Author: Charles Spurgeon

Pastor, trust the gospel for your own soul (and your ministry)

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After an unexpected break, Spurgeon’s Pastor’s Note is back. I apologize for not being able to send this newsletter out over the last few months. I hope and pray this newsletter will continue to be a blessing to your ministry.

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

Brothers, we shall never preach the Savior of sinners better than when we feel ourselves to be the sinners whom he came to save. A penitent mourning for sin fits us to preach repentance. “I preached,” says John Bunyan, “sometimes, as a man in chains to men in chains, hearing the clanking of my own fetters while I preached to those who were bound in affliction and iron.” Sermons wrung out of broken hearts are often the means of consolation to despairing souls. It is well to go to the pulpit, at times, with “God be merciful to me a sinner” as our uppermost prayer. Some mourners will never be cheered till they see the preacher smite upon his own breast, and hear him confess his personal sense of unworthiness.

It would not be right, however, for us to stay upon such low ground, for we preach the gospel, and not the law; we are bound, therefore, to rejoice because we feel the power of the blood of Jesus upon our own consciences, giving us peace and pardon in him. Our joy will give life to our message.

SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe the importance of forgiving others.

It is nobler to forgive and let the offense pass. To let an injury rankle in your bosom and to meditate revenge is to keep old wounds open and to make new ones. Better forget and forgive.

THANKS FOR READING

Brothers,

We are saved by the gospel! What an incredible glory we share in! And even more astounding, we get to preach it to others. Oh, may we never forget to treasure and trust in the grace that we preach.

If this newsletter is encouraging, please share it with another pastor. You can forward this email to a pastor you know.

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Blessings to your ministry,

Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks

Pray with Spurgeon: God always knows best (and leads us well)

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

You have led your people by a right way. With all the twisting of the wilderness march, we are persuaded that when you lead us about, still we go the nearest way. You know best, and oftentimes to retreat is to advance, and to be beaten back is to make surest headway. We would, whatever happens, lift up the song of grateful praise, raise another stone of help to record the loving-kindness of our God.

O blessed Pilot of the future as of the past, we are so happy to leave all to you; but in leaving all to you we have one wish, and it is that you would glorify the Father’s name in us more than in any other season of our lives.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham’s sons.” (Galatians 3:7)

There is no communion with God except by faith, without which we cannot ever please God. The favorites of heaven are in every case people who believe in God. Faith has the golden key of the ivory palaces. Faith opens the secret chambers of communion to those who love her. The works of the law bring no nearness to God. When we are under a sense of backsliding, when we feel unworthy to be called God’s child, when we have erred and strayed from his ways like lost sheep, we must not rush like a madman to the law, for that would be to leap into the fire, but still say, “Lord, I believe in you. As a sinner I trust the sinner’s substitute.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Only a few days left to get Easter gifts*

If you want to grab a Christ-centered Easter gift for your children, consider grabbing them a Bible from Lifeway. Here are a few highlights: (But keep in mind, in the continental U.S. you have to order before 4/11 to receive your order by Easter)

  • The CSB Kids’ Bible — Dozens of full-color pages with study helps to expand your kids’ Bible knowledge (plus a lot of really fun covers!)
  • One Big Story Bible — Connect every little story to the big story about Jesus. (This is PACKED with 146 full-color illustrations and TONS of devotionals and other feaetures).
  • The Defend Your Faith Bible — This is an AMAZING resource!! It introduces elementary-aged kids to apologetics and equips them to understand what they believe, why they believe it, and how to defend it.

I hope you’ll check out these Bibles (there are other options too, and a lot of covers available).

Shop for Kids’ Bibles on Lifeway.com

Pray with Spurgeon: God is (always, always, always) good

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Since the hour when we knew your love and learned to say “Abba, Father,” we do confess we have been unworthy still. We have but little felt your goodness; we have often acted very ungratefully, very distrustfully. But Lord, you have not changed, but still your faithfulness abounds to your servants; for which again we can only say, Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Especially would we make mention of the goodness of the Lord during another year. Each believer here has trodden a different pathway: to some it has been a very smooth road, to others a very rough climb: to some a deep descent into the valley of sorrow and humiliation. But you have led your people by a right way.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“The LORD is good and upright; therefore he shows sinners the way.” (Psalm 25:8)

Here the goodness and the uprightness of the divine character are beheld in friendly union; he who would see them thus united in bonds of perfect amity must stand at the foot of the cross and view them blended in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. It is no less true than wonderful that through the atonement the justice of God pleads as strongly as his grace for the salvation of the sinners whom Jesus died to save. Moreover, as a good man naturally endeavours to make others like himself, so will the Lord our God in his compassion bring sinners into the way of holiness and conform them to his own image; thus the goodness of our God leads us to expect the reclaiming of sinful men. We may not conclude from God’s goodness that he will save those sinners who continue to wander in their own ways, but we may be assured that he will renew transgressors’ hearts and guide them into the way of holiness. Let those who desire to be delivered from sin take comfort from this. God himself will condescend to be the teacher of sinners. What a ragged school is this for God to teach in! God’s teaching is practical; he teaches sinners not only the doctrine, but the way.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Do your kids have real Bibles of their very own?*

As Christian parents, we are tirelessly working to teach our children the truth of God’s Word, but often our kids don’t have real Bibles of their own.

