/

Some say that Jonathan Edwards was the most powerful and most effective preacher ever heard on the American continent. He is generally regarded as America's first "great mind."  He was a scientist, philosopher, author, educator, and preacher.  Edwards embodies puritanism to most people today and his sermons are still published and read widely.  His belief in the holiness of God and the depravity of man caused many to abhor his preaching.  Oliver Wendell Holmes described his sermons as "barbaric." Mark Twain called him "a drunken lunatic."  D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones contended that "Puritanism reached its fullest bloom" in Edwards, saying, "He preached sermons...he did not deliver lectures."
Surprised By God's Judgment     Isaiah 33:14
Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God   Deut. 32:35
The Way of Holiness  Isaiah 35:8
God Glorified In Man's Dependence   1 Cor 1:29-31
Many Mansions   John 14:2
Glorious Grace   Zach. 4:7
Praise, One of the Chief Enjoyments of Heaven
A Farewell Sermon   2 Cor. 1:14
Christ, the Example of Ministers  John 13:15-16
The True Excellency of a Gospel Minister   John 5:35
A Prayer Hearing God     Psalm 65:2
The Excellency of Christ    Rev. 5:5-6  Mat. 16:17
A Divine & Supernatural Light    Mat. 16:17

George Whitefield was one of the most original preachers in the history of the church.  With a powerful and dramatic style,  this Englishman has been called the greatest preacher since the Apostle Paul and the Demosthenes of the pulpit.  His preaching in the US was a main cause of the Great Awakening.   A master of imagination, metaphor, and drama, it is said that his delivery was like that of a a great actor. He was a protégé of the Wesleys and Methodism, but moved away from their theology toward a more Calvinist position.  Though he died at 56 years old, the world is still feeling the impact of his life.
The Duty of Searching the Scriptures   John 5:39
Christians, Temples of the Living God   2 Cor. 6:16
The Potter and the Clay   Jere. 18:1-6
The Temptation of Christ    Matt. 4:1-11
Abraham Offering Up His Son Isaac    Gen. 20:12
Persecution: Every Christian's Lot  2 Tim. 3:12
Intercesson: Every Christian's Duty   1 Thes. 5:25
The Almost Christian  Acts 20:28
Walking With God   Gen. 5:24
The Marks of a True Conversion    Matt. 18:3
What Think Ye of Christ?     Matt. 22:42
Directions On How to Hear Sermons     Luke 8:18
The Eternity of Hell's Torments     Matt. 25:46
The Burning Bush     Eze. 3:2-3

This Scottish preacher was known as the 'Prince of Expositors' and "the supreme example of the Protestant expository preacher."  His emphasis on exegeting the text was a lifelong hallmark.  He refused many preaching engagements in order to further his studies in the Word. He was fundamental is his doctrine, and never veered off the path of the historic truths.  He usually preached about 40 minutes, his voice strong and diction clear, his Scottish brogue making his words musical and penetrating. Almost always dividing his text into three parts, Robertson Nicoll said he served the Bread of Life "on a three pronged fork." Along with Spurgeon, his sermons are the most read of the 19th century.  He was truly a man that today's preacher would do well to study and emulate.  "I have always found that my own comfort and efficiency in preaching have been in direct proportion to the depth of my daily communion with God. I know no way in which we can do our work but in fellowship with God.  In keeping up the habits of the student's life, wich needs some power of saying "no" and by conscientious pulpit preparation.  The secret of success is trust in God and hard work."  -Alexander Maclaren
As I Have Loved    John 13:34-35
The Encamping Angel    Psalm 34:7
The Guiding Pillar     Num. 9:16
The Absent Present Christ   John 14:18-19   Num. 9:16
Disciple's Confession, Master's Warning  John 16:29-32
The Delays of Love     John 11:5-6
The Universal Magnet     John 12:32
The Teacher Spirit     John 14:25-26
The Cross: The Proof of God's Love   Romans 5:8
More Than Conquerors     Romans 8:37
Love That Can Hate     Romans 12:9-10
Love and Fear     I John 4:18
Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Will Provide   Genesis 22:14
Take Up the Challenge    Psalm 19:18
A Pattern For Prayer    Psalm 86:1-5
The World's Hatred, As Christ Sees It   John 15:21-25

