Sermons found for the topic Preaching

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

How Can I Be Filled With the Holy Spirit? - Ephesians 5:18

In order to be filled with the Holy Spirit, we need two things—emptiness and openness. If we live another day without the Holy Spirit’s control in our lives, we have only ourselves to blame. God has made himself fully available to us. Have we made ourselves fully available to him? 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

Jesus Christ and Him Crucified - 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

“I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (v. 2). We have a word for people like Paul. We call a person like him a “one-note Johnny.” He was a man More

Ten Things I've Learned About Preaching - Various

In the twenty years I have been a pastor I have preached hundreds of sermons. I don’t consider myself an expert or even a good example of good preaching. Preaching is both an art and a science–and it ta 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 Guarantees Our Salvation - I Peter 1:3-5

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that 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

How Shall They Hear? - Romans 10:14-21

This passage brings us face to face with a very important question, one that we face in a variety of ways. The question is, What is the church’s responsibility to those who have never heard the gospel? Sometimes More

The Keys Of The Kingdom - Matthew 16:19

It was the the most important game of the season. The score was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th inning. Andre Dawson reached first base with a walk. Up came Luis Salazar. He slams the ball into right field, way More

Preach the Word! - II Timothy 4:1-5

I’d like to begin by calling your attention to verses 3-4 of this passage. They describe a scene that seems amazingly contemporary: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Ins More

What If - 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

This sermon reveals the four disastrous consequnces if the resurrection is not true. If Christ did not rise from the dead, our preaching has no purpose, our faith has no forgiveness, our death has no deliverance, and our service has no significance. More

What Angels Wish They Knew - I Peter 1:10-12

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in th More

Some Sneered, Others Questioned, A Few Believed: Lessons on the Amazing Power of the Gospel - Acts 17:32-34

It is not often that a preacher has his sermon interrupted by the congregation. In the 29 years that I have been preaching, it has only happened to me a handful of times. Once in my first church in Downey, California More

Our Name is Our Mission

Dr. Ray Pritchard gives the 2007 President’s Report on the work of Keep Believing Ministries. He explains the thinking behind the Keep Believing logo, reports on various ministry projects, and shares his dreams for the future. More

What is the Gospel and Why Does It Matter? - Galatians 1:6-10

We begin with these strong words from the Apostle Paul to the churches of Galatia: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel& More

When Doing Right Gets You in Trouble - I Peter 2:18-20

"Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering More

Turn, Turn, Turn - 1 Thessalonians 1

A few days ago a friend sent me an email telling about a question posed to her by a co-worker. Here is the exact text of the question: How is a Christian defined? It used to be that if you were not Jewish or Hindu More

The Foolishness of God - I Corinthians 1:18-25

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the in More

The Wind Blows Wherever It Wills - John 3:8

This is the first in a six-part series on the Holy Spirit called Experiencing God Today. Two months ago I had no idea that I would be preaching on the Holy Spirit once we finished I Peter. But as I thought about the m More

The Most Important Ingredient - Acts 16:6-10

When was the last time you played with modeling clay? It may have been a while unless you have a house full of preschoolers. As all parents know, children love modeling clay because they can make almost anything with More

Back to Basics - John 7:16-17

Each year at Calvary we choose a theme and a theme verse that serve as our ministry focus. We started doing that in 1991 and have continued every year since then. Sometimes we don’t know until October or Novembe More

Deciding the Big Ones - Acts 16:6-10

"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to More

THE P.U.I.H. - Acts 2

I don’t know what image comes into your mind when you hear the word Pentecostal. When I hear the word, my mind always goes back to the small town in Alabama where I grew up. Back then, there were only four chu More

The Legacy - Psalm 145:4

"One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).The story must be told.It is the solemn duty of every generation to tell the next generation what God has don More

When the Holy Spirit Comes - John 16:8-11

Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” Because I have said these things you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth, it is for your good that I am going aw More

