Sermons found for the topic Giving

Fear Factor - Acts 20:35

For the past few months I've been preaching a series of sermons from I Peter. We're taking a break from that series for the next two weeks so we can focus on Christian giving. That fact is noteworthy for two reasons:1 More

"They Gave Themselves First to the Lord" Why Giving Begins with the Heart, Not the Pocketbook - II Corinthians 8:1-5

Last night some Moody students came over to our house for some pizza and to watch a football game. One of them asked what I planned to preach on today. When I told him, he said, "Too bad." Then, "Too bad you have to p More

How To Make Your Money Go a Long, Long Way - II Corinthians 9:12-15

The story is told of three tightwads who visited a certain church for the first time. Not wanting to give any money, they deliberately came late so they could skip the offering. They were shocked to discover that in t More

Ballistic Christianity - Matthew 9:35-38

“Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few…’ What did Jesus mean? He meant there were many people ready to be harvested for the Kingdom. All around us there are broken, bleeding, hurting people, ripped apart and left to die, they are ready to be reached if only someone will go to the harvest fields. If only someone will tell them about Jesus. Where are the harvest fields today? Let me name a few …. More

To Tithe Or Not To Tithe - Various

There are certain problems a pastor faces whenever he talks about the subject of giving. Chief among those problems is the problem of boredom. People feel like they already know what he is going to say before he says More

The Treasure Principle - Matthew 6:19-34

This is the second sermon in a two-part miniseries on God and our money. We're doing this because we're praying that God will help us pay off the remainder of the Legacy Campaign debt by Thanksgiving. Our greater goal More

God's Promise to You - Philippians 4:13-23

With this sermon we come to the end of our series from the book of Philippians. I have mentioned several times that this book is essentially a thank-you note from the Apostle Paul to the church at Philippi. He is writ More

Can I Trust God with My Pocketbook? - II Corinthians 9:6-11

I have a friend in California named Rick Gautreaux. Rick used to tell me about his experiences witnessing to a skeptical friend at work. It seems that this friend really has it in for churches in general and preachers More

The First Law of Christian Giving - Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.This week as I studied for this More

The 53rd Sunday - 1 Chronicles 28-29

This morning I am interrupting my series in 1 Thessalonians to preach two sermons on the subject of Christian giving. If you're here as a visitor, please understand that we don't always talk about money on Sunday mor More

Level Three Faith and How to Get There - Hebrews 11:13-16

Every time a church enters a stewardship campaign, there is danger and there is also opportunity. The main danger is that the church will talk so much about money that people will begin to equate the whole of Christia 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

Dear Sarah: A Letter About Forgiveness at Christmastime

(A few days ago I received a letter that took over a month to finally reach me. It came from someone I have never met. Because of the unusual nature of the letter, I began to think about the question, "What does forgi More

Contentment: A "Better" Way to Live - Proverbs 17:1

It didn't start out that way. When Scott and Janet put the kids in the mini-van and took off for Milwaukee, they had no idea. It was just another trip and six of their kids were with them. Scott Willis said, "I barely More

"Everything Comes from You": The Forgotten Secret of Christian Giving - I Chronicles 29:14

When Dusty Baker became the manager of the Chicago Cubs last November, he was asked about the team's long history of post-season futility. Upon being told that the Cubs had not won a playoff series in 94 years (now 95 More

What Moves Your Mountain? - Romans 12:8: I Corinthians 12:9

I'm sure you've heard this definition of a football game: It's an event where 50,000 people who desperately need exercise sit in the stands watching 22 men on the field who desperately need rest. Unfortunately, that More

Don't You Believe in Miracles? - 1 Kings 17:17-24

In the current issue of Dallas Connection, the alumni publication from Dallas Theological Seminary, Greg Hatteberg reflects on his wife's struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. I first met Greg and Lisa when I spoke at the More

How Can I Learn to Forgive? - Matthew 18:21-35

Here are some of the questions people asked about forgiveness: • What really is forgiveness? • How can one do it? • What does it do for the forgiver? • How do you find it in yourself to forg More

The Law of the Harvest: God's Plan for Spiritual Prosperity - Galatians 6:6-10

Over lunch this week, a friend and I discussed the spiritual implications of the terrorist attacks on America. My friend commented that this ought to be a wake-up call to every Christian to seek first the kingdom of G More

Father, Forgive Them

Here is part of an email from a friend:Do you have any suggestions for getting rid of bitterness? What do you do when you are dealing with a situation where you cannot go to the person and discuss the issue with them? More

How God Revealed the Ingratitude of My Own Heart - Romans 1

"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.” (R More

Behind Closed Doors - Hebrews 13:4

There are times when a writer knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he doesn't have to worry about getting the reader's attention. Certain subjects require no gimmicks, tricks or elaborate introductions. Some subje More

Overcoming Materialism - I Timothy 6:17-19

If you are rich, this sermon is for you.There aren't many sermons directed at rich people, but this one is. My text is a word from the Apostle Paul to the rich Christians in the church at Ephesus. The first phrase of More

Who Owns Your Life? - Mark 8:34-38

My subject today—and for the next two Sundays—is money. Contrary to popular belief, most preachers don't enjoy talking about money. No matter how hard you try, someone is almost certain to misunderstand More

When Worship Has Lost Its Worth - Malachi 1-3

Perhaps it only happens in a pastor's family, but when our boys were younger, they used to play church. When we lived in Texas we had a cast-iron stand by the fireplace that held the fireplace tools—the pitchfor More

