Shepherding with Spurgeon

Weekly Newsletter for Pastors from SpurgeonBooks

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR PASTORS (BY SPURGEON)

The way to begin to make a sermon is to bend the knee and to cry to God for direction. That is the first point. Many ministers do not do that. He has marked two or three score texts for the next month or two; and he has had a bill printed, and told the people what he means to preach from, to prove that he is guided by the Spirit for months in advance, and not in the same hour when he needs it. So he looks to see what the text is, and takes down various books that he has upon the subject, writes out his epistle to his church, and the thing is done; and he may go out visiting.

There is no groaning over souls, mark; none of Baxter’s compassion; no knocking of the knees together as he goes up the pulpit stairs; no sleepless night because he cannot preach as he would; no groaning when he comes home because he thinks there has been a failure where there ought to have been a success. No: the reason is because there is no fire. O God, send down the fire, and what a change there will be!

SERMON ILLUSTRATION FROM SPURGEON

Spurgeon was a master illustrator. You can use this illustration in your own preaching to describe trusting God.

Divine sovereignty is an ocean without a bottom and without a shore; all we can do is to set our sail and steer by the chart he has given us. To try to cross such a sea without rudder or chart or compass—this would be some piece of sailing that we had better not undertake.

ONE MORE REMINDER: PREACH JESUS THIS WEEKEND

“A Christless sermon is a worthless sermon.” — Charles Spurgeon