Sermons on Praying Hard:

The Over-Exposed Heart - A Man After God's Own Heart Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Mar 21, 2005

The temptation to look where we shouldn’t look is hard for most men. What had Bathsheba done wrong? What had David done wrong? And how do we deal with ourselves and others who do those wrong things?

OPEN: The true story is told of a banquet where a famous religious leader found himself seated next to an extremely beautiful woman who was wearing a gown with a perilously low neckline. Instead of becoming angry or embarrassed or pretending to be unaware of her exposure he offered her an apple. ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-5

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

How The Holy Spirit Can Lead You As He Led Ezekiel

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Sep 17, 2006

Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you as He led Ezekiel by learning from this fine Biblical example of leadership. The Holy Spirit directed Ezekiel to take on a difficult ministry of speaking to an obstinate and hard hearted audience. His example teaches us t

How The Holy Spirit Can Lead You as He Led Ezekiel Ezekiel 2:1 (NIV, NIRV, TNIV, KJV) How The Holy Spirit Can Lead You as He Led Ezekiel Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you as He led Ezekiel by learning from this fine Biblical example of leadership. The Holy Spirit directed Ezekiel to ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 2:1-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

What Is Your Path? Series

Contributed by Tom Fuller on Oct 11, 2009

Who you listen to matters. It determines who you belong to - who owns you. We can choose the easy road or the hard one, depending on who we listen to. Does it really matter what road we take. Absolutely!

When I say “The Golden Rule” how many of you know exactly what I’m talking about? Jesus, as the big “A” author of God’s Word, can go into great detail about what His character means in our everyday relationships and actions, but He can also sum it up in just a few short words. The Golden rule is ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:12-29

Denomination: Calvary Chapel

Abandoned To The Potter

Contributed by Ian Johnson on Apr 5, 2008

When clay is soft and pliable it is easy to make an impression on. When it becomes dry and hard change doesn’t come easy. In fact it can’t come unless the potter applies water and pressure to bring a pliable nature back to the clay.

JEREMIAH 18; Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made. I will speak to you while you are there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so the ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 18:1-5

Denomination: Pentecostal

Fear Not Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Jul 5, 2010

You are precious in his sight. He knows you and has named you as his. No matter what happens. No matter how hard your life is, God will watch over you and will take you in the end to be with him in his kingdom forever.

One of the things about looking at a prophecy like Isaiah is that it’s a bit like looking at a mountain range. From close in it can look like there’s just one row of mountains in the range, but then if you get up higher, or fly over it in a plane you see that in fact there are rows of ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7

Denomination: Anglican

Forewarned Is Forearmed Series

Contributed by Ed Vasicek on Feb 1, 2016

Jesus warns his followers about hard times near at hand, in the current age, and in the future end times. Today we will look at the “then” and the “now.” Next time we will begin to address the “later.”

Forewarned is Forearmed (Mark 13:1-13) 1. A woman blogs, “Today, I learned that my daughter's gerbils are not afraid of the vacuum cleaner.” 2. That is not normal. All animals should be afraid of the vacuum cleaner. And all people should know how to spell it. One c, two ...read more

Scripture: Mark 13:1-13

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Are You Blaming The Messenger?

Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Jun 20, 2018

Those who are called to teach you do so knowing that we must give an account for what we pass on to you. For this reason I must cover the whole Bible including the parts that are hard to understand and that are ominous and disturbing. I have no choice.

Are you blaming the messenger? Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Luke 4:14-30 People react to God in a variety of ways. Some are enthusiastic and inquisitive while others have no interest what so ever and even deny the existence of God. What happened in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 4:14-30 is an account of ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Luke 4:14-30

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Power Of Counting It All Joy

Contributed by Melvin Maughmer, Jr. on Jun 28, 2022

The human desire is to have every aspect of our life be smooth, so often we consider the hard times as God’s curse upon us or His punishment for our sin, rather than what they really are and that is opportunities to joyfully mature into Christlikeness.

The Power of Counting It All Joy By Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr. OPENING: - The human desire is to have every aspect of our life be smooth, without trials, tribulations, hard-times, disappointments, and sadness. Too often, we see trials in a negative light, or we assume that there is no way joy ...read more

Denomination: Apostolic

Keys To A Wonderful Church Life - Part 3: Building On The Foundation Of God's Love Series

Contributed by Rick Crandall on Aug 30, 2021

God wants us to be... 1. Authentic and affectionate (vs. 9-10). 2. Humble and hard-working (vs. 10-11, 16). 3. Hopeful and helpful (vs. 12-13). 4. Sympathetic and same-minded (vs. 14-16).

Keys to a Wonderful Church Life Part 3: Building on the Foundation of God's Love The Book of Romans Romans 12:9-16 (Reading vs. 1-16) Sermon by Rick Crandall (Prepared August 30, 2021) BACKGROUND: *Most of us know that Romans 12 marks a big shift in the Book of Romans. In chapters 1-11, Paul ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:9-16

Denomination: Baptist

Guarding Against Deception Series

Contributed by D. Dewaine Phillips on Jan 7, 2022

Once we cast a vision and begin laying hold of the Promised Land, we need to watch out for deceptive people; those who creep into the fold to snatch away our vision, and plunder our hard-earned spoils in an act of spiritual piracy.

Once we cast a vision and begin laying hold of the Promised Land, we need to watch out for dream catchers! Now, when I speak of dream catchers, I am not referring to the round wooden frame resembling a spider’s web, which was handcrafted by the Ojibwa tribe of Native Americans for the purpose of ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 9:3-15

Denomination: Baptist

Difficult Words

Contributed by I. Grant Spong on Sep 10, 2021

The most difficult words that Jesus ever uttered are easy to understand but hard to do. Let’s see how they would solve some of humanity's biggest problems. Let’s examine the selfless life in Mark 8:27-38.

Prelude The most difficult words that Jesus ever uttered are easy to understand but hard to do. Purpose: Let’s see how they would solve some of humanity's biggest problems. Plan: Let’s examine the selfless life in Mark 8:27-38. The Anointed One Mark 8:29-30 “He said to them, ‘But who do you ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:27-38

Denomination: Baptist

The Great Confusion - Mark 8:27-34 Series

Contributed by Darrell Ferguson on Nov 19, 2023

The question, “Who do you say I am” is important, but it’s not everything. Equally important is the question, “What does the way you listen to the hard words of Christ say about who you really believe he is?"

Mark 8:27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29 "But what about you?" he ...read more

Scripture: Mark 8:27-34, Matthew 16:13-24, Luke 9:18-23

P. S. - You Need These!

Contributed by Ernie Arnold on Sep 27, 2017

Paul is sharing with his dear brothers and sister in Philippi three things that they need to be complete - 1. They need to learn how to CELEBRATE 2. They need to learn how to PRAY 3. They need to learn how to Think Straight

Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9 (Call to worship - Psalm 23) Title: P. S. - You Need These! Paul is sharing with his dear brothers and sister in Philippi three things that they need to be complete - 1. They need to learn how to CELEBRATE 2. They need to learn how to PRAY 3. They ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9

Denomination: Nazarene

Following Christ

Contributed by Ajai Prakash on Jan 22, 2009

When we consider what Christ desires from us we feel uneasy. Our relationship with Him affects all our other relationships ... For some of us these demands may seem too hard to achieve. We are afraid of whole-hearted obedience to Christ will cost us.

Opening illustration: S. I. McMillen, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:9

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

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