Sermons found for the topic Baptism

Taking The Plunge

Of all the issues that divide Christians, none is more hotly debated than the issue of baptism. For centuries godly men and women have come down on different sides of this question. Entire denominations have sprung up 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

The Triumphant Christ - I Peter 3:18-22

This is the hardest passage in the New Testament. That’s what my Greek professor said when we were studying I Peter in seminary. I recall him saying that there are so many possible views about these verses that More

First Century Patterns For 21st-Century Churches - Various

How closely should local churches follow the patterns of the New Testament? The answer is, as closely as possible, understanding that no one is 100% consistent and that outward forms will change over time. That means we need to focus on the key functions of the church, giving freedom to differ on how those functions are expressed. More

The Holy Spirit and the Gift of Tongues - Article C: The Holy Spirit - Various

There are two problems a pastor faces whenever he comes to speak on a topic as controversial as speaking in tongues. The first is that the subject is so vast that he cannot hope to cover it completely. It would take More

Why Good People Won't Go to Heaven - Romans 10:1-4

I'd like to talk to you about who goes to heaven. We all know that the Bible teaches the reality of heaven and the reality of hell. Jesus himself spoke of both places many times. All of us, I'm sure, would like to More

Noah's Ark: A Picture of Salvation - Genesis 6:9-22

The story of Noah and the Ark is more popular than ever before. Even people who don't know the Bible and never come to church know about Noah, his big boat, and all those animals coming in two by two. Two giraffes. Tw 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

Born Free: Seven Promises You Can Count On - Galatians 3:15-4:11

The book of Galatians is all about how we can be right with God. Paul wrote this little "emergency letter" to remind us that being right with God is about believing, not achieving. Salvation is not about going to chur More

When Christians Disagree - Acts 16:36-41

Christians disagree about almost everything. And when we disagree, we usually start a new church. Which reminds me of a story I heard a few years ago. A Scottish Presbyterian is rescued after many years of living alon More

God of the Impossible - Genesis 17

J. Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary to China, said these words: "There are three stages in any great work attempted for God: impossible, difficult, done." I was reminded of those words this week when I visited Bob More

Can a Person Be Too Religious? - Romans 2:17-29

We begin this study with the question posed in the title: "Can a Person Be Too Religious?" On one hand, the question seems to imply a Yes answer. Certainly some people, the question seems to say, are too religious. Th More

Led by the Spirit into the Wilderness - Luke 4:1-14

This is the second message in our new series on the Holy Spirit. Last Sunday we talked about John 3:8 and how the Holy Spirit is the wind—invisible, unpredictable, uncontrollable. He comes and goes as he wishes; More

The Mother of Twins: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Misguided Ambition - Matthew 20:20-28

This is the story of a mother who wanted only the best for her twin boys. Because she loved them and was proud of them and because she had great dreams for them, she came to Jesus one day with an audacious request. Sh More

Righteousness is a Five Letter Word - Romans 4:9-12

Certain subjects present a preacher with unusual problems. There are some subjects that quite simply make people uncomfortable no matter how you deal with them. Circumcision is one of those subjects. No matter what I More

You Are What You Believe: Why the Apostles’ Creed Matters - Romans 1:16

This sermon gives the history of how the Apostles’ Creed came about and explains the importance it has in the Christian church throughout history aa well as in our individual lives. The Apostles’ Creed is a declaration of faith recognized by all branches of true Christianity. For 2,000 years the Apostles’ Creed has served as a succinct statement of the irreducible minimum of the Christian faith. It is the common heritage of the true Christian church. It offers a broad survey of Christian doctrine, that focuses all on God as the object of the faith, and what he has done for believers. In this declaration of beliefs, the God of the Christian church is sharply distinguished from the gods of other religions by what he has done for his believers. The authority of these statements of belief embodied in the Apostles’ Creed lies entirely on the Word, that is the Bible, and not on any personal or private interpretations. It follows then that a person who professes to be a Christian must therefore subscribe or believe in everything stated in this creed, at the very least, as a start of what the Christian must believe. The Creed reminds us that truth is not optional. There are boundaries to the Christian faith. Not everything is negotiable. Some things must be believed if you are to call yourself a Christian. You can choose to live outside those boundaries, but if you do, you aren’t a Christian and you shouldn’t call yourself one. More

Should Our Teachers Be Required to Sign the Articles of Faith? - Various

Tonight we are beginning a brand-new series of Sunday night messages. As you know, I usually take books of the Bible on a chapter-by-chapter basis on Sunday night. This series is a major departure from that pattern. More

The Text That Changed the World - Romans 1:16-17

Certain texts of the Bible are so familiar to the Christian that they require almost no introduction. They are the texts we learned from our very first days in Sunday School. We know them, we love them, their words ar More

Martin Luther's Highway to Heaven - Romans 1:16-17

It is a mark of our changing times that many people have only a vague idea who Martin Luther is. Most of us have heard his name but we're not sure where he's from or what he did or when he lived. Some of us even get More

What is Saving Faith? - Romans 10:9-10

The question posed by my title is not as easily answered as one might assume. It is evident from reading the New Testament that not everyone who "believes" truly possesses saving faith. Jesus himself warned in Matthew More

Three Steps To Victory - Romans 6:8-14

Certain subjects are of perennial interest to thoughtful Christians. Whenever a pastor deals with one of those subjects, he knows that most of the people will be right with him from the very beginning. It may be Bible 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

