“I want to mimic what Jake [Litwin] said on Monday and thank the Bible Department for allowing me to have this opportunity,” said Nate Youtzy, his deep voice booming as he opened his Spurgeonfest sermon.
According to Pastor John Piper, Charles H. Spurgeon is “considered by many to be one of the greatest preachers since the days of the apostles,” having preached over 600 times before the age of 20. Named in reference to this famous and very quotable preacher, Spurgeonfest is a week that has been set aside annually since the early 1990s to enable senior Bible majors at The Master’s University the opportunity to preach in chapel.
The Biblical Studies Department along with the leadership of Student Life “thought it would be a good idea to have a few senior Bible Majors preach. They do a similar thing at the seminary and we thought we would do the same,” explained Dr. Tom Halstead, chair of the Biblical Studies Department.
Nominated and selected by the Bible faculty based on their achievement in the Sermon Preparation course, reputation in the department and credibility around campus, students consider it quite an honor to speak to their peers and represent the department. The two speakers selected this year? Jake Litwin and Nate Youtzy.

Litwin, a resident assistant in C.W. Smith Hall, spoke Monday using 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 as his text, reminding himself and his audience to not follow the world’s wisdom but be confident in the wisdom of God and His saving gospel.
“Our boasting is in Christ alone,” he said, “because He gives us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption.”
Youtzy, having been guided by his own time in the Word, spoke from Matthew 16:24-28 describing what it looks like to be a disciple of God. Nate plans on continuing his education at The Master’s Seminary this fall.
Both students were encouraged by the eruption of applause and affirmation from their peers as the sermons ended.
They did “an equally fabulous job,” according to Halstead, who continued, “I am so proud of them and thought it couldn’t have been better. That just shows the time and work of our faculty as well. Jake and Nate were good examples for us this year.”
The Master’s University and Seminary admit students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
21726 Placerita Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91321
1-800-568-6248
© 2025 The Master’s University Privacy Policy Copyright Info
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |