Maidenbower Baptist Church

A new song

The deliverance of God is a cause for the praise of God-new mercies call forth new songs. What, then, has God done-- He has put a new song in the mouth of his people. How has he done this-- By granting deliverance from fearful woes. What is this new song-- It is praise to God as Saviour. What should the effect be-- Seeing these mercies and the saints' response to them, fearing and trusting the Lord. Finally, and significantly, can you sing this new song-- Have the saving and succouring mercie...

The Lord Chiding his People (sermon 1171)

In appreciating Spurgeon the gospel preacher, we should not imagine that his gospel preaching is somehow shallow or narrow, nor that it lacks anything of the pastoral note. Spurgeon cares for the souls of people. He cares that sinners come into the kingdom- he cares that saints be built up in the kingdom. Again, that latter note does not make him a mere sentimentalist. I am not always persuaded that as many of us would have relished sitting under Spurgeon's ministry as we might imagine- Here ...

“Without Money and Without Price” (sermon 1161)

You probably have no need to be told that Spurgeon almost instinctively reverts to the pure presentation of the gospel when given the merest opportunity. Here his emphasis is on the freeness of divine grace. Preaching from Isaiah 55-1, he tells us why this is so surprising to fallen man, why it is a necessity -not just from our need, but from the character of the God who saves-, and then the salutary influence of this fact-the happy effect of being saved by free grace. As so often, on one lev...

Peace with God

The gospel of God

God's pardon

As part of this pressing invitation to the sin-sick and needy, here is a particular invitation to return to the Lord, receive his mercy, rest in his love, and rejoice in this favour. It tells us that a repentant sinner longs for pardon, that the pardon he needs is abundant, and that such pardon comes from the Lord God alone.

Pastoral tenderness #1

Pastoral trustworthiness works itself out in accordance with two illustrative metaphors. The first is that of a mother, who is gentle, marked by concern, by generosity, and by sacrifice, all of which reveal the love of her heart.

Daniel Facing the Lion’s Den (sermon 1154)

Spurgeon delighted in communion with the Lord. He was manifestly a man of prayer, and he regularly exhorts his hearers and his readers to embrace that marvellous privilege. It is worth noting the title and content of the sermon- this is not about Daniel in the lion's den, but facing it- it is about Daniel's commitment to prayer in the face of fearful pressures, of his principled obedience in the face of awful threats. The sermon itself, then, is simple and straightforward. Spurgeon considers ...

Great grace

Luke is an excellent writer- this is one of his points of beautiful conclusion and transition, carrying forward his historical narrative. It offers and description and demonstration of the life of the new covenant community under the influence of the Holy Spirit.--First we see great unity, great generosity, great power, and great grace, digging down to the foundations of the life of the church of the risen Jesus.--Then we have a further general positive pattern of this gospel-driven charity a...

Pastoral trustworthiness #2 Purity pursued

Paul has to respond to various charges laid against him in Thessalonica, and he does so by appealing to the manifest testimony of his character and conduct. He draws attention to the pressures which he and his friends resisted, and to the purity which they pursued. With threats to his credibility emanating from the enemies of the Thessalonians' souls, Paul distinguishes between a man-centred, self-serving ministry and God-centred, Spirit-sensitive service. Without hedging or equivocating, he ...

The Parent’s and Pastor’s Joy (sermon 1148)

Here Spurgeon weaves together something complementary in the work of parents and pastors with regard to their children, both physical and spiritual. First of all, working within John's figure, he applies the words of his text to parents, underscoring the delight that a Christian father or mother feels in the salvation of their sons and daughters, one of the greatest of all earthly joys. Then, he turns to the figure itself as John uses it, speaking of a pastor's delight in the conversion of si...

With all boldness

Facing opposition and persecution, the people of God turn immediately, instinctively, corporately, to God himself. Their prayer is formed by Scripture in both its general approach and its specific content, and provides a wonderful example of both the priority and pattern of prayer in the life of the church of Christ. The God of heaven answers indeed, showing his presence, granting his Spirit, and giving the people of God boldness in making known the name of Christ.

Pastoral trustworthiness #1 Pressures resisted

Paul has to respond to various charges laid against him in Thessalonica, and he does so by appealing to the manifest testimony of his character and conduct. He draws attention to the pressures which he and his friends resisted, and to the purity which they pursued. With threats to his credibility emanating from the enemies of the Thessalonians' souls, Paul distinguishes between a man-centred, self-serving ministry and God-centred, Spirit-sensitive service. Without hedging or equivocating, he ...

The Minister’s Plea (sermon 1139)

This, says Spurgeon, is a sermon -mainly upon my own behalf, and on the behalf of my brethren in the ministry.- Specifically, and for the sake of the saints, and ultimately for the glory of God, he intends -to excite you to be much in prayer, both for myself and all ministers of Christ Jesus.- Without any kind of self-indulgence, and in a spirit of honesty rather than complaint, Spurgeon builds a compelling case for the saints to plead with God on behalf of ministers of the gospel. He explain...

