There are many questions that preachers are perennially debating:
- Should I preach sequentially through books of the Bible, or can I preach in different portions of Scripture from week to week?
- What tools should I use in my sermon preparation?
- Should I preach from a manuscript, or an outline, or without any notes?
Of course, there is no one right answer to these questions. To answer them, a preacher will need to wisely consider a number of things: his giftings, his preaching experience, his congregation, how much time he has to prepare, and many other contextual factors. But amid all those factors, Charles Spurgeon would urge preachers to remember one crucial point: Leave room for the Holy Spirit.
The necessity of the Spirit for the ministry
Spurgeon once said this to his students,
To us, as ministers, the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. Without him our office is a mere name. We claim no priesthood over and above that which belongs to every child of God; but we are the successors of those who, in olden times, were moved of God to declare his word, to testify against transgression, and to plead his cause. Unless we have the spirit of the prophets resting upon us, the mantle which we wear is nothing but a rough garment to deceive… We believe ourselves to be spokesmen for Jesus Christ, appointed to continue his witness upon earth; but upon him and his testimony the Spirit of God always rested, and if it does not rest upon us, we are evidently not sent forth into the world as he was.[1]
It is so easy for ministers to rest upon their education, ministerial titles, preaching experience, etc… Such things can undoubtedly be helpful. But Spurgeon was clear: apart from the Holy Spirit, the pastor has no intrinsic power to accomplish the work to which he is called. Without the Holy Spirit resting upon our labors, our preaching is a sham and not authorized by Christ.
For Spurgeon, it was the necessity of the Spirit for his preaching that shaped how he prepared his sermons.
Selecting a sermon text
Spurgeon did not preach through books of the Bible for many reasons. Long sermon series in one book could prove to be laborious and difficult for his congregation. This was especially the case for him since he tended to preach on a single verse at a time. Preaching on different parts of the Bible week-to-week allowed him to cover more of the Bible, both Old and New Testament, rather than being in an epistle for a decade.
Most of all, however, his main motivation for moving around Scripture was that this created space for the Spirit to lead him week-to-week as he prayerfully selected a text. He explained this practice to his students like this,
I have often said that my greatest difficulty is to fix my mind upon the particular texts which are to be the subjects of discourse, on the following day; or, to speak more correctly, to know what topics the Holy Spirit would have me bring before the congregation. As soon as any passage of Scripture really grips my heart and soul, I concentrate my whole attention upon it…[2]
Notice, rather than making his sermon preparation process easier, he found this practice of determining his sermon text his “greatest difficulty” in his sermon preparation. In part, this was due to him prayerfully waiting on the Spirit to bring him to a passage of Scripture, one that really gripped his “heart and soul.” That’s not to say that Spurgeon was utterly mystical and passive in this process. His prayerful waiting was combined with diligent and thoughtful study. At the same time, however, this practice forced him to look to the Spirit’s leading in this process.
Studying the Scriptures
Once Spurgeon landed on a sermon text, he would begin to study the passage intently.
[I] look at the precise meaning of the original, closely examine the context so as to see the special aspect of the text in its surroundings, and roughly jot down all the thoughts that occur to me concerning the subject, leaving to a later period the orderly marshalling of them for presentation to my hearers.[3]
The first part of Spurgeon’s sermon prep always involved his own prayerful study of the Scriptures, referring back to the original languages, examining the context, and meditating on the text for himself. Though Spurgeon employed all his training and learning in this study of the Scriptures, he knew that ultimately, he was dependent on the Spirit. Prayer was always mingled with his study.
It is in our study-work, in that blessed labor when we are alone with the Book before us, that we need the help of the Holy Spirit. He holds the key of the heavenly treasury, and can enrich us beyond conception; he has the clue of the most labyrinthine doctrine, and can lead us in the way of truth. He can break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron, and give to us the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places. If you study the original, consult the commentaries, and meditate deeply, yet if you neglect to cry mightily unto the Spirit of God your study will not profit you; but; even if you are debarred the use of helps (which I trust you will not be), if you wait upon the Holy Ghost in simple dependence upon his teaching, you will lay hold of very much of the divine meaning.[4]
Only after personal study, would he then consult commentaries and other writings related to the text. Spurgeon once said this to his students about commentaries, “It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others.”[5] In other words, Spurgeon believed that commentaries and other resources could be useful because the Spirit has been at work throughout church history, illuminating faithful teachers who have gone before us. But even as we use the best of such resources, we must not neglect a “simple dependence upon [the Spirit’s] teaching.” Only the Spirit can bring true insight into His Word.
Delivery
When it came to his sermon notes, earlier in his ministry, Spurgeon tended to write out his sermon in a manuscript. He commended this discipline to younger preachers, that they “may be preserved from a slipshod style.”[6] But as he grew in experience and practice, he restricted himself to a sermon outline on a double-sided, half-sheet of paper. This, he found, was the best way for him to bring his sermon preparation into the pulpit but still be extemporaneous in his sermon delivery.
