Search for sermons - Colossians 3
Overcoming Boredom - Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:17 - Nov 17, 2002 - 703
A ten-year-old boy was asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Influenced by the threat of nuclear war and the reality of terrorist attacks around the world, the boy thought for a moment and then replied with just one word: “Alive.”All of us join him in his wish. Th ... More
Risky Business: The Other Side of Christian Freedom - Galatians 5:13-15 - Aug 12, 2001 - 258
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1a). What exactly is this Christian freedom that Paul talks so much about in Galatians? In order to help us understand the answer, I’d like to borrow a definition and an illustration used by Pastor John Piper of Bethlehem Bapti ... More
The God We Hardly Know - Sep 22, 2006
David Mains caught me off guard with his question. “If you had to grade your congregation on their knowledge of the Holy Spirit, what grade would you give them?”Up until that moment, the interview had gone well. David and his daughter Melissa had thrown me fast pitches right over the cen ... More
The Overcoming Series - Oct 6, 2002
THE OVERCOMING SERIES by Ray Pritchard Everyone has a story to tell, even the people who seem to smile all the time. This is one of the first things a young pastor learns when he graduates from seminary and begins his ministry. Some people look so well-adjusted and happy that you think they don’ ... More
Gentleness: Power Under Control - Oct 13, 2002
GENTLENESS: POWER UNDER CONTROL by Ray Pritchard “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1 I have a friend who learned this verse the hard way. Whenever she said something in a harsh tone, her mother made her write this verse 50 times on a sheet of ... More
When Christians Disagree - Acts 16:36-41 - Mar 12, 2007 - 776
Christians disagree about almost everything. And when we disagree, we usually start a new church. Which reminds me of a story I heard a few years ago. A Scottish Presbyterian is rescued after many years of living alone on a desert island. When he is picked up, the captain says to him, “I thoug ... More
Forgiveness: Healing the Hurt We Never Deserved - Matthew 18:21-35 - May 4, 2003 - 757
This is the first sermon in a series I never planned to preach. The story of how it came to be starts in February when I spent a week preaching at Word of Life Florida. One day I ate lunch with George Theis, former executive director of Word of Life. He told me about a book called Total Forgiveness ... More
Angry Man Alert - Aug 29, 2008
I would like to begin by calling your attention to two uncomfortable verses in the New Testament. If these verses don’t bother you, they should.Colossians 3:19 says, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.” It’s not the first part that grabs our atte ... More
Homemade Gods: A Warning Against Modern-Day Baal Worship - Acts 17:29 - Jul 19, 1998 - 243
"Idols? You must be kidding.”“That’s what they have in Africa, right?”“Me? An idol-worshiper? What do you take me for? A pagan?”“The only thing I worship is my brand-new car.”What is an idol anyway? The dictionary offers this definition: “an imag ... More
Forever Children - Exodus 20:12 - Jun 28, 1992 - 717
We have two problems with this Commandment, and perhaps a third: 1. Many of us have negative memories associated with this Commandment. 2. It seems to be meant mostly for children. 3. It seems to describe a family situation many of us never experienced.The last one is the kicker. How do you obey ... More
My Favorite Teacher - Romans 12:7; I Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11 - Apr 22, 1990 - 568
It’s not hard for me to remember my favorite teacher. I first met her on a bright September morning in 1962. Her name was Mrs. Witt. We were her new fifth-grade class. She was a big, strong woman, which meant she could take care of us without any trouble. To me she looked like she had bee ... More
Truth or Consequences - Exodus 20:16 - Jul 26, 1992 - 721
When I was growing up my mother had a little rhyme she often repeated to her four sons. You probably heard it many times while you were growing up: Sticks and stones may break my bones But words will never hurt me.As much as I hate to admit it, my mother (who wasn’t wrong about many thing ... More
He Ascended Into Heaven: Why It Still Matters Today - Acts 1:9 - Mar 29, 1998 - 634
"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." Acts 1:9This is one of the most remarkable statements in Holy Scripture. We call it the ascension of Christ into heaven. All the major creeds mention it and every Christian group believes it. There ... More
The God We Hardly Know: Why I Believe in the Holy Spirit - Various - Oct 29, 1995 - 793
David Mains caught me off guard with his question. “If you had to grade your congregation on their knowledge of the Holy Spirit, what grade would you give them?” The interview, broadcast nationally on the program You Need to Know, centered around my book Names of the Holy Spirit. I g ... More
Courage: How to Face Down Your Fears - Proverbs 28:1 - Nov 6, 1994 - 621
How much courage do you have? Would your friends, co-workers and family members call you a courageous person? My text this morning is one verse of scripture: Proverbs 28:1. “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” The dictionary defines coura ... More
Cheerfulness: The Healing Power of a Merry Heart - Proverbs 17:22 - Nov 13, 1994 - 619
I am a little more exhausted than usual because I’m coming off a week and a half that has been a personally draining time for me and my family. About 10 days ago, Marlene went in to see the doctor, who found something she didn’t like. On Friday, Marlene had three hours of surgery and is ... More
The Right Stuff - Matthew 5:5 - Jan 21, 1996 - 53
I clearly remember the first time the Beatitudes caught my attention. During the summer of 1980 Marlene and I traveled to Bogota, Columbia, to spend two weeks working with some missionaries we had met six years earlier. Our oldest son was six months old at the time. During our visit we spent seve ... More
The Rod of God: When Love Says No - Hebrews 12:5-11; Proverbs 13:34 - May 16, 1999 - 299
“Spare the rod and spoil the child.” It’s an old saying and like most things old, it has been neglected of late. But there is the ring of truth about it. If you spare the rod, you will indeed spoil your child. This is the clear testimony of Holy Scripture and of centuries of human exp ... More
First Century Patterns For 21st-Century Churches - Various - Apr 5, 1992 - 332
I. The Purpose of This Mini-SeriesA. To provide a biblical background for some of the key issues surrounding the proposed revision of our church constitution. There are three primary issues that need special discussion: the role of elders, the role of deacons, and the biblical basis for congregation ... More
Courage: How to Face Down Your Fears - Proverbs 28:1 - Nov 6, 1994 - 621
How much courage do you have? Would your friends, co-workers and family members call you a courageous person? My text this morning is one verse of scripture: Proverbs 28:1. “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” The dictionary defines coura ... More