Hope and its convictions

The desires of a repentant sinner

Clearing the Road to Heaven (sermon 1131)

Spurgeon knows how to reason with men, how to plead and persuade as a preacher. This sermon is a fine example of that often-neglected element of ministry. With wisdom from the Word of God, illuminated by the Holy Spirit and proven over long and happy experience, Spurgeon steps through a good selection of the reasons why people do not come to Christ, or think they cannot or have not, and seeks to remove the stumbling blocks. Then, having cleared the road of obstacles, he covers it over with Ch...

The name of the Lord

The persistent friend

God Beseeching Sinners by His Ministers (sermon 1124)

I should, perhaps, confess that this sermon was particularly attractive to me as a result of my needing to preach on a particular theme at an upcoming conference. Having been considering a related topic, this sermon made my heart sing- Here is Spurgeon the gospeller, Spurgeon the evangelist, Spurgeon as preacher and teacher in sweet harmony. Conscious very much that he is an ambassador of heaven, Spurgeon fulfils that role while, as it were, shedding much light-almost incidentally-upon the na...

Courage and cowardice

The battle lines are drawn up around the proclamation of the name of Jesus of Nazareth.--The Sanhedrin shows its cowardice, resorting quickly to bullying and intimidation in order to silence the apostles. Their approach is typical, not only of the way in which they dealt with Christ himself and now with his apostles, but also of the way in which the world will often attempt to silence God's people.--The apostles show the courage of men who have been with Jesus. With a holy boldness, as in the...

A recipe for disaster #3 Callous

In the last of this brief series, we employ more upside-down thinking to consider the ways in which Satan would like us to act and react in order to ruin our spiritual health. He will, by all means, prevent us from coming to and keeping near Christ. The last four strategies we consider are his urgings to resist the concern of our brothers and sisters for our souls' good, to develop a diet of spiritual junk food, to stir up envy in our hearts, and to lower our expectations of God and his churc...

Christ Asleep in the Vessel (sermon 1121)

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 c...

Bearing witness

As battle is joined, the priests wheel out the big guns- the apostles are brought before the Sanhedrin. In this intimidating environment, they are asked the pressing question- -By what name or power have you healed this man-----The potent answer puts Jesus of Nazareth before them as the Christ of God, in his compassion, his power, his resurrection, his identity, and his salvation. It is a beautiful demonstration of preaching by a man full of the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness and judgment

Deeply distressed and calling upon the faithful and righteous Lord, the psalmist seems struck with what it means for him to deal with God in his righteousness- -Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for in your sight no one living is righteous.- So here is a request, conscious of the fearful judgments of God, coming from a truehearted servant- here is a reason, conscious of the eye of the Lord upon the lives of men- and, there is a resolution, for-in Christ-God judges another for our ...

Onward! (sermon 1114)

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...

Battle is joined

The preaching of the resurrection through Jesus of Nazareth provokes the priests to action, and they confront the disciples. They cannot bear that others should teach, and teach the name of Jesus. So they lay hands on the apostles, and imprison them overnight.--The Adversary thus brings various weapons to bear upon the servants of Christ, to discourage and dissuade them from faithful ministry.--Nevertheless, the gospel of the risen Christ advances with the Spirit's blessing. Persecution and p...

A recipe for disaster #2 Carnal

Satan hates God's creatures, and will do all he can to prevent us from coming to Christ and keeping near Christ. We cannot afford to be ignorant of his devices-his wiles and strategies.--So what would Satan say to us-- How might our Adversary encourage us to ruin our spiritual life in 2024-- Let us, as it were, listen to his counsels, so that we might be made aware of how our Foe might seek to influence and direct us. This is 'upside-down thinking'-if this is how Satan wants me to think, then...

A Call to Worship (sermon 1107)

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...

The name of Jesus

The distinct occasion of this sermon is the immediate aftermath of the healing of the lame man at the temple, when a crowd gathers full of wonder at the work of the apostles.--Peter offers a humble deflection, wisely diverting the focus of the crowd from the men and the miracle to the Messiah.--Then he launches into a potent explanation of what they have seen and heard- he speaks of the identity of the Christ, their rejection of the Christ, and makes an offer of the Christ, that they might re...

A recipe for disaster #1

Satan hates God's creatures, and will do all he can to prevent us from coming to Christ and keeping near Christ. We cannot afford to be ignorant of his devices-his wiles and strategies.--So what would Satan say to us-- How might our Adversary encourage us to ruin our spiritual life in 2024-- Let us, as it were, listen to his counsels, so that we might be made aware of how our Foe might seek to influence and direct us. This is 'upside-down thinking'-if this is how Satan wants me to think, then...

