Search for sermons - John 3
The Wind Blows Wherever It Wills - John 3:8 - May 15, 2005 - 200
This is the first in a six-part series on the Holy Spirit called Experiencing God Today. Two months ago I had no idea that I would be preaching on the Holy Spirit once we finished I Peter. But as I thought about the matter, I felt impressed by the Lord that this is the direction we should go. There ... More
Real Christian vs. Religious - John 3 - Sep 14, 1997 - 530
This is the first sermon based on the questions submitted by the congregation last spring. I don’t know who wrote this particular question but it’s a good one. The very wording suggests that there is a fundamental difference between being religious and being a “real Christian.&rdqu ... 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
Payday Someday - 1 Kings 21-22 & 2 Kings 9 - Mar 8, 2006 - 195
Three years have passed since the showdown on Mount Carmel. During those three years, the people of Israel defeated the vastly superior Syrian army, which resulted in a period of peace and prosperity. And I think it is fair to say that along with that peace and prosperity, Baal worship apparently ha ... More
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 1 - Jul 9, 2012
What is the Difference Between a Real Christian and a Religious Person? - John 3 - Nov 11, 2008 - 1172
Let’s begin with a simple question. What percentage of Americans believe in God? You probably won’t be surprised to know that the number is very high. One recent survey puts it at 94%. That means that almost 19 out of 20 people in the U.S. believe in God. It also means you won&rsqu ... More
Praying for the Lost - I Timothy 2:1-6 - May 14, 2000 - 12
"Prayer is the lifeline of New Testament evangelism, the oxygen for its holy fire. The New Testament was born in prayer. It knows no evangelism without prayer, and no prayer which does not lead to evangelism.” Those are the words of Armin Gesswein, a man God used to ignite a prayer movement in ... More
Can I Lose My Salvation? - Philippians 1:6 - Nov 2, 1997 - 525
I would like to begin with the observation that this is a controversial question in Christian circles. It would be difficult to find a subject about which believers are more deeply divided. To the question, “Can I lose my salvation?” there are whole denominations that answer yes: The Met ... More
Who Is Jesus Christ? Article D: The Person and Work of Jesus Christ - Various - Mar 15, 1992 - 751
Tonight we are coming to the most critical doctrine in the Articles of Faith. Other doctrines are important as establishing foundational truth (the inerrancy of the Bible, the Trinity) or as explaining what we believe in a particular area (eternal security, the premillennial return of Christ), but ... More
Adoption: Plenty of Room in the Family - Jan 7, 2007
When Leslie Lynch King, Jr. died earlier this week, it made headlines around the world. Commentators talked about his legacy, and in the United States flags were lowed to half-staff in his honor. That always happens when a president dies.But who was President King? You can’t find any record of ... More
How Are You Fixed For Friends? - John 3:33-34 - Oct 13, 1991 - 784
The most popular TV show in America is set in a bar in Boston. The name of the TV series is the same as the name of the bar—Cheers. It has been the most popular TV show for the last several years and has been in the top five most-watched shows for seven or eight years. Cheers is the story o ... More
The Final Difference Between the Church and the World - Hebrews 11:29 - Oct 13, 2008 - 1168
“By faith the people passed through the Red Sea? as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned” (Hebrews 11:29).My aim in this sermon is to show you the final difference between the church and the world. The key word is “final,” by which I mean the ... More
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About The Christian Life - Chapter 2 - Jul 9, 2012
The Fool on the Hill: What the Cross Means to the World - 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 - Jul 26, 2006 - 675
Every religion and every ideology has its own symbol. For the Buddhist it is the lotus flower. Judaism has the Star of David and Islam the crescent. In this century the communists were known for the hammer and the sickle and the Nazis for the swastika. In our day the democrats have the donkey and th ... More
Does Jesus Know My Name? - Dec 5, 2007
A few months ago we opened the ... More
Why Christ Came - Luke 19:10 - Oct 2, 2011 - 1294
There is no more pressing question today than this: Why did Christ come to the earth? It is not enough to know who Jesus is. By and large the world knows what Christians believe about Jesus. But what the world wants to know is this: Why did he come and what difference does it make? Many answers have ... More
WMBI Commentaries - Various - Jan 16, 2003 - 408
Out On A Limb With Shirley MacLaine: Is Reincarnation True? - Various - Jun 4, 2000 - 216
This is a sermon about reincarnation, which means that I have a serious problem right off the bat. It is also a sermon about Shirley MacLaine, which poses a second problem. My first challenge is to convince you that reincarnation matters enough to warrant a full sermon. Perhaps this will help. Over ... More
Murder One: Why Do We Hate Each Other? - Genesis 4:1-16 - Jul 7, 2002 - 231
