Sermons on Anxious Bench:

The Ransomed Shall Return

Contributed by Freddy Fritz on Dec 10, 2016

The analysis of the ransomed of the Lord as set forth in Isaiah 35:1-10 shows us that everlasting joy is coming to all who trust in him.

Scripture Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. I am preaching a series of messages during Advent on the Old Testament Scripture Readings that I am calling, “Advent in Isaiah.” One commentator on Isaiah wrote the following on chapter 35, our text for today: No one can call Isaiah a prophet of ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Lesson 52: Gourmet Preaching Series

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on May 14, 2018

Preaching lessons from the best sermon ever given, the Sermon on the Mount.

Lesson Goal In this lesson I hope to teach some features of a rich sermon gleaned from the greatest sermon of all time, the Sermon on the Mount for a sermon filled with splendid content. Lesson Intro Have you ever sat through one of those sermons where you wished you could remember every line, ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Pandemic And Political Paranoia - The Torment Of Fear Versus The Peace Of God's Love

Contributed by Dr. Craig Nelson on Mar 17, 2020

The recent international pandemic and the persistant unprecedented overreach and intimidation by governmental authorities has caused anxiety and fear to run rampant across the world, affecting everyone, the likes of which I have never seen before in my lifetime.

The world gives a lot of reasons to justify living in tormenting fear. The unknown ahead of us, and the uncertainty of the future, can be very intimidating. The recent international pandemic has caused anxiety and fear to run rampant across the world, affecting everyone, the likes of which I have ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-3, Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 14:26, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, Revelation 3:19, Colossians 3:5-6, Luke 21:26, Job 3:25, Matthew 8:26, Isaiah 26:3-4, 1 John 4:16-18, Romans 12:2, Isaiah 41:10, 2 Timothy 1:7-9, Matthew 21:21-22, Job 3:25-26, James 5:14-15, 2 Timothy 2:22, Hebrews 11:1, Romans 10:17, Proverbs 3:5-8, Psalm 25:12-15, 1 Peter 5:6-7, 1 John 4:18  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Big Providence And Avanchle Of Promises Series

Contributed by Scott Maze on Jun 9, 2021

God guides every detail of human history in order to fulfill his promises. It’s not fate or chance or even the strong eating the weak that runs the world, but God guiding every detail of human history.

Voting Video plays before me. I hope you are planning on voting in the coming weeks because we need to take biblical values into the voting booth. Fall is here and the rain is finally gone! Week of Prayer for Missions is just around the corner. The intrigue & the theatre are high in our story ...read more

Scripture: Acts 23:11-35

Denomination: Baptist

Search Me Series

Contributed by Pat Damiani on Feb 14, 2022

I need to pray “Search me” because I have blind spots

NOTE: This is a manuscript, and not a transcript of this message. The actual presentation of the message differed from the manuscript through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is possible, and even likely that there is material in this manuscript that was not included in the live ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 139:23-24

Denomination: Baptist

I Delight In Your Word Series

Contributed by Scott Maze on Sep 26, 2022

When the wind is right, South Koreans launch “Bible Balloons” into North Korea, where the Bible is banned. They are chocked full of Bibles on SD cards, flash drives, and photos of the Bible’s pages.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in all of your Bibles. Now, the longest chapter in your Bible is devoted to how important the Bible is to our lives. Even though the Bible is really valuable, the words and wisdom of the Bible are objectionable to so many people. Banning the Bible The Bible is ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:17-18, Psalm 119:36-37, Matthew 6:25, Luke 14:23, Matthew 18:4, Psalm 119:11, Matthew 6:19-21  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Pits & Wells

Contributed by Tj Long Jr on Oct 13, 2023

Many of the things that we think will fill us up are indeed pits that drain us. We should seek after wells that have Living Water. In the midst of internal strife in the church at Philippi, Paul shows us how to seek the things that are lovely while I'll give you steps to reduce the negativity.

“Pits & Wells” (Title Slide) [Slides are available upon request, these cues denotes where slides are shown/used.] It’s a common narrative to think that most of the news that you see on TV is bad news. Well, that’s not only a common viewpoint, it’s backed up by statistics. Studies show that ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9

Denomination: Disciples Of Christ

Inventing Difficulties

Contributed by Mike Bryant on Jan 10, 2024

How worry harms us spiritually and how we can avoid it.

I. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck and Tom Sawyer set out together to rescue the captive slave, Jim. A. However, their grand plans soon led to disappointment. As they scouted the situation, they found that the rescue would pose no difficulties at all. Vainly, they tried to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42, Luke 21:34-35, Matthew 6:25-34, 2 Peter 3:10-14, Philippians 4:6-7, 2 Peter 2:15, Philippians 2:19-21, Philippians 3:13-14, 1 Peter 5:6-7  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Thy Word I Have Hidden In My Heart Series

Contributed by Scott Maze on Sep 13, 2022

Psalm 119 isn’t blasé about God’s commandments. Psalm 119 isn’t neural about God’s precepts. Psalm 119 loves and adores the law of God!

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in all of your Bibles. Now, the longest chapter in your Bible is devoted to how important the Bible is to our lives. Even though the Bible is really valuable, the words and wisdom of the Bible are objectionable to so many people. Banning the Bible The Bible is ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 119:1-8, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 28:19-20, Hebrews 11:25, 1 John 1:4, Luke 11:28, Proverbs 20:17, Proverbs 14:12  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

The Voice That Leads Me

Contributed by Scott Maze on Jul 19, 2025

That’s what a shepherd is. That’s what a shepherd does. The Shepherd speaks to us with a voice that we cannot ignore. He says, “Relax, I’m your Shepherd. Don’t think about another thing. I have everything under control. Relax. No worries.”

We all want people to tell us the truth. There was a police officer that pulled a car over and he walked up to the window and said to the man driving, “Sir, can I see your driver's license?” The man said, “Sure. What is the problem officer?” The officer said, “Well, you were going 75 mph in a ...read more

Scripture: John 10:22-27

Denomination: Baptist

07 Joy In Peace Series

Contributed by Seth Lawson on Feb 27, 2025

Joy flourishes when we rest in God’s presence and experience His peace.

Have you ever watched video footage of a hurricane? The winds howl, rain pours in sheets, and everything in its path is shaken. But in the very center of the storm, there’s something incredible: the eye of the storm. While chaos swirls all around, the eye remains calm. The storm is still there. The ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:2-9

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Thanks For Everything Series

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Oct 25, 2019

We can give Thanks for Everything through 1) Constant Rejoicing (1 Thes. 5: 16) 2) Constant Prayer (1 Thes. 5: 17) and 3) Consistent Thankfulness in all Circumstances (1 Thes. 5: 18).

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 [16] Rejoice always, [17] pray without ceasing, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (ESV) After Monday’s general election, commentators have noted particularly disturbing implications. We see distinct regional divisions ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Denomination: Other

Depression - A Spiritual Malady

Contributed by Scott Coltrain on Mar 31, 2017

The Bible is clear that the most often cause of depression and accompanying anxiety is sin that goes unconfessed and unrepented.

Depression A Spiritual Malady Sadly, an estimated 25 million Americans suffer with depression at any given time. These depressed Americans spend billions of dollars on anti-depressant drugs and billions more on psychological therapies and counseling. However, the vast majority of sufferers never ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:10-12

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Way Of Grace & Peace Series

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Feb 15, 2015

1) The dual source of his apostolic authority (Ephesians 1:1a), 2) A dual description of believers (Ephesians 1:1b), 3) A dual blessing for believers (Ephesians 1:2a), and 4) The dual source of those blessings (Ephesians 1:2b).

If you are a fan of the game show: " Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ", you may be familiar with a recent contestant named Justin. He said: "I got to $250,000. It was a life-changing sum. It was mine, and I could’ve walked away with it. But I was never going to walk away. Before the show I had ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-2

Denomination: Other

Thanks For Everything Series

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Oct 14, 2008

1) Thankfulness through Constant Rejoicing 2) Thankfulness through Constant Prayer 3) Consistent Thankfulness in all Circumstances

The International Monetary Fund warned yesterday that the global financial system is on the brink of meltdown. "Intensifying solvency concerns about a number of the largest U.S.-based and European financial institutions have pushed the global financial system to the brink of systemic meltdown," IMF ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Denomination: Other