Search for sermons - Luke 1
His Kingdom Will Never End - Luke 1:33 - Dec 10, 2007 - 81
“He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:33). “I’m gonna be famous.” That’s what Robert Hawkins wrote in his suicide note before going to the mall in Omaha last Wednesday where he murdered eight people and th ... More
Good News for Poor Performers and Splendid Sinners - Luke 1:5-20, 57-64 - Dec 16, 2007 - 89
This afternoon I read a bit from Faithfulness and Holiness by J. I. Packer. The book consists of Packer’s short biography of J. C. Ryle, the 19t5h-century Anglican bishop, and a reprint of Ryle’s justly-famous book called, simply, “Holiness.” I happened across this quote from ... More
Behind The Scenes At Christmastime: Zechariah's Song - Luke 1:67-80 - Dec 1, 1991 - 710
This year the title of our Christmas series is “The Songs of Christmas.” The theme is appropriate because it is a time for music and especially a time for singing. In the next few weeks we’ll be enjoying an extra helping of holiday music here at Calvary. Next Sunday we have the ... More
Jesus The Revolutionary: Mary's Song - Luke 1:48-55 - Dec 15, 1991 - 711
When the history of the 20th century is finally written, it may well be that the last forty years will be called the Age of Revolution. First we had the cultural revolution, then we had the sexual revolution, which was followed by the technological revolution. In the last few years we have had a p ... More
From Jacob to Jesus - Genesis 49:10; Luke 1:33 - Dec 6, 1992 - 355
Our final study in the life of Jacob is different from all the rest. When we began, he was still in his mother’s womb. When Genesis brings his story to a close, he is buried in the cave of Machpelah, along with his father and grandfather. In between, this man of restless faith never stopped ... More
Kingdoms in Conflict - Matthew 6:10 - Oct 6, 2009 - 1219
“Your kingdom come.” Matthew 6:10Before we begin: What is the kingdom of God? In what sense is it a present reality? In what sense is it yet to come? How would things be different if you had a “God invasion” in your life? Your family? Your workplace? Your neighborhood? Someti ... More
Mary: Believing the Impossible - Luke 1:26-38 - Dec 9, 1990 - 105
Let’s talk about Madonna. It seems like everywhere you go these days you see her face and hear people singing her praises. She’s certainly a hot topic. No, I’m not thinking about that Madonna, the one who was on Nightline last Monday night. People are talking about her but for ... More
Christ B.C. Part IV: Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 - Dec 24, 1995 - 68
Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: “Isn’t it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?” I am thankful for this season. We Christians ought to enjoy Christmas more than anyone. D ... More
Doubt and Faith at Christmastime - Dec 16, 2001
DOUBT AND FAITH AT CHRISTMASTIME By Ray Pritchard An e-mail arrived a few days ago from someone who wanted to know how to deal with doubt. I wrote back and said not to worry, we all doubt from time to time and doubt can actually be good for the soul. A second message arrived a day later: “I wan ... More
Why the Virgin Birth Matters: “Conceived of the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary” - Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38 - Feb 22, 2004 - 648
Let’s begin our study with two familiar verses of Scripture: “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Sp ... More
Sunrise at Bethlehem - Luke 1:78-79 - Dec 19, 2008 - 1182
“Many Beliefs, Many Paths to Heaven?”The headline from a recent USA Today article told of new research from the Pew Foundation suggesting that most Americans would answer yes to that question. Most American religious believers, including most Christians, say eternal life is not exc ... More
Follow the Christmas Star - Matthew 2:7-12 - Dec 23, 2001 - 95
This isn’t exactly the sermon I planned to preach on the Sunday before Christmas, but I don’t suppose that will surprise anyone since Christmas itself comes as a relief at the end of a year that has not been what we thought it would be. If one searches for glimmers of light on the horizo ... More
A Savior is Born - Luke 2:11 - Dec 21, 2003 - 198
Recently I received an e-mail from a man who attended “Two from Galilee,” the Christmas program presented by our music ministry several weeks ago. He wrote to say how much he enjoyed it, and then added this sentence: “God is just in the amazement business.” That Sunday— ... More
Chariots of Fire - 2 Kings 2 - Mar 8, 2006 - 193