If your kids don’t have a Bible that they love, Easter is a GREAT time to give them a special Bible — just for them.

There are some really faithful (and really fun!) kids’ Bibles available from Lifeway. They are packed with great devotionals, resources, and illustrations for any age group.

“Pray with Spurgeon” subscribers can save $5 on a purchase of $30 or more with code EASTERBIBLES.

I hope you’ll buy a Christ-centered Easter gift for your children today! (Order by April 11 to get it in time for Easter)

Shop for Kids’ Bibles on Lifeway.com

Pray with Spurgeon: God’s never-ending, Son-giving love

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

In the recollection of all that you have done for us your people, we are filled with amazement, as well as with gratitude, that you should have loved us before the foundation of the world; that sovereign love should have pitched upon us poor unworthy ones, that you should love us so much to redeem us with the blood of Jesus and give the Only Begotten to die for unworthy creatures like us; that you should love us notwithstanding our sins and transgressions, that you should love us despite the hardness of our hearts and the rebellion of our nature. It is strange, it surpasses belief at times; yet do we know it to be so.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land.” (Matthew 27:45)

The darkness was surely a rebuke to the insulting cruelty of sinful man. It was such a strong rebuke, though without a voice, that was experienced by that assembled throng! The Roman in his pride, the Jewish man in his bigotry, and the Gentile in his hatred of all that was sacred—they were all there, and all did their utmost to pour contempt on Christ. And in the midst of it, they were all smitten with blindness. This was an amazing rebuke by God against the wickedness of man, which came to its climax around the cross of the Savior.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A devotional to prepare for Good Friday.

Today’s prayer thanked God for his astounding, never-ending love, which was supremely displayed on the cross. This is what Jesus came to do — to die for his people. As we approach Good Friday and Easter, it’s important for us to slow down and think like this about why Christ died and why he rose again. Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die by John Piper is an excellent devotional for considering the cost and the reward of the cross.

The book offers fifty short devotionals, each explaining a different reason Jesus came to die. Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die is a great devotional to focus your heart on Christ and his cross.

This book will definitely “reveal Jesus Christ to the troubled heart,” showing you the depth of your sin and the wonder of God’s love. I know it will encourage you — I hope you’ll grab a copy today.

Buy Fifty Reasons Jesus Came to Die:

Pray with Spurgeon: Thanking God for Trials?

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

O Lord, our God, how excellent is your name in all the earth! Some of us have to thank you for many mercies bestowed. We thank you for them; for we feel that we are entirely in your hands in all respects. Others of us have been brought very low, bruised full sore, but having a little strength remaining, we desire to praise and bless the Giver of every gift. You are good when you give, and you are good when you take away. You are good when the night gathers heavy about us. You are good when the sun shines and gladdens our pathway. You are always good and do good, and blessed be the name of the Lord from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof, and through the night watches let his praise be still celebrated.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“LORD, our Lord, how magnificent is your name throughout the earth! You have covered the heavens with your majesty.” (Psalm 8:1)

Unable to express the glory of God, the psalmist utters a note of exclamation. O Lord our Lord! We need not wonder at this, for no heart can measure, no tongue can utter, the half of the greatness of the Lord. The whole creation is full of his glory and radiant with the excellency of his power; his goodness and his wisdom are manifested on every hand.

The countless myriads of terrestrial beings, from man the head, to the creeping worm at the foot, are all supported and nourished by the Divine bounty. The solid fabric of the universe leans upon his eternal arm. Universally is he present, and everywhere is his name excellent. God works at all times and in all places.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

An Easter Gift Your Kids Will LOVE*

Easter is just around the corner and it is SO WORTH celebrating! Jesus is alive — he has conquered death! Satan, sin, and death are defeated! Seriously, thinking about Easter should make us want to jump out of our chairs with excitement.

I hope you’ll celebrate Easter with your family. One great way to cultivate Christ-centered joy this Easter is to give your children a Christ-centered gift.

One great idea is a kids Bible from Lifeway. These Bibles have really fun covers that your kids won’t be able to stop picking up — and they also have TONS of great devotionals, illustrations, and age-appropriate resources that your kids won’t be able to put down.

