Clovis G. Chappell was ordained into the ministry of the Methodist Church in 1908, and over the next 41 years held pastorates in Washington, Memphis, Houston, Birmingham and Charlotte, North Carolina. He officially retired in 1949 but filled numerous speaking engagements each year throughout the country.
Born at Flat Woods, Tennessee on January 8, 1882, he studied at Trinity (now Duke) and Harvard Universities. He held doctoral degrees from Duke, Centenary College of Louisiana, and Birmingham Southern College. He died in 1972.
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Biblical Characters, 1 - THE MISSING MAN, THOMAS
John 20:24
"Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came." Did you notice the name of this man who was missing? Who was it when the little company met after the crucifixion that was not there? There was a man expected who failed to come. Who was this man? When the little company gathered in the upper room behind s ...read
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Biblical Characters, 2 - THE GREAT REFUSAL, JONAH
Jonah 1:1-3
There is doubtless not another book in the literature of the world that has suffered more at the hands of men than the book of Jonah. It has been tortured by its enemies and wounded in the house of its friends. We have been so prone to give our attention to the non-essential in the book rather than the essential. We have had such kee ...read
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Biblical Characters, 3 - THE ROMANCE OF FAITH, PETER
Matthew 14:28
"Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." I could not tell you how many times I have read this fascinating story. I have turned to it again and again. But in spite of its familiarity it always grips me. I can never read it thoughtfully without a thrill. I can never expose my soul to the vital truth of it without be ...read
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Biblical Characters, 4 - LOVE'S LONGING, PAUL
Philippians 3:10
"That I may know . . . the fellowship of His sufferings." Weymouth gives this translation: "I long to share His sufferings." Paul is here leading us into the very innermost sanctuary of his heart. He is revealing to us the supreme passion of his life. He is letting us know what is his one great ambition. "I long," he says. And k ...read
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Biblical Characters, 5 - GOING VISITING, JONATHAN
I Samuel 23:16
"And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David into the wood and strengthened his hand in God." "Going visiting" is a very commonplace occurrence. Oftentimes the visits we make are thoroughly trivial and unimportant. But there are other times when our visits take on a profound significance. There are times when they mark a cri ...read
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Biblical Characters, 6 - THE WOMAN OF THE SHATTERED ROMANCES, THE WOMAN OF SYCHAR
John 4:4-26
Look, will you, at this picture. There sits a man in the strength and buoyancy of young manhood. He is only thirty or thereabouts. About him is the atmosphere of vigor and vitality that belong to the spring-time of life. But to-day he is a bit tired. There is a droop in his shoulders. His feet and sandals are dusty. His garment is tr ...read
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Biblical Characters, 7 - A GOOD MAN, BARNABAS
Acts 11:24
This is the text: "He was a good man." Doubtless you think me daring to the point of rashness to undertake to interest and edify a modern congregation by talking about a virtue so prosaic as goodness. "He was a good man." We do not thrill when we hear that. It is not a word that quickens our pulse beat. We do not sit up and lean forwa ...read
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Biblical Characters, 8 - THE INQUEST, PHARAOH
Exodus 14:30 and 9:16
In Exodus 14:19 we read these words: "And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore." It is rather a ghastly and grewsome sight. There they lie, the soldiers of the once proud army of Egypt. They are in all sorts of positions, these dead men. Some have their heads pillowed peacefully upon their arms as if in sleep. Ot ...read
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Biblical Characters, 9 - A SON OF SHAME, JEPHTHAH
Judges 11:35
"I have opened my mouth unto the Lord and I cannot go back." I like these big words. There is a ring of sterling strength in them. They have a robust masculinity that grips my heart. They are not the words of a weakling. They have absolutely no savor of softness or moral flabbiness. They are not cheap. They are high priced words. Th ...read
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Biblical Characters, 10 - A CASE OF BLUES, ELIJAH
1 Kings 19:4
One day you were reading in the New Testament and you came to that surprising word from James: "Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are." And if you were reading thoughtfully you stared at that sentence in wide-eyed amazement. And then in your heart you said, "It isn't true. Elijah's story doesn't read a bit like mine." ...read
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Biblical Characters, 11 - THE SUPREME QUESTION, THE PHILIPPIAN JAILER
Acts 16:30, 31
"What must I do to be saved?" That question was asked by a startled jailer. He was amidst strange and perplexing happenings. He had just seen wonderful sights. He was being shaken by unfamiliar terrors. For these terrors he sought relief and so he asked this infinitely wise question: "What must I do to be saved?"
But this jaile ...read
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Biblical Characters, 12 - THE MOTHER-IN-LAW, NAOMI
It is thoroughly refreshing to come upon this exquisite bit of literature called "Ruth." It follows, as you know, immediately after the bloodstained stories we read in Judges. It shows that while there was war and confusion and hate there was also friendship and love and romance. It is a bit of exquisite beauty elbowed on either side by ugliness. T ...read
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Biblical Characters, 13 - CONFESSIONS OF A FAILURE, THE BUSY MAN
1 Kings 20:40
In 1 Kings 20:40 you will find the text. "As thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone." This is part of a parable that was spoken by a certain prophet to King Ahab. This prophet was seeking to rebuke the king for his leniency in dealing with Benhadad, whom he had overcome in battle. It is not our purpose, however, to discus ...read
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Biblical Characters, 14 - A MOTHER'S REWARD, JOCHEBED
Exodus 2:9
"Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give thee thy wages." This text refers to one of the big events of human history. This is one of the most stupendous happenings that was ever recorded. I doubt if there was ever a battle fought that was so far reaching in its influence. I doubt if all the fifteen decisive battles o ...read
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Biblical Characters, 15 - A GOOD MAN'S HELL, MANASSEH
Jeremiah 15:4
"And I will cause them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh." The prophet of the Lord is here fixing the responsibility for the downfall of Jerusalem. He says that the wreck was due in an especial sense to one man. He makes it very plain that it was one man's hands that had planted the infernal bomb ...read
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Biblical Characters, 16 - A SHREWD FOOL, THE RICH FARMER
Luke 12:16-21
"And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. ...read
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Sermons from the Psalms, 1 - He Shall Prosper
"In whatsoever he doeth, he shall prosper." (Psalm 1:3)
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Clovis G. Chappell: "HE shall prosper" - surely here is a word to bring us to our feet at eager attention. This psalmist is undertaking to point us to the path of prosperity. He is offering us a recipe for success. His message is, therefore, of vital interest. Everybody desires to succ ...read
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Sermons from the Psalms, 2 - Made for Mastery
"Thou madest him to have dominion." (Psalm 8:6)
Clovis G. Chappell: THE author of this psalm is evidently writing with his mind and heart saturated with the first chapter of the book of Genesis. He therefore makes three bold and stupendous assertions with regard to man of which our text seems to be the climax. These assertions do not meet with u ...read
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Sermons from the Psalms, 3 - A Cry from the Cross
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46)
Clovis G. Chappell: THESE words come to us out of a long gone past. We first hear them from the lips of this ancient psalmist whose name has been forgotten for many centuries. But he was doubtless not the first to utter them. They have been either articulate or inarticulate ...read
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Sermons from the Psalms, 4 - Facing the Future
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1)
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Clovis G. Chappell: This is the start of a new year. I am sure that we desire to face our untried to-morrow with calm confidence and hope. It is to help us toward this great achievement that I have chosen these heartening words. They are a port of the most familiar song in all the Bib ...read
