Search for sermons - Genesis 1
What About Creation and Evolution? - Genesis 1:1 - Nov 9, 1997 - 527
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." First sentences matter. Every writer knows that the very first words he puts on paper set the tone for everything else that follows. In fact most writers work for hours trying to come up with just the right combination of words that will prop ... More
"In the Beginning": The Most Important Verse in the Bible - Genesis 1:1 - Apr 21, 2002 - 220
Today we are beginning a new sermon series entitled "First Things: The Amazing True Story of How the World Came to Be." Over the next few months we'll be looking in detail at the opening chapters of the Bible, Genesis 1-11. Our goal is abundantly simple. We want to know what God has said about the o ... More
Fact or Fable in Genesis: Was the World Really Created in Six Days? - Genesis 1:1-2:3 - Apr 28, 2002 - 221
These are exciting days to study the book of Genesis. A great deal has been written on this book in the last few years and there has been much new research in the area of science and the Bible. It's always a good thing to focus on issues that really matter. Sometimes in the church we spend too much ... More
Image is Everything: Highly Valued, Deeply Fallen, Greatly Loved - Genesis 1:26-28 - May 5, 2002 - 224
Upon reading these verses, the thought comes to mind that we're not in Eden anymore. Whatever else you can say about the first chapter of the Bible, the world of the 21st century is far removed from the world of Genesis 1. Things have changed. These days we wake up every morning to find out where th ... More
The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage - Genesis 1:26-28; Revelation 22:17 - Sep 26, 2004 - 267
My story today begins a long way from Oak Park, and a long way from our current controversies. In order to get the proper perspective, let's go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible. To quote a line from The Sound of Music: "Let's start at the very beginning, that's a very good place to sta ... More
A Place to Begin - Genesis 1:1; John 17:3 - Sep 19, 1999 - 309
"True and substantial wisdom principally consists of two parts; the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of ourselves." With this sentence John Calvin begins his famous book, Institutes of the Christian Religion. He goes on to note that it is hard to say which should come first—the knowledge of ... More
Darwin's Delusion: Why I Believe in Creation - Various - Nov 5, 1995 - 798
To many modern thinkers this sermon would seem incredible, like a relic of the Dark Ages, a living fossil, a sermon that might have been preached during the Colonial Era but not at the end fo the twentieth century.. For I propose to assert several things in this sermon: First, that the universe wa ... More
Men and Women in Biblical Perspective - Genesis 1-3 - Oct 18, 1992 - 132
I find myself in a peculiar position this morning. No matter what I say, or how carefully I say it, someone is bound to disagree with me. But that doesn't begin to cover the subject. Not only will some people disagree with me, even the people who agree with me will probably not agree with everything ... More
Behind Closed Doors - Hebrews 13:4 - Apr 9, 2006 - 540
There are times when a writer knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he doesn't have to worry about getting the reader's attention. Certain subjects require no gimmicks, tricks or elaborate introductions. Some subjects–there are only a few–call forth such universal interest that nothin ... More
Every Tree But One: Why Freedom Isn't Free - Genesis 2:4-17 - May 19, 2002 - 222
What is freedom? Ask the question of ten people and you will get at least ten different answers. One person says that freedom is the right to get drunk every weekend. Someone else says that freedom means doing whatever you want, whenever you want to do it. To another man freedom is sleeping with as ... More
Not by Chance: "Maker of Heaven and Earth - Revelation 4:11 - Feb 1, 2004 - 646
Evolution was in the news this week. Actually the word "evolution" was in the news. The Georgia state school superintendent has proposed taking the word "evolution" out the biology curriculum. That's not as radical as it might sound since schools would still be required to teach evolution; they just ... More
The Mysterious Doctrine of the Trinity - Acticle B: The True God - Various - Feb 16, 1992 - 747
My introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity came at a very young age. I first learned it through the music we sang at the First Baptist Church. The great hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy" was number one in the Baptist Hymnal. Over the years the words "God in three persons, Blessed Trinity" were tattooed ... More
What the Bible Says About Homosexuality - Various - Oct 22, 1989 - 133
Perhaps the place to begin this morning is with the simple confession that I did not want to preach this message. It was not part of my preaching calendar and I did not make the final decision until two and a half weeks ago. My hesitations were very simple: As the brand-new pastor of Calvary Memoria ... More
Equal But Not Identical: Men And Women In The Local Church - Jul 21, 1991
In this day of social upheaval, many traditional views held by the Christian church are being questioned. Not the least important of these is the issue of women in ministry. During the past several decades, the feminist movement has had significant impact on the church; this impact is such that the ... More
God in Three Persons: A Doctrine We Barely Understand - Jan 12, 1997
My problem this morning is simple: to explain a doctrine that all Christians believe but no one really understands. And I have to do it in 30 minutes!So let's start at the very beginning. All Christians believe the doctrine of the Trinity. If you do not believe this—that is, if you have come t ... More
