Sermons found for the topic Interpretation of Scripture

What I’ve Learned About Preaching

Preaching is the highest calling in the whole world, worthy of the greatest effort week by week, as men called by God rise in the power of the Spirit to deliver the Word of God to a waiting congregation. More

Who is Jesus Christ? - Matthew 16:13-16

Who is Jesus Christ? A good man? A great teacher? A revolutionary leader? Or is he the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Your eternal destiny hangs on your answer. More

Fact or Fable in Genesis: Was the World Really Created in Six Days? - Genesis 1:1-2:3

Did the events described in Genesis 1-11 really happen? Does it matter? The answer is yes to both questions. They really happened and it really matters because ideas have consequences. What you believe about where you came from will radically impact the purpose of your life. More

First Century Patterns For 21st-Century Churches - Various

How closely should local churches follow the patterns of the New Testament? The answer is, as closely as possible, understanding that no one is 100% consistent and that outward forms will change over time. That means we need to focus on the key functions of the church, giving freedom to differ on how those functions are expressed. More

God Has a Bigger Plan - Jeremiah 29:10

We serve a trans-generational God whose purposes span the centuries. He does not confine himself to our timetable or limit himself to our puny understanding of what he intends to do. If you have eyes to see beyond your own problems, look up and you will see the hand of God at work. 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

Reformation Sunday 2004

REFORMATION SUNDAY 2004 by Ray Pritchard You could hardly imagine a less auspicious way to begin a revolution. A young monk named Martin Luther nailed a sheet of paper to the doors of the local church. Luther had no idea he was igniting a movement that would change the world. He merely intended his “95 Theses”� t… 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

Curing the Itch Mites

Ray: How many of you know what itch mites are? We had never heard of them until two months ago. Marlene: We learned all about itch mites when we hosted a wedding reception in Chicago for Mark and Vanessa who had gotte More

God's Simple Plan of Salvation - Romans 10:5-13

This is a very familiar passage of Scripture. Most of us know certain parts of it by heart. I have asked the Lord to do me a favor and not let me say anything new. I don’t want to say anything you haven’t More

Do Not Neglect Your Spiritual Gift - 1 Timothy 4:14

Is ministry your Spiritual Gift? No man calls himself into the ministry or into local church leadership. A self-called man and a God-called man are two different people. One man thinks he’s qualified so he calls himself. The other man feels unworthy but responds to God’s call. If God has called you, rise up, go forth and serve the Lord. More

Trouble in the Church! - Romans 16:17-20

Greet one another with a holy kiss … but don’t go kissing everyone.That will serve as a useful summary of our text. Sometimes it’s not what you say but when you say it that matters. Paul writes thes More

When You Need to Know, You'll Know - Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).These two verses are among the most b 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

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

Will We See Our Loved Ones Again? - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

My subject is one that we don’t often talk about. In the nearly 30 years I have served in pastoral ministry, I have had very few conversations on this topic. The reasons are not hard to understand.Death in the b More

Up with Worship!

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!” More

"Lord, Do Things I'm Not Used To"

“LORD, DO THINGS I’M NOT USED TO”� by Ray Pritchard Shortly after the tsunami disaster in late December, I received an email from Ramesh Richard, a professor at Dallas Seminary. He said that he had been praying what he called a “frightening”� prayer: “Lord, do things I’m not used to.… More

When Christians Disagree - Acts 16:36-41

Christians disagree about almost everything. And when we disagree, we usually start a new church. Which reminds me of a story I heard a few years ago. A Scottish Presbyterian is rescued after many years of living alon More

Portrait of a Godly Pastor - Romans 15:14-21

In 1978 Michael Hart wrote a book called “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential People in History.” In it he ranked the most important people in the history of the world, taking into account the peopl More

Let's Bring Back the Holy Kiss: Rediscovering Real Love in the Family of God - Romans 16:1-16

“Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Romans 16:16).In some ways Romans 16 appears to be one of the least-interesting chapters of the New Testament. It consists mostly of Paul’s greetings to a long l More

Unworthy - I Corinthians 11:27

There are two dangers we face whenever we come to the Lord’s table. The first danger is that we will feel that we are not worthy to be here. And the second danger is that we will feel that we are worthy. The fir More

A Savior is Born - Luke 2:11

Recently I received an e-mail from a man who attended “Two from Galilee,” the Christmas program presented by our music ministry several weeks ago. He wrote to say how much he enjoyed it, and then added thi 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

The First Christmas Miracle - John 15:22; Galatians 4:4

“If I had not come” (John 15:22).“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law” (Galatians 4:4). In the first verse, which is really just a fragment of a More

God’s Medicine for a Sick World - Romans 13:8-10

Love is the medicine for a sick and fallen world. We need to see love and feel love and experience it in our lives. And we need to know how to pass it along to others. This is the fulfillment of all that God asks of us. 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 More

Martin Luther's Highway to Heaven - Romans 1:16-17

It is a mark of our changing times that many people have only a vague idea who Martin Luther is. Most of us have heard his name but we’re not sure where he’s from or what he did or when he lived. Some of More

Changing Your Mind - Romans 12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).We would More