Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian, John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues, Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification. In 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle.
Once again, a great Spurgeon read! This short but deeply rich work is a gem. Spurgeon takes Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Blessed are the poor in spirit....) and unpacks each verse with depth and conviction. What I love most about his works is how timeless his teaching always is. Even though he spoke/wrote in the Victorian Era, his reflections on humility, mercy, righteousness, and peace speak directly to us today. So much is relatable in our time now.
Every page reminds you that the Beatitudes are not just poetic lines but calls to live with Christlike character in our world today.
His words are easy to understand and reading two chapters per week was perfect for the weekly discussions with Tiffany, Chrissie and Deea for our readalong.
If you are looking for a devotional or bible study companion that goes beyond the surface and gives you deep reflections....read this!
Really beautiful. My favorite section is where he riffs on "the meek shall inherit the earth" and says that, in a sense, they already have. They can look on the whole world, nature, towns, houses, and enjoy it without possessing it.
"And if he reject thee, tell us of it. If he refuse thee, let us hear it. There was never such a case yet. He always has received those that come. He always will. He is an open-handed and an open-hearted Savior."
One of the most convicting books I’ve ever read, but the 19th century flowery redundancy reads it’s ugly head in some of these sermons, many of which could be 10 pages shorter. But wow, what wisdom is in these pages.
I am a man of faith and as such found this book deeply uplifting and useful from a spiritual point of view.
Charles H Spurgeon was a famous Baptist preacher during the Victorian period renowned for his oratory skills and wonderful sermons. Charles was a powerful speaker and this fact leaps off the page when you first start reading.
The book is made up of a series of Spurgeon's speeches, noted down at the time, on the subject of a famous teaching of Jesus from The New Testament known as 'The Beatitudes' in which Jesus taught that the very people we would expect to be miserable and downtrodden are, in fact, highly blessed by God.
I loved The Beatitudes even before reading this wonderful book but loved them even more afterwards as the book really sheds light on, what I believe to be, one of the most significant teachings of Christ. That as Christians there is no higher blessed state than being humble, low, slow to anger, loving and helpful to all we meet.
Spurgeon's sermons are fantastic to read and speak so many truths. I felt my faith growing stronger and being revitalised just by reading them. The man was truly touched by God and knew exactly what he was talking about. He also seemed to have a brilliant grasp of the challenges, concerns and worries of Christians of his time which are still very much applicable today.
I thoroughly recommend this read to any Christian I know and, in fact, I would recommend it for non-believers too as i'm confident a read of this may well convince others to believe in Christ themselves
The Beatitudes by Charles Spurgeon is one of the most helpful books I have ever read for my Christian walk. I find it to be both encouraging and convicting while being informative and educational at the same time. I have never before looked at the beatitudes of Jesus Christ with such awe and understanding. Spurgeon opens up my mind to a entirely new visual idea of how the beatitudes work as a ladder. Each Beatitude works as a step the reach the next level and we all must come to God at the very first Beatitude - poor in spirit. He uses the object lesson of a ladder many times to both bring home his point of how the Beatitudes build on one another, but also to bring our hearts back to the root of the matter, which is acknowledging our complete lack of ability to save ourselves and our absolute reliance on Jesus Christ.
I cannot recommend this book enough. If you ask me, “Do you have a good Christian nonfiction book for me to read?” - this will be my recommendation first and foremost to those wanting a dose of conviction and encouragement. My heart was affected by what my eyes read in this book, and the writing spoke to me in such a way that my heart overflowed with tears of gratitude.
Spurgeon does such a remarkable job of explicating what each beatitude actually LOOKS LIKE in the practice of the Christian life. In some cases, I was surprised at what the behaviors and blessings actually meant—I had harbored some false notions about some of the more well-known ones. All in all, a worthwhile read.
This book was great! I really enjoyed seeing how elaborately and beautifully Spurgeon explains the graces that come to us while living life in union with Christ. It gave great examples and goals of how to grow into these qualities as well as allowing the picture of Christ to shine through
Life lessons, and like so many of a Spurgeon’s books, as relevant and connecting today as when he wrote them. Did you know the beatitudes were delivered in order of progression? Start with the first and build on it as you walk your spiritual path. No surprise that being poor in spirit with humility and gratitude to God is the foundation and first beatitude. It’s hard to grow without first knowing how indebted we are to Christ. A treasure and one that I need to read more than once.
It was very interesting and each beatitude built on the previous one. English language in late 1800’s was very different and made it a little hard to read. So interesting to read about him and his comments on Calvinism on the last page of the book. Really makes you think and ponder !