Sermons found for the topic Gratitude

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

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

Grumblers Anonymous - Matthew 20:1-16

This parable is not just teaching us about final rewards. It is also probing at the level of our motives. Why are we doing what we do? If it’s a straight reward you want, fine, you’ll get it. God will never cheat you. But that’s all you’ll get. And you’ll go to heaven grumbling all the way, always checking to see how you are doing compared with someone else - overestimating your own importance and underestimating the grace of God. But if you decide to do your work for the Lord’s sake alone, you will never be disappointed. More

God’s Graffiti - Daniel 5

Babylon became great because of the sovereign blessing of God. In their greatness they forgot about God and began to take him for granted. God judged them and they were no longer a great nation. In the end God judges that nations who forget him, and that judgment often comes at the hands of another nation God raises up for that very purpose. More

Wanted: Bold Believers! - Colossians 4:2-4

Learning how to pray effectively is essential for spiritual growth. Based on the prayers of Paul, we can learn to pray boldly for the commitment of those on the front lines of spiritual conflict, for open doors of opportunity for evangelism, for courage despite difficult circumstances and persecution, and for clarity in presentation of the Gospel – especially encouraging pastors. More

In God’s Waiting Room: Lessons from the “Down Time” of Life

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about" (Acts 1:4). Hav More

Where Are the Nine? - Luke 17:11-19

It is a tribute to modern medicine that most of us know very little about the disease called leprosy. Most of us have never seen a leper. We know only what we read in the Bible.If we had lived in those days, we would More

How We Know What We Know - I Corinthians 2:10-13

"But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows 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

In God's Waiting Room: Lessons from the "Down Time" of Life - Acts 1:4

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about." Acts 1:4Have you ever h 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

The Great Refusal - Hebrews 11:24-28

Because Moses said no to the riches of Egypt, he suffered greatly with the people of God. He shows us what it means—and what it costs—to say no to the world and yes to Jesus. More

“I Want to be Like Jesus”

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a friend writing to another friend with a carbon copy sent to me. These words from a new Christian contain enormous spiritual insight: “When you said, ‘Let Jesus fill you up with Joy,’ I re-read that line about 100 times. I would love that. I will do it. I say now ‘Jesu… 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 Host Who Forgot His Manners: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Spiritual Pride - Luke 7:36-50

This text is one of the great short stories of the Bible. A Hollywood writer could turn it into a terrific one-hour drama on TV. You might call it "The Preacher and the Prostitute," or you could call it "Guess Who's C 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

Can I Lose My Salvation? - Philippians 1:6

I would like to begin with the observation that this is a controversial question in Christian circles. It would be difficult to find a subject about which believers are more deeply divided. To the question, "Can I los More

Three Cheers for the Salvation Army

THREE CHEERS FOR THE SALVATION ARMY by Ray Pritchard Would you accept a $100,000 gift if someone told you they won it in the lottery? I suspect that most of us would say yes. Probably some of us would wonder why anyone would even ask the question. Recently the Salvation Army said no and made the news as a result. The story … More

Beyond Your Dreams - Ephesians 3:14-21

Pray boldly for spiritual strength, teaches Paul. God is faithful and we can trust Him. He is more than able to do even more than we ask.. Through prayer, we are filled with the Holy Spirit and grow spiritually, understanding the height, breadth, length and depth of Christ’s love for us. More

How to Be a Great Lover - Luke 7:36-50

My text today is one of the great short stories of the Bible. Somebody like Steven Bochco could turn this into a terrific one-hour drama on TV. You might call it "The Churchman and the Prostitute," or you could call 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

Out of Egypt

Sometimes you're reading along when suddenly a phrase pops out and you say, "Whoa! Where did that come from?" That happened to me this week as I was reading the Biblical Illustrator in preparation for this message. I 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

What Do These Stones Mean? - Joshua 4

He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?' tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground'" (Joshua 4:21-22).Rocks aren't hard to f More

Welcome to the Priesthood - I Peter 2:4-10

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual s More

How to Inherit a Blessing - I Peter 3:8-12

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were cal More

No Such Thing as a Bad Day

I happened to catch a few minutes of an interview Tim Russert did with Hamilton Jordan, Chief of Staff under President Jimmy Carter. He has written a book with the intriguing title, No Such Thing as a Bad Day. It’s his own story about being diagnosed with cancer on three separate occasions before the age of 50. “W… More

New Testament Postcards: Philemon - Philemon 1-25

Today we are beginning a new sermon series on called New Testament Postcards based on the four1-chapter books in the New Testament. Before I go further, do you know the names of those four books? Here they are: Philem More

Making God's A-Team - Philippians 2:19-30

Let's begin with a question that might be slightly embarrassing to some people. Do you like to read other people's mail? When I asked that question on Sunday morning, I noticed quite a few sheepish grins in the congre More

Remarried—and Happy at Last! - Romans 7:1-6

This question is for those who are married: When was the last time you sat down with your husband or wife and told the story of how you met and fell in love? How long has it been since you remembered your first kiss? More

Fathers Who Lead, Mothers Who Love, Children Who Obey: - 1 Thessalonians 2:7-13

This week I read part of a book by Richard Strauss on the Christian home. In one chapter he discusses seven goals for Christian parents. I found his list so suggestive that I decided to begin my sermon by repeating it 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

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

"Before I Was Afflicted I Went Astray": Why Your Troubles are a Gift from God - Psalm 119:67, 71, 75

These three verses all use the verb "afflicted," which comes from the noun "affliction," an old word that means any difficult or painful circumstance. Afflictions come in all shapes and sizes. An affliction can be as 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

The Third Law: What God Demands, He Supplies

In this sermon series we're looking at the basic laws of the spiritual life that apply to all Christians everywhere. These are the principles that every Christian needs to know because they meet you right where you ar More

The Fifth Law: Active Faith Releases God's Power - Hebrews 11

Let's begin by reviewing the first four laws of the spiritual life:Law 1: He's God and We're Not.Law 2: God Doesn't Need Us But We Desperately Need Him.Law 3: What God Demands, He Supplies.Law 4: What You Seek, You Fi More

The Battle Is On - II Chronicles 20

The date—750 B.C.The place—Jerusalem.The man—Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, a good king, the son of Asa. During his reign there was peace and prosperity because Jehoshaphat was a man of the Book. More t 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

WMBI Commentaries - Various

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A Heart to Heart Ministry - Romans 1:8-15

"No one cares how much you know, ‘til they know how much you care." This week those words have been echoing through my mind. It seems as if this week, more than in a long, long time, I've spent all my waking hou 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

The Breaking Point - Genesis 32:22-32

In our study of the life of Jacob, we have come to a critical turning point. One might even call it the crucial moment of his entire life. Up until this point, Jacob has certainly lived up to his name—taking e More

What Happens When We Die? Article L: Future Reward and Punishment - Various

We live in a time when there is great fascination about life after death. S A few years ago Raymond Moody wrote a best-seller called Life After Life, which purported to detail the near-death experiences of men and w 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

Jesus The Revolutionary: Mary's Song - Luke 1:48-55

When the history of the 20th century is finally written, it may well be that the last forty years will be called the Age of Revolution. First we had the cultural revolution, then we had the sexual revolution, which w More

God Plays No Favorites - Romans 3:27-31

Every good teacher knows that the first law of learning is repetition. Say it, then say it again, then in case they didn't get it, say it again. Say it loudly, whisper it softly, say it plainly, say it in English, the More