Pastor Dale Critchley Sermons

Open the gates of righteousness for me. I will go through them and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which righteous people will enter. I give thanks to you, because you have answered me. You are my savior. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The LORD is responsible for this, and it is amazing for us to see. This is the day the LORD has made. Let's rejoice and be glad today! We beg you, O LORD, save us! We beg you, O LORD, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the LORD'S house. The LORD is God, and he has given us light. March in a festival procession with branches to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I give thanks to you. My God, I honor you highly. Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his mercy endures forever. (Psalms 118:19-29, GWV)

This was John's answer when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" John didn't refuse to answer. He told them clearly, "I'm not the Messiah." They asked him, "Well, are you Elijah?" John answered, "No, I'm not." Then they asked, "Are you the prophet?" John replied, "No." So they asked him, "Who are you? Tell us so that we can take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" John said, "I'm a voice crying out in the desert, 'Make the way for the Lord straight,' as the prophet Isaiah said." Some of those who had been sent were Pharisees. They asked John, "Why do you baptize if you're not the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water. Someone you don't know is standing among you. He's the one who comes after me. I am not worthy to untie his sandal strap." This happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing. (John 1:19-28, GWV)

A song for going up to worship. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, it was as if we were dreaming. Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with joyful songs. Then the nations said, "The LORD has done spectacular things for them." The LORD has done spectacular things for us. We are overjoyed. Restore our fortunes, O LORD, as you restore streams to dry riverbeds in the Negev. Those who cry while they plant will joyfully sing while they harvest. The person who goes out weeping, carrying his bag of seed, will come home singing, carrying his bundles of grain. (Psalms 126:1-6, GWV)

Elijah found Elisha, son of Shaphat. Elisha was plowing behind 12 pairs of oxen. He was using the twelfth pair. Elijah took off his coat and put it on Elisha. So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye. Then I will follow you." "Go back," Elijah answered him. "I'm not stopping you." Elisha left him, took two oxen, and butchered them. He boiled the meat, using the oxen's yoke for firewood. He gave the meat to the people to eat. Then he left to follow and assist Elijah. (1 Kings 19:19-21, GWV)

A psalm by David; a maskil. Blessed is the person whose disobedience is forgiven and whose sin is pardoned. Blessed is the person whom the LORD no longer accuses of sin and who has no deceitful thoughts. When I kept silent about my sins, my bones began to weaken because of my groaning all day long. Day and night your hand lay heavily on me. My strength shriveled in the summer heat. Selah I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt. I decided to confess them to you, O LORD. Then you forgave all my sins. Selah For this reason let all godly people pray to you when you may be found. Then raging floodwater will not reach them. You are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyous songs of salvation. Selah The LORD says, "I will instruct you. I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you. Don't be stubborn like a horse or mule. They need a bit and bridle in their mouth to restrain them, or they will not come near you." Many heartaches await wicked people, but mercy surrounds those who trust the LORD. Be glad and find joy in the LORD, you righteous people. Sing with joy, all whose motives are decent. (Psalms 32:1-11, GWV)

...Above the dome over their heads was something that looked like a throne made of sapphire. On the throne was a figure that looked like a human. Then I saw what he looked like from the waist up. He looked like glowing bronze with fire all around it. From the waist down, he looked like fire. A bright light surrounded him. The brightness all around him looked like a rainbow in the clouds. It was like the LORD'S glory. When I saw it, I immediately bowed down, and I heard someone speaking. He said to me, "Son of man, stand up, and I will speak to you." As he spoke to me, the Spirit entered me, stood me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They are people from a nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have rebelled against me to this day. I am sending you to these defiant and stubborn children. Tell them, 'This is what the Almighty LORD says.' Whether these rebellious people listen or not, they will realize that a prophet has been among them. Son of man, don't be afraid of them or the things they say. Don't be afraid, even though thorns and thistles are around you and you live among scorpions. Don't let the things they say frighten you. Don't be terrified in their presence, even though they are rebellious people. Speak my words to them whether they listen or not, because they are rebellious. But you, son of man, listen to what I say. Don't be rebellious like those rebellious people. Open your mouth, and eat what I am giving to you." As I looked, I saw a hand stretched out toward me. In it was a scroll. He spread the scroll in front of me. There was writing on the front and back. There were funeral songs, songs of mourning, and horrible things written on it. (Ezekiel 1:1-2:10, GWV)