John A. Broadus is called by some the father of American expository preaching. He was a great scholar, and academic, fluent in eleven languages, and versed in the classics and in Greek.  He was a personal friend of both Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, and ministered to the Southern troops in the War Between the States.  He founded Southern Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky for the training of preachers. His book on preaching, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons,  is still in print over 100 years after his death.  His pulpit style was direct and conversational.  He believed in a classical style of oratory, always expounding on a text and preached extemporaneously.
Delight In the Will of God   Psalm 40:8
The Necessity of the Atonement   1 John 1:7
Some Laws of Spiritual Work   John 4:32-38
The Habit of Thankfulness   1 Thes. 5:18
He Ever Liveth To Intercede   Heb. 7:25
Worship  John 4:24
Christian Joy   Phil. 4:4
The Savior Praying For Us   John 17:9
Lessons For the Tempted  1 Cor. 10:12-13
Loving Jesus Christ   John 21:15
One Jesus   Acts 25:17
The Lord's Prayer   Matt. 6:9
The Resurrection of Our Lord   Luke 24:34
Come Unto Me   Matt. 11:28-30

Known as the American Spurgeon, Talmage was born in New Jersey. Converted at eighteen years old in a revival meeting, he pastored in Brooklyn and was known as an emotional and passionate preacher. When warned that his gospel message might deny him the best pulpits, he said, "If I cannot preach in America, I will go to the heathen lands and preach,"  He was aggressive, not concerned with the feelings of his hearers.  His central message was the Christ, His love and sacrifice. He once said, "I shall take all of the Bible, or none." Many criticized his theatrical pulpit style, but not his results.  He was not a true expositor, as many on this page, but he was full of zeal and passion, and thousands responded.  He was orthodox in his doctrine, never wavering from historic Christianity, and his sermons still touch peoople today.
The Evils of Drunkenness    Gen. 9:20-21
The Question of Questions    Acts 16:30
Windows Opened Toward Jerusalem   Dan. 6:10
Summer Temptations   Mark 6:31
The Name of Jesus  Phil. 2:9
The Reckless Penknife  Jer. 36:23  Mark 6:31
Weighed and Found Wanting  Dan. 5:27
The Broken Pitchers    Judges 7:20-21
An Atheist Answered    Eph. 4:18
His Name Is Wonderful    Isaiah 9:6 Eph. 4:18
The Ministry of Tears    Rev. 7:17
The Spider in Palaces    Pro. 30:28
Mending the Bible     Rev. 22:19

Spurgeon was a one-of-a-kind preacher.  There was never a preacher like him before or since. His story is truly unique in the history of preaching.  He started preaching at sixteen and had preached over 1000 times by the time he was 21 years old.   Almost immediately, e was a master with word pictures and illustrations.  His delivery was like music or poetry and his written word remains as powerful today as it was during his life.  Spurgeon's sermons are still printed today and sell as well or better than any contemporary preacher.  Though not an expositor in the style of Maclaren, he was thoroughly Biblical in his messages.  His thought process was deep, but his preaching was understandable to even the most simple minds.  It has been said that his hearers listened as one who was hearing a will read or hearing his sentence given by a judge. Three hundred million copies of his printed works have been in circulation, mostly his sermons.  His book on preaching, Lectures to My Students, has had over 500,000 copies printed.  His  two-volume commentary on Psalms, the Treasury of David, is sitting on the shelves of over 150,000 libraries.  During his ministry, he edited a periodical, The Sword and the Trowel, in which he dealt with both theology and politics.  He as fundamental in his beliefs, premillennial and Calvinist.  He smoked a pipe from his youth but believed in total abstinence from alcohol.  He preached against slavery so strongly that many of his sermons were censored in the US, and he was a pacifist in matters of war.
I Would, But Ye Would Not!    Matt. 23:37
All Comers to God Welcomed!    John 6:37
Learning In Private What To Teach In Public   Mat.10:27
The Saint's Horror at the Sinner's Hell   Ps. 26:9
The Best War Cry   Numbers 23:21
Spring Time in Nature and Grace   Is. 55:10-13
Despised Light Withdrawn    John 12:36   Is. 55:10-13
The Drawings of Divine Love    John 6:44-45
Why Some Seekers Are Not Saved   Is. 59:1-2
Ruth Deciding For God    Ruth 1:16
The Great Physician & His Patients    Matt. 9:12
How a Man's Conduct Comes Home to Him  Pro.14:14
Salvation All of Grace    Eph. 2:8 
Salvation By Works --A Criminal Doctrine    Gal. 2:21
Fathers in Christ    1 John 2:13,14
The Fatherhood of God     Matthew 6:9
Thanksgiving & Prayer    Ps. 65:11
A New Year's Wish  Phil. 4:19
Holy Work For Christmas   Luke 2:17-20

