On this day in history, Charles Spurgeon was sitting at home in Menton, France when he went to be with the Lord. Not long before his death, he left an important message to the church. One that would be important to reflect on and heed to today.
“Those who have no master are slaves to themselves,” he said during a sermon on June 7th, 1891. Spurgeon was only 57 years old when he went to be with the Lord on Jan. 31, 1892.
Known as the “Prince of Preachers,” his last message was one of a bondservant. Whether Surgeon’s books, poems, sermons or commentaries influenced your walk with God, it’s safe to say he had a gift to articulate the message of Christ.
Spurgeon found Jesus on a snowy day in Colchester, England. He wandered into a little church trying to escape a snowstorm when he caught the eye of the pastor approaching the pulpit.
The preacher took the stage and said, “You man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothin’ to do but to look and live.”
In his autobiography, he likened the event to that of the bronze serpent in Numbers 21. Just as the bronze serpent was held up and people looked upon it and were healed, Spurgeon looked to God that day and was captivated.
“Depend upon it, you will either serve Satan or Christ, either self or the Savior. 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.”
Reflecting on the culture of the day when Spurgeon was alive and preaching, much has changed. The world is at your fingertips and there is a plethora of social media apps and news sites to bind you to the world’s systems. Yet, as followers of Jesus we don’t have to be bound to the world.
Being bound to Jesus is like serving the “most magnanimous of captains. There never was his like among the choicest of princes,” Spurgeon said.
He continued in his last sermon, “He is always found in the thickest part of the battle. When the wind blows cold he always takes the bleak side of the hill. The heaviest end of the cross lies ever on his shoulders.”
Jesus isn’t filled with hate and anger. “If there is anything that is gracious, generous, kind and tender, yea lavish and superabundant in love, you always find it in him,” Spurgeon said.
Reflect on those simple yet profound truths today. Whatever trial or battle you are facing today Jesus is standing by your side carrying the weight of the burden with you because that is that Savior we serve.
In his life, Spurgeon helped plant over 187 churches and vowed to only ever preach Jesus at the front and center of his message and ministry. His life and ministry to the Lord is a blessing to Christians today and going forward. {eoa}
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Shelby Bowen is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.
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