For the choir director; a psalm by Korah's descendants. You favored your land, O LORD. You restored the fortunes of Jacob. You removed your people's guilt. You pardoned all their sins. Selah You laid aside all your fury. You turned away from your burning anger. Restore us, O God, our savior. Put an end to your anger against us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you ever let go of your anger in the generations to come? Won't you restore our lives again so that your people may find joy in you? Show us your mercy, O LORD, by giving us your salvation. I want to hear what God the LORD says, because he promises peace to his people, to his godly ones. But they must not go back to their stupidity. Indeed, his salvation is near those who fear him, and his glory will remain in our land. Mercy and truth have met. Righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth sprouts from the ground, and righteousness looks down from heaven. The LORD will certainly give us what is good, and our land will produce crops. Righteousness will go ahead of him and make a path for his steps. (Psalms 85:1-13, GWV)

The LORD spoke his word to me, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart for my holy purpose. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations." I, Jeremiah, said, "Almighty LORD, I do not know how to speak. I am only a boy!" But the LORD said to me, "Don't say that you are only a boy. You will go wherever I send you. You will say whatever I command you to say. Don't be afraid of people. I am with you, and I will rescue you," declares the LORD. Then the LORD stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. The LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will uproot and tear down. You will destroy and overthrow. You will build and plant." (Jeremiah 1:4-10, GWV)

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne. The bottom of his robe filled the temple. Angels were standing above him. Each had six wings: With two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They called to each other and said, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory." Their voices shook the foundations of the doorposts, and the temple filled with smoke. So I said, "Oh, no! I'm doomed. Every word that passes through my lips is sinful. I live among people with sinful lips. I have seen the king, the LORD of Armies!" Then one of the angels flew to me. In his hand was a burning coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, "This has touched your lips. Your guilt has been taken away, and your sin has been forgiven." Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom will I send? Who will go for us?" I said, "Here I am. Send me!" And he said, "Go and tell these people, 'No matter how closely you listen, you'll never understand. No matter how closely you look, you'll never see.' Make these people close-minded. Plug their ears. Shut their eyes. Otherwise, they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their minds, and return and be healed." I asked, "How long, O Lord?" And he replied, "Until the cities lie in ruins with no one living in them, the houses have no people, and the land is completely desolate. The LORD will send his people far away, and a large area in the middle of the land will be abandoned. Even if one out of ten people is left in it, the land will be burned again. When a sacred oak or an oak is cut down, a stump is left. The holy seed will be the land's stump." (Isaiah 6:1-13, GWV)

If any of you are having trouble, pray. If you are happy, sing psalms. If you are sick, call for the church leaders. Have them pray for you and anoint you with olive oil in the name of the Lord. (Prayers offered in faith will save those who are sick, and the Lord will cure them.) If you have sinned, you will be forgiven. So admit your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you will be healed. Prayers offered by those who have God’s approval are effective. Elijah was human like us. Yet, when he prayed that it wouldn’t rain, no rain fell on the ground for three-and-a-half years. Then he prayed again. It rained, and the ground produced crops. My brothers and sisters, if one of you wanders from the truth, someone can bring that person back. Realize that whoever brings a sinner back from the error of his ways will save him from death, and many sins will be forgiven. (James 5:13-20, GWV)

Whoever lives under the shelter of the Most High will remain in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." He is the one who will rescue you from hunters' traps and from deadly plagues. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His truth is your shield and armor. You do not need to fear terrors of the night, arrows that fly during the day, plagues that roam the dark, epidemics that strike at noon. They will not come near you, even though a thousand may fall dead beside you or ten thousand at your right side. You only have to look with your eyes to see the punishment of wicked people. You, O LORD, are my refuge! You have made the Most High your home. No harm will come to you. No sickness will come near your house. He will put his angels in charge of you to protect you in all your ways. They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock. You will step on lions and cobras. You will trample young lions and snakes. (Psalms 91:1-13, GWV)

