People to Watch Out For

Introduction

In Rolling Meadows, just a short drive from here, stands Harvest Bible Chapel. You’ve probably driven by it. The church started ...

Filthy Rich

Introduction

A few years ago the luxury watchmaker Romain Jerome introduced a crocodile skin strapped watch which they called the Titanic DNA night and ...

My Favorite Prejudice

Introduction

As we continue in our study in James, we have looked at our own trials, tests and the troubles God wants to help bring us through. We’ll ...

How to Live When You Learn You Aren’t a Super-Hero

Introduction

I’ve been a pastor for over 27 years, but during that time I’ve always worked as a low-level, volunteer superhero. This is true. ...

The Illusion of Money

Introduction

I want to talk with you about the most controversial subject in the church. It's not homosexuality, it's not the use of the sign gifts, and ...

Later On, We'll Conspire

Introduction

There's something subversive about Christmas. To subvert something is to overthrow it, usually by indirect means. Subversion isn't a frontal ...

Following Christ in a Material World

Introduction

"Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl"

The princess ...

The Divine Dare

Introduction

Everybody has to make decisions about how we're going to deal with money. There are a couple scholars named who talk about two metaphors for ...

The 10 Financial Commandments

Introduction

A mom was trying to teach her two kids about Jesus and the Easter story. When she reached the part about Pilate and what he did with Jesus, ...

When Is Enough, Enough?

Introduction

Sometimes it's not just a practice but a word—just one word—that God uses in our minds and our hearts to transform us.

When ...

Treasury Notes in Heaven

Introduction

Our son-in-law, Keith, works on the trading floor of the commodities market exchange in Chicago. I've been there to watch him. You stand in ...

The Offering

Introduction

Today I want to talk about how the difficulties and disappointments of our life can deaden our heart, making them cold and inward-focused. ...

Right on the Money

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." That thought from Psalm 24:1 captures the core of our thinking on ...

Help! The Prayer that Calms

Maybe you have heard about the book called The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life. It is extremely popular, breaking all kinds of records ...

The Use of Money

From the editor

From time to time, we like to feature a classic sermon from a celebrated preacher of old. Bill White, a frequent contributor to PreachingToday.com, ...

Buying Friends

Have you started your income taxes yet? I started working on mine this week. I pulled up my computer records and looked at my general spending categories. ...

The Principles of Prosperity

Would you like some good news? God wants you to prosper. In case there's any shadow of doubt, I want to give you some Scriptures. In Psalm 1:3, the Bible ...

Room to Breathe

If you lost all means of financial support tomorrow, how long could you hold onto your house? How you answer that question gets to the heart of today's ...

The Sermon on the Amount

Introduction

I heard about a little girl who experienced a major breakthrough in her life when she learned to tie her own shoes. Instead of excitement, ...

Givers and Takers

Introduction

My son is the assistant manager of a Potbelly's sandwich shop in the northern suburbs of Chicago. When you ask for a glass of water, most ...

What Do You Need to Be Happy?

Click here to listen to the audio.

The story behind the sermon (from Francis Chan)

This message is about being content. It comes out of Philippians ...

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 ...

Facing North When the Market Goes South

Text: 1 Kings 17:7–16
Topic: Claiming God's promises in the midst of hard times

From the editor:

Though many experts believe we've entered an economic ...

Mind Your Own Business: What does the Bible say about savings and debt?

From the editor

If the prognosticators are right, the current economic crisis will probably stretch on into 2010. With that in mind, now might be a good ...

Regime Change

From the editor:

Here's a sermon by Kevin Miller that might inspire a few ideas for your own Palm Sunday sermon (April 5, 2009). As you read the sermon, ...

Take the Risk

From the editor:

As the country sinks further and further into a time of recession, financial issues will be weighing heavily on the minds of listeners. ...

What Would Jesus Say When the Dow Drops 700 Points?

From the editor

What would Jesus have us do in the midst of economic crisis? Mike Woodruff offers answers to that question that push us to gain new perspectives ...

Putting the Kingdom First

Introduction

In an article entitled "A new kind of urban Christian," Tim Keller argues that "Christians should be a dynamic counterculture. It is not enough ...

Secrets of Financial Contentment

Introduction

When I was a kid, my dad told me two stories all the time.

In the first one, a couple goes to Harvard University and asks to see the president, ...

You Can't Fool the Lord

Introduction

One of the ministers at this church the television show 24 because of the things that Jack Bauer never has to do: eat, charge his cell phone, ...

How Should a Pastor Think About His People's Giving?

Introduction

When I mentioned the title of this sermon to a group of pastors at our monthly denominational meeting, it elicited considerable response. ...

Treasury Notes in Heaven

Text: Matthew 6:19–21
Topic: Why storing your treasures in heaven is better than storing treasures on Earth

Introduction

Our son-in-law, Keith, works ...

How To Gain a New Perspective on Money

Introduction:

Leadership experts like John Maxwell, Warren Bennis, and Jack Welch, along with social psychologists, agree that when it comes to change, ...

Manage Money

According to research, of all the promises you'll make on your wedding day, the "for richer or poorer" part is likely to cause the most ...

How to Act Your Wage

A few years ago James Peterson and Peter Kim co-authored a book entitled The Day America Told The Truth. The book was the result of surveys that were ...

Finding Financial Freedom

We're talking this winter about living a life that counts. When all is said and done, we want our days and our dollars to add up to something worthwhile, ...

Tithes, Offerings, and Thieves

So, how do you feel when the offering basket comes around? Pressured? Guilty? Confused? Grateful? How do you feel when the pastor announces a series on ...

Living In the Zone

When the New England Patriots take the field this evening, they want to be "in the zone." The zone is a state of being in which an athlete is performing ...

A Sad Man Walking

I was out for a run a week ago or so. It was one of the first warm days after the big snow. As I made my way through one of the neighborhoods, I came ...

Living in a Material World

A man living in Southern California was on his way to work one morning in his brand new BMW. Suddenly, the "Big One" hit: the earth began to tremble ...

Spending Time

I happened to catch a song on the radio a few months ago called "100 Years," by a group named Five for Fighting. It was the tune that caught my attention ...

Let's Talk About Money

Do you realize Jesus had a lot to say about money? He talks very bluntly about money. He talks very bluntly about things. One day a fellow came to him ...

Down the Up Staircase

Retelling the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

The man owed a whole lot of money. Surely he wasn't surprised when he was summoned to the inner chambers ...

Wise Up About Money

The shock disk jockey, Howard Stern, is probably most well known for his vulgar and crude antics on his radio and television shows. In fact, at last count, ...

Stealing From God

When we put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, we enter a love relationship with him. It's a sacred romance. It's not just a working relationship. ...