In Sermon Illustrations: "Hardship Of Life"

Making Decisions Is The Hardest Part Of My Life

Contributed by James Snyder on Feb 3, 2024

If it were not for decisions, my life would be perfect. After all these years, I still wrestle with decision-making. I admit that I often don’t make good decisions. I'm not sure, so don't repeat this, but I think The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage knows this and uses it to her ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags: Decisions, Choices

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Speaking Death Or Life Over Your Marriage?

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Feb 6, 2025

Far too many people spend a lot of time speaking death over their marriages. "Psychologists Cliff Notarous of Catholic University and Howard Markman of the University of Denver studied married couples during the first decade of marriage. Among couples who ultimately stayed together, only 5 ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 18:20-22

Tags: Marriage, Words, Putdowns

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

How Coffee Has Changed My Life

Contributed by James Snyder on Mar 1, 2025

Recently, I was sitting drinking a nice hot cup of coffee. It's the first thing I do, and I can't get anything done until I do. I was thinking about this coffee as I was drinking it and remembered there was a time when I did not like coffee at all. When I was young, my parents made coffee ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-32

Tags: Life Change, Coffee

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

He Still Brings The Dead Back To Life

Contributed by Glynda Lomax on Apr 20, 2025

A friend shared this story with me on Resurrection Sunday, it happened on the same day 20 years earlier. Proof God is still bringing the dead back to life - I wanted to share a resurrection Sunday testimony from around 20 years ago, I bought a very used small pickup and the seller claimed the AC ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 17:20

Tags: Resurrection, Miracles

Denomination: Charismatic

[264]. A Message From A Poem – The Facts Of Life

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 14, 2026

[264]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE FACTS OF LIFE This is a simple enough poem but it contains important information. I have called it “The Facts of Life,” not the normally understood application of that term, but the facts pertinent to the Christian life lived here on earth. The poem is in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 15:7

Tags: Walking With The Lord, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, The Facts Of Life, Living For Jesus, The Glory Of God  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

[274]. A Message From A Poem – The Instincts Of Life

Contributed by Ron Ferguson on Jan 24, 2026

[274]. A MESSAGE FROM A POEM – THE INSTINCTS OF LIFE The purpose of this poem is to demonstrate the stupidity of evolution. Evolution is an excuse not to believe in God and therefore not to be accountable, but woe to the evolutionist, for a day of accountability is coming. {{Hebrews 9:27 ...read more

Scripture: John 1:3, Hebrews 9:27

Tags: Jacana Bird, Gradual Change, Jesus Christ Created Life, Everyone Is Accountable, Creation, Evolution, Christian Poetry, Christian Poems, Water Birds, Jacana  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

We Lost The Farm

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

"WE LOST THE FARM" Richard Culp worked in the hot California sun as foreman of a large ranching operation. He and his wife, Geneva, also owned their own farm, consisting of 200 acres of almond trees. Then years of bad weather and skimpy harvests forced Richard to take on additional work, but even ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: God In The Hardships

Shake It Off And Step Up  PRO

Contributed by Travis Moore on Feb 12, 2001

SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule "braying", or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Baptist

Architectural Design By Touch

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 8, 2012

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BY TOUCH Three years ago (2008), Chris Downey had just started a promising architectural job at a successful design firm. A few weeks after he took the job, he noticed that there was something wrong with his vision. The doctors told him he had a tumor wrapped around his optic ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Tags: God In The Hardships

Ouch And Thanks A Lot!" 1 Samuel 5:6-10 Key ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Mar 3, 2005

“Ouch and Thanks A Lot!” 1 Samuel 5:6-10 Key verse(s): 6:“The Lord’s hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumors.” What good is pain anyway! Couldn’t God accomplish a whole lot more in our lives if we were tuned into ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 5:6-10

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Lutheran

Let Me Close With A True Story Of A Humble Black ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

Let me close with a true story of a humble black pastor in the inner city of Chicago who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. “He was in his late sixties and had been a minister throughout his adult life. His love for the Lord was so profound that it was reflected in everything he said. When he ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Whom God Loves, He Chastens

Contributed by Clark Tanner on May 15, 2009

WHOM GOD LOVES, HE CHASTENS George MacDonald was a 19th century orator and story-writer who C.S. Lewis once called his master as relates to story-telling and relating truth through fantasy. One of MacDonald’s short stories was titled, "The Gifts of the Child Christ." The main character of the ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Orthodox

John Balca Was One Of The Early Apostolic ...  PRO

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Feb 8, 2006

-John Balca was one of the early Apostolic pioneer missionaries in Eastern Europe. He was particularly focused in the country of Yugoslavia in the 1930-1950’s. In his autobiography, he writes of the many difficulties that God helped him to overcome in the establishing of an Apostolic church in ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Story Of Martin Luther

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Jul 17, 2011

THE STORY OF MARTIN LUTHER In 1517, an obscure Catholic priest named Martin Luther placed his life in God's hands when he nailed his 95 theses, his 95 arguments against the Catholic church, on the door of the Wittenberg Church. There was nothing wrong with nailing pages to the door. Everything was ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 46:1-11

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Baptist

Steven Curtis Chapman: Still Blessing His Name

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 19, 2011

STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN: STILL BLESSING HIS NAME On May 17, 2008, Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman and his family suffered a devastating loss. Their five-year-old adopted daughter, Maria Sue, was struck and killed when Chapman's seventeen-year-old son was backing his SUV out of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:10-11

Tags: God In The Hardships

I Heard Bro. J. T. Pugh Tell A Story Of One Of ...

Contributed by Philip Harrelson on Feb 8, 2006

I heard Bro. J. T. Pugh tell a story of one of the four men who made such a dramatic impact on his life. He mentioned that this man was an evangelist back in the 1940’s. The nation was still in the midst of great financial throes from the Great Depression and from the Second World War. He said ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Common Phrase Used In The World Of Healing Is, ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Mar 22, 2005

A common phrase used in the world of healing is, “time heals all wounds.” I have found this to be more false than true. As a pastor, I talk regularly with people who are still carrying hurts from 30 or 40 years ago. The real truth is, time often makes things worse. Wounds that are left untended ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Pentecostal

Bondage — It's All In The Mind!

Contributed by Greg Buchner on Apr 19, 2005

Bondage ~ It’s all in the mind! Harry Houdini had a problem. The famed escaped artist found himself in a jail cell that he couldn’t get out of. His mind began to wander back to the challenge he made…any jail cell, he claimed, couldn’t hold him, that is until now. Thirty minutes had gone by since ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Methodist

Ernie Merritt: "The Problems That Are Over My ...

Contributed by Curtis Deming on Apr 26, 2005

Ernie Merritt: "The problems that are over my head are ...read more

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

So What Was It That Drove Thomas To Leave All He ...

Contributed by Ian Johnson on Jan 30, 2004

So what was it that drove Thomas to leave all He knew and travel a vast distance and die for the cause? .He is often labeled doubting Thomas, but the evidence in India would suggest He doesn’t deserve this label. I had the privilege to go up to the point where he was murdered for the cause of ...read more

Scripture: John 20:19-28

Tags: God In The Hardships

Denomination: Pentecostal