Sermons found for the topic Doubt

If I Believe, Why Do I Doubt?

This is a sermon about a topic we rarely discuss in church. This is a sermon about doubt. As such, it is an unfamiliar topic to most people, even though there are whole books of the Bible that deal with the issue of d More

The Apostle Who Would Not Believe: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Broken Dreams - John 20:24-29

Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned acts of God? That’s a good question to ask on Easter Sunday. Most of us, I suppose, would immediately answer, “Yes, I believe 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 bl More

Song of a Slipping Saint - Psalm 73

“When we put our coming glory on the scales of eternity, the passing prosperity of the wicked amounts to nothing at all.” More

When Life Goes Bad - Revelation 2:8-11

To those who stand strong in the midst of trials, the best is yet to come. We will receive the “crown of life” and reign with Jesus forever. The “second death” in hell cannot touch us at all. More

Can God Set a Table in the Wilderness? - Psalm 78:19

Can God set a table in the wilderness? Yes, he can. But you’ll never know as long as you stay in Egypt. More

Church of the Living Dead - Revelation 3:1-6

The Sardis spirit overtakes us whenever we begin to take God’s gifts for granted. How quickly we can become the Church of the Living Dead and not even know it. More

Walk on Water, Pete! - Matthew 14:22-33

Christ calls us to find out what he is doing in the world, and then to fling ourselves wholeheartedly into his cause. Staying in the boat may be comfortable and safe, but that’s not what the life of faith is all about. More

When Jesus Comes to Church - Revelation 2:1-7

How easy it is to substitute knowledge for a warm heart toward Jesus. How quickly we justify our hard hearts by pointing to all our well-intentioned religiosity. More

What Christ Does With Failure - John 21

John 21 is in the Bible so that all of us Peter-types would know that though we fall again and again, by God’s grace we can keep on getting back up. If he did it for Peter, he can do it for me and for you. More

Why Jericho Fell - Hebrews 11:30

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. More

A Desperate Man’s Desperate Prayer - Jonah 2

God will do whatever it takes to bring us to the place where we remember him. He’ll stop at nothing. Whatever it takes to get us on our knees is good for our spiritual growth. More

Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else - Matthew 6:10

Praying “Your will be done” is an act of God-ordained rebellion. This is not a prayer for the weak or the timid. This is a prayer for troublemakers and rabblerousers. More

Strength for the Journey - 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

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. More

The Blessing of a Believing Spouse - Hebrews 11:11-12

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. More

Are We All Hindus Now? - Exodus 20:1

Christians must reassert the supernatural basis of the Christian faith. We must not stutter where God has spoken clearly. And we must make clear the utterly exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. More

Knocked Down But Not Knocked Out - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

So what can we expect as Christians who live in this world? Well, we can say with Jimmy Stewart, it’s a wonderful life. But it’s not an easy life. More

Something Big Is Happening Here - Ephesians 3:10

When we face hard times and when life makes no sense whatsoever, we need to stop and say to ourselves, “Something big is happening here.” God never wastes anything. Not even the tiniest tear falls without a purpose. More

Death is Not the End of Our Story - 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Death will not have the last word for Jesus has conquered the grave. Because he rose, we too shall rise. More

Going All In: “The Third Day He Rose from the Dead” - I Corinthians 15:17-19

Dr. Billy Graham once told Time magazine, “If I were an enemy of Christianity, I would aim right at the Resurrection, because that is the heart of Christianity.” The founder of the Jesus seminar, Dr. More

Invitation to the Heart of God - Matthew 6:9

We approach the Lord’s Prayer with humility, saying with the first disciples, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Through prayer we journey from wherever we are on earth to the very heart of God. More

Living on a Spiritual Plateau–Part 1 - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Spiritual plateaus, like physical plateaus, are natural and normal and necessary. They are part of God’s “scenery” of the Christian life. More

Where is Jesus When We Need Him? - Luke 24

Earlier this week I took a bike ride along the Natchez Trace. Exiting at Friendship Road, I rode a mile or two and came to Friendship Baptist Church, a neatly-kept brick building at the intersection of two country roa More

What If - 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

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. More

How Faith Works - Luke 7:1-10

The life of faith is inherently a life of risk. It is not for those timid souls who want to play it safe all the time. As long as we limit God to what we think he can do, we will never see anything great because our faith remains so small. But once we are willing to suspend our disbelief and renounce our skepticism, then and only then do we become candidates for a miracle. More

