When God Doesn't Listen

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Introduction

I did something I thought I would never do in my life: I went to a NASCAR race. I know some of you are big ...

An Empowering Presence

Introduction

Some years ago I had a conversation with a guest after one of our services. It was her first or second time at our church, and she offered ...

The Muchness of God

Introduction

In this very moment, God is ready to pour out upon you—from the lavish abundance and overflow of his reserves—blessings that will ...

The Breath of God

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C. S. Lewis introduces us to four children who find their way into a wondrous land through the back of a wardrobe ...

How Does God Keep His Promises?

Introduction

Several years ago, my father passed away at 88 years of age. During his last adult years, my father lived with us in Texas. Before that he ...

Songs of Our Tears

Illustration: A couple of weeks ago, I attended a worship conference. One of the classes focused on the different purposes and styles of worship. A music ...

The Audacity to Hope

Editor's note: In light of current political controversy, questions have been raised about the following sermon by Jeremiah Wright. Preaching Today published ...

Tide Riding

Introduction

During the troubled years of the Second World War, the Italian forces were driven out of Eritrea in North Africa. In an effort to make the ...

Hallelujah Chorus

Introduction

I've heard before that if you want to get along with people, you ought to avoid discussing politics and religion. But a list of taboo topics ...

Knowing the God Who Knows You

Introduction

Have you ever asked yourself how many times you are photographed in a day? When you walk into the bank or return your cart to the corral in ...

Why It's Hard to Worship

Introduction

A few years ago, songwriter Michael Card wrote a book and recorded an album focusing on the subject of lament. The project grew out of a series ...

Torn by Pain

Introduction

In 1997 Sara McLachlan wrote a song entitled "Dear God." It's a searing complaint against God—raw, brutally honest, and irreverent. ...

Guide

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The story behind the sermon (from John Ortberg)

I have grown to love the theme of God's guidance. This is a chance to ...

Journey Mercies

Introduction

Unless you go to the theater regularly, you may not be used to thinking of stories in terms of acts. But most of the stories you read, or ...

The Abundant Life Commitment

From the editor:

The debate over embryonic stem cell research rages on and on. It was a center-stage issue in the last presidential election, and probably ...

I Pray the Lord My Soul to Keep

From the editor:

Here's another great sermon from one of our featured preachers, Bryan Wilkerson—an in-depth look at the last few lines of the Lord's ...

The Really Good Shepherd

Introduction

According to the United States Social Security Administration, Jacob was the number one male baby name for the year 2007. In the Bible the ...

The Messy Family of God

Introduction

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." So reads the first line of Leo Tolstoy's famous novel, Anna ...

A Fine Mess

Introduction

What a great promise from God: "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go." We talked about this great promise in the last sermon—a ...

The Voice from the Top of the Stairs

Introduction

There's a story oft-told on the Internet—true or not, I don't know—about Susan, a 34-year-old woman who lost her sight due to ...

Odd Man Out

Introduction

Some wedding requests pose a dilemma for pastors. Most of us will not officiate at a wedding between a believer and an unbeliever, believing ...

The Strange Blessing of God

Introduction

Do you live a blessed life? I did a Google search on the phrase, "I live a blessed life." I stumbled upon one guy who wrote, "I live a blessed ...

Rebuilding the Walls

Introduction

In the countryside near Leicester, England, there stands an ancient church whose walls are inscribed with an eloquent memorial. The inscription ...

Summer

Introduction

I grew up in a small mining town in northern Canada, a place memorable for its hard, cruel winters. But on the first day of summer in 1975, ...

Asleep at the Wheel

From the editor

Chances are, you've probably preached the story of Jesus calming the storm. The account is recorded in three of the four Gospels (Matthew, ...

Wait for the Morning

Introduction

Right after the Virginia Tech University massacre, the worship leader at a community worship service turned to this text. On behalf of those ...

Remember God in the Moment

Introduction

"Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have ...

Praying the Savior's Way

From the editor:

The Lord's Prayer is one of the more popular passages in all of the New Testament—believers and non-believers alike have even taken ...

The House of Prayer

Introduction

"My temple should be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." That stands as one of the harshest indictments ever uttered ...

Finding God in Desperate Places

Introduction

I'd like to write a book someday called Desperate Places: How God Shines Through Our Weakness. These desperate places are places of weakness, ...

You Go Your Way; I'll Go God's Way.

Introduction

Many people who study the times say that there isn't much we can trust today. Andy Crouch put it this way in Christianity Today:

The emptiness ...

What Have We Done?

Introduction

After the Chicago Cubs lost their 96th baseball game in 2006, manager Dusty Baker, was called in to meet with the general manager. We all ...

Keep the Dust off the Highchairs

Text: Luke 2:52
Topic: Why the young people of a church are important

Introduction

I once attended the funeral of a relative of mine. The service was at ...

Comfort for the Troubled Heart

Introduction

The Allies had planned Operation Overlord for years, amassing vast armies, an incredible navy, and enough arms to release Europe from the ...

The "Muchness" of God

Text: James 5:13–16
Topic: How to experience God's provision and power

Introduction

In this very moment, God is ready to pour out upon you—from ...

The Prime Principle

Introduction

Abiding in Christ is simply staying near a friend who loves you. But what happens to a person who abides in Christ? If I really walk with ...

A Strange Résumé

Introduction

It's the most dreaded question of the job interview, and when the time comes, you can't seem to push the words out of your mouth. "Tell me," ...

Don't Go To Church!

Introduction

D. L. Moody was visiting a prominent Chicago citizen when the idea of church membership and involvement came up.

"I believe I can be just as ...

Don't Just Do Something, Sit There

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how Jesus spent his evenings and his nights? Some of his disciples came to him early on to ask about the fringe benefits ...

Peace in the Church

Introduction

When I was a pastor in Arizona, there were two men in the church who were greatly admired. They were both successful businessmen who desired ...

Remember Me

Introduction

Several years after Jimmy Cagney had become famous portraying gangsters in Hollywood films, he and his wife were getting into a car in New ...

The Fifth Dimension

Introduction

There are five parts of me and (probably) you: Part of myself that I know and like and let my friends see; part of myself that I know and ...

My Favorite Heroes: Nehemiah

Introduction

The hero that we are going to look at today is a man named Nehemiah. I want to say just a couple of things as we get ready to walk into his ...

Elements of Worship

Introduction:

One of the most interesting points of a pastor’s week is greeting people after Sunday morning worship. People say the most interesting things ...

Prayer Priorities

Introduction

When you pray, what do you pray about? What are the priorities in your prayer life? When you really get down to business with God, what rises ...

The Battleground of Prayer

Introduction

Have you ever visited a battlefield? From the Civil War siege at Vicksburg, Mississippi, to the final advance of the German army on Leningrad ...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Introduction

I had originally announced that I would be speaking today on the Christian's relationship to government, but in recent days the Lord has put ...

The Agony of Victory

Introduction

Some years ago a 14-foot bronze crucifix was stolen from Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas. It had stood at the entrance to that cemetery ...

Wasted on Jesus

Sermon One

Valentine's Day is tomorrow and I'm jittery. I love my sweetheart—no doubt about that—but I confess that Valentine's Day gives me ...

The Dinner Guests of God

Sermon Two

Mary Poplin, professor of education and Dean of the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University, attended a Methodist church ...