Repent! The Forgotten Doctrine of Salvation - Acts 17:30

In 1937 the American Tract Society sponsored a contest in which they offered a prize of $1,000 for the best new book written on one of the “essential evangelical doctrines of the Christian faith.” Sixty-on More

A Place to Pray - Acts 4:23-31

"If you do not know that life is war, you will not know what prayer is for.” John PiperThe sun had almost slipped beneath the horizon in the little village of Pucuro in the Darien region of Panama, not far More

A Place to Share - Acts 4:32-37

This is the third sermon in the four-part series “A Place to Belong.” In this series we are examining the incredible dynamic that made the early church reach so many people so quickly. As I noted in the fi 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

The Great Divide - I Corinthians 2:14-16

This is the final sermon in the series from I Corinthians 1-2 called, “The Cross, the Church and the World.” We can summarize the main things we have learned in five key statements:1) The people of the wor More

"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 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

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

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

When God Gives Up - Romans 1:24-32

There are some messages that pastors would rather not preach. This sermon definitely falls into that category. It’s not that I am afraid to say what must be said; it is rather that I know these things will not b More

A Time to Disobey - Daniel 3

Is it ever right for a Christian to disobey the law? Or are we always obligated to obey the law under all circumstances? What do you say? What does the Bible say?More and more we are faced with this question—not More

"We Did Not Give in to Them:" Why Unity Must be Based on Truth - Galatians 2:1-10

I want to begin by calling your attention to the most important verse in our passage—verse 5, which reads, “We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.&r More

The Only Thing That Matters: Faith That Works By Love - Galatians 5:1-12

These are the closing words of the Declaration of Independence:We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World for the Re More

Bestseller and More

I submit to you that the Bible will stand the toughest test and the hardest scrutiny because it is indeed the Word of God. That’s why after 2000 years it is still the best-selling book in the world. No other book contains the plan of salvation. No other book can tell you how to get to heaven. More

Kingdoms in Conflict - Matthew 6:10

“Your kingdom come” is not a passive prayer. If you ever decide to make the kingdom of God the first priority in your life, you may not become a missionary, but you will become fundamentally different from the world around you. More

When You Are Misunderstood - 2 Corinthians 1:12-2:4

When others twist your words, do not despair. Speak the truth, explain yourself clearly, and then entrust your future to the Lord. If we trust in him, the time of chaos will pass, and we will be stronger for having gone through the struggle. More

How Do You Measure Success? - 2 Corinthians 3:1-3

God measures our success in terms of lives changed. He’s evidently not that impressed by the size of our budget or by the stained glass in our sanctuary. The One who hung the stars in space doesn’t really care how many books we’ve written or how much money we make or whether or not we see our name in lights. More

Now I See - 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6

We can preach the gospel and we can pray. Satan will do all he can to keep the lost blind and confused so they cannot “see” the gospel. Only God can lift the veil and speak the words that will bring light to those who walk in darkness. More

Ballistic Christianity - Matthew 9:35-38

“Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few…’ What did Jesus mean? He meant there were many people ready to be harvested for the Kingdom. All around us there are broken, bleeding, hurting people, ripped apart and left to die, they are ready to be reached if only someone will go to the harvest fields. If only someone will tell them about Jesus. Where are the harvest fields today? Let me name a few …. 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

To an Unknown God: How to Find Common Ground - Acts 17:22-23

If you ever attend seminary, you will study a subject called homiletics. That’s a course where you learn how to prepare and preach a sermon. During my days at Dallas Seminary we actually had three courses in hom More

To Rome With Love - Romans 1:1-7

The year was 1911, and a young man from Sydney, Australia, arrived in the United States. He had crossed the ocean to study at a fledgling school called Moody Bible Institute. While still a student, he was called as th More

Can a Person Be Too Religious? - Romans 2:17-29

We begin this study with the question posed in the title: “Can a Person Be Too Religious?” On one hand, the question seems to imply a Yes answer. Certainly some people, the question seems to say, are too r More