Sermons & Devotionals by Classic Christian Writings

Throughout the Bible we are admonished to fear the Lord. For example, Moses declares, "And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord…" (Deuteronomy 10:12). The Psalmist writes, "Fear the Lord, you His saints…" (Psalm 34:9). Solomon states that the conclusion of the m... Read More

Early one morning A. B. Simpson was discovered at his devotions, his arms wrapped around a globe of the world, and his tears falling down upon it as he prayed for a lost world: A hundred thousand souls a day Are passing one by one away In Christless guilt and gloom. O Church of Christ, what wilt tho... Read More

"He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul" (Psalm 106:15). The Gospel sets before us Christ and His Kingdom, against the world and its attractions. It urges us to choose. Indeed, all its pressure is directed toward making clear that choice is unavoidable. But after the will maki... Read More

Edited from a message delivered at the "Heart-Cry for Revival" Conference near Asheville, North Carolina, April 2002 (Editor’s note: Although this message is addressed particularly to pastors, there is an important message here for all Christians. Might all who read be encouraged to uphold God-calle... Read More

The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. In keeping with John 1:1, the Lord Jesus is often spoken of as "the living Word" just as the Bible is the written Word. We have to be careful, however, not to deify the written Word to the point that we worship it. We must worship not the Bible, but the Go... Read More

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16). Prayer availeth much. It avails much with God. It avails much in the history of His Church and people. Prayer is the one great power which the Church can exercise in securing the working of God’s omnipotence in the world. ... Read More

There are four things for which the dunamis (power) of the Holy Spirit is expressly stated in the New Testament to be given to us.... (1) It is given that we might see and apprehend our union with Christ (John 14:20).... (2) The power of the Holy Spirit is given that we might be "strengthened with a... Read More

"Power belongeth unto God" (Psalm 62:11). The great reservoir of the power that belongs to God is His own Word – the Bible. If we wish to make it ours, we must go to that Book. Yet people abound in the Church who are praying for power and neglecting the Bible. Men are longing to have power for beari... Read More

Today our world is being carried on a rushing torrent of history that is sweeping out of control. There is but one power available to redeem the course of human events, and that is the power of prayer by God’s soldiers. God has placed a powerful weapon at the disposal of the church that can outmaneu... Read More

One of the most neglected aspects of our prayer lives--whether individual or corporate, is the need for confession and repentance. We all know that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all know that when we ask for forgiveness with a truly repentant heart, it is freely given to us... Read More

In Matthew 20:21-22 we read that the mother of James and John came to Jesus and made a request of Him: “Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand and the other on Thy left, in Thy kingdom. Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask . . .” Long before Calvary, the Lord gav... Read More

The price we must pay individually for revival is BROKENNESS! "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" (Psalms 34:18). "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise" (Psalms 51:18). "... Read More

The promise of the Holy Spirit to the disciples was in a very marked way the “Promise of the Father,” but it was only realized after many days of continued and importunate praying. The promise was clear and definite that the disciples should be endued with power from on high (Acts 1:8), but as a con... Read More

"For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). What is the "promise" to which Peter refers in this verse? Doubtless many of you know that there are two differing interpretations of this verse. One interpreta... Read More

In S. A. Keen’s article on page 4, "The Spirit’s Power Indispensable," fail not to notice the words, "the Holy Spirit of promise" and "the promise of the Spirit." It is always good to have an encouraging promise, but never better than when it is God who gives a promise, for He always keeps His Word.... Read More

In the first chapter of Titus we read these words in verses 14 through 16: "Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is de... Read More

Progress is the great law of life. Most of us have known better days, and all of us can be better than we are. Now is the time for us to take spiritual inventory of our lives, to select our priorities and put first things first. Most of us have only touched the border of our achievement. We know so ... Read More

The waiting disciple, the ready disciple will be a busy disciple. "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13) is the Lord’s command. And he is not only to be occupied, busy, but to be busy about the very thing the Lord has given each one to do. He says, "To every man his work" (Mark 13:34). We must each one g... Read More

Those who look eagerly for Christ's second coming are most eager also to complete the task of evangelism. "The gospel must first be preached unto all nations" "for a witness" (Mark 13:10; Matt. 24:14). There is no stronger incentive to immediate evangelism than the imminence of Christ's return.... T... Read More

"Oh Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3:2). The term revival points to a kind of recurrent activity. In Old Testament times after a period of spiritual declension as in the days of the judges there would come a s... Read More