Lifeway has TONS of great choices for kids’ Bibles. And you can save $5 on a purchase of $30 or more with code EASTERBIBLES.

I hope you’ll grab Bibles for your kids today.

Shop for Kids’ Bibles on Lifeway.com

Pray with Spurgeon: God is with us through every trial

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Bless every preacher of the Word this weekend, and all Sunday schools, classes of young men and women, all tract-distributing and street preaching, and every form of holy service. Accept the prayers and praises of your people. Receive them even from the sick beds of those detained at home. Let not one of your mourners, the weary watchers of the night, be kept without a smile from God.

The Lord bless us now, and all his chosen people. Our soul cries out for it. Break, O everlasting morning, break o’er the dark hills! Let our eyes behold you, and till the day break and the shadows flee away, abide with us, O our Beloved, abide with us now.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials” (1 Peter 1:6)

We who love the Lord have our joy even in our present adversity. We have two heavens; a heaven here and a heaven hereafter. Jesus is with us, and this is heaven. We are soon to be with Jesus, and that is another heaven. Though sometimes cast down, we are glad at heart.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

The (not-so-surprising) cure for anxiety

Today’s prayer ended with a beautiful cry of hope, that God will be with us until “all the shadows flee away.” This is good news — no matter what trials we face today, we know that God is with us through it all. And that’s why pride is often the source of our worries.

The path to a peaceful life, free of anxiety, starts by laying down your pride, by relying on the Savior instead of yourself. If you want peace in your life, start by growing in humility.

That’s the point of Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson. This book discusses Christ’s call to humility and practical steps to walk in it. It will definitely encourage you, shape you into Christlikeness, and fill you up with peace.

Buy Humble Roots:

Pray with Spurgeon: Only God can make us happy or holy

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Now this morning be pleased to refresh us. Draw near to us, gracious God; it is only your presence that can make us happy, holy, devout, or strong. Shadow us now with your wings, cover us with your feathers, and under your wings may we trust. May we follow you very closely, and so feel the quickening warmth, the joy which only your nearness can bring. If any in your presence this morning are unsaved, oh save them now. Do grant that the service of this morning may bring such glad tidings to their ear, that their heart shall leap at the sound of it, and they shall return unto God, who will abundantly pardon.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“The LORD answered Moses, ‘Is the LORD’s arm weak? Now you will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you.’” (Number 11:23)

Does the Creator expect the creature to fulfill his promise? No, his promises do not depend for their fulfillment on the cooperation of puny human strength. God as a sovereign gives an absolute promise; and he can do it without fear of mistake because he has the omnipotence to fulfill his greatest word. Will we look to the top of the Alps for summer heat? Will we journey to the North Pole to gather fruits ripened in the sun? Or will we take our journey toward the equator so that our body may be braced by cool invigorating breezes? We would act no more foolishly if we did this than when we look to the weak for strength, or the creature to do the Creator’s work. The ground of faith is not the sufficiency of the visible means for the performance of the promise but the all-sufficiency of the invisible God most surely to do as he has said.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

FINAL DAY: Bring 2,000 years of wisdom into your Bible study.*

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been sharing a lot about the Ancient Faith Study Bible, because this incredible resource is on sale this month.

Today is the FINAL DAY of that sale — it’s the last day to grab an Ancient Faith Study Bible at a discount.

(AND you can save even more with code ANCIENTFAITH5 — an extra $5 off any purchase above $30)

These Bibles place short commentary from early church leaders right alongside the text of Scripture, so that you can learn from their wisdom and get their help to understand and apply the Bible. 

I hope you’ll grab this Bible today — I know it will bless you as you continue to learn about our gloriously ancient faith.

Choose your Ancient Faith Study Bible at Lifeway.com.

Pray with Spurgeon: Heal our lukewarm faith

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, we have yet another burden—it is that we ourselves do not love you as we should, that oftentimes we grow lukewarm and chill, and doubt creeps over us, and unbelief mars our confidence, and we sin and forget our God. O Lord, help us! Pardon is not enough, we want sanctification.

We ask, let the weeds that grow in the seed plot of our soul be cut up by the roots. We do want to serve you. We long that every thought we think, and word we say or write, should be all for you. We would lead consecrated lives; for we are persuaded that we only live as we live unto God, that anything else is but trifling. Oh, to be taken up as offerings wholly to be consumed upon the altar of the Lord, joyfully ascending to him in every outgoing of our life.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)

As tepid water makes one’s stomach heave, so lukewarm religious profession is nauseous to the Almighty. Did Jesus Christ think salvation so important that he came from heaven to earth to work it out? Did he think the gospel so worthy that he spent his life proclaiming it? Did he think redemption so valuable that he shed his own precious blood to complete it? Then, if I profess to believe these truths and yet am indifferent to them, do I not insult Christ by insinuating that there was no need for him to be in such dead earnest?

