Sermons found for the topic Marriage

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

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

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

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

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

What Does the Bible Say About Divorce and Remarriage? - Matthew 19:1-12

Perhaps the place to begin is with a few quotes taken from The Abolition of Marriage by Maggie Gallagher: "Over the past 30 years a consistent 96% of the American public has expressed a personal desire for marriage. O 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

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

The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage - Genesis 1:26-28; Revelation 22:17

My story today begins a long way from Oak Park, and a long way from our current controversies. In order to get the proper perspective, let's go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible. To quote a line from The More

What Makes a Marriage? - Genesis 2:18-25

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. There weren't very many people More

Grow Up! - 1 Corinthians 13:7

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you weren't married? If somehow you were suddenly single again? No matter how happy your marriage is, every honest person would have to answer yes to those questions 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

Angry Man Alert

In this message, Ray Pritchard talks about the five character qualities that relate to a man and his anger. When our power is not under God’s control, we hurt ourselves and those closest to us. We need God’s help so that we might become like Jesus who was both gentle and strong, a true “gentle man.” 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

Shall We Kill Our Children Today? - Hebrews 11:23

The amazing faith of Moses’ parents shows us the high value that God puts on children, including those children that are born in less than ideal circumstances. Christians love children because God loves children. Ours is true pro-family religion. More

Should We Use the Bible in the Marriage Debate?

SHOULD WE USE THE BIBLE IN THE MARRIAGE DEBATE? by Ray Pritchard At first, the question seems unnecessary. Of course we will use the Bible in the great debate over marriage. How could Christians avoid the Bible? And why should we? Before answering that question, consider an article by Don Wycliff, the “public editor
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Marriage Conference - Various

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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

Inner Beauty - I Peter 3:1-6

What is inner beauty that lasts and how do we get it? In today’s quest for physical beauty amidst a burgeoning population of aging Boomers who are finding it difficult to reconcile the ravages of time on their bodies, surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures are seeing explosive growth in this country. This craze is not particular only to celebrities and socialites but now includes the rest of society who can afford the cost of the procedures. We all want to look good, but all external and applied adornments will fail sooner or later. The Bible puts forth a better goal of the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. There is power and value in this inner beauty that all women can acquire. Scripture gives us a solid example of such beauty in the Old Testament character of Sarah. She was a woman of recognized great beauty in her society but Scripture credits her with a greater inner beauty of character that was more commendable and precious to God, described in First Peter, chapter three. Here, all Christian women are called to be “daughters of Sarah,” to emulate her lasting beauty of character quality and attitude. Ultimately for women, the beauty of eternal value is like that which Jesus demonstrated in his submission to and hope in God, in doing what is right without giving way to fear. This is true beauty in God’s sight. 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

Marriage Protection Week

MARRIAGE PROTECTION WEEK by Ray Pritchard You may not have heard the news until now, but I am happy to report that President Bush has designated October 12-18 as “Marriage Protection Week” in America. The official proclamation begins with these words: "Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essent… More

Staying Pure in an X-Rated World - Various

(This particular sermon was a "tag team" effort where I preached the first part, and Pastor Bob Boerman preached the last part. I have added a conclusion beginning with the section called "Rise and Walk.")"The moment More

What Was That I Never Heard You Say? - James 1:19

Perhaps you've heard the story of the woman who went to see a lawyer about getting a divorce. The lawyer decided it would be helpful if he could get a little background so he asked the woman if she had grounds for a More

He's In Charge - So Relax! - Genesis 24

Nothing is more important in the life of the children of God than becoming fully persuaded that God does indeed lead his children on their journey from earth to heaven.Besides building your confidence in God, I also w More

Amending Our Church Constitution to Define Marriage

AMENDING OUR CHURCH CONSTITUTION TO DEFINE MARRIAGE by Ray Pritchard Last spring the elders appointed a task force to work on revising our church constitution in several key areas. This marks the first time since we approved our current constitution in 1992 that we have made any changes. The task force recommended, and the … More

Unhindered Prayers - I Peter 3:7

Quick now, what well-known actor said the following: "I don't like danger. I'm not a womanizer. My happiest moments are when I'm at home with my wife or in the company of a couple of good friends. I don't covet wealth 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