This is the story of Cain and Abel. It is a story that is so well known that many people who never read the Bible know that Cain killed Abel. It has even entered our language as a synonym for troublemaking—Raising Cain. The phrase is appropriate because this story is dark and tragic from begin ... More
Donahue and Jesus - Dec 22, 2002
DONAHUE AND JESUS by Ray Pritchard On MSNBC last Tuesday night, Phil Donahue hosted a raucous discussion on the topic: “Is the highway to heaven only open to the Christians? Some say only faith in Jesus will earn you a place beyond the pearly gates. So what about Jews, Muslims, and followers of ... More
The Woman Caught in the Act: Christ Speaks to the Problem of a Judgmental Spirit - John 8:1-11 - Apr 22, 2001 - 124
"It is a terrible thing for a sinner to fall into the hands of his fellow sinners.” F. B. MeyerThis is the story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery. It is so popular that even those who rarely read the Bible know about it. Clarence McCartney comments that the great museums of Europe alwa ... More
Will Everyone Eventually Be Saved? - II Peter 3:9 - Jul 24, 2005 - 143
I can think of only four ways to answer the question raised in the title of this sermon:1) Everyone will eventually be saved.2) No one will eventually be saved.3) Some will be saved and some will be lost.4) There is no way to know.Let’s consider answer #1, which is becoming increasingly popula ... More
The Incorruptible Christ - Acts 2:24 - Apr 20, 2003 - 176
The first word is sometimes as important as the last word.Seven weeks had passed since the resurrection of Jesus. For 40 amazing days, Jesus appeared to his disciples on many occasions and taught them concerning the Kingdom of God. Then he ascended into the clouds and returned to his Father in heave ... More
Can You Hear the Angels Singing? Christmas and the "Other World" - Luke 2:8-14 - Dec 14, 2003 - 197
"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good ne ... More
How Long Should I Pray? - Nov 24, 2002
HOW LONG SHOULD I PRAY? by Ray Pritchard Last Tuesday I had an hour-long interview with a radio station in Philadelphia. A listener called in with a heart-searching question. He had come to Christ from a Jewish background and has a burden to see his family saved. After years of prayer for them, and ... More
Is Jesus the Only Way? - Mar 26, 2000
The following e-mail arrived a few days ago: There is one fundamental thing I still have such a problem with. That is that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. What about the people who just don’t get it? I can’t seem to reconcile Jesus Christ and God with not giving good people another ch ... More
Out of Egypt - Dec 5, 2007
Sometimes you’re reading along when suddenly a phrase pops out and you say, “Whoa! Where did that come from?” That happened to me this week as I was reading the Biblical Illustrator in preparation for this message. I ran across a statement by W. P. Balfern regarding my text, which ... More
Led by the Spirit into the Wilderness - Luke 4:1-14 - May 22, 2005 - 201
This is the second message in our new series on the Holy Spirit. Last Sunday we talked about John 3:8 and how the Holy Spirit is the wind—invisible, unpredictable, uncontrollable. He comes and goes as he wishes; no one can control his movements. He alone can give life to the spiritually dead. ... More
Has God Lost the Battle? - Romans 11:1-10 - Jun 11, 2006 - 767
In this sermon series we are looking at Romans 9-11, arguably the three most difficult chapters in the New Testament. I’ve called it “Understanding God’s Plan” because these chapters help us understand the flow of events in history from God’s point of view. To us in the ... More
The Greatest of These - I Corinthians 13:1-3 - Nov 26, 2000 - 400
"Love is the medicine for the sickness of the world.” So said noted psychiatrist Dr. Karl Meninger. He summarized his therapeutic approach this way: “Love cures. It cures those who give it and it cures those who receive it.”Love truly is good medicine. It has been said that the thr ... More
Calvary in the Park: Faith/Hope/Love - Various - Sep 2, 2001 - 435
The Agape Factor: 12 Ways to Love - Romans 12:9-16 - Nov 17, 2006 - 729
There is an amazing scene at the end of the 1996 movie Marvin’s Room. Bessie, played by Diane Keaton, has cared for her ill father and her aunt for 20 years. After learning that she has leukemia, she receives a visit from her estranged sister Lee, played by Meryl Streep. Bessie tells Lee, &ldq ... More
Fear Factor - Acts 20:35 - Apr 10, 2005 - 746
For the past few months I’ve been preaching a series of sermons from I Peter. We’re taking a break from that series for the next two weeks so we can focus on Christian giving. That fact is noteworthy for two reasons:1) We rarely take time to address the issue of giving from the pulpit. I ... More
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - I Corinthians 2:1-5 - Oct 19, 2003 - 666
"I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2). We have a word for people like Paul. We call a person like him a “one-note Johnny.” He was a man of one message. If you heard him in Thessalonica or Athens or Rome, it was a ... More
"They Gave Themselves First to the Lord" Why Giving Begins with the Heart, Not the Pocketbook - II Corinthians 8:1-5 - Sep 7, 2003 - 698
Last night some Moody students came over to our house for some pizza and to watch a football game. One of them asked what I planned to preach on today. When I told him, he said, “Too bad.” Then, “Too bad you have to preach about money.” I laughed and said it didn’t both ... More