The Blessed Benefits - Psalm 103:1-5

Many of us need to give God a “one-minute praising” for all his blessings. We’re sure good at telling the Lord what we want him to do for us. We need a good dose of Psalm 103 to wash out that complaining spirit and replace it with a heart of gratitude to the Lord. More

What Children Can Teach Us At Thanksgiving - Psalm 131

Once again the holiday season has rolled around and people are saying, "Where did the year go?" Already the stores are filled with Christmas decorations, children are wondering what they will find under the tree, and More

Joyful Living in a Grumpy World - Philippians 1:1-8

This morning we are beginning a new sermon series from the book of Philippians. By all accounts this is one of the most beloved books in the New Testament. We love to read Philippians and we love to study it and to me More

God Is So Good! - Psalm 107:1

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." 1 Chronicles 16:34a "The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." Psalm 145:9 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in More

Forgiveness: Healing the Hurt We Never Deserved - Matthew 18:21-35

This is the first sermon in a series I never planned to preach. The story of how it came to be starts in February when I spent a week preaching at Word of Life Florida. One day I ate lunch with George Theis, former ex More

Helping Through Prayer - II Corinthians 1:8-11

Prayer helped Paul when he was depressed and discouraged, giving him hope and encouragement through trust in God. Praying for others and the prayers of others for us glorify God, partnering with Him to help those in need and heightening joy as our prayers are answered. More

Love is Blind but Marriage is a Can Opener

Ray: It was a hot night when we got married. Late August in Phoenix, Arizona is always hot but by the time our wedding started, the temperature outside had cooled down to a balmy 97 degrees. Marlene: There weren&rsquo More

How Your Life Can Change Those Around You - I Peter 2:11-12

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may More

The Sin No One Will Admit - Exodus 20:17

We begin the final message in this series with the text of the Tenth Commandment: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or don More

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN: HOW TO HANDLE ANGER AND BITTERNESS - MATTHEW 18:21-35

This is not the first itme I have preached this sermon at Northeast Bible Church. As a matter of fact, I have preached it twice before — the first time in the summer of 1983 and the second time in the summer of 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

Forgiving the Unforgivable

The man called me on the phone and said, "Pastor Ray, could I come see you?" Then he told me his story. "My wife left me for another man and when she got tired of him, she decided to come back to me. Everything seem More

Integrity: The Ultimate Virtue - Various

I want to begin this sermon by giving you a verse of Scripture that is hard to know where it fits. It is Proverbs 24:26. It seems to fit well on the first Sunday of the new year. It says, "An honest answer is like a k More

Christian Aerobics - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

"The mark of true Christian faith is that it changes everything you do and say." Ray StedmanWe have come to the last few verses of 1 Thessalonians. As we begin our study, I would like to remark for a momen More

Three Important Notes

THREE IMPORTANT NOTES by Ray Pritchard 1) “The Passion of the Christ.” The much-discussed movie premieres this Wednesday in theaters around the country. On Saturday afternoon 450 people from Calvary (members, regular attendees, and their guests) will attend a showing of the movie at the Cinemark Theater in Melrose… More

The Positive Power of Forgiveness: "I Believe in the Forgiveness of Sins" - Psalm 130:3-4

If you know a bit about church history, you know that before Martin Luther became the father of the Protestant Reformation, he was a Catholic priest. As part of his training, he spent years studying Greek, Hebrew, Lat More

Is Marriage Really Made in Heaven? - Genesis 2:18-25; Hebrews 13:4

Since this is the first sermon in the God Speaks Today series, I thought we should answer a few key questions up front: More

Forgiving Without Repentance

FORGIVING WITHOUT REPENTANCE by Ray Pritchard After last Sunday's message, a friend sent the following e-mail: “The sermon was a hard one for me this Sunday. Forgiving someone when they refuse to apologize is where I am struggling. I have been hurt too much. Tough!” My friend is right. Forgiving is hard enough eve… More

What We Owe The Past, What We Owe The Future - Psalm 145

75th Anniversary Sermon For my remarks this morning I would like to take one verse of scripture as my beginning point: Romans 13:7. "Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then re 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

The Second Law: God Doesn't Need Us But We Desperately Need Him

Last Sunday we started a new sermon series called The Seven Laws of the Spiritual Life. In this series we are discovering the basic principles of the Christian life that meet us where we are and take us all the way to More

A Friend in High Places - Hebrews 4:14-16

If you were raised in Chicago, you no doubt recognize the name of Mike Royko. For over 30 years he was the voice of Chicago to the nation. At the height of his career over 600 newspapers carried his columns. After he More

Midnight Miracle - Luke 22:49-51

When Jesus is betrayed and arrested, Peter impulsively strikes with his sword to try to protect Him. Jesus rebukes Peter, heals Malchus’ ear and quietly submits, knowing that in the end, God’s will must be done. What should Peter have done? How does a follower of Christ react when all is lost? More

Our Name is Our Mission - President’s report

Dr. Ray Pritchard gives the 2007 President’s Report on the work of Keep Believing Ministries. He explains the thinking behind the Keep Believing logo, reports on various ministry projects, and shares his dreams for the future. More

How to Be a Leader People Want to Follow

Recently I was asked to speak to a group of youth leaders on becoming a credible, authentic leader. In preparing my first message, I decided to focus on two key words. According to the dictionary, the word credible co More