Satan's Banquet

Charles Spurgeon warns that the devil always serves “the good wine first, and afterward that which is worse,” meaning sin begins sweet but ends in misery. He describes four tables in Satan’s feasting hall: the profligate, who starts with the thrilling “wine of pleasure” but soon drinks the bitter cups of satiety, disease, and finally eternal ruin; the self‑righteous, who sip the flattering “wine of self‑satisfaction” only to face inner doubt, the collapse of their false hopes, and the terror of discovering too late that their works cannot save them; the worldly, who enjoy the first cup of wealth and success but later suffer anxiety, greed, and the emptiness of a life built on possessions; and the secret sinner, who begins with the “sweet stolen waters” of hidden sin but soon drinks the torment of a guilty conscience and the shame of eventual exposure. Spurgeon contrasts all this with the feast of Christ, where—unlike Satan—Jesus “keeps the good wine until now,” offering joy that grows richer, forgiveness that is real, and a feast that leads not to destruction but to eternal life.Sermon delivered on November 28th, 1858.