Sermons on Hard Things:

Things Might No Work Out The Way You Think They Will

Contributed by Davon Huss on Aug 23, 2004

A sermon on boldness (thanks to various SermonCentral contributors for many of the illustrations)

Sermon for 8/22/2004 Boldness Introduction: A. The Six Shooter was a popular western, broadcast on NBC radio from 1953-54. Jimmy Stewart starred as Britt Ponsett, a Texas plainsman. On one broadcast, Britt called a bully’s bluff even though his gun was several feet away on a dresser. In ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:12

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

"Thinking The Things Of God” Holy Communion Come As You Are Series

Contributed by Clarence Eisberg on Nov 7, 2018

This is part of the series through Martin Luther's Small Catechism. Lutheran view of Holy Communion explained

In Jesus Holy Name October 28, 2018 Series: Luther’s Small Catechism Redeemer Text Matthew 26:26b-28 “Thinking the Things of God” Holy Communion: Come as you Are On this Sunday of the Reformation we have come to our final topic in our series of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 26:26, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29

Denomination: Lutheran

By The Sweat Of Your Brow

Contributed by Steve Shepherd on Dec 14, 2000

Christians need to be hard-working people.

BY THE SWEAT OF YOUR BROW Gen. 3:19 “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” INTRO.- Sweat and dirt. Those don’t sound very inviting or interesting to me. DO THEY TO YOU? God ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 3:19

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Contributed by Ervin Kimrey on May 20, 2005

This sermon attempts to give an answer to this often asked question. We need to learn a few things about God’s will in order to understand why things happen. We must also remember that God can make good come out of the bad. Is there really any good peo

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE We know by reading ( Rev. 20:1-10) that God will ultimately destroy satan and his host . As Christians we look forward to that day with hope, many other people reject God and the gospel because of the fact that evil is still in the world. They might say ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28

Denomination: Baptist

Love Does Not But Does, All Things, Never, Is Not.. Series

Contributed by Steve Malone on Jan 29, 2020

In this message we wrap up our series, 'Love Is,' by looking at several facets of God's kind of love... love does not delight in evil, love rejoices with truth, love bears all things... , Love never fails and love is not self seeking.

Love Does Not But Does, All Things, Never, Is Not.. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:6-8, Proverbs 8:13, Deuteronomy 7:7

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Do The Right Thing (Exodus 23:1-9) Series

Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Dec 9, 2022

Instructions on being a witness, and judge/jury. A broader point, about doing the right thing for rich and poor, citizens and aliens.

It's hard to be a good neighbor (Exodus 23:1-9) I'd like to start today by taking a step back, and helping us remember where we are in the book of Exodus. Let's turn to Exodus 19:1-9 (NRSV updated no reason). This passage is one of the keys to understanding Exodus as a whole. This ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 23:1-9, Exodus 19:1-9

Rest In The Future!

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 29, 2013

God from the beginning of time mandated/demonstrated that we all must rest in Him. We have to connect with Him to get energized! We also have to learn to rest in the future – placing our lives into the hands of the Lord.

`Rest in Our Scripture for this series - Isa. 40:29-31: "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope (rest) in the Lord will renew their strength. They soar on wings like eagles; they will ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11-13

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Judging Others Series

Contributed by Michael Deutsch on Sep 30, 2024

A hard look through the book of James

No Spin Zone September 22, 2024 James 2:2 Have you ever looked at the magazine racks when you’re in the stores . . . and everyone looks great! You wonder, how did these people become so beautiful. No lines, no bags, no blemishes. And they’re going to tell us how to look just as amazing as they ...read more

Scripture: James 2:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

The First Will Be Last, And The Last Will Be First

Contributed by Craig Condon on Jul 30, 2015

Faith is not about a church doctrine or power or privilege. It is about service to others-service to the point of sacrifice. It can be expressed equally through individual actions and experiences.

What is the one human quality that drives us to success while causing all sorts of problems at the same time? It is ambition. Ambition is one of the driving forces in our lives. It propels us to excel in our jobs. It pushes us to reach our goals. It can give us a reason for living. Ambition is one ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:30-37

Denomination: Anglican

Three Things To Remember About Satan And His Helpers

Contributed by Shawn Rose on Jun 24, 2009

In the midst of an attack by satan and his forces, we need to remember three things.

THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SATAN AND HIS HELPERS Text: Ephesians 6:10 – 12 Introduction: • Sunday morning March 29, I made a statement – “we are under attack” • In past 6 months: o Dealt with a crime spree in church neighborhood and my neighborhood o Deaths of loved ones o Family members ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-12

Denomination: Baptist

The Problem Of Perfectionism Series

Contributed by Thomas Bowen on Jan 29, 2009

It is really hard to keep up the pretence of being a perfect Christian. It si so hard that you will probably lose your faith.

Christian freedom – The problem of perfectionism In recent messages we have talked about the things that affect our Christian Freedom. How when we normally claim that we are free people that we automatically accept limits on our freedom. Limits based on cultural limits which might affect freedom ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:14-20

Denomination: Congregational

Doing The Right Thing The Wrong Way Part 2 Series

Contributed by David Diyanni on Oct 9, 2014

Today we shall be looking at two men who built a house, one did it the wrong way and one did it the right way. We are going to start in the gospel of Matthew.

Doing the right thing the wrong way Pt 2 Two men who built houses Introduction A. We are continuing our sermon series on “Doing the right thing the wrong way.” The Bible is full of stories where two people do the same thing, but one does it the right way the other does it the wrong ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:24-29

Denomination: Vineyard

Status Update Series

Contributed by Michael Monica on May 25, 2015

Life Verse. Scriptures that guide your life

Life Verse| Status Update A while back, my friends Paul, Sarah and I would have a “religious appointment” with the TV to watch Extreme Makeover. Now, if you’ve never seen that show, a quick synopsis is that a family is in need of a new house. Either there has been a major ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Week That Changed The World: The Day Jesus Conquered His Critics Series

Contributed by Donald Whitchard on Jul 3, 2021

In His final week of public ministry, Jesus confronted a series of challenging questions His enemies attempted to use as traps. One question dealt with the issue of paying taxes to Caesar. Jesus' surprising answer would settle the issues of loyalty and obligation to both God and Caesar.

Jesus had spent the first days of His final week shaking up the status quo concerning the worship of the LORD, the reverence due to the House of God, and to recall its purpose. He exposed the moneymaking schemes of the religious leaders, rebuked their practices, and drove out the merchants who ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22, Mark 12:13-17, Luke 20:20-26

Denomination: Baptist

“if Your Right Eye Causes You To Sin, Tear It Out And Throw It Away” Series

Contributed by Pat Damiani on Aug 28, 2015

Overcoming sin in my life is more a matter of heart work than hard work

This morning we’ll wrap up our sermon series on the hard sayings of Jesus. Obviously in 8 weeks we haven’t covered all the hard things Jesus said, but I think we have looked at enough of what Jesus said to get a pretty good feel for why much of what He taught was so hard to understand ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:27-30

Denomination: Baptist