Robert Murray McCheyne
1813 - 1843

      Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1813, Robert Murray McCheyne was one of God's blessings given to Scotland in the early part of the 19th century.

      Robert displayed outstanding intellectual skills as a child: at the age of four, he taught himself to name and to write the Greek alphabet, while recovering from an illness. He later used a remarkable memory to memorize long passages of Scripture.

      Attending the University of Edinburgh, he was greatly influenced by Thomas Chalmers; he graduated in 1830. Having been licensed to preach when he was 22, McCheyne was ordained a year later and began pastoring in Dundee, Scotland.

      For six years he was pastor of St. Peter's Church (of the Church of Scotland), which grew to over one thousand members.

      In 1839 he visited Palestine concerning future evangelization of the Jewish people. While there, he prayed fervently for his congregation back home. Upon his return he found that a spiritual awakening was in progress. His preaching consequently made a significant contribution to the revival and helped it spread across Scotland to northern England.

      He used his intellectual ability to design sermons that had a tremendous persuasion upon the unconverted. He was only 30 when he died in 1843, reportedly of typhoid fever.

      Few men have had the impact in a long lifetime that Robert Murray McCheyne had in his 30 years. Though his ministry lasted only seven years, he is recognized as one of the great spiritual leaders of his day. His was a daily walk with God, and it was perhaps his Christ-like dependence upon God's Spirit that left such a deep impression on men's lives.

      After hearing him preach, one Scottish evangelist reportedly said, "He preached with eternity stamped upon his brow. I trembled, and never felt God so near."

      McCheyne's life undoubtedly exemplified the words he so often repeated: "Live so as to be missed."

Showing 1 to 20 of 36 items.

A Faithful Ministry
      It is five years today, brethren, since I began my ministry among you in this place. It will be good for us today to stand up in the sight of God, and see how we have improved the years that are gone by. Let us observe, first of all, that faithful ministers preach Christ Jesus the Lord. Verse 5: 'For we preach not ourselves, but Christ ...read

A Time of Refreshing
      'For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's' (Isaiah 44:3-5a, KJV). These words describe a time of refreshing. There are no ot ...read

Adoption
      I desire, my friends, to open up to you shortly the subject of adoption. By nature you are children of Satan; I would here show you how you may be made sons of God: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" First, what is the fountain of adoption? In answer to that, I say, it flows f ...read

Apostasy
      THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT, dear friends that this is one of the most difficult passages in the Word of God. It has a depth in which an elephant may swim. Many have stumbled over it to their own destruction. Pray unfeignedly that we may be kept from erring in speaking from it. There are two principle interpretations of these words which I would consi ...read

Believers Not Ashamed...
      THE FIRST THING I DESIRE you to notice, brethren, is the place where Paul was desirous to preach the gospel: 'As much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also' (verse 15). We find Paul mentioning the same thing in the verses before: 'For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end y ...read

Christ The Door Into The Church
      CHRIST IS THE KINDEST OF ALL teachers. He was speaking to a crowd of ignorant and prejudiced Jews, and yet how kindly he deals with them. He told them one parable, but they understood not. 'This parable spake Jesus unto them; but they understood not what things they were he spake unto them.' And yet, we are told, Christ spake unto them again. He ha ...read

Christ's House and Servants
      The Church On Earth Is Christ's House: "Who has left his house" (v34.). This parable represents the church on earth as Christ's home or dwelling. Because He is the foundation stone of it. Just as every stone of a building rests on the foundation, so does every believer rest on Christ. He is the foundation rock upon which we rest. If it were not ...read

Conversion
      THE CONVERSION OF A SOUL IS BY by far the most remarkable event in the history of the world, although many of you do not care about it. It is the object that attracts the eyes of the holy angels to the spot where it takes place. It is the object which the Father's eye rests upon with tenderness and delight. This work in the soul is what brings grea ...read

Do What You Can
      FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 11:2, we learn that this woman was Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha. We have already learned that she was an eminent believer: "She sat at the feet of Jesus, and heard His word." Jesus Himself said of her: "Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Now it is interesting to see this same M ...read

Electing Love
      THIS IS A VERY HUMBLING, and at the same time, a very blessed word to the true disciple. It was very humbling to the disciples to be told that they had not chosen Christ. Your wants were so many, your hearts were so hard, that ye have not chosen me. And yet it was exceedingly comforting to the disciples to be told that he had chosen them: 'Ye have ...read

Faith's View Of Christ
      When the Lord of glory left his Father's bosom, and came into this world, we are sure it was for a purpose suited to his divine nature. Christ came to make men glad. It was said of him, 'The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD hath appointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek' (Isaiah 6 1: 1). Ah! sure, he must be a good Saviou ...read

Future Punishment Eternal
      It is very interesting to notice who they are in the Bible that speak about hell. Now, some think that speaking about hell is not preaching the gospel; and others think that simple men have no right to speak of it. Now, to them who think it is not gospel preaching, I say it is the truth - the Word of God; and to them who say it is not right to spea ...read

God's Rectitude In Future ...
      Perhaps some of you may remember, about six months ago, I preached to you on the subject of an eternal hell - upon the worm that never dies, and the fire that is never quenched. There are many people that do not like to hear preaching about hell, and some people think that it is not preaching the gospel; nevertheless it is the counsel of God. I ...read

Grieve Not The Holy Spirit
      THE UNCONVERTED DO NOT LIKE to hear much about the Holy Ghost. The world cannot receive him because it seeth him not, neither knows him. Unconverted ministers do not often like to preach about the Holy Spirit. Unconverted hearers do not often like to hear about the Holy Spirit. How very foolish to many must such a command as this appear to be! If i ...read

High Time To Awake Out Of Sleep
      IN THESE WORDS, Paul tells believers that it is waking time; and I would just tell you, dear friends, the same. It is high time for you to awake out of sleep. There is a condition among Christians which may be called sleeping; like the ten virgins, they slumber and sleep. Ah! I fear there are many sleeping Christians among you. It is waking time, b ...read

Melting The Betrayer
      THERE ARE MANY excellent and most Christian men who think that the feast of the Lords Supper should never be sullied or interrupted by allusions to those who may be eating and drinking unworthily. They think that when men have, by their own solemn act and deed, deliberately seated themselves at the table of the Lord-that table to which none but bel ...read

Ministers Ambassadors For Christ
      There are three things in these words which we would consider. The character of faithful ministers set forth in these words, 'We are ambassadors for Christ.' We do not come to you in our own name. There is contained in these words the substance of our message, 'Be ye reconciled to God.' It is a message of mercy we have to preach, not one of ...read

Thanksgiving Obtains The Spirit
      THE DAY HERE SPOKEN of appears to have been a day of days. It seems to have been the day of Pentecost on Old Testament times - a type of all the glorious days of an outpoured Spirit that ever have been in the world - a foretaste of that glorious day when God will fulfill that amazing, soul-satisfying promise: "I will pour out my Spirit upon all fle ...read

The Ark
      It is a wonderful fact of human nature that we learn far more easily from example than we do in any other way. Now, you have in this passage an example of a sinner saved by faith. It shows you how a sinner is saved. And as Noah fled into the ark which he had prepared, so should you. You too, have an ark provided; and just as Noah thereby condemned ...read