Sermons on Hard Times:

A Time To Wait, A Time Not To Wait Series

Contributed by Brad Beaman on Feb 4, 2022

The believers were instructed to wait in Jerusalem. They were not ready, but why not? They were absolutely convinced of the resurrection, but still not ready to launch out and take the Gospel to a lost and dying world. Wait for the power of the Holy Spirit.

We gain a lot by studying the book of Acts. We learn about how the church grew in its infancy stage. Now over twenty percent of the world’s population claim to be true disciples of Jesus. But we are starting here with one hundred and twenty loyal believers huddled together in one room. It helps us ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

A Time To Do; A Time Not To Do

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Sep 24, 2024

What comes to us when our breath stops, when our days pass and we don’t even make a shadow anymore?

Friday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Course 2024 Our first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes/Qoheleth today may be for older Americans one of the ten most familiar Bible quotes. The atheist singer Pete Seeger penned “Turn, turn, turn” in 1959 and it became a Billboard number one song when ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:18-22, Psalm 144:1-4, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Denomination: Catholic

The Kingdom Is Righteousness

Contributed by Riaan De Villiers on May 14, 2007

We sometimes have a hard time to enter into the presence of God because we feel unrighteous and believe we need to be righteous before we can enter into the Kingdom of God. We need to see again that when I am in the kingdom I’m in righteouseness and when

The Kingdom is Righteousness There are many reasons why Jesus had to come to earth. Salvation; deliverance; making God known; victory over evil; and KINGDOM Question – what is the Kingdom of God? It is where God rules. But listen to what the Bible also tells us what the kingdom is: Romans 14:17 ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:17

Denomination: Pentecostal

Endure

Contributed by Robert Sickler on Dec 21, 2015

We can neither escape experiencing the evils of this world nor can we avoid God’s testing the quality of our devotion by letting us experience reality. It is important, however, that we do not let the hard times damage our faith and service to Christ.

Endurance Illustration: The Battered Bastards of Bastogne Most people recognize endurance to be our not quitting an endeavor; especially when we are experiencing an unpleasant, difficult, or dangerous situation. A perfect illustration of endurance was demonstrated by the 101st airborne division, in ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Denomination: Christian Church

When Everything Falls Apart Series

Contributed by Mark Schaeufele on Oct 1, 2025

Let your decisions in difficulty be shaped by faith, not fear.

When Everything Falls Apart Text: Ruth 1:1-5 Introduction 1. “We pray when there’s nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.” (Oswald Chambers) 2. The Bible is full of stories where people assumed God needed their help, so they went and made terrible mistakes ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 1:1-5

Denomination: Methodist

Once Upon A Time... Series

Contributed by David Owens on May 16, 2011

This sermon is an introduction to a study of the life of Moses. It is based on Charles Swindoll's book on Moses from his character series.

Introduction: A. A young girl asked her father, “Do all fairy tales begin with “Once Upon A Time?” 1. “No,” he replied, “A whole lot of them begin with ‘If elected I promise…’ ” B. “Once upon a time” is a wonderful, classic ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 1:1-22

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Looking For The Honey Or "Sweetness In Bitter Times”

Contributed by Luther Sexton on Feb 26, 2019

You and I know that honey is perhaps the sweetest thing that nature can produce; and a rock is one of the hardest things in nature. So, here we have sweetness coming out of hardness. This is one of God’s promises, and you should claim it for yourself.

LOOKING FOR THE HONEY “Sweetness in Bitter Times” Psalm 81:16 “He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” Most travelers who have visited Palestine in summer have had their attention directed to the abundance of honey, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 81:16, Psalm 34:8, Matthew 6:11

Denomination: Pentecostal

Dealing With Difficult Times Series

Contributed by Robert Allen on Dec 9, 2013

Keeping the right persceptive and hope in difficult times

We are going to read of a man during the next few weeks that had everything taken from Him. Job would lose his wealth, his health, his family, his happiness and everything that could possibly give him any type of comfort emotionally or physically. His so called friends even were not loyal ...read more

Scripture: Job 1:21-22

Denomination: Baptist

Grace Is Greater-Life Is Hard-God Is Good

Contributed by Jim Caswell on Feb 7, 2018

Our pain draws us closer to Jesus and makes us more like Him

Title: Life is hard-God is good. Place: BLCC Date: 2/11/18 Text: Romans 8.28 CT: Our pain draws us closer to Jesus and makes us more like Him [Screen 1] Doctors make a lot of recommendations for their patients. But do they incorporate these suggestions into their own lives? An article in The ...read more

Denomination: Christian Church

Whole Lot Of Shaking Goin’ On!

Contributed by Dr. David Hallum on Dec 14, 2016

God's ways are hard to understand at times.

Introduction: Pastor Owen Bourgaize relates this personal anecdote: Sometimes His ways are hard to understand at the time, I can offer a personal example: Teenage children can be quite a trial, even a pain! 25 years ago my son was! He was keen on old vehicles that he intended to renovate. Against ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 46:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

We Know Not How But We Work Hard Anyway

Contributed by W Pat Cunningham on Jan 28, 2025

Jesus is describing the Kingdom of God, which on earth is the Church He deputized to continue His mission to the world.

Friday of the Third Week in Course 2025 Mark’s Gospel today gives us a little story that is found in no other place in the NT. Like so many of the Jesus stories, it is about agriculture. Jesus is describing the Kingdom of God, which on earth is the Church He deputized to continue His mission to ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:32-39, Mark 4:26-34

Denomination: Catholic

What Is Holiness

Contributed by Phil Stuller on Aug 6, 2007

WHAT IS HOLINESS? There are many questions in this life that have caused strife among Christians. Lately I have noticed that in our walk and our life we may have a hard time describing precisely what we believe. When it comes to Holiness I don’t bel

WHAT IS HOLINESS? There are many questions in this life that have caused strife among Christians. Lately I have noticed that in our walk and our life we may have a hard time describing precisely what we believe. When it comes to Holiness I don’t believe that there is an exception. If anything ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40

Denomination: Holiness

The Purpose Of Suffering

Contributed by Tom Fuller on May 2, 2011

Why do we go through hard times? Is it because God is not pleased with us? Is it that we just must suffer in order to really be deserving of God's grace? Though the reasons might be many (and those two are not among them), Paul gives us one of the most im

Having received a very stern letter from the Apostle Paul, you’d think that God’s problem church, Corinth, would have gotten their act together. The church was rife with pastor worship, division, misuse of spiritual gifts and the Lord’s supper, class distinctions, tolerance of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Peace In Troubled Times

Contributed by Michael Trask on Oct 15, 2008

Addresses the world-wide financial crises and how to deal with it.

Your mind is a powerful thing isn’t it? A single thought can cause a smile to come sliding across your face; a single thought can wipe that same smile away. A Single thought, mulled over in the mind can disturb your days and ruin your nights. Our thoughts have a powerful influence over how ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7

Denomination: Lutheran

The Signs Of The End Times

Contributed by Craig Condon on Nov 28, 2015

When we see natural disasters and conflicts, we can be sure that Christ’s return is near. We must be ready, because he could return at any time. The promise of his return offers us hope.

At first glance the reading we just heard from Luke 21:25-36 seems to be out of place during Advent. After all, most of us think of Advent as a time to prepare for Christmas. That is only partially true. Advent is also a time to remember and prepare for Christ’s Second Coming, and that ...read more

Scripture: Luke 21:25-36

Denomination: Anglican