Sermons on Overcoming Difficulties:

Why? Understanding Life Events (I) Series

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 7, 2009

Sometimes the events of our lives do not seem to make sense. But there are three things God is always doing (1) Bringing People to Moral Choice (2) Revealing Himself (3) Preparing His People for Eternity. This sermon examines what God was doing in the eve

Why? Understanding Life Events (I) 1 Kings 21 5-31-09 Intro I want to begin this morning with a brief clip from the movie, Faith Like Potatoes. How many have seen it? It’s a very good movie—based on a true story. Let me give a little background for the clip. Angus Buchan is a farmer in South ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:1-29

Denomination: Charismatic

Mourning For Haiti

Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Jan 21, 2010

Isaiah 57:1 NIV The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.

Mourning for Haiti Psalm 23 On January 12, 2010, at 4:53 pm Eastern Standard Time Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the country's most severe earthquake in over 200 years. The epicenter of the quake was just off the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, a city of 2 million. Our world has ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Night Time Ain't So Bad Series

Contributed by Ken Hubbard on Feb 11, 2010

A message about how the tough "night times" of our lives make us stronger and deepen our faith

INTRO VIDEO Rocky III Clip EXPLAIN Video Clip - If you're going to survive the battles - If you're going to survive what the enemy throws at you - If you're going to survive... 1. You Need a Tribe You Won't Get Voted Off 2. Can't Go Over the Hedge 3. You Can't Curse Your Crisis 4. ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 17:3-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Part 7 - Why Does Bad Stuff Happen To Good People? Series

Contributed by Russell Brownworth on Feb 26, 2010

We all ask it....why? And "why me"? Is there an answer?

Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. Job 1:1 (TMSG) --- No rest for me, ever—death has invaded life. Job 3:26b (TMSG) Why does bad stuff happen to good people? This question is such a ...read more

Denomination: United Methodist

Suffering And The Human Condition: Where Was God? Series

Contributed by John Barry on Jun 12, 2009

The editor-in-chief of Bible Study magazine addresses the topic of suffering and God’s place in it and through it.

I was in a room close to 7:00 AM playing Jazz with my High School Jazz Band. We had band practice at 6:00 AM Monday to Friday mornings. (What kind of deranged person came up with that idea?) As I was sitting there at the drum set playing along half-asleep, the intercom began to come on and off. It ...read more

Denomination: *other

New Beginnings Series

Contributed by Matthew Kratz on Jun 15, 2009

In Ruth 1:19-22 we see a New Beginning moving from a 1) Total Loss to a 2) Total Gain.

The chalk cliffs of Beachy Head on England’s south coast are the British answer to the Golden Gate Bridge: a place of beauty and stillness that has a terrible allure, both practical and aesthetic, for suicidal people. Neil and Kazumi Puttick, a married couple jumped to their deaths on the evening ...read more

Scripture: Ruth 1:19-22

Denomination: Other

Understanding The Twelve Purposes For Trials, Trouble, Testing

Contributed by Larry Wolfe on Jul 7, 2009

A survey of the Bible texts concerning trials

UNDERSTANDING THE TWELVE BIBLICAL PURPOSES FOR TESTING, TRIALS & TROUBLES 1. God allows trials so that we might become stronger Christians (James 1:3, 4) Reason #1 To Praise The Lord! “My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers generations; knowing this that the trying of your ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-4

Denomination: Independent/Bible

"What To Do When God Disappears”

Contributed by Andy Grossman on Jul 28, 2009

“What to do When God Disappears” There are three things you can do.

“What to do When God Disappears” August 2, 2009 Psalm 42 God had disappeared – or so it must have seemed to David. He was the one who had sat under the night stars with his sheep and communed with God. With the starry host overhead by night and the meadows filled with flowers and romping ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 42:1-11

Denomination: Holiness

Surviving Life's Dark Times Series

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Apr 27, 2009

Life’s dark times can pull us in all directions and produce all sorts of feelings; we must cling God during those bleak experiences.

Surviving Life’s Dark Times (Jeremiah 20:1-18) 1. After Jeremiah’s trip to the pottery shop, he had been commanded to assemble the elders and leaders of the city and smash a completed piece of pottery to pieces before them. Then he preached a message that God was going to do just that with ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 20:1-18

Denomination: Independent/Bible

How To Get Past Frustration: Experiencing The Power Of The Holy Spirit Series

Contributed by Charles Wallis on May 7, 2009

The disciples were frustrated because Jesus was leaving, but the Holy Spirit gets us past frustration.

How to Get Past Frustration: Experiencing the Power of the Holy Spirit I. Introduction a. Have you ever lost your power? Were you frustrated? b. Personal Story: “My car wouldn’t start…I found out the battery connections were dirty…” c. Main Point/Theme: We can get past frustration when we ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:1-11

Denomination: Pentecostal

Perseverance Series

Contributed by Kevin Ruffcorn on Mar 24, 2009

There is a process in our becoming all that God credated us to be. This is the human side of the divine change.

James 1:2-4, 22-25 “Perseverance” INTRODUCTION When it comes to travel, I think many of us are highway people. We want to go the fastest way possible in order to get to our destination as quickly as we can. We aren’t really interested in seeing the sights or stopping at the tourist ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-25

Denomination: Lutheran

The Brand Of The Cross Series

Contributed by A. B. Simpson on Oct 8, 2009

It is the cross of Christ which is the object at once of His shame and His glory. This classic sermon by A. B. Simpson looks first at the marks of the Lord Jesus, and then at their reproduction in His followers.

"From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal. 6:17). The word marks in this text is translated by Rotherham, "brand marks." The world describes a mark that has been branded into the flesh, and suggests the idea of the cruel practice of certain ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:17

Denomination: *other

Experiencing God

Contributed by Terry Barnhill on Oct 24, 2009

When Job had fully experienced God, he came to understand more about God, life, and himself.

Most preachers will tell you that the Book of Job can be tough to preach from. The story line itself isn’t exactly a feel-good experience, but you have to admit, it does make you think. Job discovered a new understanding of God’s purpose, and his suffering gave him a new perspective of himself as ...read more

Scripture: Job 42:1-6

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

How To Worry Well Series

Contributed by Gary Stebbins on Oct 27, 2009

How do we live fearless lives as Christians? God’s heart is that we not just survive, but thrive (adapted from a series taughty by Pastor Larry Osborne, North Coast Church).

Introduction Fearless the series continues- last installment. We will be addressing the topic of worry today. Much to worry about today and even be fearful of. How do we master our fears/concerns as Christians? How do we worry well? Do you know someone who worries? Do you worry? What do you worry ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-9

Denomination: Charismatic

Why The Wilderness

Contributed by John A. Peck on Nov 3, 2009

Often the wilderness is a dangerous place, frought with danger, anxiety, vulnerability. Out there, we are usually the prey or the victim, but it is also the place where we encounter God.

Why are we meeting God in the wilderness (where else?) We are, generally speaking, city dwellers. We live in cities, towns and villages, but for the most part we stay out of the wilderness unless there is something there for us. But in the Bible, a lot of important things happen in the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Denomination: Orthodox