The LORD spoke his word to Hosea, son of Beeri, when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah and when Jeroboam, son of Joash, was king of Israel. When the LORD first spoke to Hosea, the LORD told him, "Marry a prostitute, and have children with that prostitute. The people in this land have acted like prostitutes and abandoned the LORD." So Hosea married Gomer, daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and had a son. The LORD told Hosea, "Name him Jezreel. In a little while I will punish Jehu's family for the people they slaughtered at Jezreel. Then I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. On that day I will break Israel's bows and arrows in the valley of Jezreel." Gomer became pregnant again and had a daughter. The LORD told Hosea, "Name her Lo Ruhamah [Unloved]. I will no longer love the nation of Israel. I will no longer forgive them. Yet, I will love the descendants of Judah. I will rescue them because I am the LORD their God. I won't use bows, swords, wars, horses, or horsemen to rescue them." After Gomer had weaned Lo Ruhamah, she became pregnant again and had a son. The LORD said, "Name him Lo Ammi [Not My People]. You are no longer my people, and I am no longer your God., "Yet, the Israelites will become as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. No one will be able to measure them or count them. Wherever they were told, 'You are not my people,' they will be told, 'You are the children of the living God.' The people of Judah and Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint one leader for themselves, and they will grow in the land. The day of Jezreel will be a great day. (Hosea 1:1-11, GWV)

About eight days after he had said this, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up a mountain to pray. While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly, both Moses and Elijah were talking with him. They appeared in heavenly glory and were discussing Jesus' approaching death and what he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. Peter and the men with him were sleeping soundly. When they woke up, they saw Jesus' glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher, it's good that we're here. Let's put up three tents--one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Peter didn't know what he was saying. While he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them. They were frightened as they went into the cloud. A voice came out of the cloud and said, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to him!" After the voice had spoken, they saw that Jesus was alone. The disciples said nothing, and for some time they told no one about what they had seen. (Luke 9:28-36, GWV)

I may speak in the languages of humans and of angels. But if I don't have love, I am a loud gong or a clashing cymbal. I may have the gift to speak what God has revealed, and I may understand all mysteries and have all knowledge. I may even have enough faith to move mountains. But if I don't have love, I am nothing. I may even give away all that I have and give up my body to be burned. But if I don't have love, none of these things will help me. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love isn't jealous. It doesn't sing its own praises. It isn't arrogant. It isn't rude. It doesn't think about itself. It isn't irritable. It doesn't keep track of wrongs. It isn't happy when injustice is done, but it is happy with the truth. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. Love never comes to an end. There is the gift of speaking what God has revealed, but it will no longer be used. There is the gift of speaking in other languages, but it will stop by itself. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will no longer be used. Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete. But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will no longer be used. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways. Now we see a blurred image in a mirror. Then we will see very clearly. Now my knowledge is incomplete. Then I will have complete knowledge as God has complete knowledge of me. So these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the best one of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13, GWV)

For example, the body is one unit and yet has many parts. As all the parts form one body, so it is with Christ. By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether we are Jewish or Greek, slave or free, God gave all of us one Spirit to drink. As you know, the human body is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. Suppose a foot says, "I'm not a hand, so I'm not part of the body!" Would that mean it's no longer part of the body? Or suppose an ear says, "I'm not an eye, so I'm not a part of the body!" Would that mean it's no longer part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? So God put each and every part of the body together as he wanted it. How could it be a body if it only had one part? So there are many parts but one body. An eye can't say to a hand, "I don't need you!" Or again, the head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you!" The opposite is true. The parts of the body that we think are weaker are the ones we really need. The parts of the body that we think are less honorable are the ones we give special honor. So our unpresentable parts are made more presentable. However, our presentable parts don't need this kind of treatment. God has put the body together and given special honor to the part that doesn't have it. God's purpose was that the body should not be divided but rather that all of its parts should feel the same concern for each other. If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts share its suffering. If one part is praised, all the others share in its happiness. You are Christ's body and each of you is an individual part of it. In the church God has appointed first apostles, next prophets, third teachers, then those who perform miracles, then those who have the gift of healing, then those who help others, those who are managers, and those who can speak in a number of languages. Not all believers are apostles, are they? Are all of them prophets? Do all of them teach? Do all of them perform miracles or have gifts of healing? Can all of them speak in other languages or interpret languages? You only want the better gifts, but I will show you the best thing to do. (1 Corinthians 12:12-31, GWV)