Sermons found for the topic Mary

Mary: Believing the Impossible - Luke 1:26-38

Let's talk about Madonna. It seems like everywhere you go these days you see her face and hear people singing her praises. She's certainly a hot topic. No, I'm not thinking about that Madonna, the one who was on Ni More

The Harried Homemaker: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Compulsive Busyness - Luke 10:38-42

Let's begin with a series of "what-if" questions. Suppose that the folks from Publishers Clearinghouse pulled up in front of your home. Out of the van comes the camera crew and a man with a microphone. If he said, "I' More

Why Are You Weeping? - John 20:11-18

The story of Mary Magdalene meeting Jesus at the empty tomb is found only in John's gospel. I think Mary must have told John about it personally. Everything about this little slice of life rings true to human nature a 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

Why Are You Weeping? - John 20:11-18

The story of Mary Magdalene meeting Jesus at the empty tomb is found only in John's gospel. I think Mary must have told John about it personally. Everything about this little slice of life rings true to human nature a 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

No Crib for a Bed: The God of Every Circumstance - Galatians 4:4

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7 KJV).While doing some preparation for this message, I More

Who is That Baby? - Hebrews 1:1-3

We live in a day when Christmas has become a controversial holiday. If you doubt that statement, just try putting up a manger scene on public property. Or try saying “Merry Christmas” instead of the ubiqui More

Why the Virgin Birth Matters: "Conceived of the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary" - Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38

Let's begin our study with two familiar verses of Scripture:"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home a More

Joseph: A Teenager's Dilemma - Matthew 1:18-25

If you were given the opportunity to meet any person in the first Christmas story, who would you choose? I've been thinking about that this week, and it's not easy to decide. There are so many fascinating people: He 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

God's Scapegoat: "Buried" - Leviticus 16

"I believe in Jesus Christ ¼ who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried." The Apostles' CreedThis is a sermon based on a word that doesn't seem necessary. We know Jesus died. We know he ros More

How to Kill a New Christian - Part 2 - Romans 14:1-12

Christians have always disagreed - a lot! And it’s not a bad thing. But there is always a danger that our own personal preferences will grow so important that we no longer accept our brothers and sisters in the Lord who disagree with us. The great unifying factor for the people of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. He has broken down the wall that separated us from God and from one another. In Him we are joined together in the body of Christ. If we truly believe in Him, we can let Him deal with those who disagree with us. In the meantime, don’t forget to treat those who disagree as brothers and sisters in the Lord. More

Christ B.C. Part IV: Born of a Virgin - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23

Christmas is an amazing time of year. Yesterday I ran across a statement that sums it up: "Isn't it amazing that a baby born in a stable 2,000 years ago can cause traffic jams this week?" I am thankful for this sea More

The Cradle And The Cross: Simeon's Song - Luke 2:25-35

It's a good question, isn't it? If Jesus were born today, would it be any different than it was 2,000 years ago? We like to think the answer is yes, that we would be ready, that we wouldn't make the mistake of turni More

I'll Be Home For Christmas - Luke 2:1-7

It had been a long, hard day on the road, and the two travelers were exhausted. It was a long trip no matter when you traveled, but this time of year the roads were so clogged that it took even longer.Three days had More

Further Thoughts on "The Passion of the Christ"

Here are some answers to questions raised by the movie: More

A Conversation with Jesus

Someone asked me recently where Jesus’ spirit went between the crucifixion and the resurrection. I replied that Christians have debated that issue for 2000 years since the Bible doesn’t answer the question with total clarity. Then came a second question. What is the meaning of John 20:16-17, which tells us about a… More

Follow the Christmas Star - Matthew 2:7-12

This isn't exactly the sermon I planned to preach on the Sunday before Christmas, but I don't suppose that will surprise anyone since Christmas itself comes as a relief at the end of a year that has not been what we t More

Overcoming a Judgmental Spirit - Romans 14:1-12

Christians love to fight over our deeply-held beliefs. Unfortunately, sometimes we fight for things that don't matter very much.Once upon a time a man took a walk and came to a bridge. When he got to the middle of the 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

A Question for Jesus - Matthew 11:3

If you could have any gift you wanted for Christmas, what would you ask for? That's not an easy question to answer if you start to think about it. Some of us would ask for things. A new car.A new house.A nice blouse.A More

When Was Jesus Born?

