Sermons on Difficult Passages:

Transforming Evil With The Power Of Love

Contributed by Manny Salva Cruz on Feb 24, 2014

What do we do with the difficult people in our lives? Our natural reaction is to take revenge and to fight back. In our message for today, we will learn that LOVE can overcome everything.

Matthew 5:38-42New International Version (NIV) Eye for Eye38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-42

Denomination: Nazarene

Who Do You Trust In?

Contributed by T.j. Conwell on Nov 4, 2013

We always look for ways to change the outcome, but only God knows the best path for us. Trusting God through life and dealing with circumstances may be difficult, but the promise is STILL salvation in Christ!

Who do you Trust? Acts 27:12-44 Introduction We are called to have a common purpose in what we do -- The purpose is to worship, to love, and to celebrate Christ and share Him always -- That is our challenge, mission, and it is STILL where we find ourselves today LAST TIME: Our ...read more

Scripture: Acts 27:12-44

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Cross Of Pain, Cross Of Life

Contributed by Geoffrey Foot on Mar 24, 2018

Sometimes its difficult to really realise the pain and the suffering that Jesus went through on the cross for US! There is art in the form of paintings and sculpture that depicts the crucifixion in some theological aspect rather than reality.

CROSS OF PAIN, CR0SS OF LIFE During these 2 weeks leading up to Easter called passion tide we focus our thoughts and minds to Jesus’s life and in particular His Sufferings. All too often we do not realise the dreadful suffering that Jesus went through on our behalf. The film the Passion of ...read more

Scripture: John 19:23-30, Matthew 27:33-54, Mark 15:25-39, Luke 23:33-47

After The Whirlwind

Contributed by Michael Stark on May 15, 2020

Do we learn anything by passing through difficult times? A study of Job will encourage the people of God to realize that God always instructs us through the trials we are called to pass through.

“Job answered the LORD and said: ‘I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. “Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?” Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. “Hear, and I will ...read more

Scripture: Job 42:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

Tough Questions For Churches Today. Series

Contributed by David Rinkes on Nov 8, 2022

Tough questions for Churches “Is it working?” and “How do we know?”. We want to help disciples grow, but it’s difficult to know if we are helping through the growth of the church these days.

Job 19:23-27 19:23 "O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! 19:24 O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock forever! 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; 19:26 and after my skin ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:45-46

Denomination: Methodist

The Difficulty Of Love Youth Sermon

Contributed by Youth Sermons on Sep 5, 2023

Love can be difficult, especially when it involves people who are different or disagree with us. However, through humility and the help of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome these challenges and love like Jesus.

God, loving others can be really tough sometimes. Help us to love like you do, even when it's super hard. Thanks for loving us and giving us a way to forgiveness through Jesus. Today, we're gonna chat about the real deal about love. We all have those stories of times when it was super hard to love ...read more

Scripture: James 4:1-3, James 4:7-10, Galatians 5:16-26

Topics: Divine Love, Humanity, Spiritual Growth, Compassion

A Joyful Noise Youth Sermon

Contributed by Youth Sermons on May 8, 2024

Worship, positivity, and joy are pillars that support us through difficult times and bring us closer to God's presence. They transform our lives, renew us, and provide a firm anchor for our souls.

Psalm 98 kicks off with Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds. Worship isn't just something we do because we have to; it's our special time to connect with God and say thanks for all the awesome stuff He's done. When we worship, we're tuning into God's love and grace. Sing a ...read more

Topics: Praise, Divine Joy, Spiritual Positivity, Sacred Worship

He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Sep 28, 2023

Explore the concept of being our brother's keeper, emphasizing our responsibility towards our family and others, and how we can support them in difficult times, following the example set by Jesus.

Good morning, family! Have you ever thought about what it means to be your brother’s keeper? Today we're going to dive in and really explore what it means in our lives. In Genesis 4:9, after Cain had done the unthinkable and murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy, God asked him, "Where is Abel ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:9

Topics: Responsibility, Family

Do You Have Staying Power?

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Mar 2, 2022

This is a message on patience. James provides some valuable insight into why believers sometimes fail at being patient, and he explains how to stay the course even when difficult life circumstances seem to go by at a snail’s pace.

If we are willing to be patient until the grace of God is made manifest, whether it takes nine years or ninety, it will be worth the wait. - Rebecca Pippert(1) This morning’s message will addresses the need to develop our staying power. As you might have guessed, this is a sermon on patience. ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-8

Denomination: Baptist

How To (Mis)interpret The Bible

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Mar 9, 2022

While this passage teaches about divorce, it also provides an interesting case study in how believer manipulate what the Bible says for their own benefit. We'll look at five aspects of that.

- Probably the most obvious way to preach this passage would be to preach a sermon about what the Bible says about divorce. That’s an important subject, but I’m interested in something else as I dig in. - This passage provides an interesting case study into how we interpret (or, more accurately, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Touch Me Not And Touch Me

Contributed by Rev. Dr. Andrew B Natarajan on Mar 29, 2024

Jesus told Mary Magdalene not to touch him but he told disciples to touch him in this passage. It’s interesting observations. The theological implications are great. May the blessings of believing be upon all. Amen.

Theme: Touch me not, Touch me. Text: John 20:16-30   Greetings: The Lord is good and his love endures forever.   Introduction: I would like to share on this Easter with you three insights from this three epiphanies. There are three separate epiphanies recorded in John 20:16-30. ...read more

Scripture: John 20:16-30

Denomination: Methodist

The Bonds Of Legalism Series

Contributed by Jim Drake on May 4, 2009

Instead of doing a full exposition of the passage, we’re going to focus on one aspect of it. We’re going to focus on the bonds of legalism. And make no mistake about it, legalism is bondage.

http://brushforkbanner.blogspot.com As you can tell, we are in the same passage this morning as we were last week. But this morning, rather than doing a full exposition of the passage, we’re going to focus on one aspect of it. We’re going to focus on the bonds of legalism. The fact is that true ...read more

Scripture: John 5:1-16

Denomination: Baptist

Words Of Wisdom For Graduates

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on May 10, 2021

In this passage, Solomon is acting as a teacher instructing his students about life. He concludes with his observations about the purpose of life; and in his closing remarks we find four words of wisdom that can be applied to graduates.

Today is our Graduate Recognition, and I feel led to share from a passage in Ecclesiastes. This book is believed to have been written by Solomon, since Ecclesiastes 1:1 says that these are “the words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.” To get started, I think these words can ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

The Curse Of Adam Series

Contributed by Pat Damiani on Mar 1, 2016

The cure for those who are in Jesus by faith is much more powerful than the curse for those who are in Adam by nature

It seems that in our world, doctrine has gotten a bad rap. Perhaps you’ve seen or heard people use a slogan like “Love unites, doctrine divides” or one of its relatives like “Service unites, doctrine divides” or “Justice divides, doctrine divides”. While ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:12-21

Denomination: Baptist

God’s Forever Family

Contributed by Scott Spencer on Apr 4, 2014

We are often misunderstood in this life. Often as believers seeking to serve God, we are misunderstood. Sometimes we are even opposed by well-intentioned people. Now, when those people are member of our family, it makes it increasingly difficult.

God’s Forever Family Mark 3:31-35 31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:31-35

Denomination: Calvary Chapel