Allied Force Questions - Various

When we surveyed the congregation asking for their questions a few months ago, our high school ministry (called Allied Force) turned in their own set of questions. On October 12, the students joined me on the platform More

The Days of Noah: Why God Sent the Flood - Genesis 6:1-8

This is the first of several sermons on Noah and the flood. As we begin our study of this important event, I'd like to focus our attention on a very crucial point: If this story is true, that is, if it really happened More

WHO'S THE BOSS? - MARK 8:34-36

The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Pastor Ray, I need to talk to you." It was an old friend from Texas who was visiting his wife's family in Indiana. Could they come by and see us? Yes, of course, we'd 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

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

Love One Another Deeply - I Peter 1:22-25

I have three things on my mind that I want to talk to you about. These are really three different things, and apparently unconnected, but perhaps by the end of the message, you will see there is a common thread runnin More

When We Stop Playing Games

WHEN WE STOP PLAYING GAMES by Ray Pritchard The call came from an old friend, someone I have known for over 40 years. His marriage was in serious trouble, and more importantly, he saw clearly that unless he changed from the inside out, what happened to his marriage wouldn’t really matter. His wife wasn’t the probl… 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

The Up and Coming Christ: "He Will Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead" - John 14:1-3; II Peter 3:3-10

You never know where you will find spiritual truth. A few days ago I received a letter from Mary Jo Lynch. Thirty-five years ago, she lived with her husband Dudley in my hometown of Russellville, Alabama. Dudley Lynch More

Portrait of a Godly Leader - I Timothy 3; Titus 1

We begin with the words of Robert Cook: "There is no substitute for character. You can buy brains, but you can't buy character." When it comes to selecting leaders, nothing is more important than godly character. Y More

Trapped! - Jeremiah 29:1-4

What do you do when you don’t like the circumstances of your life and it seems as if those circumstances aren’t going to change anytime soon?When I asked that question to a group of friends, a man looked u More

God's Freedom - Romans 9:6-18

While studying Romans 9, I was struck by Paul's question in verse 14: "Is God unjust?" In our hearts we already know the answer. God is not unjust. But oftentimes he seems inconsistent. The very examples Paul chooses More

Praying for Your Prodigal - Ephesians 1:18

I received an email with a heartrending question:I have a daughter that I don't believe is saved. I pray for her but often times I can't. I suppose that I'm angry she isn't responding and feel incapable of helping her More

Equal But Not Identical: Men And Women In The Local Church

In this day of social upheaval, many traditional views held by the Christian church are being questioned. Not the least important of these is the issue of women in ministry. During the past several decades, the femini More

Harvest Time - John 4:35-38

Do you not say, "Four months more and then comes the harvest"? I tell you, open your eyes and look on the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for et More

Full Stomachs and Empty Hearts - Matthew 5:6

"You are what you eat." This is not good news for most of us, especially on Super Bowl Sunday. But it is true. Nutritionists tell us your appetite determines your diet, your diet determines your intake, and your in More

Out of Control - Judges 14

It's been a tough week for Donald Trump. He's the billionaire developer and deal-maker from New York City who is leaving his wife, Ivana. Since the news broke last Sunday, the story has been on the front page of vir More

God Has a Big Family—Part 2 "I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church" - Ephesians 4:1-6

"I believe in the holy catholic church." The Apostles' CreedLet's begin at the most basic point. What does the word "church" mean? In the New Testament the word "church" translates the Greek word ekklesia, which itsel 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

What Elders Do

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Men and Women in Biblical Perspective - Genesis 1-3

I find myself in a peculiar position this morning. No matter what I say, or how carefully I say it, someone is bound to disagree with me. But that doesn't begin to cover the subject. Not only will some people disagree More

No Graven Images - Exodus 20:4-6

"Idols? You must be kidding.""That's what they have in Africa, right?" "Me? An idol-worshiper? What do you take me for? A pagan?""The only thing I worship is my brand-new car." What is an idol anyway? The dicti More

Adultery in My Heart - Exodus 20:14

This is easily the most difficult sermon to preach in this series. It is also the hardest Commandment to deal with fairly. Perhaps I can illustrate. A few years ago a writer introduced a chapter entitled "The Devil More