In Preaching Articles: "Difficult Text"

6 Messy Truths About Your Church—and 3 Helpful Realities

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 5, 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, messy truth, efficient, confusing, preaching, bible, Bible  (view more)  (view less)

How To Preach A Stressful Sermon

By David J. Lose on Jun 28, 2021

Some passages of the Gospels unsettle us because they confront our assumptions about peace and discipleship. Faithful preaching must wrestle honestly with these difficult words.

Scripture: Luke 18:31-34, Proverbs 17:1-5, Luke 12:49-53, Luke 9:23

Tags: Preaching, Stress, Kingdom of God, kingdom of God, preaching, Kingdom Of God, stress  (view more)  (view less)

Are You Running From Your Calling As A Preacher?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on May 30, 2023

Some pastors avoid difficult truths in preaching, choosing encouragement over correction. Faithful ministry requires proclaiming the whole counsel of God, even when it is uncomfortable.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 20:27, 2 Timothy 3:12, Isaiah 55:11, 1 Peter 4:12  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: church leadership, preaching, Church Leadership, Preaching, teach, run, Biblical  (view more)  (view less)

How To Recruit And Keep The Best Volunteers

By Josh Reich on Jan 25, 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 2, 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: leadership, church conflict, fear of man, People pleasing, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, good leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Can I Evaluate My Own Preaching?

By Steven Smith on Sep 24, 2024

Faithful preaching is more than correct exegesis. It requires depth in the text and clarity, beauty, and engagement in delivery.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, 2 Timothy 4:2, Nehemiah 8:8, Psalm 19:7-9, 1 Corinthians 1:23-24  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, treasure, Faithfulness, Obligation, proclaim, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Biblical Preaching: Application Vs. Exegesis

By Tim Keller on Jan 29, 2026

Tim Keller, D. A. Carson, and John Piper discuss the importance of digging into the biblical text before application.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:16

Tags: Mount, Preaching, Context, application, exegesis, preaching, context, Exegesis  (view more)  (view less)

9 Ways To Preach A Lousy Sermon

By Ben Reed on Aug 25, 2020

Want to sabotage your preaching? Neglect prayer, ignore the text, avoid vulnerability, and heap burdens on your people.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, James 3:1, Hebrews 4:12

Tags: preaching, Faith, Fear, endurance, Preaching, prosper  (view more)  (view less)

The Fourth World: How Your Personality Shapes Your Preaching

By Peter Mead on Sep 20, 2020

Your preaching is shaped not only by the text and the congregation, but by your inner world. Personality profoundly influences preparation and delivery.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2, 1 Timothy 4:16, James 3:1, 2 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: leadership, Preaching, Leadership, preaching

Every Sermon Needs A Strategy: What's Yours?

By Peter Mead on May 24, 2024

Peter Mead presents five big questions you should ask after you've studied the text.

Scripture: Zephaniah 1:12-18, Acts 8:26-40

Tags: reinforce, preaching, Preaching, Relevance, God's Heart, main idea  (view more)  (view less)

Why Children Need To Hear The Whole Bible

By Melissa Kruger on Oct 9, 2024

Faithful preaching through all of Scripture inevitably addresses difficult topics. When the church teaches the whole Bible, it helps parents guide children through important conversations in a biblical context.

Scripture: Acts 20:27, Deuteronomy 31:12-13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalm 119:9, Ephesians 6:4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Church, Preaching, Sex, preaching, church, Family Discipleship  (view more)  (view less)

Matt Chandler's Advice To Young Preachers

By Matt Chandler on Jun 16, 2023

"If you can't feel the text, I don't know if you've been called to preach."

Tags: Grace, Preaching, Engage, moment, grace, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Secret Ingredient Your Sermon Is Missing

By Erik Raymond on Dec 28, 2025

Sound exegesis and strong delivery are not enough. Preaching becomes powerful when the preacher is personally moved by the glory of Christ in the text.

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:4, 2 Timothy 2:15, 1 Timothy 1:15-16, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 1:3-14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Worship, Preaching, Pastoral Ministry, preaching

3 Mistakes To Avoid When Preaching Genesis

By Peter Mead on May 12, 2021

Genesis is foundational to the whole Bible, but it is often mishandled in the pulpit. Avoid three common errors that flatten the text and weaken proclamation.

Scripture: Genesis 3:1-24, Genesis 4:1-26, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:1-6, Genesis 50:20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Old Testament, Preaching, mistakes, teach, Interpretation, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Reasons Why I Love Preaching Psalms

By Peter Mead on Sep 12, 2024

The Psalms offer preachers complete texts, emotional honesty, rich imagery, and enduring relevance that connects Scripture deeply to lived faith.

Tags: Preaching, Biblical Worship, preaching