Benajah Harvey Carroll was born in Misissippi and raised in Texas.  He was a soldier for the Confederate army and later a general in God's army as pastor of the First Baptist Chrurch of Waco and the founder of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, still the largest seminary in the world.  Carroll was a genuine student of Scripture and a prolific writer.  His 13 volume Interpretation of the English Bible is still used by Bible students today. He believed that preaching was the essence of the pastor's duty; he was an expositor in the truest sense.  He believed in the authority and the inspiration of the Bible first and foremost.  He criticized and chided the "Higher Criticism" teachers as being false brethern.
My Deposit With God & God's Deposit With Me   2 Tim. 1
The War Between the Flesh and Spirit    1 Thes. 5:23
Having the Form, But Denying the Power     2 Tim. 3:5
Conditions of Success In Soul Winning     Acts 11
Christ Seeks Not Your's, But You!     2 Cor. 12:14
Little Christians     Mat. 18:6
The Inspiration of the Bible     2 Tim. 3:16-17
A Sermon For Erring Christians     2 Chron. 7:14
The Providence of God     Psalm 11:3
The Conquering Word of God     Jer. 23:28

John Wilbur Chapman was born to Christian parents who raised him in preparation for the ministry.  He publically professed Christ at seventeen and entered college and then the seminary.  He pastored several Presbyterian churches before entering evangelism in 1893. He preached with D. L. Moody, Billy Sunday and "Praying" Hyde. He believed in the imminent return of Christ and the inerrancy of Scripture,  once advocating his denomination recall all foreign missionaries from the field who did not hold to inerrancy.  He possessed a deep and musical voice in the pulpit and a good sense of humor.  His sermons were well illustrated and fully applied, and serve as excellent models for today's preacher.
A Lost Opportunity    1 Kings 20:40
Grieving the Spirit    Eph. 4:30
The Accepted Time    2 Cor. 6:2
The Master Is Come    John 11:28
Eternity     Is. 57:15

Billy Sunday was a colorful and powerful preacher who preached to hundreds of thousands at the turn of the 20th century.  He got his start in preaching by helping J. Wilbur Chapman (see his bio above) in his revival campaigns.  Chapman schooled him in doctrine and homiletics. In 1898, he set out on his own to preach. His crusades became regional events, with thousands turning out to hear him. He became as well known as any man in America, including the president.  He had been a baseball player before his conversion, and was known in his early ministry as "the baseball evangelist."   His preaching against "booze" was one of the main influences for prohibition. He was a conservative and fundamentalist.  Because he was direct in his style and often uncouth, he was accused of being somewhat of a buffoon. Though he used homey illustrations and backyard metaphors, his preaching was filled with the Bible.  Many old line preachers despised his agressiveness and his know-it-all demeanor.  It was easy to take shots at a man like Sunday, but no one could gainsay the thousands who accepted Christ after his preaching.
Show Thyself a Man    1 Kings 2:2
Second Coming of Christ   1 Thes. 4:17-18
The Devil's Boomerangs   Ecc. 11:9
Gethsemane  Luke 22:24
Dancing, Drinking, Cardplaying    Gal. 6:7
The Old Time Religion
Teach Us To Pray    Luke 11:1
Broken Down Altars   1 Kings 18:30
Spiritual Food For a Hungry World   Matt. 14:16
He That Winneth Souls Is Wise   Pro. 11:30
The Blood of Jesus Christ   Heb. 9:13-14 
Why Delay Your Real Conversion?
Backsliding     Jer. 11:19
Booze
Motherhood   Exodus 2:9
Wonderful    Isaiah 9:6
Under the Sun   Ecc. 1:3  Mat. 27:22
The Need For Revivals
What Shall I Do Then With Jesus?    Mat. 27:22

R.G. Lee was the longtime pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church of Memphis TN.  He was a great orator and his sermons never failed to show his skill.  He pastored at Bellevue from 1927-1960. During his pastorate there, over 24,000 people joined the church, over 7,600 of these for baptism.  Lee is best known for his sermon, Payday Someday, which he preached over 1000 times. 
Is Hell a Myth?    Mat. 10:28
Payday Someday    I Kings 21:18,19,23    Mat. 10:28
Ichabod: Goodbye To Glory    1 Sam. 4:18-22
Christmas Then & Now    Luke 2:15   John 16:33
Paths of Disappointment    Ecc. 1:2

Lee Roberson was one of the giants of 20th century fundamentalism. He worked his way through college and seminary (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville KY) by washing dishes and scrubbing floors. Early in his ministry, Roberson was known as a great singer.  He reportedly turned down opportunities in the popular music world. He was called to be pastor of the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN in 1942 and later founded Tennessee Temple University.  His preaching was always simple and direct.  He preached in revivals and Bible conferences up to his death in 2007. Though not a "deep" preacher, he focused on the Christians' need to live a holy life, and never failed to clearly point sinners to Christ.
Keep On Rejoicing!   John 16:33
The Need of This Hour
Tears Gone Forever    Rev. 21:4
Stir Up the Gift of God    2 Tim 1:6-13
/
/Back to Index Page
.

.