the one that knows its relation to God in Christ, setting out the spiritual prerequisites of a grateful soul. Finally, he records some of the excellent fruits of such a spirit, how it honours God, restrains sin, calms us and cheers us, and makes us useful. This is a preacher who delights in God and in all his good gifts. He is able to survey the eternal goods, the temporal goods, the unknown or unseen or unrecognised blessings, and especially to remind us that even in the worst of griefs and pains and afflictions we have good reason to give thanks to our God. With plenty of space to ponder our own attitudes, to repent of our complaining, and to resolve that we will go forth with a more cheerful zeal, this is an uplifting and valuable sermon for any time and place. For some, it may be a needful rebuke; for others, a particular spur; for some, a delightful encouragement; for all, a profitable lesson.

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Jesus, the King of Truth (S1086)

Like many of his eminent spiritual forefathers, Spurgeon is very much a theologian of the Holy Spirit. His communion with, relish for, and dependence on the Spirit of God is often prominent in his sermons, and that is itself a reflection of his whole life. This sermon is concerned with a full and rich trinitarianism, for he wants to ensure that the Holy Spirit receives his proper prominence and honour as the third Person of the Godhead. Concentrating on his title as Paraclete, the preacher first explains that name, and then—under pressure of time—turns to the particular nature of the comfort which he brings. His concluding observations bring the matter to bear upon both believers and unbelievers, holding out joy and hope to all who would honour and rely upon the Holy Ghost. The sermon is an antidote both to unscriptural notions of the person and work of the Holy Spirit (with particularly short shrift given to the wilder claims) and to a diminishing of him in the eyes and hearts of his people.

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The Paraclete (S1074)

Like many of his eminent spiritual forefathers, Spurgeon is very much a theologian of the Holy Spirit. His communion with, relish for, and dependence on the Spirit of God is often prominent in his sermons, and that is itself a reflection of his whole life. This sermon is concerned with a full and rich trinitarianism, for he wants to ensure that the Holy Spirit receives his proper prominence and honour as the third Person of the Godhead. Concentrating on his title as Paraclete, the preacher first explains that name, and then—under pressure of time—turns to the particular nature of the comfort which he brings. His concluding observations bring the matter to bear upon both believers and unbelievers, holding out joy and hope to all who would honour and rely upon the Holy Ghost. The sermon is an antidote both to unscriptural notions of the person and work of the Holy Spirit (with particularly short shrift given to the wilder claims) and to a diminishing of him in the eyes and hearts of his people.

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My Prayer (S1072)

Much of this sermon seems to bubble out of the preacher’s heart, gushing forth with less of structure but more of force. It is not without organisation, but his first point concerning the believer’s frequent need of quickening or enlivening is a swirling catalogue of need, flitting from thought to thought as he considers just how dependent we are on the Lord for his mercies. From human need he turns to divine grant, identifying the God of heaven as the one from whom all these mercies flow, and the channels down which he sends them. Spurgeon points us to the way of obedience, before reminding us of the particular seasons in which we might particularly seek this stirring in our souls by the Holy Spirit. As so often, Spurgeon’s style seems to suit the mood of his sermon, the rhythm and arrangement of his words carrying us along even as readers, prompting us to go to our gracious God for his revitalising influence.

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Behold the Lamb (S1060)

Spurgeon never goes very far Christ Jesus, in all his sermons or in any sermon. Here he is in his element as a preacher of the gospel of his Saviour: “It is mine to preach a Saviour in whom I believe, whom having not seen I love. I am looking to him now for everything, even as I would have you do. I see in him superlative beauties which I wish you to see, and I worship a divinity in him which I desire you to worship. I preach not to you an unknown God, or an untried Saviour.” You can hear the man’s heart bubbling over with joyful faith which he longs to share, and in such a sermon we come close to the heart of Spurgeon, and see something reflected in him of the heart of Christ for sinners. Revelation, contemplation, instruction and adoration run on each other’s heels through the sermon, and I trust will take root in our hearts as we consider it.

Untrodden Ways (S1057)

This is, in some ways, a sermon about fear. The introduction is fascinating, setting the scene for what follows by tracing out some of the ways in which change and novelty can disturb and unsettle certain people in particular, with the fears that can dominate some of God’s people. Spurgeon responds with words of consolation, direction, and expectation. The whole is marked by realism about the experience of the saints, compassion toward those who struggle, courage in the face of opportunities and difficulties, and pastoral sense and straightforwardness about not succumbing to our fears. Distinctly helpful is his sense of the blessings that await in moving forward into new spheres, even with their challenges—the eagerness with which we can anticipate good things, and the anticipation that in all that comes to pass, our Lord Jesus shall be magnified in our eyes. In a time that seems to be marked by anxiety and even anger among God’s people, when many cling thoughtlessly to what they think they know even at the expense of good things they have not yet known, Spurgeon’s counsels come with timely force to our hearts.

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