2008 Sermons by Ray Pritchard

Yet

December 26, 2008

What is it that you are waiting for from the Lord? What are you hoping for that you do not yet have? While you are waiting, don’t let go of that little word “yet.” It’s the difference between hope and despair because God is not finished yet.

Sermon 3 of 4 from the New Years' Message series

Sunrise at Bethlehem

December 19, 2008

On the first Christmas morning the sun began to shine in Bethlehem. Now that he has come into the world, nothing can ever be the same again. Now we have light in the darkness, pardon from our guilt, and peace that passes all understanding.

Sermon 21 of 21 from the Christmas Messages series

If God Is Sovereign, What Then?

December 11, 2008

Our problems with the sovereignty of God start when sovereignty becomes personal. We will never understand this doctrine until we remember that we live in a fallen, that evil is personal, that we must start with God, and that God has bought us with the blood of his Son.

Sermon 3 of 3 from the Absolute Praise series

Born of a Virgin

December 09, 2008

Sermon 8 of 8 from the Christ BC series

A Prophet Like Moses

December 08, 2008

Sermon 7 of 8 from the Christ BC series

Seed of the Woman

December 08, 2008

Sermon 6 of 8 from the Christ BC series

What God Remembers That We Forget

December 02, 2008

If you’re wondering what God thinks about you, let’s take a journey through Psalm 103 and discover seven liberating truths about God’s heart. These verses reveal that he shows mercy to those who don’t deserve it, he remembers that we are dust, and he links us with eternity by linking us with himself.

Sermon 2 of 3 from the Absolute Praise series

The Blessed Benefits

November 17, 2008

Many of us need to give God a “one-minute praising” for all his blessings. We’re sure good at telling the Lord what we want him to do for us. We need a good dose of Psalm 103 to wash out that complaining spirit and replace it with a heart of gratitude to the Lord.

Sermon 1 of 3 from the Absolute Praise series

What is the Difference Between a Real Christian and a Religious Person?

November 11, 2008

Being religious is not the same as being a real Christian. Jesus said even the best among us must be born again. A religious person has religion; a Christian has been born again through personal faith in Jesus Christ. It’s as simple as that. Religion is good but Jesus is better.

Sermon 7 of 7 from the Crucial Questions series

Why Jericho Fell

October 30, 2008

Hebrews 11:30 says that “by faith” the walls of Jericho fell. But what kind of faith brings down the walls of impossibility? This message points out five characteristics of the faith God honors when we face long odds and the only way forward doesn’t seem to make any sense.

Sermon 11 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

Choose Life!

October 29, 2008

Whoever occupies the Oval Office for the next four years will make decisions that will guide our nation far into the future. Which way will we go? How should we make up our minds? This sermon argues that we should “choose life” by taking our Christian convictions with us into the voting booth.

Sermon 2 of 2 from the Election Day Special Sermon series

How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit?

October 24, 2008

In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need two things—emptiness and openness. If we live another day without the Holy Spirit’s control in our lives, we have only ourselves to blame. God has made himself fully available to us. Have we made ourselves fully available to him?

Sermon 7 of 7 from the Experiencing God Today: Six Sermons on the Holy Spirit series

The Final Difference Between the Church and the World

October 13, 2008

At the Red Sea, the Hebrews were delivered while the Egyptians were destroyed. From this we learn that the church and the world have two different destinations. This is the final difference between them.

Sermon 10 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

The Great Refusal

October 02, 2008

Because Moses said no to the riches of Egypt, he suffered greatly with the people of God. He shows us what it means—and what it costs—to say no to the world and yes to Jesus.

Sermon 9 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

Shall We Kill Our Children Today?

September 23, 2008

The amazing faith of Moses’ parents shows us the high value that God puts on children, including those children that are born in less than ideal circumstances. Christians love children because God loves children. Ours is true pro-family religion.

Sermon 8 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

The Mystery of the Little Scroll

September 16, 2008

An expanded outline of Revelation 10 with explanatory comments and application.

Sermon 1 of 1 from the Revelation Chapter-by-Chapter series

If I Should Die Before I Wake

September 10, 2008

The stories of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph show us what faith looks like at the end of life. Here is one mark of genuine Christianity. When you come to the end of your earthly journey, you still hold on to what you believe. Because Jesus died and rose again, we can face our own death with confidence, knowing that the Lord will not abandon us when we need him most.

Sermon 7 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

Angry Man Alert

August 29, 2008

In this message, Ray Pritchard talks about the five character qualities that relate to a man and his anger. When our power is not under God’s control, we hurt ourselves and those closest to us. We need God’s help so that we might become like Jesus who was both gentle and strong, a true “gentle man.”

Sermon 4 of 4 from the Couples Conference 2007 series

What Is Your Isaac?

August 27, 2008

From the story of Abraham offering Isaac, we learn that God calls us to yield our dearest treasures to him. Anything good can become an idol when it becomes too important to us. What is your Isaac? Are you willing to lay it down for Jesus’ sake?

Sermon 6 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

Sleeping Together and Christ’s Global Cause

August 26, 2008

Why shouldn’t two adult Christians who happen to be divorced and have fallen in love—why shouldn’t they sleep together? That’s the question a man asked in an email. Here is my answer.

Sermon 6 of 7 from the Crucial Questions series

Why We Keep Believing

August 12, 2008

Because Christians are aliens and strangers on earth, we are destined to live and die feeling slightly (and maybe more than slightly) out of place. But we will not quit, give up or go back because our home is in heaven. We have expectations of something much better than anything the world has to offer.

