Sermons on Inner Struggle:

Comfort Received, Comfort Shared: Living Out Compassion Together

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Sep 11, 2025

This is a reflection for an inner city mission for the mid-level leadership team. The reflection focuses on compassion

2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (NIV) “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Paul calls God “the Father of ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Incarnation Of The Word

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Dec 6, 2022

This is a message given to the staff of an inner-city mission in Toronto, Ontario during Advent 2022.

The Incarnation of the Word I love the accounts of the nativity, the birth of Christ that we find in the gospels. I love the story, I love lingering with the story, I love its innocence, its directness and its simple beauty. I also love it because I love understatement. Before going to seminary ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-14, Philippians 2:1-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Taking Responsibility For Our Lives Series

Contributed by Brad Bailey on Aug 22, 2012

God desires to restore our wholeness…including our inner life….. emotional wholeness.

Taking Responsibility for Our Lives Series: Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Brad Bailey – March 11, 2012 Intro We are continuing in our series Emotionally Healthy Spirituality….focused on restoring some healthy understanding to our spiritual formation… that can lead to emotional ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:18

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Heart Trouble Series

Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Apr 26, 2012

Let’s look at the Book of Proverbs & see some of the different ways heart trouble in the inner person affects us. Perhaps you will recognize one of these symptoms which is warning you of heart trouble in your inner being.

HEART TROUBLE PROVERBS 12: 20, 25 Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women in America. Heart failure accounts for 40% of all U.S. deaths. That’s more than all forms of cancer combined. Why is heart disease so deadly? One reason is that many people are slow to seek help when ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:20-25, Proverbs 20:5, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Denomination: Baptist

"why Even Try To Be Good?"

Contributed by David Welch on Dec 8, 2021

This message follows Aspah's journey from envying the godless to embracing God.

Chico Alliance Church Psalm 73 “Why Even Try Being Good?” Introduction Nearly everyone struggles with the application of God’s goodness at some time in their life. We observe the chaos and injustice in our world and either scratch our heads or kick the cat. A drunk driver who lives to be a hundred ...read more

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

The Bitter Root Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Jun 22, 2008

Churches should be a place filled with gentle and loving people who wouldn’t be a place of anger and conflict. But too often, churches are known as places of conflict and pain. How should a Christian leader deal with this issue?

OPEN: In Winchester, Ohio there’s a church called the Bethlehem Church of Christ. It’s been in existence for over 150 years, and over the years different events have been recorded in their “history” book. One of their recent ministers was reading back over the different entries in this book when he ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 16:1-40

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Sarah: Beautiful Believer Series

Contributed by C. Philip Green on May 5, 2016

If you want to be a truly beautiful woman, embrace your barrenness and let God use it for His glory, enhance your beauty with a gentle and quiet spirit, and believe in the promises of God.

Since it is Mother’s Day today, I thought you might appreciate the advice given to mothers in the Mother’s Day issue of Housekeeping Magazine 51 years ago (May 13, 1965). They called it “The Good Wife’s Guide,” and it said in part: Plan ahead, even the night before, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:1-7

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Fragility And Brokenness

Contributed by Monty Newton on Jan 12, 2015

Life batters and breaks us in a variety of ways, but then God makes us stronger and more beautiful in that very fragility and brokenness.

Title: Fragility and Brokenness Text: II Corinthians 4:6-10; 12:7-10 Thesis: Life batters and breaks us in a variety of ways, but then God makes us stronger and more beautiful in our fragility and brokenness. In that this is the 1st Sunday after Epiphany we are once again reminded of how Christ ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:6-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Prayer For The Church

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Jan 21, 2015

The church and our nation don't seem to be in a good spot and need much prayer. The church in Ephesus was in a similar spot and Paul knew that they needed prayer desperately. Have we been focusing on praying for the church in our nation?

Opening illustration: A friend told me about a neighbor who years ago spent most of his spare time planting trees. The man seldom watered the young trees because he thought that too much watering spoiled them. (He came from the “no pain, no gain” school of plant care.) Pampered trees, ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What's With Job's Wife

Contributed by Johnnie Medrano on Feb 4, 2015

This message is on restoration. Job's wife is left alone as the bad person. She was hurting and Job did not have sympathy for her problem " You have spoken like a foolish woman" At the end the three names of Job's daughters show God's restoration.

There is something called Survivor's Syndrome. It is when tragedy comes to many and one person seemed to escape harm. These people feel guilt, depression and their mind continually takes them back to the tragedy. On one hand nothing happened to them; but on the other hand everything seemed ...read more

Scripture: Job 2:9

Denomination: Apostolic

Queen Esther Sermon I: In The Right Place At The Right Time Series

Contributed by Charles Cunningham on Jun 24, 2020

In times of turmoil, women of inner strength rise to the challenge of making their world a better place in which to live by devoting themselves to righteous causes that build moral character and promote peace and good will.

QUEEN ESTHER: A WOMAN OF INNER STRENGTH AND COURAGE IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME AFTER BEING IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME As a woman of inner strength and ...read more

Scripture: Esther 2:5-18

Queen Esther Sermon Iii: It's About God's Timing Series

Contributed by Charles Cunningham on Jun 24, 2020

In times of turmoil, women of inner strength attune themselves to the providential working in their lives of the LORD God so that they will make the right choices to do the right thing at the right time for the good of all.

ESTHER: GOD’S TIMING ALWAYS RIGHT As the sordid Saga surrounding the intriguing drama of Esther’s positioning for “such a time as this” seemingly goes on and on with no good ending in sight, a lesson in “whose timing ought we be ...read more

Scripture: Esther 4:1-16

The Anointing That Brought Transformation Series

Contributed by Manny Salva Cruz on Oct 31, 2016

In order for us to be used by God, we must be anointed by the Holy Spirit for the work of service. Then, we will be abundantly blessed as we serve Him for the rest of our lives.

THE ANOINTING THAT BROUGHT TRANSFORMATION When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (shaking hands and kissing babies and meeting constituents) he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 10:1-27

Denomination: Nazarene

My Will Vs. Thy Will Series

Contributed by Perry Greene on May 8, 2013

Thy kingdom come and thy will be done are saying basically the same thing. The will of God is to be King over us. We must realize God's will and the issues that block us from doing his will.

1. Paternoster A former soldier tells of being stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. When he had to go to the HQ, located in the Abrams Building, he had two options to go upstairs. He could take the stairs or the "Paternoster." This was an unusual elevator which had no doors, only an opening; and it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-10

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Story Of My Life Series

Contributed by Nickolas Kooi on Jul 8, 2017

Story of my life. It is the phrase that you never want to say. As Paul writes Romans 7, we hear him sigh and say, "Story of My Life." As we look deeper at the chapter, we see that it is the story of our lives too!

Jack has been working at a certain accounting firm for years. He graduated at the top of his class but his career seems to be stagnate and going absolutely nowhere. He begins to feel frustrated as he is passed over time and time again for the new positions and promotions. Not wanting this to ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:14-25

Denomination: Lutheran