In Preaching Articles: "Difficult Passages"

Pastoring Shouldn't Be This Hard (With 4 Steps To Make It Easier)

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 8, 2021

Our obsession with numerical growth may be the unseen culprit behind a lot of burnt out pastors and unhealthy churches. Here's a short list to help you make the task of pastoring less burdensome and far more joyful.

Tags: Preaching, difficult, Pastoring, shepherding, Shepherding, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

4 Deadly Dangers In Shortcutting Quality Exegesis

By Peter Mead on Dec 18, 2024

Shortcuts in exegesis result in a passage idea that does not carry the true content--nor the character--of the passage on which we claim to be preaching.

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Powerful Preaching Flows From Good Questions

By David J. Lose on Sep 4, 2021

It's often the really challenging passages that yield the most interesting sermons.

Scripture: Romans 8:2-4

Tags: Faith, Preaching, Powerful, good questions, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

7 Things Forgiveness Is

By Ron Edmondson on Jun 11, 2022

As difficult as forgiveness may be to extend, it is often a most important ingredient in healthy relationships and in being a completely healthy person.

Scripture: Romans 12:19, Hebrews 12:1, Colossians 3:13, Romans 12:18

Tags: Loving Others, grace, Grace, Forgiveness, relationships  (view more)  (view less)

How Getting Personal Creates Powerful Preaching Moments

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 24, 2023

Although it may be a difficult challenge, sharing your personal experiences can lead your people to deeper faith in Christ.

Tags: Preaching, Story, storm, preaching

5 Tough Challenges For Any Pastor

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 10, 2020

Thom Rainer shares his biggest challenges and asks, "What specific part of being a pastor is the most difficult for you?"

Tags: Preaching, gentle, preaching

Create Innovative *next Steps*

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 30, 2020

We all want to end our messages with application, but sometimes the next steps we offer are difficult for others to take.

Tags: Preaching, Story, success, step, next, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Five Steps To Respond To A Hurtful And Hateful Email

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 7, 2022

“You have no business being the pastor of our church. All you are interested in is getting your own way and changing all the good things we have going. People are saying you should be fired. I agree with them.”

Scripture: Proverbs 15:1

Tags: church ministry, Difficult People, Facing Controversy, criticism, Leadership, Perseverance, leadership, conflict, Criticism, loving people, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Those Frustrating Times With Church Members

By Joe Mckeever on Dec 14, 2023

"Any pastor can tell you about it. Even when you do your best to serve God by ministering to His people, some church members are not going to forgive you. You didn’t do it their way, weren’t there when they called, didn’t jump at their bark." So how do you handle these kinds of situations?

Tags: Love like Christ, pastoral leadership, church membership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, ministry struggles, Difficult People, conflict  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching That Makes Disciples: Three Texts You Must Preach

By Ray Hollenbach on Sep 14, 2022

For anyone who longs to preach about something more than a fire-insurance relationship with Jesus, these three passages will help you make disciples.

Scripture: Galatians 3:1-15

Tags: conformed, his image, preaching, Preaching, yoke, Make Disciples  (view more)  (view less)

6 Messy Truths About Your Church—and 3 Helpful Realities

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 6, 2025

"I was taught never to wrestle with difficult truths in front of the congregation. Give them simple three-point, alliterated answers to life’s problems."

Tags: preaching, bible, Bible, Preaching, messy truth, efficient, confusing  (view more)  (view less)

Piper's Authority For Preaching

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 24, 2020

In this video John Piper answers the question, "What Bible passages do you use to base your claims about how we should preach?"

Tags: bible truth, Authority, Lesson, Joshua, Preaching, Learning, Doctrine, Relevant, Bible  (view more)  (view less)

Your Mother's Day Sermon, Pastor

By Joe Mckeever on Apr 30, 2020

Why is it so difficult for pastors of all ages to preach Mother’s Day sermons? Pastor-to-pastors Joe McKeever gives some assistance.

Scripture: Luke 1:26-56

Tags: Holidays, Preaching, pastor, mothers, mother's day  (view more)  (view less)

How To Recruit And Keep The Best Volunteers

By Josh Reich on Jan 26, 2022

The idea of recruiting volunteers is overwhelming and difficult at times. There never seems to be enough people, and the ones who are serving are often tired and feel like they are the only ones serving.

Tags: Communication, Lay Leadership, ministry vision, Recruiting, communication  (view more)  (view less)

One Hard Truth Of Leadership

By Ron Edmondson on Sep 3, 2022

There is one truth about leadership every leader must understand, but is difficult to receive by some leaders. The probability is good you won’t like this truth either.

Tags: People pleasing, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, good leadership, Leadership, leadership, church conflict, fear of man  (view more)  (view less)