Spurgeon served as pastor in the Metropolitan Tabernacle for around thirty years. In his first sermon there he said “I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshippers, shall be the person of Jesus Christ.” And that was the case for thirty years of ministry. These are his last ever words from the pulpit dated June 1891, before he died aged 57.
“It is heaven to serve Jesus. I am a recruiting sergeant, and I would fain find a few recruits at this moment. Every man must serve somebody: we have no choice as to that fact. Those who have no master are slaves to themselves. Depend upon it, you will either serve Satan or Christ, either self or the Saviour.
You will find sin, self, Satan, and the world to be hard masters; but if you wear the livery of Christ, you will find him so meek and lowly of heart that you will find rest unto your souls. He is the most magnanimous of captains. There never was his like among the choicest of princes.
He is always to be found in the thickest part of the battle. When the wind blows cold he always take the bleak side of the hill. The heaviest end of the cross lies ever on his shoulders. If he bids us carry a burden, he carries it also. If there is anything that is gracious, generous, kind, and tender, yea lavish and superabundant in love, you always find it in him.
These forty years and more have I served him, blessed be his name! and I have had nothing but love from him. I would be glad to continue yet another forty years in the same dear service here below if so it pleased him. His service is life, peace, joy. Oh, that you would enter on it at once! God help you to enlist under the banner of Jesus even this day! Amen. (Sermons, 37.323-24)
You can see clearly Spurgeon preached Christ. Not some distant God, not some abstract Gospel. He preached Christ. He wasn’t a lecturer filling minds with information; he herald, he proclaimed a real Gospel of Christ.
“Spurgeon had a strong fear that the eternal beauties and joys that Christ offers might eclipse Christ himself in the desires and affections of our hearts. He there became quite uncomfortable when Christians spoke of all the wonders of the new creation we shall get to enjoy. Some would wax lyrical about how we shall one day explore the depths of science, our minds freed from sin to fathom mysteries of creation now closed to us. In contrast, Spurgeon said, “I will sit down, and look at Jesus… There will be little else we shall want of heaven beside Jesus Christ.” (‘Spurgeon on the Christian life’ by Mike Reeves. Page 177.
Lloyd
Julia Rees says
Ah bless him!!! What a faithful servant in proclaiming his Saviour to the very last!! No one says it quite like Spurgeon do they Lloyd?!!!
Thanks for sharing.
God bless you