The Bible Reading Marathon - Sep 13, 1999
A few months ago I announced to the congregation that we would mark the end of this millennium with a Bible Reading Marathon. Here are the details. ... More
Snake Eyes - Genesis 3:1-7 - Mar 8, 2006 - 46
"The literal Genesis record of supernatural creation is the foundation of the true gospel, the true doctrine of Christ, true evangelism, genuine saving faith, and of all the key aspects of biblical Christianity." "All truth–in every area of life–finds its beginning in the Genesis record ... More
The Greatest Risk You'll Ever Take: "I Believe in God" - Hebrews 11:6 - Jan 18, 2004 - 643
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).The Bible declares God's existence. It does not attempt to prove it. Certain things are so true that philosophers call them ... 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 center of the p ... More
WMBI Commentaries - Various - Feb 7, 2002 - 417
Amending Our Church Constitution to Define Marriage - Oct 10, 2004
AMENDING OUR CHURCH CONSTITUTION TO DEFINE MARRIAGE by Ray Pritchard Last spring the elders appointed a task force to work on revising our church constitution in several key areas. This marks the first time since we approved our current constitution in 1992 that we have made any changes. The task fo ... More
The Changing Seasons of Life - Nov 4, 2001
THE CHANGING SEASONS OF LIFE by Ray Pritchard I received a letter from a friend who detailed some of the challenges facing her family right now. The specifics are personal and private but it can be said that the trials are real and not likely to go away any time soon. She added this PS to her letter ... More
Marriage Conference - Various - Jul 19, 1993 - 428
What the World Doesn't Know - I Corinthians 2:6-9 - Oct 26, 2003 - 667
"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this ag ... More
Ten Happy Years: - Various - Jun 27, 1999 - 587
It all started late in 1988 when I was sitting at my desk at home in Garland, Texas wondering what I would do with the rest of my life. I was 36 years old, with a wife, three children, a mortgage, and no regular job. Five days a week I drove from Garland to Irving where I worked for Shepherd Ministr ... More
Noah's Ark: A Picture of Salvation - Genesis 6:9-22 - Aug 18, 2002 - 232
The story of Noah and the Ark is more popular than ever before. Even people who don't know the Bible and never come to church know about Noah, his big boat, and all those animals coming in two by two. Two giraffes. Two tigers. Two snails, inching forward slowly. Two rabbits. Two parakeets. Even two ... More
Snake Eyes: The Four Stages of Temptation - Genesis 3:1-7 - Jun 2, 2002 - 226
The Bible makes no sense unless we understand the first few chapters of Genesis. These chapters answer a very crucial question: Where did we come from and how did we get from where we started to where we are today? The way that question is worded suggests that somewhere along the way, a massive chan ... More
The Truth About You - Ephesians 2:1-3 - Sep 26, 1999 - 310
A quarter-century ago psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a landmark book titled Whatever Became of Sin? In it he frames the question this way:In all the laments and reproaches made by our seers and prophets, one misses any mention of "sin," a word which used to be a veritable watchword of prophets. I ... More
Living Under the Rainbow: Judgment First, Then Mercy - Genesis 9:1-17 - Sep 1, 2002 - 234
Let's suppose you are a reporter assigned by your editor to cover Noah's flood. It's the biggest story of the ancient world, and it's your story. So you research it and you write it up. When it's done, you turn it in, the editor reads it, and pays you the ultimate compliment, "Let's run this on page ... More
The Days of Noah: Why God Sent the Flood - Genesis 6:1-8 - Jul 28, 2002 - 230
This is the first of several sermons on Noah and the flood. As we begin our study of this important event, I'd like to focus our attention on a very crucial point: If this story is true, that is, if it really happened, if there once was a great flood that covered the entire earth, then what the Bibl ... More
The Sex Education Crisis in the Garland Public Schools - May 1, 1988
It all began on Sunday, February 28, 1988, when the following headline appeared on the front page of the Garland Daily News: "District Faces Sex Education." The subhead told the rest of the story: "Trustees Consider First Extensive Program." From that beginning has come a controversy which has sprea ... More
What We Believe About the Bible - II Timothy 3:16 - Sep 16, 1990 - 753
"Modern theology of almost every shade is in crisis." With those words Clark Pinnock begins his monumental work Biblical Revelation: The Foundation of Christian Theology. He goes on to say, "While there is no lack of religious verbosity, a sure word resonant with Divine authority is scarcely to b ... More
He Doesn't Need Your Help: The Truth You Must Understand - Acts. 17:24-25 - Jun 21, 1998 - 240
Those who listen to me preach on a regular basis know that whenever I find a good idea, I like to repeat it over and over again. Last year I happened to stumble across a spiritual truth so profound that I titled it the First Rule of the Spiritual Life. Even though I've mentioned it many times, I'd l ... More
Creation-Evolution Teaching Statement - Various - Nov 5, 1997 - 559
(I wrote this document to express my own convictions in this area. It is a personal statement—not an official church document.)The Bible begins with these simple words: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). From the very first verse we are faced with the crit ... More
THE HOLY SPIRIT - Various - Apr 13, 1988 - 422