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 wil ... 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 t ... 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 ... 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 wh ... 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 ... 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 knowle ... 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 ever ... 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 ... More
Darwin’s Delusion: Why I Believe in Creation - Nov 5, 1995
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
Creation-Evolution Teaching Statement - Various - Nov 5, 1997 - 559
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 critical importance of the biblical doctrine of creation. Among other things, that verse tells us that the universe ha ... 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 Trin ... 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 ... 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
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 ... 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
Marriage Conference - Various - Jul 19, 1993 - 428
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
Why I Believe in God - Genesis 1:1 - Sep 30, 2009 - 1214
The Bible never argues for the existence of God. It begins instead with a simple, majestic sentence: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The Bible begins with a declaration, not with an argument. There is a God who created all things. If you do not s ... 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. Eve ... 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 ... 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
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 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
WMBI Commentaries - Various - Feb 7, 2002 - 417
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
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
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 th ... More
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 t ... 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 compl ... More
A Message For Madalyn Murray O'Hair: Why I Believe in God - Various - Oct 8, 1995 - 794
Forty years ago, Madalyn Murray O’Hair stood amid the lightning and driving rain of a Maryland thunderstorm, shook her fist at the heavens, and dared God to strike her dead. When it became clear that the Almighty was busy with more important matters, she cried out, “You see! You see! If ... 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
God Is So Good! - Psalm 107:1 - Apr 20, 1997 - 474
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.” 1 Chronicles 16:34a “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” Psalm 145:9 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” Psalm 34:8 Let’s begin with a definition, ... More
God's Inerrant Word - Article A: The Scriptures - Various - Feb 9, 1992 - 750
Allan Bloom begins his ground-breaking work, The Closing of the American Mind, this way: There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative. If this belief is put to the test, one can count ... More