Sermon 5 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

The Blessing of a Believing Spouse

July 23, 2008

God may arrange things so that your faith bears vast fruit in the years to come. Your legacy will be most clearly seen after you have gone to heaven. Sarah never lived to see the world-changing impact of her faith in God, but we still remember her 4000 years later and honor her example.

Sermon 4 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

The Incredible Journey

July 10, 2008

Our focus in this message is on the man we often call “Father Abraham.” Hebrews 11:8-10 tells how he obeyed God’s call at great personal sacrifice. It tells us what he did; more importantly, it tells us why he did it. And it clearly shows us that obeying God doesn’t always work out the way we think it will.

Sermon 3 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

It’s the Faith, Brother

June 19, 2008

There are those who have faith and those who don’t. And if you don’t have faith, you cannot please God. True faith, faith that rests on God and his Word and believes all that he has said, true faith sees the unseen and say, “Yes, it is true.”

Sermon 2 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

By Faith

June 12, 2008

Faith is the law of the kingdom. It is “belief plus unbelief and acting on the belief part.” Every blessing of the kingdom is available to those who put their faith to work by “acting on the belief part,” moment by moment, day by day, one little step at a time.

Sermon 1 of 15 from the Outrageous Faith series

Come Before Winter

May 27, 2008

Procrastination destroys many good intentions. Some things must be done “before winter” or they will not be done at all. There are doors of opportunity that open before us today, but if we do not take advantage of them, tomorrow they will be forever shut.

Sermon 8 of 8 from the Passing the Torch (II Timothy) series

Be Still and Know

May 19, 2008

Why did the deadly cyclone hit Myanmar and the earthquake devastate the Sichuan Province in China? Our first response to questions like that is critical. Psalm 46:10 teaches us to be silent, and in our silence we will know God in the midst of great tragedy.

Sermon 7 of 7 from the God of All Comfort series

Why God Chooses Splendid Sinners and Lovable Losers

May 12, 2008

When God chooses people for his family, he picks those the world considers losers. This means that imperfect people make excellent candidates for the grace of God. Since we are all imperfect, when we boast, let us boast only in the Lord.

Sermon 1 of 4 from the none series

Strength for the Journey

May 10, 2008

In this message Pastor Ray reminds us everything we believe rests on the sovereignty of God. Salvation starts with God, not with us. Because he has chosen us, we can stand firm amid the trials of life. By standing firm we prove to ourselves and to the watching world what we truly believe.

Sermon 14 of 14 from the Praying with Paul series

What You Seek, You Find

April 30, 2008

God uses the hard experiences of life to bring us to the place where our trust will be in him alone. Through those hard times, we learn to seek him and to rejoice even when life doesn’t make sense.

Sermon 8 of 8 from the Survivor Babylon: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation series

Rock Bottom Truth

April 21, 2008

When we find ourselves struggling with discouragement, we need to be reminded that God is thinking about us, and his thoughts toward us are good and not evil. When we hope in God, we can be happy even though we find ourselves in Babylon.

Sermon 7 of 8 from the Survivor Babylon: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation series

God Has a Bigger Plan

April 08, 2008

We serve a trans-generational God whose purposes span the centuries. He does not confine himself to our timetable or limit himself to our puny understanding of what he intends to do. If you have eyes to see beyond your own problems, look up and you will see the hand of God at work.

Sermon 6 of 8 from the Survivor Babylon: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation series

How to be Happy in Babylon

March 30, 2008

Life constantly presents us with the choice of the hard way versus the easy way. Suriving difficult times requires that we reject short cuts, embrace God’s promises, and trust completely in his goodness.

Sermon 5 of 8 from the Survivor Babylon: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation series

What If

March 24, 2008

This sermon reveals the four disastrous consequnces if the resurrection is not true. If Christ did not rise from the dead, our preaching has no purpose, our faith has no forgiveness, our death has no deliverance, and our service has no significance.

Sermon 14 of 14 from the Easter Sermons series

Why You Need Your Enemies and Your Enemies Need You—Part Two

March 09, 2008

Our enemies are a gift from God. If we didn’t need them He wouldn’t send them. God has a beneficial purpose in sending enemies our way - to make us more like Christ. Therefore, the person we might consider an enemy is, in reality, our best friend.

Sermon 4 of 8 from the Survivor Babylon: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation series

Why You Need Your Enemies and Your Enemies Need You—Part One

March 01, 2008

Our sovereign God allows enemies to enter our lives for our ultimate good. They are often people we are close to; family, people at work, or even in our church. God’s message to us is to love, bless, and pray for them. In doing this, He will bless us. We cannot be set free until we set them free to be blessed by the Lord.

Sermon 3 of 8 from the Survivor Babylon: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation series

Some Advice to the Discontented

February 19, 2008

Sermon 2 of 8 from the Survivor Babylon: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation series

Trapped!

February 09, 2008

Sermon 1 of 8 from the Survivor Babylon: How to Make the Best of a Bad Situation series

When God Prays for You

January 31, 2008

Sermon 1 of 1 from the When God “Prays” for You series

How to Be a Leader People Want to Follow

January 22, 2008

Sermon 1 of 1 from the Leadership series

Have a Blast While You Last

January 15, 2008

Sermon 2 of 2 from the Chasing the Wind (Ecclesiastes) series

I Am a Sinner Too: What Pastors Need to Remember

January 15, 2008

Sermon 1 of 2 from the Chasing the Wind (Ecclesiastes) series