Sermons found for the topic Repentance

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-one years ago, More

God’s Graffiti - Daniel 5

Babylon became great because of the sovereign blessing of God. In their greatness they forgot about God and began to take him for granted. God judged them and they were no longer a great nation. In the end God judges that nations who forget him, and that judgment often comes at the hands of another nation God raises up for that very purpose. 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

What Is Saving Faith?

"Pastor Ray, how can I know that I am truly saved?" The young man standing before me was obviously in some distress. His story was familiar. He had been raised in an evangelical church where he had accepted Christ as More

Will Everyone Eventually Be Saved? - II Peter 3:9

I can think of only four ways to answer the question raised in the title of this sermon:1) Everyone will eventually be saved.2) No one will eventually be saved.3) Some will be saved and some will be lost.4) There is n More

Doing the Right Thing in the Wrong Way - Genesis 16

This week my friend David Puckett was in town. I have known David ever since our days at Dallas Seminary. After we graduated I took a pastorate in California and he entered a doctoral program at the University of Ch More

Forgiveness and the Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6:12

"Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12 KJV).The fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer seems simple enough, but simple things can sometimes be very deep. Everyone agrees that this is a difficult w More

Trapped On a Dead-End Street - Luke 15:11-32

I begin with a very simple observation: It is possible to know God and yet be far away from him. Most Christians know what that is like. Perhaps you have had the experience of drifting away from God. You never mea More

The Life God Blesses - II Timothy 2:14-26

Almost five years ago we started sending free copies of my books to prisoners across America. Through a partnership with Prison Fellowship, we have distributed tens of thousands of copies of Keep Believing, What a Chr More

God Is So Good! - Psalm 107:1

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." 1 Chronicles 16:34a "The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made." Psalm 145:9 "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in More

Dry Brook University - 1 Kings 17:2-7

Several generations ago British Bible teacher F. B. Meyer wrote a short book called Elijah and the Secret of His Power. In his introduction he notes that some people may think it rash to study Elijah's life because he More

The Long Road Home - I Samuel 30

This sermon is about one question and one question only: How do you come back to God? In putting the matter this way, I realize there are certain people who desperately need this message. I don't know who you are but More

Forgiving Without Repentance

FORGIVING WITHOUT REPENTANCE by Ray Pritchard After last Sunday's message, a friend sent the following e-mail: “The sermon was a hard one for me this Sunday. Forgiving someone when they refuse to apologize is where I am struggling. I have been hurt too much. Tough!” My friend is right. Forgiving is hard enough eve… More

Zaccheus Anonymous - Luke 19:1-10

This is an appropriate text for the first Sunday after April 15. I hope you got your taxes done on time. I told you two weeks ago I was going to turn mine in and I did. I finished last Monday, the 15th, at 1:30 P.M More

Praying for the Lost - I Timothy 2:1-6

"Prayer is the lifeline of New Testament evangelism, the oxygen for its holy fire. The New Testament was born in prayer. It knows no evangelism without prayer, and no prayer which does not lead to evangelism." Those a More

Do Not Quench the Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Our text has been translated in various ways:"Do not quench the Spirit" (ESV)."Don't suppress the Spirit" (The Message)"Do not try to stop the work of the Holy Spirit" (New Life Version)."Don't stifle the Spirit" (HCS More

Do Not Take Your Holy Spirit From Me! - Psalms 51:11

"Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me" (Psalms 51:11). It is sometimes said that no Christian should ever pray this prayer, but I wonder if that is correct. Clearly David feared b More

Stumbling Stone or Cornerstone? - Romans 9:30-33

Last week's sermon was called Straight Talk About Predestination. If I were giving someone else advice, I would say that a title like that is just asking for trouble. I think it's called leading with your chin. It's h More

Straight Talk About Predestination - Romans 9:19-29

In the history of the Christian church, few doctrines have been so hotly debated as the doctrine of predestination. Since predestination is a biblical concept, we must face this doctrine squarely whether we like it or not. It’s in the Bible, therefore we must first seek to understand it and then to ask what difference it makes. More

Holy, Holy, Holy - Isaiah 6

Would you consider it a compliment if someone called you holy? The answer is, it depends on who that someone is. After all, the word holy is used in different ways by different people. If a person is considered excess More

"Should I Not be Concerned about that Great City?" Why We are Staying in Oak Park - Jonah 4:11

It was an exciting time to be alive.The year was 1915, and change was in the air. So many things were happening all at once. Armies marched across Europe, meeting in the deadly combat of World War I. America was about More

What About Those Who Never Hear The Gospel? - Romans 1:18-20

The subject for this morning is perhaps the most troubling question that Christians can face. The fate of those who never hear the gospel is both difficult and emotional. It's a tough question to think about because More

