Sermons on Difficult Passages:

Walking With The Good Shepherd Series

Contributed by Tom Shepard on Nov 22, 2006

Psalm 23 is one of the best known passages in the scripture. We can find hope and comfort by knowing that the Good Shepherd walks with us.

Walking With The Good Shepherd For centuries the Twenty-third Psalm has been one of the most treasured passages in all the Bible. It has become so familiar that people of many religions recognize these words. The words are comforting and are often read at times such as this. Who does not know ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6, Psalm 23:1-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Boy Meets Girl: The S-Word

Contributed by John Bishop on Mar 25, 2009

Pastor John Bishop deals head-on with one of the most difficult issues for Christian men and women in love-relationships to deal with--the issue of submission.

Today we’re in a series, and this is going to be hard. This is going to be one of those talks; this is going to be one of those things that agitate you before it makes you comfortable; it’s going to be one of those talks that’s going to irritate you before you get it. We’re going to look at the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:18-22

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Grounded In Provision Series

Contributed by Troy Borst on Aug 5, 2004

The passage that we will look at this morning is a passage that gives us a wonderful picture about God’s provision in our lives. 1 Kings 17 describes for us several events in the life of a man named Elijah. Elijah is a prophet of God and some might even

Grounded in Provision 1 Kings 17:1-24 INTRODUCTION... The Clock that had a Nervous Breakdown, C. Swindoll This new clock was ticking away on the shelf two ticks to the second as any good, self-respecting clock should tick when it began to think about how many times it was going to have to tick. ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1-24

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

"Finding Balance"

Contributed by David Henderson on Sep 9, 2013

What does this passage say to us as his disciples now living 2000 years later? This is what this passage tells us.  Spiritual growth was not only a priority in the life of Jesus, it was everything.  Jesus taught us how to live a balanced life

“Finding Balance” Luke 2:41-52 When we look at the life of Jesus and what the Bible tells us about Him we quickly notice that the majority of what we know is from his adult life…those 3.5 years He spent in ministry. There is of course the story of his birth. Also in the gospel ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:41-52

Denomination: Baptist

Listen…and…obey! James 1:22-24

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Jul 1, 2021

This passage says something that seems obvious—don’t just listen the Word; do what it says. We all know we should do that, but how? This passage teaches the keys to getting what you hear into regular practice in your life.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But the one ...read more

Scripture: James 1:22-24

Can These Bones Live? Series

Contributed by Steve Malone on Jan 25, 2023

In this passage in Ezekiel we see the powerful and life-giving truth that God can bring hope to any hopeless situation.

Can These Bones Live? Good morning Maple Grove and welcome to week 13 of our series, ‘Such Things Were Written’ ‘Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises. – Romans 15:4 MAN – this has been an ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 15:4

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Rules And Relationship Series

Contributed by Mike Wilkins on Jan 12, 2009

A couple of passages from "The Shack" have sparked the question, "How do rules and relationship interact in our relationship with God?"

Galatians 3:1-14 January 11, 2009 Rules and Relationship How many of you have read “The Shack?” The Shack is a novel about a man who had suffered great tragedy in his life, and is invited to spend a weekend with God. I read it this summer, on holiday. For the most part, I liked it, I’m not ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 3:1-14

Denomination: *other

Life Is For Living (Not Dying)

Contributed by Don Hawks on Nov 6, 2007

The issue of life after death touches all of us -- sometimes with enormous intensity. What are some Biblical passages that might address this issue?

SERMON OUTLINE AND NOTES Life Is for Living (Not Dying) Luke 20:27-38 V. 36 -- Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. If we humans die, will we live again? That’s my question. All through these difficult days I keep ...read more

Scripture: Luke 20:27-38

Denomination: Methodist

Our Gift

Contributed by David Lansdown on Jul 9, 2002

We will be looking at 2 themes mentioned in this passage:- 1. Our Sinfulness & what that means, and 2. The Gift that God offers us.

OUR GIFT Rom 3:21-31 • INTRODUCTION I would like you to listen carefully as I read to you Rom 3:21-31 READ If you really tried to grasp what Paul is saying there you probably worked up a bit of a sweat on the old grey matter. I know I find some of that pretty hard to understand! Nevertheless, ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:21-31

Denomination: Baptist

God's Plan For A Healthy Church

Contributed by J. Yeargin on Sep 2, 2004

This is a passage that is going to help us all to understand why our involvement in a local church is so important to our spiritual life.

God has designed His church to function like a loving family that you can invite people into. Church is 1. not a place to make rules and demands on people 2. a place to nurture growth. 3. a place for shepherds, not generals 4. a place that exists for the purpose of helping people grow and mature ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-16

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Convinced And Convicted In Worship Series

Contributed by Michael Stark on Feb 25, 2012

Learning to live with one another in harmony while distinguishing between what is detrimental and what is neutral is one of the most difficult aspects of Christian life.

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Everyone Has An Opinion About Jesus Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Dec 22, 2020

This passage gives us the (questionable) opinions of three groups about Jesus. How did Jesus stay focused amid disparate viewpoints?

DISINFORMATION, AGENDAS, FEARS, AND UNCERTAINTY: Everyone has an opinion about Jesus, but most of them are wrong. - John 7:1-14. - We live in a time when people often talk as though all opinions are equally valid. You have your opinion and I have mine and we can both be right. (This is often ...read more

Scripture: John 7:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

What Are You Doing Here Series

Contributed by Dr. Jerry N. Watts on Dec 13, 2014

One of the most difficult things to do is answer God's Questions - Just ask Elijah! Yet, in this powerful question we are brought to the reality of our life!

What Are You Doing Here? 1 Kings 19:9-13 • Questions. Important Questions. Life-Changing questions. In our first message of this series, we heard Elijah ask, “How long will you limp between two opinions?” To confront this question is to recall that ‘no one can serve two ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:9-13

Denomination: Baptist

What Standard? Series

Contributed by Steve Ely on May 13, 2020

Holiness is often misunderstood. It has been abused to try to enforce rules. So, what is Holiness? Is it possible? Why is it so difficult? Why does it seem to be such a mess?

Pt. 1 - What Standard? I. Introduction You can just say the name of the city and most people instantly, without any additional information, recognize what you are talking about. Canton, OH, Springfield, MA, Cooperstown, NY. Hall of Fame for football, basketball and baseball. These special places ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 11:44

Denomination: Pentecostal

Would I Lie To You? (Abraham On Honesty And Lying)

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Mar 3, 2006

This passage uses Abraham’s deception as a chance to look at why we fudge the truth so often and what the consequences of our lies are.

- Lies are a common part of our everyday lives. In fact, some of us believe that we can’t function in society without telling our share of “little white lies.” - Abraham here demonstrates aptly for us both the reasons we lie and the consequences of our untruths. WHY WE LIE: 1. We get stuck in ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 20:1-14

Denomination: Baptist