2005 Sermons by Ray Pritchard

Our Coming to You Was Not in Vain

September 25, 2005

When one pastor leaves and another one comes, we learn again that God’s work depends on God, not on God’s messengers. Build your life on God’s Word, not on the man who delivers it.

Sermon 1 of 1 from the Our Coming to You Was Not in Vain series

God Will Do What Needs to Be Done

September 18, 2005

Sermon 1 of 1 from the God Will Do what Needs to Be Done series

The Most Important Ingredient

September 15, 2005

Sermon 1 of 1 from the The Most Important Ingredient series

Why is There So Much Suffering in the World?

September 04, 2005

Sermon 5 of 8 from the Crucial Questions series

What Happens to Those Who Never Heard About Jesus?

August 21, 2005

No question is more central to the missionary enterprise than the state of those without Christ. Are they really lost? Are those who never hear also lost? And that raises an important question. How can God send people to hell for not believing in Jesus, if they never even heard of him in the first place?

Sermon 4 of 8 from the Crucial Questions series

If I Believe, Why Do I Doubt?

August 14, 2005

Sermon 3 of 8 from the Crucial Questions series

Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven?

July 31, 2005

Sermon 2 of 8 from the Crucial Questions series

Will Everyone Eventually Be Saved?

July 24, 2005

Sermon 1 of 8 from the Crucial Questions series

I Will Pour Out My Spirit On All People

July 10, 2005

Sermon 6 of 7 from the Experiencing God Today: Six Sermons on the Holy Spirit series

Do Not Take Your Holy Spirit From Me!

June 19, 2005

Sermon 5 of 7 from the Experiencing God Today: Six Sermons on the Holy Spirit series

Do Not Quench the Spirit

June 12, 2005

Sermon 4 of 7 from the Experiencing God Today: Six Sermons on the Holy Spirit series

Do Not Grieve the Spirit

June 05, 2005

It is so easy for us to be unkind and ungracious. Ephesians 4:29-32 shows us that we grieve the Holy Spirit first by rotten speech (v. 29) and second by rotten attitudes (v. 31). But these two things are not separate. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. We must stop making the Holy Spirit weep because of our unkind words and inner ugliness. Cry out to God for his help. Ask the Lord to open your eyes and see the uncleanness within. Pray for a fresh vision of Jesus dying for you.

Sermon 3 of 7 from the Experiencing God Today: Six Sermons on the Holy Spirit series

Led by the Spirit into the Wilderness

May 22, 2005

Sermon 2 of 7 from the Experiencing God Today: Six Sermons on the Holy Spirit series

The Wind Blows Wherever It Wills

May 15, 2005

Sermon 1 of 7 from the Experiencing God Today: Six Sermons on the Holy Spirit series

A Survival Kit for Tough Times

May 08, 2005

Sermon 24 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

Take Me to Your Leaders

May 01, 2005

Sermon 23 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

Never Be Surprised by Hard Times

April 24, 2005

Sermon 22 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

The Treasure Principle

April 17, 2005

Sermon 2 of 2 from the The Treasure Principle series

Fear Factor

April 10, 2005

Sermon 1 of 2 from the The Treasure Principle series

The Day Before the End of the World

April 03, 2005

Sermon 21 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

A Tale of Two Men

March 27, 2005

Sermon 13 of 16 from the Easter Sermons series

Going Against the Flow

March 20, 2005

Sermon 20 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

The Triumphant Christ

March 13, 2005

Sermon 19 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

Are You Prepared to Suffer for Christ?

March 06, 2005

Sermon 18 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

How to Inherit a Blessing

February 20, 2005

Sermon 17 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

Unhindered Prayers

February 13, 2005

Sermon 16 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

Inner Beauty

February 06, 2005

What is inner beauty that lasts and how do we get it? In today’s quest for physical beauty amidst a burgeoning population of aging Boomers who are finding it difficult to reconcile the ravages of time on their bodies, surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures are seeing explosive growth in this country. This craze is not particular only to celebrities and socialites but now includes the rest of society who can afford the cost of the procedures. We all want to look good, but all external and applied adornments will fail sooner or later. The Bible puts forth a better goal of the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. There is power and value in this inner beauty that all women can acquire. Scripture gives us a solid example of such beauty in the Old Testament character of Sarah. She was a woman of recognized great beauty in her society but Scripture credits her with a greater inner beauty of character that was more commendable and precious to God, described in First Peter, chapter three. Here, all Christian women are called to be “daughters of Sarah,” to emulate her lasting beauty of character quality and attitude. Ultimately for women, the beauty of eternal value is like that which Jesus demonstrated in his submission to and hope in God, in doing what is right without giving way to fear. This is true beauty in God’s sight.

Sermon 15 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

In His Steps

January 30, 2005

The Christian walk is synonymous with innocent suffering and pain, through which Christ our Lord suffered and died. He left us all an example of how to follow him in this. A Christian’s call to this behavior goes against the grain of his human tendencies: to suffer unjust treatment without retaliation, trusting only that God would be the judge of things ultimately. Jesus lived the sacrificial life to which he calls all his believers. It is a life that leads to the cross, and he has modeled how to live this sacrificial life for us. When we suffer unjustly, we share in a tiny portion of what happened to him. When we are mistreated, we are to turn the other check, bless those who curse us, and return good for evil. We are not to retaliate, not to threaten, not to get even. Jesus showed us how to live, and he showed us how to die. This response is a miracle in itself and is under girded and made possible only by the gift of grace from God.

Sermon 14 of 24 from the Strangers in a Strange Land (1 Peter) series

Great Joy in the City

January 09, 2005

Throughout history, God has grown and moved his church as his people scattered to diverse locations geographically. This pattern has not changed and believers are still called to grow and expand as a church today, whether we move across national boundaries, ethnic and cultural boundaries, or do church planting in our immediate communities. Beginning with the first generation of believers in the book of Acts, we hear of Phillip, who was emboldened and changed by the power of God as he moved out in obedience to spread the Gospel. Despite severe persecution, great joy descended on those who received the truth that came with power. In this present age, we have the account of the phenomenal growth of the church in China. In 1949 all Christian missionaries were evicted leaving less than one million indigenous believers behind. They faced relentless bloodbaths and eradication. Yet the church grew in the midst of that persecution when determined believers scattered and went underground. The challenge to believers today remains the same—to be willing to be moved out of our personal comfort zones, to walk in faith, to make personal sacrifices, and most importantly, to trust God for our personal well-being and needs.

Sermon 1 of 1 from the The Church in Many Places series

The Church in Many Places

January 02, 2005

God uses catastrophe and disasters to scatter the church so that His word can be spread to all parts of the world. We can become comfortable and content in our lives, but God in His sovergn nature does things we are not used to.

Sermon 2 of 2 from the You Can Stumble But You Won't Fall series