Let me begin by saying right up front that no one knows exactly when Jesus was born because the Bible does not clearly answer this question. That doesn't mean the question is unimportant, only that it is not essential More

What God Wants For Christmas - Micah 6:6-8

There are only ten days left until Christmas. Have you done your shopping yet? Be careful, because there are some crazy people out there. Have you heard about this new doll called Tickle Me, Elmo? Every year there More

Can You Hear the Angels Singing? Christmas and the "Other World" - Luke 2:8-14

"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with 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

Final Words of a Family Man - John 19:25-27

Part three of a sermon series “The seven last words of Christ” More

The Church on its Knees: Unleashing the Power of United Prayer - Acts 1:12-14

"Prayer is that slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence." Charles SpurgeonI don't often begin a sermon with a confession but this week it seems the appropriate thing to do. Over the years whenever I More

Lessons from the Manger - Luke 2:12

"Christmas is full of surprises." Somewhere in my reading this week I ran across that sentence. While I am sure it is true, it doesn't always seem true. Christmas poses a yearly challenge to those of us who have heard More

His Kingdom Will Never End - Luke 1:33

"He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:33). "I'm gonna be famous." That's what Robert Hawkins wrote in his suicide note before going to the mall in Omaha last More

Backstage at Bethlehem - John 1:10-13

It's amazing how simple some things really are. Take the Bible, for instance. At first glance, it's an intimidating book filled with strange names, places we've never heard of, books we can't pronounce, and verses we 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

Christmas Tears - Matthew 2:16-18

"The rulers of this world are seldom friendly to the cause of God." J. C. RyleLast night the contemporary Christian musician Michael Card performed a Christmas concert at Wheaton College. As part of the build-up More

Good News From the Graveyard - Luke 24:1-3

Thursday afternoon I took a walk through Forest Home Cemetery. It's an old cemetery nestled between the Eisenhower Freeway and Roosevelt Road. When I arrived, the place was almost deserted. I drove down one of the More

Lessons from the Manger - Luke 2:12

"Christmas is full of surprises." Somewhere in my reading this week I ran across that sentence. While I am sure it is true, it doesn't always seem true. Christmas poses a yearly challenge to those of us who have heard More

'Twas the Day After Christmas - Luke 2:17-20

Our text tells us how to celebrate Christmas. In its most literal sense, this passage describes the various responses of people to the birth of Christ. In his sermon on this passage, Charles Spurgeon points out that c 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 list of people in R More

When Did Christmas Begin? - John 1:14

Have you ever wondered when Christmas began? I'm not referring to the celebration of Jesus' birth on December 25 because we don't know exactly when he was born. It might be December 25 but it might be June 14 for all 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 us even get More

A Man Called Jesus - Colossians 2:9

"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form." These 13 words by the Apostle Paul contain a world of truth about Jesus Christ. They tell us that he is fully God. In him we find "all the fullness o More

"The Witch Doctors Are Liars" - Haiti 1993

You might say that we had a Murphy's Law trip: Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Nothing went as we had planned. Most things weren't even close to the way we planned. Yet God moved above and beyond our More

What Child is This? - Isaiah 9:6

One of the many important decisions confronting new parents is, "What shall we call our baby?" Most new parents spend hours debating this question. We all realize that names matter. Shall the new baby be named after h 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

Hope for Tomorrow: How God Keeps His Promises - Genesis 11:10-32

This is the 19th and final sermon in the series on Genesis 1-11 that we started in late April. Almost five and a half months later, we have come to the end. In bringing this series to a close, I feel as if I should co 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

Doubt and Faith at Christmastime

DOUBT AND FAITH AT CHRISTMASTIME By Ray Pritchard An e-mail arrived a few days ago from someone who wanted to know how to deal with doubt. I wrote back and said not to worry, we all doubt from time to time and doubt can actually be good for the soul. A second message arrived a day later: “I wanted to tell you that I ve… 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

Christ B.C. Part II: Lamb of God - Exodus 12; John 1:29

Christians everywhere recognize the lamb as a familiar biblical image. It is often connected with both Christmas and Easter. Though lambs aren't specifically mentioned in the Christmas story, they are implied by the More

Many Infallible Proofs: How We Know Christ Lives Today - Acts. 1:3

"Without the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ the Christian faith would have been stillborn, for a living faith cannot survive a dead Savior." Peter LewisThe time: 6:00 a.m. The place: A garden tomb. The date: Su More

Martha's Vineyard - I Corinthians 12:28; Romans 12:7

I first met Bill Petch twelve years ago this summer. I was fresh out of seminary and starting my first pastorate. It happened that my church was like most churches pastored by men right out of seminary—small a More