Sermons on Spiritual Struggle:

Handling Life's Struggles Series

Contributed by Kurt Heisey on May 29, 2002

Life has tremendous pressures and trials, yet Peter had learned how to respond to release God’s power in his trials.

1 Peter 1:10-25 VCC August 9, 1998 Handling Life’s Struggles Introduction Peter is written to those who were going through all kinds of trials (1:6) Many go through life’s struggles relying on their own power, their own resources, their own strength, but God has not designed us to go through ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:10-25, John 16:33

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Thomas: Struggling To Believe

Contributed by Jeff Simms on Sep 16, 2003

The importance of trusting in God when we don’t understand His ways

Thomas: Struggling to Believe John 20:24-29 Primary Purpose: The importance of trusting God when we don’t understand his ways We look at the disciple today many call “Doubting Thomas”, but I would say to you that I don’t think that’s the right title for Thomas. We just can’t imagine after all ...read more

Scripture: John 20:24-29

Denomination: Baptist

Struggling With A Wavering Faith

Contributed by Ken Kersten on Nov 12, 2002

one thing the Bible and history teach us, is that many people, if not all people, have struggled at times in their life with issues of doubt and faith.

Struggling With a Wavering Faith Turn to Mark 9:23-24 Show Video Clip from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Leap of Faith - leaping into the unknown. Well, we’re talking this morning about those times when we need to make that leap of faith. Times when doubts arise and it all doesn’t make ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-17, Mark 9:23-24

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Life Will Cease To Be A Struggle Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 19, 2004

Second in a series on popular illusions; and for Independence Day. Life will not cease to be a struggle if justice is not fully realized, feelings are not fully expressed, and wrong decisions are not fully reversed.

What kind of a retirement party was this? He had worked so long, he had struggled with so many things, and now, here, at the end, it seemed there was still unfinished business. His worries were not behind him, nor were all the issues settled. And why not? Had he no right to expect that now life ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 2:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Your Struggle With Time Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 7, 2008

The Sabbath is not just a day of rest. It is the fulfilment of the whole wek of God’s work and our part in that work

I think you’d have to agree that the fourth commandment has led to more legalism than all the other 9 put together. It’s such a quantifiable thing isn’t it? "Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work." So we make ...read more

Denomination: Anglican

Your Struggle With Religion Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 7, 2008

God cares about how his name is used, both in words and in what we do and what we fail to do.

By Rev Bill Stewart Back in the late 1990s everyone was talking about Y2K and wondering if their computer would still work on the 01/01/ 2000. The new millennium was all over the media. The Australian magazine even ran an article called "10 Commandments for the next Millennium" (7-8 March 1999). No ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 52:4-10

Denomination: Anglican

Your Struggle With Authority Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 7, 2008

God puts us in this world with a small subset of the human race to begin relating to. Our parents are the first representatives of fallen humanity that we meet and our first model for authority figures that we’ll meet later in life.

Introduction Jesus said that the commandments are summed up in the dual command, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and your neighbour as yourself." Well today we come to the fifth commandment. This seems to be about loving your neighbour, but it’s one of the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 2:1-11

Denomination: Anglican

Your Struggle For Purity Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 7, 2008

God calls us to committed faithfulness to one another as part of our commitment to him. He calls us to purity of mind and action, to help us maintain the purity of our relationship with our spouse. He calls us to keep our promises just as he keeps his.

Introduction There’s a phenomenon that I’ve noticed over the past few years. That’s the phenomenon of ’the better offer’. It comes in two forms: the first is where you don’t reply to an invitation until the last minute because you might get a better offer; but the second is worse. That’s where ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:27-30

Denomination: Anglican

Your Struggle For Integrity Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 7, 2008

the caommandment not to stealis a commandment to maintain one’s integrity in everything we do.

1 What images come to mind when you hear the eighth Commandment "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19)? You shall not take what doesn’t belong to you. If you are like me you might have an image of a masked thief in a stripped shirt climbing over a wall with a bag of loot over his ...read more

Scripture: Amos 8:1-8

Denomination: Anglican

Your Struggle With Truth Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 8, 2008

How do you decide when is the right time to tell the truth and when is the right time to keep silent?

I sometimes wonder whether God has structured these ten commandments with the most obvious sins first and the least obvious or most subtle at the end. Or is it just that our age has become blind to the last couple of commandments? Truth is a difficult concept in this day and age isn’t it? ...read more

Scripture: John 8:31-47

Denomination: Anglican

Struggling With The Pain Of Faithlessness Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 20, 2009

July 1989. Our sexual behavior matters to God, and He has expressed His will. When we go our own ways, it hurts Him as well as others and ourselves. He can and will redeem even from this most painful sin.

A number of years ago a friend of mine was teaching a group of children the Ten Commandments in Vacation Bible School. In order to teach the Ten Commandments, she says, she was given a set of pictures. Each of the pictures illustrated the bad behavior forbidden by the Commandment; each picture ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Struggling To Be A People Of Integrity

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 12, 2009

Preached 1989. A people of integrity will not act as though God is automatically on their side, apart from righteousness; and they will pay attention to the way in which leadership is chosen.

On this Independence Day weekend we think about our nation’s history, our nation’s life. As we do so I want to assure you that we will be wrestling with the word of God, not just scattering political opinions over the landscape like birdseed. I am not here as political pundit, but as a pastor and ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 8:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

Lot - The Struggle Of Righteousness

Contributed by Timothy Darling on Mar 19, 2009

The stories in Genesis present Lot in a very negative light, but Peter and Abraham thought he was righteous. It is a time for adjusting our interpretation.

Lot – The struggle of righteousness Genesis 18:16-33 This is a classic passage because it depicts something that we somehow know we should not do, bargaining with God. Abraham, out of concern for his nephew Lot, in an episode that sounds like an auction, begs God to be merciful. Five times, ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 18:16-33

Denomination: Mennonite

Ministry Can Be A Struggle!

Contributed by Jon Mackinney on Dec 7, 2006

There is no doubt that when Paul arrived, alone, in the sinful city of Corinth, it was a little bit of a shock. Worn down, lonely, discouraged, he needed the provision of God.

Passage: Acts 18:1-17 Intro: When we read Acts, we get a picture of Paul in our minds. 1. we picture him striding powerfully from one rejection to another, brushing off the effects of this beating or that imprisonment. 2. but here in Corinth, it seems to have caught up with him. 3. many miles on ...read more

Scripture: Acts 18:1-17

Denomination: Evangelical Free

Abraham's Struggle To Be Faithful Series

Contributed by Scott Carmer on Feb 19, 2008

Abraham is not really a "bad boy" but he did have some occasions when he had trouble making good decisions. What can he teach us when he did obey God and was ready to sacrifice his son?

Abraham’s Struggle to Be Faithful Genesis 22:1-19 February 17, 2008 One of the greatest privileges I have had in my adult life is to visit the Holy Land. It was a relatively short trip, but we traveled from Jerusalem down to the Dead Sea and the desert fortress of Masada, up along the Jordan ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14

Denomination: Methodist