Sermons found for the topic Joy

"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

God Must Be Praised in Fiery Trials - I Peter 1:6-7

On April 5, 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arrested and imprisoned by the Gestapo for his resistance to the Nazi regime in Germany. For several years he had spoken out against the Nazis, and eventually it caught up wit More

What You Seek, You Find - Jeremiah 29:12-14

God uses the hard experiences of life to bring us to the place where our trust will be in him alone. Through those hard times, we learn to seek him and to rejoice even when life doesn’t make sense. More

The Sixth Law: There is No Growth Without Struggle - James 1:2-4

Life is hard. Does anyone reading these words have any question about that? I didn't think so. Because we live in a fallen world, nothing works the way it's supposed to. Sin has stained every part of the physical univ 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

Christmas Joy - Luke 2:8-11

If there is a single word that describes what Christmas is all about, it's the little word "joy." Several of our favorite carols mention it: "Joy to the world, the Lord is come," "O come all ye faithful, joyful and tr More

Let Us Fix Our Eyes on Jesus - Hebrews 12:2

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).At the be More

Joy in the Trenches - Philippians 1:27-30

Dr. Ray Pritchard issues a stirring call to live worthy of the gospel. We can make an impact for Christ in our world if we will stand without division, strive without compromise, speak without fear, and sacrifice without shame. 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

Loving the Unseen Christ - I Peter 1:8-9

"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvatio 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

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

Great Joy in the City - Acts 8:4-8

Throughout history, God has grown and moved his church as his people scattered to diverse locations geographically. This pattern has not changed and believers are still called to grow and expand as a church today, whether we move across national boundaries, ethnic and cultural boundaries, or do church planting in our immediate communities. Beginning with the first generation of believers in the book of Acts, we hear of Phillip, who was emboldened and changed by the power of God as he moved out in obedience to spread the Gospel. Despite severe persecution, great joy descended on those who received the truth that came with power. In this present age, we have the account of the phenomenal growth of the church in China. In 1949 all Christian missionaries were evicted leaving less than one million indigenous believers behind. They faced relentless bloodbaths and eradication. Yet the church grew in the midst of that persecution when determined believers scattered and went underground. The challenge to believers today remains the same—to be willing to be moved out of our personal comfort zones, to walk in faith, to make personal sacrifices, and most importantly, to trust God for our personal well-being and needs. More

Our Mutual Covenant - Acts 2:41-47

Down in Texas they say that football is a religion. But I ran across something the other day that made me think that the same thing might be true in Chicago. It happened while we were browsing through a shopping mal 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

Have a Blast While You Last

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 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

The Church in Many Places - Acts 8:1-4

God uses catastrophe and disasters to scatter the church so that His word can be spread to all parts of the world. We can become comfortable and content in our lives, but God in His sovergn nature does things we are not used to. 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

Eighth Day Savior - Luke 2:21

"On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived" (Luke 2:21).Today we're going to explore a forgotten corner of the Christmas s 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

This Must Be the Place: - Various

Seven times in nine years I have given a State of the Church address to Calvary Memorial Church. In my first message I quoted the famous words of Daniel Burnham, architect and author of The Chicago City Plan: "Make no More

Iron Shoes: God’s Promise for Every New Year - Deuteronomy 33:25

Hope in God’s provision in a new millennium. God gives us exactly what we need for our journey ahead: iron shoes instead of silk slippers, because the road is hard, the way difficult, the path sometimes treacherous. God does not give his strength in advance, only when needed. Each day you will have what you need. 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

Swimming Upstream - Romans 12:2

There are times when we need to see a familiar verse in a new way. The ESV translates the first part of Romans 12:2 this way: "Do not be conformed to this world." Simple, clear and concise. But what exactly does Paul 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 he died 55 y More

Good News for Poor Performers and Splendid Sinners - Luke 1:5-20, 57-64

This afternoon I read a bit from Faithfulness and Holiness by J. I. Packer. The book consists of Packer's short biography of J. C. Ryle, the 19t5h-century Anglican bishop, and a reprint of Ryle's justly-famous book ca More

Overcoming Discontentment - I Corinthians 7:17-35

Ever since the beginning of creation, when the first creatures came from the hand of God, there has always been someone, somewhere, unhappy with his position in the universe. It all started with an angel named Lucifer More

