Sermons found for the topic Alcohol

A Warning to Wine-Drinkers - Romans 14:13-23

Christian Liberty - You are free! Absolutely free. Christ has liberated you from the terrible burden of having to prove your worth by keeping a set of rules. You are free from the law, free from rule keeping, and free to make responsible choices. God has set you free so that you can please him with the choices you make. More

This Bud's For You: The Christian And The Use Of Alcohol

This is not the first time I have addressed this subject. Over the 13 years I have served as a pastor, the subject has come up again and again. A few days before I preached on this subject in my church in Texas, I cam More

Do You Know What Time It Is? - Romans 13:11-14

Christians, do you know what time it is? The Apostle Paul tells us it’s time to wake up, put off the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. In light of the return of Christ, and the lateness of the hour, how should we then live? More

Abstain! - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality" (1 Thessalonians 4:3 New King James Version).There are not many things from which the Bible tells us to abstain. The More

The Dubious Disciples: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Limited Faith - Mark 6:32-44

Here's a letter I recently received from a prisoner in the Cook County jail. Just before Christmas we donated 500 copies of the book An Anchor for the Soul to the "Am I My Brother's Keeper?" ministry to be given out t More

Portrait of a Godly Leader - I Timothy 3; Titus 1

We begin with the words of Robert Cook: "There is no substitute for character. You can buy brains, but you can't buy character." When it comes to selecting leaders, nothing is more important than godly character. Y More

Free at Last - Romans 6:1-7

There are many reasons people give for not becoming a Christian. Most of those reasons are in the form of either excuses or misunderstandings. But there is at least one reason that bears some consideration.The woman More

The Truth About You - Ephesians 2:1-3

A quarter-century ago psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a landmark book titled Whatever Became of Sin? In it he frames the question this way:In all the laments and reproaches made by our seers and prophets, one misses More

The Agape Factor: 12 Ways to Love - Romans 12:9-16

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 More

God Finishes What He Starts - 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do i More

Sobriety: Knowing When to Say No

SOBRIETY KNOWING WHEN TO SAY NO “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Proverbs 20:1 There are a great many references to wine, strong drink, and drunkenness scattered throughout the Bible. The earliest reference is in Genesis, the last in Revelation. The total number of … More

Only One Gospel: Why We Preach an Unpopular Doctrine - Galatians 1:1-10

Today we are beginning a brand-new sermon series on the book of Galatians. Whenever a pastor starts a new series, especially an exposition of a book of the Bible, it's always useful to know why this book and why now. More

Does Jesus Live in Oak Park? - Galatians 5:19-26

"Perfect what you have begun, and grant me what you have made me long for." Prayer of Anselm of CanterburyThis week I was reading a massive book by Donald L. Miller called City of the Century. Subtitled "The Epic of C More

We Shall Be Like Him: The Purifying Hope of Christ's Return - I John 3:1-3

Shortly before his recent death, ex-Beatle George Harrison was asked about his spiritual journey. The question was apt since it was Harrison who introduced the Beatles to Eastern religion in the 60s and (after the gro More

Overcoming Self-Importance - II Kings 5

This is the story of a soldier who met God. As we will see, this is one of those biblical stories that at first glance may seem rather remote from life in the 21st-century, but in the end proves the old adage that the More

Lucky to Love - I Thessalonians 3:10-13

"Prayer is not everything but everything is by prayer." So said Ray Ortlund. All Christians would agree with that statement. No matter what our background, instinctively we know that prayer is central to the Christian More

WMBI Commentaries - Various

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Get Your Mind in Gear - I Peter 1:13-16

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you More

Dice in the Prayer Meeting: Making Tough Decisions with God's Help - Acts 1:21-26

4 … 9 … 30 … 34 … 48 … 8. Do you know what those numbers mean? Frank and Shirley Capaci of Streamwood know because those numbers won them $104 million this week in the largest lott More

Is It Becoming Easier to Say "I Was Wrong?" - Luke 15:21

The eyes of the nation focused on Milwaukee for one brief moment this week. Inside a hushed courtroom Jeffrey Dahmer entered a formal plea to the charges against him. First the reading of the charges. Then the que More

How Are You Fixed For Friends? - John 3:33-34

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 More

Life-Changing, Heart-Moving, World-Shaking Prayer - 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

"Prayer is not everything but everything is by prayer." So said Ray Ortlund. All Christians would agree with that statement. No matter what our background, instinctively we know that prayer is central to the Christ More

When We Stop Playing Games

WHEN WE STOP PLAYING GAMES by Ray Pritchard The call came from an old friend, someone I have known for over 40 years. His marriage was in serious trouble, and more importantly, he saw clearly that unless he changed from the inside out, what happened to his marriage wouldn’t really matter. His wife wasn’t the probl… More

The Overcoming Series

THE OVERCOMING SERIES by Ray Pritchard Everyone has a story to tell, even the people who seem to smile all the time. This is one of the first things a young pastor learns when he graduates from seminary and begins his ministry. Some people look so well-adjusted and happy that you think they don’t have a care in the wor… More

Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - I Corinthians 2:1-5

"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 mess More

Forgiveness and the Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6:12

"Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12 KJV).The fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer seems simple enough, but simple things can sometimes be very deep. Everyone agrees that this is a difficult w More

The Life God Blesses - II Timothy 2:14-26

Almost five years ago we started sending free copies of my books to prisoners across America. Through a partnership with Prison Fellowship, we have distributed tens of thousands of copies of Keep Believing, What a Chr More

Come Before Winter - II Timothy 4:9-22

Three things—apparently unrelated—have come together in my mind as I have prepared this message.First, in just a few days we will come to the second anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place on More

Some Advice to the Discontented - Jeremiah 29:4-6

Ever since the beginning of creation, when the first creatures came from the hand of God, there has always been someone, somewhere, unhappy with his position in the universe. It all started with an angel named Luci More

Grow Up! - 1 Corinthians 13:7

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you weren't married? If somehow you were suddenly single again? No matter how happy your marriage is, every honest person would have to answer yes to those questions More

Swimming Upstream - Romans 12:2

There are times when we need to see a familiar verse in a new way. The ESV translates the first part of Romans 12:2 this way: "Do not be conformed to this world." Simple, clear and concise. But what exactly does Paul More

How to Kill a New Christian - Part 1 - Romans 14:1-12

Part 1. There are many ways to kill the faith of a new Christian, but the easiest way - and the quickest - is through criticism and a lack of acceptance. We all have a tendency to criticize people who don’t do or say things the way we think they ought to be said or done. Terrible things can happen when we are too quick to offer personal judgments on believers who don’t meet our personal standards. How can we overcome the impulse to criticize our brothers and sisters in Christ? More

Breaking Points - Isaiah 40:28-31

Everyone has a story to tell, even the people who seem to smile all the time. This is one of the first things a young pastor learns when he graduates from seminary and begins his ministry. Some people look so well-adj More

Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

"I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (v. 2). We have a word for people like Paul. We call a person like him a “one-note Johnny." He was a man of o More

The First National Bank of Heaven - Matthew 6:19-21

The results are in and the voters have spoken. Last night Edwin Edwards swamped David Duke in the governor's race down in Louisiana. That is not a great surprise, given the avalanche of negative publicity against Da More

The Curse on Canaan And the Problem of Racism - Genesis 9:18-29

It has been a long time since I addressed the topic of racism from the pulpit. The last time I devoted an entire sermon to this issue was in March, 1994. I am returning to that topic today because it is impossible to More

Hope for Tomorrow: How God Keeps His Promises - Genesis 11:10-32

This is the 19th and final sermon in the series on Genesis 1-11 that we started in late April. Almost five and a half months later, we have come to the end. In bringing this series to a close, I feel as if I should co More

Overcoming a Judgmental Spirit - Romans 14:1-12

Christians love to fight over our deeply-held beliefs. Unfortunately, sometimes we fight for things that don't matter very much.Once upon a time a man took a walk and came to a bridge. When he got to the middle of the More

Overcoming Boredom - Ecclesiastes 9:10; Colossians 3:17

A ten-year-old boy was asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Influenced by the threat of nuclear war and the reality of terrorist attacks around the world, the boy thought for a moment and then replied wit More

Overcoming Lingering Bitterness - Genesis 45

On Thursday morning, November 21, as the sun was peeking over the horizon in the port city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, Bonnie Penner Witherall was up early. On this day she was going to work at the prenatal clinic t More

When God Comes Near: "I Believe in the Holy Spirit" - John 7:37-39

"On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water w More

Strangers in a Strange Land - I Peter 1:1-2

Today we are beginning a journey through I Peter. I encourage you to crease your Bible open to this little book because we're going to be here for several months. We're going to go through this epistle verse-by-verse More

God Guarantees Our Salvation - I Peter 1:3-5

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that More

Real Hope for Lasting Change - I Corinthians 6:9-11

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the gre More

Choose Life! - Deuteronomy 30:19-20

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. More

Justification: Not Guilty! - Various

Some of you may recognize the name P.P. Bliss. If you know evangelical music and hymnology, you may have seen his name in our hymnal. He was a man who served as a musical song writer and associate evangelist for the g More

Famine in the Promised Land - Genesis 12:10-20

"Smart people sometimes do some very stupid things." A few years ago Jim Warren shared a statement with me that a friend had shared with him. It goes like this. "When hard times come, we always have two choices. W More

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit: The Source of Our Power - Acts 1:4-5

"I believe baptism in the Holy Ghost is exactly on the same plane as baptism in water—we never need to repeat it." W. H. Griffith ThomasWith this topic we venture deep into the waters of theological controversy More

You Will Be My Witnesses: God's Job Description for Every Christian - Acts 1:8

I first heard the question 27 years ago from my friend, Ben Wilkinson, a Presbyterian evangelist. He came to the First Presbyterian Church of Russellville, Alabama for a week of evangelistic meetings. During the morni More

The Gift that Never Grows Old - Romans 12:8

Some of you have heard this story, but it bears repeating. About 16 years ago some researchers decided to find out if seminarians really were Good Samaritans. In order to conduct their experiment, they enlisted 40 v More