ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)
This excerpt was taken from one of Spurgeon’s Easter sermons. May it bless you as you prepare to preach the “Old, Old Story” this weekend.
I may not have many more opportunities of preaching, and I make up my mind to this one thing, that I will waste no time upon secondary themes, but when I do preach it shall be the gospel, or something very closely bearing upon it. I will endeavor each time to strike under the fifth rib, and never beat the air. Those who have a taste for the superfluities may take their fill of them, it is for me to keep to the great necessary truths by which men’s souls are saved. My work is to preach Christ crucified and the gospel, which gives men salvation through faith.
I hear every now and then of very taking sermons about some bright new nothing or another. Some preachers remind me of the emperor who had a wonderful skill in carving men’s heads upon cherry stones. What a multitude of preachers we have who can make wonderfully fine discourses out of a mere passing thought, of no consequence to anyone. But we want the gospel. We have to live and die, and we must have the gospel. Certain of us may be cold in our graves before many weeks are over, and we cannot afford to toy and trifle: we want to see the bearings of all teachings upon our eternal destinies, and upon the gospel which sheds its light over our future.
SERMON ILLUSTRATION (BY SPURGEON)
Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe the necessity of faith,
Think of the influence of faith on all the other graces of God. Love is the sweetest of all; but how can I love until knowledge gives me a view of Christ? Knowledge opens the door, and then, through that door, I see my Savior. I cannot love a Christ I do not know, at least, in some degree; and if I know nothing about the excellences of Christ—what he has done for me and what he is doing now—I cannot love him. In Christ’s case, to know is to love, and the more I know, the more I will love. And then there is hope. How can I hope for a thing if I do not know of its existence? Hope may be the telescope, but then, till I get knowledge, there is something in front of the glass; I can see nothing whatever. But knowledge takes away the impediment, and then, when I look through the optic glass, I can see the glory to be revealed. But I cannot hope for what I know nothing about. I must know there is a heaven, or I cannot hope for it.
RESOURCE FOR PASTORS
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THANKS FOR READING
Brothers,
While you may feel a lot of pressure to preach a “home run” this weekend, remember that God is sovereign. As long as you preach Jesus, God will certainly be glorified.
Pastor, rest in the resurrection. Because the empty tomb proves that you aren’t the hero that your church needs.
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Blessings to your ministry,
Doug H.
Creator of SpurgeonBooks
Preaching Pastor of Pillar Church of Washington DC