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.” ( More

His Love Endures Forever - Psalm 136

When you have had all you can take, when the world seems to collapse around you, stand up, lift your head, and shout to the skies: His love endures forever! More

We Believe, Therefore We Speak - 2 Corinthians 4:13-15

May God give us preachers with some backbone who won’t back down. God deliver us from politically correct sermons and preachers who preach everything but the Word of God. More

When You Are Unfairly Accused - Matthew 5:11

You find out what you really believe when others mistreat you. Sometimes the real test of your faith is what you don’t do. 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

Does God Lead His Children Into Temptation? - Matthew 6:13

“And lead us not into temptation.” Matthew 6:13aBefore we begin: What is the difference between temptation and testing? How can a temptation to sin become an avenue for spiritual growth? Does God lead hi More

Praying From the Footnotes - Matthew 6:13

When we pray, we are to begin by asking that God’s name be hallowed and we are to end by praising God for his sovereign rule over the affairs of men. Thus the Lord’s Prayer begins with God and ends with God. More

The Standing Orders of the Gospel - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The real impact of the gospel will be seen when we don’t feel joyful, when we don’t want to pray, and when we can’t think of a reason to be thankful. That’s when we discover if our Christianity is the genuine article or a spiritual counterfeit. 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

Why I Am Not a Pessimist - Ephesians 5:15-17

Christians are both pessimists and optimists, but we are much more optimistic because though we see what is happening in the world around us, we know that Jesus Christ conquered the grave. And because he lives, we too will live. 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

Our Coming to You Was Not in Vain - I Thessalonians 2:1

When one pastor leaves and another one comes, we learn again that God’s work depends on God, not on God’s messengers. Build your life on God’s Word, not on the man who delivers it. 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

Daily Bread Living - Matthew 6:11

When you pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” you confess that God is the sources of every blessing. Daily bread living means taking life one day at a time, being confident that God will take care of your needs day by day by day. 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). Ha 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 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 More

Six Miles From Jesus - Matthew 2:1-6

Jesus stands at the end of life’s road for all of us. There can be no middle ground. The ultimate question is not how someone else responds but how you respond to Jesus. That’s really the only thing that matters. 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 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 un 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 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 &l 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 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 yo 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 secti 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 fo 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 misunder 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 More

Welcome to the Priesthood - 1 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 - 1 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 we More

Unless You Forgive - Matthew 6:12

When we pray, “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors,” we are asking God to forgive our sins according to the same standard we have used in forgiving the sins of others. When you pray this prayer you are really saying, “O God, deal with me as I deal with other people.” More

Experiencing God’s Love - Malachi 1:1-5

A man was having a hard time getting out of bed one Sunday morning. “Get up. It’s time to get ready for church!” He just grumbled and replied grumpily, “I don’t want to go to church today 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 i 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. 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 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 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