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

Increase your faith and fight your sin

In today’s prayer, Spurgeon prayed that God would increase our faith and help us to follow him. We prayed for this today, because we can’t do it alone — we need God the Holy Spirit to bear the fruit of self-control in our lives (Galatians 5:23).

While our growth in holiness is a miracle that only God can do, we also have a role to play in this work. You will not automatically grow in godliness — you need to pursue godliness with the strength that God the Holy Spirit gives you.

A great, practical book on growing in godliness (self-control, taming the tongue, and more) is The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges. This book won’t just tell you that something is sinful, it will actually equip you practical tools and truths from God’s Word to slay your sin and live in godliness.

Whatever pressing sin you are currently facing and want to grow in, The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges is a great resource to help you take your next steps. I hope you pick up a copy today.

Buy The Practice of Godliness:

Pray with Spurgeon: God, save this sinful world

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

We have also to bring before you another burden, and that is the godlessness of this present age. It is not alone the wise men but, behold, the men that know not seek not after God. O Lord, the multitude delight in sin. Drunkenness defiles our city, and filthy words are heard on every side. Be not angry with this nation, we ask you. It has been entrusted with wondrous privileges. Forgive it and have mercy upon its aggravated sin. Lay not its heavy responsibilities to its charge, but let this nation be saved. We pray for it, as we are in duty bound to do, and as our love constrains us to do.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.” (John 3:20–21)

You see why men do not come to Christ, they do not want to give up their sin; they do not want to be made uneasy in it; they are afraid of being reproved. You see why saintly men do come to Christ, for they take a delight in beholding him, and in having their faith and their grace made manifest, both to themselves and to onlookers.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

God is real (and that is really, really good news)

Today we prayed that God would be glorified among the sinful, unbelieving world. We long for the world to know the good news that Jesus Christ is LORD of heaven and earth.

A great resource for growing your own faith and ending your unbelief is Jesus or Nothing by Dan DeWitt. This book doesn’t just help us see that God exist, but it shows that God’s existence is really, really good news.

Because God (as he’s revealed himself in the Bible) is real, our life has meaning and joy is possible. If there isn’t a God, nothing has any meaning. 

I know that this book will strengthen your faith and equip you to share your faith with others. Jesus or Nothing is an incredible, faith-strengthening, life-giving, joy-producing, Bible-saturated book. I hope you’ll grab a copy.

Buy Jesus or Nothing:

Pray with Spurgeon: When the world rejects him, we hold fast to God

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

May we never be ashamed to glory in the good old way, the way the fathers trod, the way which leads to heaven and to God. May we not be ashamed to vindicate it, and to bear reproach; for your gospel has of old been to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness; and so we expect it ever to be a stumbling-block to those who go after the way of superstition, and also to be foolishness to the wise men of the world.

O God, again confuse the knowledge of men by what they think to be the foolishness of the gospel. Again let it be seen that the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. O Jesus, Son of the Highest, we know that the truth is powerful, because you are the soul of it—the very essence of it. Put your life into it, we pray. May the Eternal Spirit go with every word which God-sent ministers shall proclaim, and may the Lord grant that as the mists fly before the sun, and the clouds before the wind, so error and superstition may be driven away by the rising of the Sun of Righteousness in all the glory of his brightness.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“… because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)

In the Word we must find wisdom and power “because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” The faintest whisper of the Lord’s voice should fill us with solemn awe and command the deepest obedience of our souls. How careful we should be that we do not set up in God’s temple anything in opposition to his Word, that we do not permit the teachings of a creature to usurp the honor due to the Lord alone. “Thus says antiquity.” “Thus says authority.” “Thus says learning.” “Thus says experience.” These are but idols that defile the temple of God. Be it yours and mine, as bold iconoclasts, to dash them in pieces without mercy, seeing that they usurp the place of the Word of God.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

A Book to Help You Approach the Bible with Prayer and Worship

Today we prayed that God’s Word would be made clear and confound the wisdom of the world. We saw in 1 Corinthians that this is what God’s Word does when it is read or heard with authority. The Bible is an incredible book, an unparalleled treasure. It’s important that we approach the Bible with humility and worship.

A great resource to help you is Before You Open Your Bible by Matt Smethurst. This simple book is a guide to what you should do before you start reading the Bible, to set your heart in the right place and approach the Bible with the proper amount of fear and trembling.

This book is available for less than $5 and I know it will help you grow your love for God and his Word. I hope you’ll grab a copy today.

Buy Before You Open Your Bible: