Sermons found for the topic Election

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

Why God Chooses Splendid Sinners and Lovable Losers - 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

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. More

Love One Another Deeply - I Peter 1:22-25

I have three things on my mind that I want to talk to you about. These are really three different things, and apparently unconnected, but perhaps by the end of the message, you will see there is a common thread runnin 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 lifeâ€� by taking our Christian convictions with us into the voting booth. More

Straight Talk About Predestination - Romans 9:19-29

In the history of the Christian church, few doctrines have been so hotly debated as the doctrine of predestination. Since predestination is a biblical concept, we must face this doctrine squarely whether we like it or not. It’s in the Bible, therefore we must first seek to understand it and then to ask what difference it makes. More

Living in the Fear of God - I Peter 1:17-21

After a six-week break, we are returning to our study of I Peter. I want to begin by reminding you that Peter wrote this letter to believers scattered across ancient Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Widely separated an More

How to be a Godly Rebel - Romans 13:1-7

Winston Churchill once remarked that "democracy is the worst form of government until you consider the alternatives." How true. Democracy is messy and difficult and maddeningly slow because it depends on the will of 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

Turn, Turn, Turn - 1 Thessalonians 1

A few days ago a friend sent me an email telling about a question posed to her by a co-worker. Here is the exact text of the question: How is a Christian defined? It used to be that if you were not Jewish or Hindu More

Winning and Losing

Once again I am writing this column with the results of the presidential election still undecided. It occurs to me that although a week has passed, we don’t seem to be any closer to a solution-though of course the whole matter may be settled by the time you read this, but I’m not hopeful in that regard. Despite th… More

What Is At Stake

On November 7 the American people will elect a new president and vice president, 435 members of the House of Representatives, and one-third of the Senate. In addition, there are thousands of statewide and local races that will be decided on that day. How should Christians approach their responsibilities in the coming electi… 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

Servanthood: The Mark of Authentic Leadership - Various

Warren Bennis is an educator, a philosopher, an author, a scholar and a keen observer of the American scene. These are his words. "Leadership is a word that is on everyone's lips. The young fight against it. Police se More

Why Jericho Fell - Hebrews 11:30

Hebrews 11:30 says that “by faithâ€� 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

Plan B Living

PLAN B LIVING by Ray Pritchard Some time ago I heard the following statement on the radio and thought it was worth passing along: “The key to success in life is how well you adapt to Plan B.” There is a world of truth in that simple sentence. So many of us go through life frustrated because we're still working on … More

Sense and Nonsense about God's Guidance - Exodus 13:21-22; Psalm 48:14

In 1988 something new happened in the American political process. That year, for the first time in a long time, an avowedly evangelical candidate ran for the presidency of the United States.We all remember that Georg More

How God Destroys Human Pride - I Corinthians 1:26-31

What sort of people does God look for when he gets ready to populate heaven? If heaven has an admissions committee, what qualifications do committee members look for? That's not an idle question. We tell our young peo More

After You've Done Something Stupid

AFTER YOU’VE DONE SOMETHING STUPID by Ray Pritchard The headline told the story: “Politicians' Private Lives Disappearing.”� The writer began by discussing Bill Clinton's moral failures while he was president. Those failings are well known to us all and don't need to be repeated here. Then the writer discuss… 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

WMBI Commentaries - Various

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

From Oak Park to the Ends of the Earth: God's Plan for Calvary Memorial Church - Acts 1:8

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8Last week we talked about the first half 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

Darwin's Delusion: Why I Believe in Creation - Various

To many modern thinkers this sermon would seem incredible, like a relic of the Dark Ages, a living fossil, a sermon that might have been preached during the Colonial Era but not at the end fo the twentieth century.. More

Why the World Hates "Christers"

WHY THE WORLD HATES “CHRISTERS” by Ray Pritchard William F. Buckley has just published a column with the provocative title, “Bush is Evil.” It begins this way: “In a private forum the question arose, Why do they hate Bush so? And what will they do with that hatred? How far can they carry it? How… More

The Howard Dean Syndrome

THE HOWARD DEAN SYNDROME by Ray Pritchard Howard Dean is an angry man. You can tell by the way he talks to people. You can also tell because lots of people are talking about how angry he is. I'm writing these words the day after the New Hampshire primary where he lost for the second time in a week to John Kerry. Maybe he's … More

Truth or Consequences - Exodus 20:16

When I was growing up my mother had a little rhyme she often repeated to her four sons. You probably heard it many times while you were growing up: Sticks and stones may break my bones But words will never hurt m More

The Best Defense for a Bad Memory

THE BEST DEFENSE FOR A BAD MEMORY by Ray Pritchard “An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips”� (Proverbs 24:26). This verse will suggest different things to different people. What exactly does it mean and what is the relationship between an honest answer and a kiss on the lips? I think there are three points o… More

Will Everyone Eventually Be Saved? - II Peter 3:9

I can think of only four ways to answer the question raised in the title of this sermon:1) Everyone will eventually be saved.2) No one will eventually be saved.3) Some will be saved and some will be lost.4) There is n More

God's Mountain Man - 1 Kings 17:1

Last December right after the tsunami disaster, my friend Ramesh Richard, a professor at Dallas Seminary, sent an email that contained a simple, one-sentence prayer. He called it a "dangerous prayer." The moment I saw More

Asymmetric Spiritual Warfare

Are you familiar with term asymmetric warfare? It's a concept that has received lots of news coverage in the recent years as a result of the war on terrorism. The word asymmetric refers to something that is out of bal More

The Value of a Broken Heart - Romans 9:1-5

This week we are beginning a new series called "Understanding God's Plan" from Romans 9-11. This is one of the most overlooked passages in the New Testament. It is certainly the most overlooked section in the book of More

God's Word Has Not Failed - Romans 9:6-18

For many people no question seems as puzzling as the problem of unanswered prayer. Why is it that some things we pray about are never answered? We could all spend hours remembering times when we prayed and prayed, o More

God's Freedom - Romans 9:6-18

While studying Romans 9, I was struck by Paul's question in verse 14: "Is God unjust?" In our hearts we already know the answer. God is not unjust. But oftentimes he seems inconsistent. The very examples Paul chooses More

Has God Lost the Battle? - Romans 11:1-10

In this sermon series we are looking at Romans 9-11, arguably the three most difficult chapters in the New Testament. I've called it "Understanding God's Plan" because these chapters help us understand the flow of eve More

God's Freedom - Romans 9:6-18

While studying Romans 9, I was struck by Paul's question in verse 14: "Is God unjust?" In our hearts we already know the answer. God is not unjust. But oftentimes he seems inconsistent. The very examples Paul chooses More

Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful God - Romans 11:30-32

Earlier this week I received a copy of John Ensor's book The Great Work of the Gospel. In the first chapter, he examines the question, What motivates God to make the astonishing offer to forgive all our sins? Taking h More

Who is That Baby? - Hebrews 1:1-3

We live in a day when Christmas has become a controversial holiday. If you doubt that statement, just try putting up a manger scene on public property. Or try saying "Merry Christmas" instead of the ubiquitous "Happy More

What is a Christian? - 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10

A friend sent me an email telling about a question posed to her by a co-worker. Here is the exact text of the question:How is a Christian defined? It used to be that if you were not Jewish or Hindu or Buddhist, you we More

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

About six months ago I received a letter from Pat Williams, Executive Vice-President of the Orlando Magic (a pro basketball team in the NBA). Although I had never met Mr. Williams, I knew he was a brilliant sports exe More

What Angels Wish They Knew - I Peter 1:10-12

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in th More

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

Sleeping Together and Christ’s Global Cause

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. More

How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit? - Ephesians 5:18

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? More

Senator Lieberman Gets It Right

A few days ago Senator Joseph Lieberman came to Chicago to meet with a group of local religious leaders. A day earlier he was in Detroit speaking at an inner city church called Fellowship Chapel. During his remarks in both places he made headline news with his emphasis on the important role religious faith plays in the Amer… 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

Reconciliation: Enemies No More - Various

The year was 1968 and America was a troubled nation. That summer the inner cities of America's great cities burst into flames. That fall America's campuses were filled with protest against the war in Southeast Asia. A 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

Empty on the Inside: How God Reveals Himself to Us - Acts 17:26-28

In his book, Therefore Stand (written in 1945), Wilbur Smith has a chapter on Paul's speech to the Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34). Along the way he comments on the similarity between ancient Athens and modern America. For More

The Sex Education Crisis in the Garland Public Schools

It all began on Sunday, February 28, 1988, when the following headline appeared on the front page of the Garland Daily News: "District Faces Sex Education." The subhead told the rest of the story: "Trustees Consider F More