The most arduous and commendable plan is to store your mind with matter upon the subject of discourse, and then to deliver yourself with appropriate words which suggest themselves at the time. This is not extemporaneous preaching; the words are extemporal, as I think they always should be, but the thoughts are the result of research and study.[7]
Spurgeon’s warning against sermon manuscripts is that so often, they tempted the preacher away from a reliance on the Spirit to a mere reading of sermons. Too many preachers in his day thought they could simply buy a sermon and read it. Not only was this not preaching, but such a practice entirely bypassed a dependence on the Spirit.
Their way is this: they prepare their manuscripts very carefully, then read it on the Sunday most sweetly in sotto voce, and so the people go away pleased. But that is not God’s way of preaching. If so, I am sufficient to preach forever, I can buy manuscript sermons for a shilling, that is to say, provided they have been preached fifty times before, but if I use them for the first time the price is a guinea, or more. But that is not the way. Preaching God’s word is not what some seem to think, mere child’s play-a mere business or trade to be taken up by any one. A man ought to feel first that he has a solemn call to it; next, he ought to know that he really possesses the Spirit of God, and that when he speaks there is an influence upon him that enables him to speak as God would have him, otherwise out of the pulpit he should go directly;[8]
The preaching act requires the influence of the Spirit of God upon the preacher. The posture of the preacher in the pulpit should be one of dependence and confidence in God’s help rather than reliance on a piece of paper. For Spurgeon, having a simple outline forced his prayerful dependence on the Spirit each time he entered the pulpit.
In our pulpits we need the spirit of dependence to be mixed with that of devotion, so that all along, from the first word to the last syllable, we may be looking up to the strong for strength. It is well to feel that though you have continued up to the present point, yet if the Holy Spirit were to leave you, you would play the fool ere the sermon closed. Looking to the hills whence cometh your help all the sermon through, with absolute dependence upon God, you will preach in a brave, confident spirit all the while.[9]
Concluding Reflections
The takeaway principle is this: when it comes to your sermon preparation process, leave room for the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps your normal practice is to preach through books of the Bible. That’s great! There are many good reasons for doing so. But with that baseline established, how can you leave room for the Spirit? Certainly, this will mean prayerfully considering which book of the Bible you will preach next. It may also mean depending on the Spirit’s leading as you divide up sermon texts. It may mean not finishing an entire book in every series but leaving off a series in an appropriate spot and moving on to other parts of the Bible. Even as you preach through books of the Bible, don’t forget to leave room for the Spirit’s leading.
What about preachers who have made it a habit to jump around the Bible, like Spurgeon? How can they leave room for the Spirit in their sermon prep process? Well, in addition to following Spurgeon’s example in prayerfully waiting for the Spirit to lead them a text from week to week, they may also want to consider preaching short series through larger portions of the Bible. One of the disadvantages of not working through larger portions of Scripture is that we often neglect unfamiliar, difficult, Spirit-inspired texts, like the Levitical laws, Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce, the minor prophets, apocalyptic visions, and much more. Those texts are as much the Word of God as your favorite texts! Could it be that jumping throughout the Bible is actually you preaching on your favorite passages rather than preaching the whole counsel of God? How might rely on the Spirit as you venture to preach all of Scripture?
As far as sermon preparation resources, this principle should guide our study. Most of all, our sermon prep would be characterized by prayerful dependence on the Spirit and careful study and meditation of His Word. Before we turn to any outside resource, we should turn first to the Spirit for help. And when it is time to turn to other resources, they should never be a substitute for the Spirit, but they should be a part of our dependence on the Spirit. This is why modern sermon prep tools like sermon research services and A. I. should be used carefully and sparingly, if at all: they do not foster prayerful dependence on the Spirit. They are often shortcuts to our own sermon preparation and will tempt us to rely on them rather than the Spirit’s help.
When it comes to the outline versus manuscript debate, each preacher will have to figure out what works best for him. But the principle remains: how can you leave room for the Holy Spirit? For one preacher, having a prepared manuscript will be helpful in curbing his own personality and facilitating a humble, Spirit-dependent delivery of the Word. For another preacher, having a simple outline will help cultivate a greater dependence on the Spirit as he delivers his sermon without a manuscript to fall back on. Spurgeon recognized that both forms of preaching can be Spirit-filled. He pointed out that the Spirit can work as much through a Jonathan Edwards, who preached while “holding the manuscript close to his eye,” as a George Whitefield, who preached extemporaneously and “the Spirit came like lightning from the skies.”[10] What made the difference was their prayerful dependence on the Spirit in their preaching.
Brothers, how will you leave room for the Holy Spirit in your preaching?
If we had not believed in the Holy Ghost we should have laid down our ministry long ere this, for” who is sufficient for these things?” Our hope of success, and our strength for continuing the service, lie in our belief that the Spirit of the Lord resteth upon us.[11]
[1] Lectures 2:3.
[2] Autobiography 4:66.
[3] Autobiography 4:66.
[4] Lectures 2:4-5.
[5] Commenting and Commentaries, 1.
[6] Lectures 1:153.
[7] Lectures 1:153.
[8] NPSP Vol. 1, Sermon No. 26 “The Two Effects of the Gospel”
[9] Lectures 2:10.
[10] MTP Vol. 9, Sermon No. 511, “Pentecost.”
[11] Lectures 2:1.