Search for sermons - Matthew 25
Sheep on the Right, Goats on the Left: The Final Separation of the Saved and the Lost - Matthew 25:31-46 - Dec 2, 2001 - 693
My text describes an awesome event, the Judgment of the Nations, which takes place when Jesus returns to the earth to set up his kingdom. There are three reasons why this judgment must take place:1) Evil must be exposed and finally punished.2) Righteousness must be revealed and finally rewarded.3) J ... More
Life on the Edge: Make the Most of Every Moment - Matthew 25:14-30 - Nov 25, 2001 - 691
This wonderful little story is called the Parable of the Talents. Readers are drawn to it because it is simple, clear and easy to understand. And its lessons are impossible to miss. This parable tells what to do while we wait for Jesus to return. While we are waiting, we are to work for the Lord. We ... More
Ten Sleepy Virgins: Are You Ready for Christ's Return? - Matthew 25:1-13 - Nov 18, 2001 - 690
Here is a nighttime wedding where everything seems to go wrong. The groom shows up so late that the bridal party falls asleep by the side of the road. When the groom finally arrives at midnight, half the bridesmaids have forgotten to bring enough oil for their lamps and end up banned from the celebr ... More
The Last Days According to Jesus - Oct 14, 2001
THE LAST DAYS ACCORDING TO JESUS by Ray Pritchard Not long after the terrorist attacks on September 11, Christians (and many non-Christians) began asking how the current world crisis relates to Bible prophecy and the Second Coming of Christ. The early answer goes like this: “We don’t know ... More
When God Comes to Dinner - Genesis 18:1-15 - May 19, 1996 - 20
Last Tuesday night I sat on the platform at the UIC Pavilion for the Say Yes Chicago campaign with Luis Palau. During the evening Luis told the story of an evangelist named Mordecai Ham who came to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1934 for a citywide tent campaign. One night only six people came forwa ... More
Playing with Fire: Can We Still Believe in Hell? - Luke 16:19-31 - Jun 18, 2000 - 214
It's easy to go to extremes whenever the topic of hell comes up. Either we focus on lurid descriptions of the damned burning in eternal torment or we avoid the topic altogether. Earlier generations tended to stress the former. In his classic sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Jonathan Ed ... More
Renewing Your Passion - II Timothy 1 - Jun 15, 2003 - 488
Today we are beginning a summer series from the little book of II Timothy. People sometimes wonder how pastors choose what to preach on. In this case, I feel like I didn't choose II Timothy; II Timothy chose me. Last fall as we were finishing up our trip on the "Bible Bus," we came to II Timothy. Ev ... 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
When Life Tumbles In, What Then? - Job 1 - Mar 8, 2006 - 49
When his wife died, he didn't know at first how he would survive. Although he was a minister and had helped many others through times of crisis, now he faced his own personal moment of truth. How would he reconcile his own loss with the Christian faith he claimed to believe? What would he say to ... More
Overcoming Materialism - I Timothy 6:17-19 - Nov 24, 2002 - 704
If you are rich, this sermon is for you.There aren't many sermons directed at rich people, but this one is. My text is a word from the Apostle Paul to the rich Christians in the church at Ephesus. The first phrase of verse 17 makes it very clear: "Command those who are rich in this present world." T ... More
Deacons & Deaconesses: Servants of Christ - Apr 7, 1993
First images stay in the mind forever. Whenever I hear the word "deacon," I always think of Hilliard Felton. He was a lifetime deacon at the First Baptist Church of Russellville, Alabama. As I think back, I don't believe I ever saw him without a coat and tie on. He was one of the "old men" who r ... More
Sense and Nonsense About God's Love - 1 John 4:8 - Apr 27, 1997 - 475
I'd like to begin my message with a simple observation. No attribute of God is so widely believed as the love of God. This observation is quite easily testable. Take a microphone to the streets of Chicago and ask them to tell you what God is like. I will assert without fear of contradiction that the ... More
When Life Tumbles In, What Then? - Job 1 - Aug 26, 1990 - 273
The year was 1927. The place was Aberdeen, Scotland. A man named Arthur John Gossip was the pastor of the Beechgrove Church. He was 54 years old and at the height of his power. For six years he had pastored the church with distinction. The historians tell us that he was a humble and sincere man ... More
Confessions of a Xenophiliac - I Peter 4:9-10 - Jun 10, 1990 - 574
They say that true confession is good for the soul, and in that spirit, I want to begin my sermon with a simple confession. Although I am preaching a series of sermons on spiritual gifts, I am not entirely sure that what I am preaching about this morning actually is a spiritual gift. I think it is ... More
Allied Force Questions - Various - Jan 4, 1998 - 522
When we surveyed the congregation asking for their questions a few months ago, our high school ministry (called Allied Force) turned in their own set of questions. On October 12, the students joined me on the platform and participated in a live question-and-answer session. The questions that follow ... 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 Children's Christm ... More
What Happens When We Die? Article L: Future Reward and Punishment - Various - Jul 5, 1992 - 752
We live in a time when there is great fascination about life after death. S A few years ago Raymond Moody wrote a best-seller called Life After Life, which purported to detail the near-death experiences of men and women who "died" and then came back to tell remarkably similar stories of weightless ... 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