How to Kill a New Christian - Part 2 - Romans 14:1-12

Christians have always disagreed - a lot! And it’s not a bad thing. But there is always a danger that our own personal preferences will grow so important that we no longer accept our brothers and sisters in the Lord who disagree with us. The great unifying factor for the people of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has broken down the wall that separated us from God and from one another. In Him we are joined together in the body of Christ. If we truly believe in Him, we can let Him deal with those who disagree with us. In the meantime, don’t forget to treat those who disagree as brothers and sisters in the Lord. More

From Rubbish to Jesus - Philippians 3:1-11

To me the most arresting part of this passage is verse 8. I am struck by one word Paul uses to describe his own life. Listen to what he says, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing grea More

Groundbreaking Sunday

GROUNDBREAKING SUNDAY by Ray Pritchard The elders have designated June 29 as Groundbreaking Sunday for our renovation project. A number of unique features will make it a Sunday unlike any other in the history of our church. Here are the details: On that Sunday there will be only one service, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. W… More

The Day God Died: "Crucified, Died" - Hebrews 9-10

The Apostles' Creed contains four phrases that refer to the death of Jesus Christ:Crucified,Died,Buried,Descended into Hell.If you think about it, this seems redundant, especially in a Creed where the entire Christian More

Branded for Christ: A Solemn Call to Glory in the Cross - Galatians 6:11-18

Six months after we started, we come at last to the end of our journey through the book of Galatians. It has been an exciting trip! Time and again we have been brought face to face with the grace of God as the only ho 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

God Has a Big Family—Part 1 "I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church" - Matthew 16:18

Jesus said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18 ESV).The Apostles' Creed says, "I believe in the holy catholic church." People say, "I like Jesus, but I don't ca More

Solus Christus: By Christ Alone - Matthew 16:13-18

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the More

What is the Gospel and Why Does It Matter? - Galatians 1:6-10

We begin with these strong words from the Apostle Paul to the churches of Galatia: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel& More

God in Three Persons: A Doctrine We Barely Understand

My problem this morning is simple: to explain a doctrine that all Christians believe but no one really understands. And I have to do it in 30 minutes!So let's start at the very beginning. All Christians believe the do More

Amazing Grace - Ephesians 2:1-10

It is commonly said that Christianity is supremely a religion of grace. And that is certainly true. We sing about grace, we write poems about grace, we name our churches and our children after grace. Across the street More

Tetelestai! - John 19:30

Part six of a sermon series “The seven last words of Christ” - (seven last words of Jesus) More

The Strangest Part of the Creed: He Descended into Hell - I Peter 3:18-19

What happened to Jesus between his death and resurrection? We know his body was buried, but what about his spirit? Where was he and what was he doing between his death at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and his resurrection somet More

Who Do Men Say That I Am? - Matthew 16:13-17

If you ever travel to the Holy Land, one of the places you may visit is an Arab town called Banias. To get there you will have to travel north from Jerusalem to some place like Tiberius or Capernaum and from there tra More

Stumbling Stone or Cornerstone? - Romans 9:30-33

Last week's sermon was called Straight Talk About Predestination. If I were giving someone else advice, I would say that a title like that is just asking for trouble. I think it's called leading with your chin. It's h More

God Unchanging - Romans 11:28-29

When I was a teenager in Alabama, I spent a week at a Methodist church camp. This was during the revolutionary days of the 60s when the talk was of LSD, the Beatles, hippies, the Vietnam War and protest in the street More

What Is Saving Faith?

"Pastor Ray, how can I know that I am truly saved?" The young man standing before me was obviously in some distress. His story was familiar. He had been raised in an evangelical church where he had accepted Christ as More

The God We Hardly Know

David Mains caught me off guard with his question. "If you had to grade your congregation on their knowledge of the Holy Spirit, what grade would you give them?"Up until that moment, the interview had gone well. David More

Peace, Be Still!A Short Sermon from the Sea of Galilee - Mark 4:35-41

Lord, don’t you care - that my child is sick, my marriage is falling apart, I have no money, I feel so alone? All of us have moments when life tumbles in around us, when we feel utterly alone and forgotten by God. In those moments we have a choice to make. More

Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Serious Call to Sexual Purity

I received an email from a young lady I have never met. She happens to live in a country on the other side of the world. Because she reads my weblog, she felt like she could write and share her heart with me. This is More

Deacons & Deaconesses: Servants of Christ

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 b More

What is the Difference Between A Real Christian and a Religious Person? - John 3

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. More

God Has a Big Family—Part 2 "I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church" - Ephesians 4:1-6

"I believe in the holy catholic church." The Apostles' CreedLet's begin at the most basic point. What does the word "church" mean? In the New Testament the word "church" translates the Greek word ekklesia, which itsel 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

A Question for Jesus - Matthew 11:3

If you could have any gift you wanted for Christmas, what would you ask for? That's not an easy question to answer if you start to think about it. Some of us would ask for things. A new car.A new house.A nice blouse.A More

If Archimedes Came to Oak Park

Many years ago (almost 20, to be exact) I took a night course called "Advanced Apologetics" from Dr. John Warwick Montgomery at a place called Melodyland School of Theology. I'm not making up that name. The school met in a big church building located right across the street from Disneyland. At that time I was pastoring a sm… More

"The Witch Doctors Are Liars" - Haiti 1993

You might say that we had a Murphy's Law trip: Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Nothing went as we had planned. Most things weren't even close to the way we planned. Yet God moved above and beyond our 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