Sermons on Hard Things:

Prayer Keys - Persistence Series

Contributed by Mark Stepherson on Oct 27, 2011

Please forgive me for stating the obvious, but persistent prayer is hard work. It drains us. It is hard, but it is eventually worth the effort.

Prayer Keys - Persistence “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1 Have you seen that cartoon with the pelican having a frog for dinner? His dinner is not agreeing with him. In fact, his dinner is violently ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

When Things Don't Seem To Add Up Series

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 14, 2001

How Jesus dealt with John the Baptist’s doubts can help us in dealing with doubt today

Field Dalling 16-12-01 When things don’t seem to add up. Mt. 11:1-12 Story: A few years ago, a major Multinational company was looking for a new Marketing Director. After much advertising and many application, three candidates entered the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 11:1-12

Denomination: Anglican

How The Mighty One Can Do Great Things Series

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Nov 20, 2021

From Mary's poverty came the greatest event in human history.

Monday of 34th week in course This is the time of year churches and schools and other non-profit institutions have been waiting for: tax-reduction season. The rich will–and we thank God for it–be sending in their end-of-the-year donations. It’s been a particularly hard year for many charities, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:48-50, Luke 21:1-4, Luke 19:4-6

Denomination: Catholic

Spirituality For The Rest Of Us

Contributed by Paul Newell on Mar 18, 2008

We seem to make the whole "knowing God" thing much harder than God ever did? Life is hard, knowing God is what makes sense out of life.

Spirituality For the Rest of Us 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Intro: Why should following Jesus Christ be so “hard”? If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone tell me: “Oh, Pastor Paul, it’s so haaarrrrdddd…” “Pastor, you ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 3:18

Denomination: Baptist

Can God Shake This Place?

Contributed by Ron Hicks on Nov 20, 2006

My prayer is that God would shake you so hard that the things that bind you would fall off and that you could experience the freedom that God wants you to experience.

Can God Shake This Place? In our lifetime we have heard of, and seen on the news, the deadly destruction that earthquakes, in various parts of the word have left. Mass destruction. Cities have been decimated. Homes and buildings completely destroyed. 10’ of thousands have been ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:16-34

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Four Things That Get In The Way Of The Church Being A Family Series

Contributed by Jim Butcher on Jun 26, 2015

The passage commands us to treat our church family like family. What are some of the things that get in the way of us doing that well?

WHY TREAT EACH OTHER LIKE FAMILY? We are God’s eternal family. - 1 Timothy 5:1-2. - Because we are family! - Why is this so needed today? a. The prevalence of loneliness in our society. b. The joy of being “where everybody knows your name.” c. How hard life is and how much ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 5:1-2

Denomination: Baptist

The Hardening Of The Heart Of Pharaoh

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Dec 27, 2013

The idea of God hardening Pharaoh's heart gnaws at our sensibilities... but we know that the LORD is sovereign not only in His mercy, but also in His judgement.

THE HARDENING OF PHARAOH’S HEART. Romans 9:17-18. The book of Genesis ends with a delightful illustration of how God works all things, even bad things, for the good of His people. Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers, but found his promotion in Egypt. As Prime Minister he was able to bring ...read more

Scripture: Romans 9:17-18

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God Can Do Great Things By Simple Means

Contributed by Gregory Thomas on Feb 2, 2008

This Message show the Power of God through simplistic means.

God Can Do Great Things By Simple Means 2 Kings 5: 4-14 Introduction Naaman was highly favored and looked upon for his military success . But one problem he was a leper and therefore, by Mosaic Law he should have been excluded from society; ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:4-14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

"Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? Series

Contributed by David Henderson on Apr 10, 2018

The question we are tackling this morning has been referred to as The Achilles Heel of Christianity – the question that often keeps people from becoming believers in Christ.

“Why do bad things Happen to Good People?” James 1:1-12 The question we are tackling this morning is asked perhaps more than any other question about God. It has been referred to as The Achilles Heel of Christianity – the question that often keeps people from becoming believers in Christ. George ...read more

Scripture: James 1:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Two Things We Need To Know In Times Of Trouble

Contributed by John Raulerson on Oct 6, 2005

Everyone goes through tough times. Although we may never know the answers or the "why’s" to our problems there are some things we can know which will bring us great strength in times of trouble.

TWO THINGS WE NEED TO KNOW IN TIMES OF TROUBLE Job 19:25-27 From the day sin entered the world man has faced hard times as sin has corrupted not only the hearts and minds of man, but also corrupted creation itself. Admittedly, some have faced tougher times than others, and the reasons ...read more

Scripture: Job 19:25-27

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sermon: Kingdom Seekers Keep First Thing First

Contributed by Otis Mcmillan on Jan 11, 2025

Seeking first the kingdom of God means making Him the focal point of our lives. It involves aligning our desires, decisions, and actions with His will and His purpose.

Sermon: Kingdom Seekers Keep First Thing First Scripture - Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Introduction - What does it mean to "seek first the kingdom of God"? It's a phrase we often hear, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:31-33, Luke 14:28, Matthew 23:26, Matthew 22:37-38

Denomination: Methodist

2020 Vision For The New Year

Contributed by David Owens on Jan 6, 2020

New Year is a good time to refocus ourselves. In this new year's sermon, I suggest seven priorities for the new year that will give us 20/20 vision.

Introduction: A. Happy New Year! This is 2020!! And today is the first Sunday of 2020! 1. It is hard to believe we are beginning the third decade of the 21st Century! 2. For many people the first week in January is the most depressing week of the year. 3. The holidays are over, the family and ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-10

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Our Citizenship Is In Heaven Series

Contributed by Jason Grubbs on Jan 11, 2020

Because we are citizens of Heaven, our minds should be set on Heavenly things. This sermon shows what is and should be true since we are citizens of Heaven.

Introduction One October afternoon in 1982, Badger Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, was packed. More than 60,000 die-hard University of Wisconsin supporters were watching their football team take on the Michigan State Spartans. It soon became obvious that MSU had the better team. What seemed odd ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:17-21

Things That Make Christians Different From The World: Money Series

Contributed by Terry Frazier on Aug 3, 2012

The world at large treats money and wealth as just something to be attained and used for themselves. The world doesn't generally acknowledge that God is the giver of the gift of producing wealth. Christians unfortunately aren't a whole lot different in th

Things That Make Christians Different From The World: Money Money is a hot topic for people today. With the U.S. economy not nearly as strong as it used to or should be, with many companies (including the one that Diane and I work for) not giving raises like they should or not at all, the cost of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:10-11

Denomination: Baptist

Things That Make Christians Different From The World: Sin Series

Contributed by Terry Frazier on Sep 29, 2012

Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve. Since then all people are born into this world with a sin nature that we cannot fix on our own. The world tries to ignore the sin nature, tries to "manage" their sin nature and they fail every time. While Christ

Things That Make Christians Different From The World: Sin In this series I have been preaching about the differences between Christians and the world we have to talk about sin. Sin is what separates us from God as people. We are all born in sin and until people accept Jesus Christ as Lord and ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:1-24

Denomination: Baptist