A recipe for disaster #1 Cold

Satan hates God's creatures, and will do all he can to prevent us from coming to Christ and keeping near Christ. We cannot afford to be ignorant of his devices-his wiles and strategies.--So what would Satan say to us-- How might our Adversary encourage us to ruin our spiritual life in 2024-- Let us, as it were, listen to his counsels, so that we might be made aware of how our Foe might seek to influence and direct us. This is 'upside-down thinking'-if this is how Satan wants me to think, then...

Good Cause for Great Zeal (sermon 1097)

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 ...

An offering of praise

It matters to the Lord how we speak, and especially how we speak to and of him. He regards the lip and the life. At the end of this psalm of Asaph, a fearful threatening is followed by a gracious assurance concerning the sacrifice of praise and holiness of life.--We ask, first, what is this offering of praise-- Then, what does an offering of praise do-- Finally, who may make such an offering--

Divine salvation

This passage gives us a window into heaven, from where we can hear the praises of the redeemed, -crying out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb-'- -Rev 7-10-.--Given their experience and their confidence, we ask three questions---Why have some not gone for salvation to God and to the Lamb-- Here we look at doubts and excuses.--Where and to whom will you go for salvation if not to God and to the Lamb-- This drives home the absence of...

Always, and for All Things (sermon 1094)

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...

The foolish men

One of the saddest elements of the history of the coming of Christ is the reaction of so many- he came to his own, and his own did not receive him. We know something of the wise men, who travelled so far in order to worship the King of the Jews. But what of the foolish men who knew so much and did so little-- They knew who and what Jesus was- they knew where he was- they knew that it had been prophesied- they knew when it happened- and, still, they did not bother going to find the one who was...

The Light of life

The coming of Christ is not a flash in the pan, not a passing glow in a corner, but the Light of life shining in the world. Here we consider why the world needs light, what light the world needs, who the Light of the world is, and how one may have the Light of the world, the Light of life. The child in the manger who grew up to die for our sins is the Light of the world- the baby born in Bethlehem who was crucified on Calvary is the Light of life, and all who follow him in faith will obtain t...

Jesus, the King of Truth (sermon 1086)

This is one of those sermons in which Spurgeon seems to have got hold of a particular notion-in this case, truth-and, his mind alive to the possibilities of the text and entranced by the person of Christ, he is exploring it with delight. So we have Christ as king, establishing his kingdom, and doing so by way of truth. Spurgeon makes the pointed application that the people of Christ's kingdom are themselves a people of truth, walking in Christ's footsteps. It is worth bearing in mind that, in...

The lame shall leap

Here is another demonstration of gospel power, significant in itself and in the development of the history of the church. It begins with a desperate man, crippled from birth. It goes on to an unexpected blessing, as Peter and John offer him not money for his purse but healing for his body and soul. It leads to a marvellous change, for this man is made whole and well in his body, joined to the people of God. It produces a stunned audience, awed if not believing. It all brings us to ask whether...

Pilgrim songs

-When religion is set to music it goes well.- Is our religion set to music-- Do we sing God's statutes in the house of our pilgrimage-- This is David's assertion, and it leads us to think of the circumstances we are in, the truth which we have received, and the songs which we can and should sing. These are our songs for the road.

The Paraclete (sermon 1074)

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 fi...

Bread on the waters

The lesson of this text is easier to grasp than the illustration itself- -Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days- -Ecc 11-1-. Applying this principle to gospel labours, we take the command issued, we embrace the comfort provided, and we consider the counsels implied.

My Prayer (sermon 1072)

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, an...

The infant church

The creative work of God's Spirit through the preaching of the apostles brings into being a community of men and women who are marked out as Christ's disciples. This body of Christians is a believing, baptised, faithful, potent, united, loving, joyful, growing community, young but essentially complete in form and function. The infant church is and has what every church should long to be and have in its proper place and fashion, a model of vibrant Christianity.

Divine patience

Peter calls upon God's people to -consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.- God's patience lies behind the saving favour that every child of God enjoys and will enjoy. Here we think about the patience God shows before someone becomes a Christian, when they are becoming a Christian, and after they have become a Christian. Such contemplations fill the heart of a child of God with humble wonder, and-far from inciting the wicked to indulge their sin-should be the very thing which...

Behold the Lamb (sermon 1060)

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...

Apostolic preaching #2

Continuing in our study of apostolic preaching, we note other features which come to the fore in Peter's preaching at Pentecost.--It is Christian and adoring, fervent, ardent, urgent, full of Christ. It is applied and direct, spoken boldly and plainly. It is affectionate and gracious, holding out gospel hope. It is blessed and fruitful, owned by the Holy Spirit to the salvation of thousands.--It is an enduring example, and gives us a great confidence.

Loads lifted

Paul identifies something which delights an apostle's heart, something which Philemon does, and something in which we can all engage.--The great work is that of refreshing the souls of the saints. It is done by brothers, motivated by love. It may be done by all, with gospel inventiveness. It produces great joy and consolation when we see the progress of Christian love and labour in the hearts and hands of God's people.a

Untrodden Ways (sermon 1057)

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 ...