What would you do if you knew that you were going to die today? What if you knew with absolute certainty that today was going to be your last day on earth? Suppose you had less than 24 hours to live. What would you do? Where would you go? How would you spend your last few hours on planet earth? If y ... More
Does Jesus Know My Name? - Dec 5, 2007
A few months ago we opened the Anchor Book Depot in Chicago to give away copies of a simple gospel book called “An Anchor for the Soul.” This is a continuation of a ministry that started seven years ago. Since then we have given away over 350,000 copies, mostly to prisoners across Americ ... More
Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful God - Romans 11:30-32 - Aug 25, 2006 - 773
Earlier this week I received a copy of John Ensor’s book The Great Work of the Gospel. In the first chapter, he examines the question, What motivates God to make the astonishing offer to forgive all our sins? Taking his cue from Jonathan Edwards, Ensor says it’s all about God’s mer ... More
What God Wants For Christmas - Micah 6:6-8 - Dec 15, 1996 - 88
There are only ten days left until Christmas. Have you done your shopping yet? Be careful, because there are some crazy people out there. Have you heard about this new doll called Tickle Me, Elmo? Every year there seems to be one new item that everyone has to have. A few years ago it was Cabbage ... 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
Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23 - Dec 8, 2008 - 1180
Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: “Isn’t it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?” I am thankful for this season. We Christians ought to enjoy Christmas more than anyone. Don&rs ... More
When Did Christmas Begin? - John 1:14 - Dec 20, 1998 - 92
Have you ever wondered when Christmas began? I’m not referring to the celebration of Jesus’ birth on December 25 because we don’t know exactly when he was born. It might be December 25 but it might be June 14 for all we know. The Bible doesn’t say and it doesn’t give us ... More
Is Anything Too Hard For God? The Doctrine of God's Omnipotence - Jeremiah 32:17 - Mar 9, 1997 - 472
This is the third and final sermon on the “omni” attributes of God. I have remarked earlier that these attributes are difficult to grasp because they describe truths about God that have no analog in human experience. We are limited as to place, power and personal knowledge. God is not. T ... More
What We Saw In India - Matthew 5:7 - Feb 18, 1996 - 56
About 12 hours ago our plane finally landed at O’Hare Airport. I do not think I have ever been happier to come home than I was last night. During the last 19 days our team traveled 42,000 miles, took eight different plane trips and one 24-hour train ride, and in the process visited Amsterdam ... 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
The Truth About Abortion - Jan 12, 1990
I think it goes without saying that abortion is a difficult issue to talk about. It is difficult because it is almost impossible to find someone who is neutral on the subject. It is the most emotionally-divisive issue in America today. The pollsters tell us that Americans are deeply divided on the m ... More
How Can I Learn to Forgive? - Matthew 18:21-35 - Sep 21, 1997 - 531
Here are some of the questions people asked about forgiveness: • What really is forgiveness? • How can one do it? • What does it do for the forgiver? • How do you find it in yourself to forgive when you think you can’t or don’t even want to because of anger and ... More
40 Amazing Days: The Original Founders Week - Acts 1:1-3 - Feb 1, 1998 - 628
If you are a regular listener to Moody radio, you know that the annual Founder’s Week Bible Conference begins tomorrow night. What you may not know is that this historic conference started in the 1890s when D.L. Moody asked that the students at the Institute be dismissed from class on his bir ... More
Postcards From the Edge: Why I Believe in Angels and Demons - Various - Nov 19, 1995 - 796
Angels are in. In the words of the Wall Street Journal, “after a hiatus of almost 300 years and much skepticism, angels are making a comeback.” A recent survey confirmed this fact: 58% of Americans in households making over $50,000 believe in angels, as do 55% of college graduates, 5 ... 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
The Shaking of the Nations - Haggai 2:20-23 - Jun 8, 1997 - 295
All of us need some special encouragement from time to time. It may be that you need encouragement to stay in school, or to stay on the job, or just to get out of bed in the morning. Maybe you’re facing the surgeon’s knife and you fear what the future may hold. Perhaps you are struggling ... More