The First Law: He's God and We're Not

This is the first sermon in a new series called "The Seven Laws of the Spiritual Life." For the last few years I have been thinking about putting together a short list of the basic principles of the Christian life. Wh More

The Blessing of a Believing Spouse - Hebrews 11:8-10

God may arrange things so that your faith bears vast fruit in the years to come. Your legacy will be most clearly seen after you have gone to heaven. Sarah never lived to see the world-changing impact of her faith in God, but we still remember her 4000 years later and honor her example. More

Why We Keep Believing - Hebrews 11:13-16

Because Christians are aliens and strangers on earth, we are destined to live and die feeling slightly (and maybe more than slightly) out of place. But we will not quit, give up or go back because our home is in heaven. We have expectations of something much better than anything the world has to offer. 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

Inside the Wedding Ring - Romans 15:5-7

I was twenty-five years old and fresh out of seminary when I became the pastor of a small church in Downey, California. I stayed there almost five years and then moved to Garland, Texas to pastor another church for fi 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

Image is Everything: Highly Valued, Deeply Fallen, Greatly Loved - Genesis 1:26-28

Upon reading these verses, the thought comes to mind that we're not in Eden anymore. Whatever else you can say about the first chapter of the Bible, the world of the 21st century is far removed from the world of Genes More

Every Tree But One: Why Freedom Isn't Free - Genesis 2:4-17

What is freedom? Ask the question of ten people and you will get at least ten different answers. One person says that freedom is the right to get drunk every weekend. Someone else says that freedom means doing whateve More

Adam's Rib: How God Arranged the First Marriage - Genesis 2:18-25

Yesterday I performed a wedding ceremony for Chris Hall and Kara Hansen. It was a lovely occassion, as weddings usually are, and everything seemed to go well. As I stood on the platform with the happy couple only two More

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

When Paul wrote to the new Christians in Thessalonica, he summarized his brief visit with them this way: "You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure" (I Thessalonians 2:1). The English Standard Versio More

Burning the Plow - 1 Kings 19:19-21

"It does not matter whether or not people understand us or think we are even sane as long as we are true to God. Obedience to him is the important thing." Theodore EppElijah was not the most balanced man in the Bible. More

Lessons Learned Along the Way

Shortly before Christmas Dr. David Olford called and asked if I would consider speaking in early January at an evening session of the Stephen Olford Center for Biblical Preaching in Memphis, Tennessee. He told me that More

Risky Business: The Other Side of Christian Freedom - Galatians 5:13-15

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1a). What exactly is this Christian freedom that Paul talks so much about in Galatians? In order to help us understand the answer, I'd like to borrow a defi More

God's Good vs. God's Best - Genesis 21:1-21

Have you every wanted something very badly and waited a long time for it to happen, only to discover that when it did, things didn't work out the way you thought they would? Most of us have had that kind of experienc More

Go for the Gold - Philippians 3:12-21

Students of the New Testament agree that Paul must have been a sports fan. Over and over again—many times in many places—he uses illustrations from sports to make his point. He speaks of wrestling, boxing, More

Arrows From Heaven: - Psalm 127-128

What a difference a day makes. Tuesday morning dawned bright and clear and peaceful in Littleton, Colorado. At Columbine High School the students were still buzzing about the prom the previous Saturday night. Little d 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

Emergency Prayers - Romans 15:30-33

This is the final sermon in the series, Praying with Paul. We started on the first Sunday of January and we come to an end on the final Sunday of April. In my first message I introduced our church theme for 2003, "Lor 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 this sentence: More

If I Should Die Before I Wake - Hebrews 11:20-22

The stories of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph show us what faith looks like at the end of life. Here is one mark of genuine Christianity. When you come to the end of your earthly journey, you still hold on to what you believe. Because Jesus died and rose again, we can face our own death with confidence, knowing that the Lord will not abandon us when we need him most. More

Take Time for God - Exodus 20:8-11

Let's begin with three observations on the Fourth Commandment: 1. This is the longest of the Ten Commandments. 2. It is also the most difficult to properly interpret. 3. The Fourth Commandment remains a source of p More

Prophet on the Run - 1 Kings 19:1-9

The Bible doesn't sugarcoat the truth about its heroes. It gives us the whole story, the good news and the bad news at the same time. When the Bible describes the great heroes of the Old Testament and the New Testamen More