The Man Who Would Be King: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Frivolous Curiosity - Luke 23:1-12

This is the story of a man who had a chance but didn't take it and was never offered another one. The man's name is Herod Antipas. On Good Friday morning Jesus stood on trial before him. What happened on that fateful More

We Shall Be Like Him: The Purifying Hope of Christ's Return - I John 3:1-3

Shortly before his recent death, ex-Beatle George Harrison was asked about his spiritual journey. The question was apt since it was Harrison who introduced the Beatles to Eastern religion in the 60s and (after the gro More

Murder One: Why Do We Hate Each Other? - Genesis 4:1-16

This is the story of Cain and Abel. It is a story that is so well known that many people who never read the Bible know that Cain killed Abel. It has even entered our language as a synonym for troublemaking—Raisi 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

Here Comes the Judge: Bad News for Modern Man - Acts 17:31

"Now this matter is between me, the two people I love most—my wife and our daughter—and our God." Those are the words of President Bill Clinton as he addressed the nation last Monday night. Roger Simon is 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

Are We a Non-Prophet Ministry? - I Corinthians 14:29-33

What image comes into your mind when you hear the word prophet? If you are like most people, several images may flash across your mental screen. You may think of a white haired old man in a prison cell on an island More

What About Those Who Never Hear The Gospel? - Romans 1:18-20

The subject for this morning is perhaps the most troubling question that Christians can face. The fate of those who never hear the gospel is both difficult and emotional. It's a tough question to think about because a More

No Other Gods - Exodus 20:3

We live in strange times, don't we? A recent Gallup Poll revealed that 84% of Americans believe that the Ten Commandments are a valid guide to life. That's encouraging until you realize that another survey revealed More

Hot Coals: Loving Those You'd Rather Hate - Romans 12:17-21

This week I ran across the words of Booker T. Washington, founder of the world-famous Tuskegee Institute in my home state of Alabama. As a black man growing up in the segregated South, he knew more than his share abo More

Can I Lose My Salvation? - Philippians 1:6

I would like to begin with the observation that this is a controversial question in Christian circles. It would be difficult to find a subject about which believers are more deeply divided. To the question, "Can I los More

Broken, Then Blessed

BROKEN, THEN BLESSED by Ray Pritchard The story I'm about to tell comes from a friend who has been going through a very hard time. The precise details don't matter except to say that this friend has struggled in his job for a long time and hasn't been able to take care of his family the way he would like. He tried and tried… 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

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 intellig More

Before The Rooster Crows - John 18:25-27

There are some sounds that we do not hear very often. One of them is the sound of a rooster crowing. In Chicago, you can hear almost anything, but you would probably have to go to a zoo to hear a rooster crowing. W 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

Is Total Forgiveness Realistic? - Ephesians 4:29-32

A few days ago I received an e-mail with a comment about these sermons on forgiveness:Since you started this series, I have made some important discoveries in my life, but am enjoying it all the same. Maybe ‘enj More

Are We on the Brink of Revival?

ARE WE ON THE BRINK OF REVIVAL? by Dr. Ray Pritchard Is America poised for a great spiritual awakening? Many factors argue against it. Several years ago Chuck Colson issued a solemn warning about the decline of our culture. He spotlighted three ominous trends: partial-birth abortion, euthanasia, and the movement to legalize… More

Never Be Surprised by Hard Times - I Peter 4:12-19

I begin with the words of British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, from an interview with William F. Buckley: "As an old man, looking back on one's life, it's one of the things that strikes you most forcibly—that 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

Is Jesus the Only Way to Heaven? - John 14:6

In preparing this message, I faced several important challenges:First, many of us already know the answer to this question. We've thought it, we've discussed it with others, and we know what we believe. Second, we kno More

What Happens to Those Who Never Heard About Jesus? - Romans 2:12

This is perhaps the most troubling question that Christians can face. The fate of those who never hear the gospel is both difficult and emotional. It's a tough question to think about, because at its heart, it touches More

Payday Someday - 1 Kings 21-22 & 2 Kings 9

Three years have passed since the showdown on Mount Carmel. During those three years, the people of Israel defeated the vastly superior Syrian army, which resulted in a period of peace and prosperity. And I think it i More

God's Word Has Not Failed - Romans 9:6-18

For many people no question seems as puzzling as the problem of unanswered prayer. Why is it that some things we pray about are never answered? We could all spend hours remembering times when we prayed and prayed, o More

God Unchanging - Romans 11:28-29

When I was a teenager in Alabama, I spent a week at a Methodist church camp. This was during the revolutionary days of the 60s when the talk was of LSD, the Beatles, hippies, the Vietnam War and protest in the street 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

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