Sermons found for the topic Thanksgiving

The Blessed Benefits - Psalm 103:1-5

Many of us need to give God a “one-minute praisingâ€� for all his blessings. We’re sure good at telling the Lord what we want him to do for us. We need a good dose of Psalm 103 to wash out that complaining spirit and replace it with a heart of gratitude to the Lord. More

How God Revealed the Ingratitude of My Own Heart - Romans 1

"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.” (R More

Contentment: A "Better" Way to Live - Proverbs 17:1

It didn't start out that way. When Scott and Janet put the kids in the mini-van and took off for Milwaukee, they had no idea. It was just another trip and six of their kids were with them. Scott Willis said, "I barely 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

What Children Can Teach Us At Thanksgiving - Psalm 131

Once again the holiday season has rolled around and people are saying, "Where did the year go?" Already the stores are filled with Christmas decorations, children are wondering what they will find under the tree, and More

How Your Life Can Change Those Around You - I Peter 2:11-12

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may More

Fear Factor - Acts 20:35

For the past few months I've been preaching a series of sermons from I Peter. We're taking a break from that series for the next two weeks so we can focus on Christian giving. That fact is noteworthy for two reasons:1 More

The First Law of Christian Giving - Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.This week as I studied for this 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

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 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

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

The 53rd Sunday - 1 Chronicles 28-29

This morning I am interrupting my series in 1 Thessalonians to preach two sermons on the subject of Christian giving. If you're here as a visitor, please understand that we don't always talk about money on Sunday mor More

Level Three Faith and How to Get There - Hebrews 11:13-16

Every time a church enters a stewardship campaign, there is danger and there is also opportunity. The main danger is that the church will talk so much about money that people will begin to equate the whole of Christia More

Three Important Notes

THREE IMPORTANT NOTES by Ray Pritchard 1) “The Passion of the Christ.” The much-discussed movie premieres this Wednesday in theaters around the country. On Saturday afternoon 450 people from Calvary (members, regular attendees, and their guests) will attend a showing of the movie at the Cinemark Theater in Melrose… More

The End of the Beginning - I Samuel 31 - II Samuel 1

The year was 1943. Slowly the Allied forces were squeezing the Germans out of North Africa. From the east Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery's British forces sent Rommel's Nazi tanks reeling in retreat across the L More

Overcoming Disappointment - Ezra 3

The year is 537 B.C. The place is Jerusalem. The Jews have just returned from a long captivity in Babylon. Some have been gone from their homeland for 70 years. Others have been gone for 50 years. They were sent into More

Welcome to the Priesthood - I Peter 2:4-10

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual s More

The Salt and Light Brigade - Matthew 5:13-16

All of us were shocked and saddened by the tragic events in the Scottish highlands this week. On Wednesday a deranged gunman slaughtered sixteen schoolchildren and their teacher for no apparent reason. Commenting on 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

How to Have Joy All Year Long - Philippians 4:1-9

As we come to the end of another year, once again we find ourselves in a world filled with problems, doubts, worries, and fears. We sing "Joy to the world," but there is not as much joy as we would like. Too many unha More

To Every Generation: - Psalm 100:5

“Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only he can see.” Corrie Ten Boom Ten years ago today I was sitting in my home in Garland, Te More

Life-Changing, Heart-Moving, World-Shaking Prayer - 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

"Prayer is not everything but everything is by prayer." So said Ray Ortlund. All Christians would agree with that statement. No matter what our background, instinctively we know that prayer is central to the Christ More

Christian Aerobics - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22

"The mark of true Christian faith is that it changes everything you do and say." Ray StedmanWe have come to the last few verses of 1 Thessalonians. As we begin our study, I would like to remark for a momen 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 world will alwa 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

Restless, Waiting, Willing

RESTLESS, WAITING, WILLING by Ray Pritchard At our recent Pastors’ Retreat, Howard Duncan shared something the Lord had put on his heart overnight. He said that as pastors, we are called to ask, “What is God doing and how can we join him in his work?”� That's different from asking, “How can we get God t… More

The First Rule of Holes

THE FIRST RULE OF HOLES by Ray Pritchard A friend was talking with his son about the importance of sound financial principles. But what do you do when you are already in debt? The answer is not hard to find: Get out of debt as quickly as possible. My friend shared a pithy aphorism that he called the First Rule of Holes, whi… More

When You Pray, Never Give Up - Luke 18:1-8

My goal in this sermon is very simple. I hope to convince you of the importance of persistence in prayer. I want you to see that God is greatly glorified when we continue in prayer over a long period of time. Or to sa More

No Hopeless Cases - Romans 11:11-16

I first met Jacob Gartenhaus about forty years ago. When I was a teenager growing up in a small town in Alabama, our pastor invited Dr. Gartenhaus to speak to us on the subject of Jewish evangelism. It was the first t More

Hold Lightly What You Value Greatly - Luke 12:16-21

The land of a rich man produced plentifully and he thought to himself, "What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?" And he said, "I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there 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

How To Make Your Money Go a Long, Long Way - II Corinthians 9:12-15

The story is told of three tightwads who visited a certain church for the first time. Not wanting to give any money, they deliberately came late so they could skip the offering. They were shocked to discover that in 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

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

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

Overcoming Loneliness - Isaiah 7:14 & Matthew 1:22-23

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14)."All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through th 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

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

What Is Your Isaac? - Hebrews 11:17-19

From the story of Abraham offering Isaac, we learn that God calls us to yield our dearest treasures to him. Anything good can become an idol when it becomes too important to us. What is your Isaac? Are you willing to lay it down for Jesus’ sake? 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

Thanksgiving 1999

1 Thessalonians 5:18 admonishes us to "give thanks in all circumstances." Sometimes that is easy to do, sometimes not so easy. In the last few days I have found comfort in two places: great music and good theology. By "great music" I am not referring to a style or to a particular period but rather to music that contains a s… More

The Incredible Adventure Begins - Genesis 12:1-9

This morning we are beginning a brand-new sermon series. This series is brand-new in two ways. It is new to us as a congregation and it is new to me personally. Although I have been your pastor for nearly seven yea More

The Ultimate Test - Genesis 22

Several times in this sermon series I have pointed out that a particular portion of Abraham's story is well-known to the people of the world. For instance, many people know about Abraham and Sarah leaving Ur of the C More

Three Levels of Prayer - Matthew 7:7-11

Today we are beginning a new sermon series called Adventures in Prayer. For the next seven Sundays we will look at some of the great prayer promises of the New Testament. Right up front I want you to know that I have More

"In Jesus' Name, Amen" - John 14:13-14

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:13-14).These words of Jesus contain a remarkable promise. T More

Integrity: The Ultimate Virtue - Various

I want to begin this sermon by giving you a verse of Scripture that is hard to know where it fits. It is Proverbs 24:26. It seems to fit well on the first Sunday of the new year. It says, "An honest answer is like a k More

Can I Trust God with My Pocketbook? - II Corinthians 9:6-11

I have a friend in California named Rick Gautreaux. Rick used to tell me about his experiences witnessing to a skeptical friend at work. It seems that this friend really has it in for churches in general and preachers More

Payday Someday: Why I Believe in Heaven and Hell - Various

This morning we come face to face with the most basic question of all: What happens when we die? For thousands of years men and women have pondered this question and offered differing answers. The materialist says More

Only One Gospel: Why We Preach an Unpopular Doctrine - Galatians 1:1-10

Today we are beginning a brand-new sermon series on the book of Galatians. Whenever a pastor starts a new series, especially an exposition of a book of the Bible, it's always useful to know why this book and why now. More