By Faith - Hebrews 11:1-2

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. More

The Next Hero - Hebrews 11:39-40

Hebrews 11 is God’s “Perpetual Plaque” of those who lived by faith. And if you look closely, you can see there is plenty of room for more names. There’s room for you and there’s room for me. 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

Doubters Welcome - John 20:24-29

Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in honest-to-goodness, old-fashioned acts of God? That’s a good question to ask on Easter Sunday.Most of us, I suppose, would immediately answer,"Yes, I believe in mi More

“In the Beginning": The Most Important Verse in the Bible - Genesis 1:1

True faith must begin with the very first verse of the Bible. If you can believe Genesis 1:1, you won’t have any problems with the rest of the Bible. Truth begins with God. That’s why the Bible begins with this verse. More

Easter Questions - Luke 24:1-12

Can a person who calls himself a Christian ever doubt the resurrection of Jesus Christ? This morning I am going to argue that the answer to that question is Yes!It may sound odd to say that to a group like this on Ea More

Faithful to the Fallen - Luke 22:31-32

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-32 This text gives us More

Faithful to Finish His Work in You - Philippians 1:6

“The life of a Christian is a series of miracles.” So said Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great British preacher of the 19th century. If he is correct, why don’t we ever talk about those miracles? When a More

Faithful to the Defeated - Lamentations 3:22-23

The year was 1866, and in a log cabin in the little town of Franklin, Kentucky, Thomas Obadiah Chisholm was born. Although he never went to high school or college, he became an elementary school teacher at age 16. Fiv More

Faithful to the Tempted - I Corinthians 10:13; Genesis 39

We begin with two quotations. The first comes from British playwright Oscar Wilde who said, “I can resist anything except temptation.” We smile when we read those words because they speak an important truth More

What Difference Does Easter Make? - Various

If Easter had not happened, Christmas would have no meaning. If Easter had not happened, Christmas would be nothing more than a sweet-sounding fable. If Easter is not true, then Christmas is only the story of an obscure baby born in an out-of-the-way town in a forgotten land 2000 years ago. It is the great miracle of Easter that gives Christmas its true meaning. More

Doubt and Faith at Christmastime

DOUBT AND FAITH AT CHRISTMASTIME By Ray Pritchard An e-mail arrived a few days ago from someone who wanted to know how to deal with doubt. I wrote back and said not to worry, we all doubt from time to time and doubt can actually be good for the soul. A second message arrived a day later: “I wanted to tell you that I ve… More

Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23

Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: “Isn’t it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?” I am thankf More

Forever and Ever, Amen! - Matthew 19:6

Let’s begin with a little quiz. What well-known television actor said the following? “To me the greatest Latin lover in the world was may Dad, who married my mother and was faithful to her until the day More

Miracles Come in Many Varieties - Hebrews 11:33-38

I cannot promise you an easy road if you decide to follow Jesus Christ. But I can promise you this. You will be blessed and you won’t be sorry. And in the end, you will discover that the life of faith is full of adventure, and you will be glad you weren’t a couch potato but dared to make a difference in the world. More

How to Kill a Giant - 1 Samuel 17

If you are in the will of God, the giants who fight you are actually fighting God. That’s why God sends giants in our path on a regular basis: First, to see if we will run or fight. Second, to allow us an opportunity to honor our God. More

The Oldest Dad in the Nursery - Romans 4:18-25

Let’s start off with a bit of historic trivia. Who is oldest mother in history? I’m going to give you four choices:Ellen Ellis Ruth Alice Kistler Murphy Brown None of the Above According to the Guinness Bo More

What is Saving Faith?

The question, “What is saving faith?” 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. More

Are You Living By Creative Risk? - Matthew 4:22-32

It was Helen Keller who said, “Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all.” Those words would ring true no matter who said them, but coming from someone who lived a life like Helen Keller, More

The Hardest Prayer You Will Ever Pray - Matthew 6:10

Some prayers are harder to pray than others. I learned that thirty-three years ago when my father died. One October day he felt a pain in his shoulder. The doctors later said it was transferred pain from a bacterial i More

Christ B.C. Part IV: Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23

Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: “Isn’t it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?” I am tha More

But God Remembered Noah: Hope for Those Who Feel Forgotten - Genesis 8:1

The story of Noah is very exciting until you get to Genesis 7. At that point, the story seems to get bogged down in details. There is information about the various animals brought on board, and also a very specific ac More

Prophet on the Run - 1 Kings 19:1-9

The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat the truth about its heroes. It gives us the whole story, the good news and the bad news at the same time. When the Bible describes the great heroes of the Old Testament and the New Te 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 que More