Sermons on Struggles:

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

Your Struggle For Contentment Series

Contributed by Chris Appleby on Aug 8, 2008

The commandment against coveting is about contentment. God wants us to be godly with contentment

Blind Spots I recently discovered that I have a blind spot. In fact I have two. I had my eyes checked for new glasses a few weeks ago and while I was there they said I should have a field vision test. This is a test that checks whether there are parts of your retina that aren’t functioning ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:2-11

Denomination: Anglican

Struggling To Work For Peace Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 19, 2009

August 1989, Day of Prayer for World Peace: Making peace in the world begins with making peace with God. It does not mean making peace WITH the world.

Just a few weeks ago they re-enacted, not very far from here, a small but crucial Civil War battle. The Battle of Fort Stevens did not get into a lot of the history books, but it was important in that it turned back the Confederate armies on the very edge of the capital city. Had the South taken ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 10:12-15

Denomination: Baptist

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

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

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

Getting Through The Struggle

Contributed by Dr. Jerry N. Watts on Oct 14, 2008

From the model of Job, we discover some principles about "getting through" the difficulties of life. (Warren Wiersbe contributes much to this message)

GETTING THROUGH THE STRUGGLE Job 1:20-22 * These past couple of weeks have been weeks of fiscal struggle in our nation and arguably in the world. It would seem that every fiscal pillar of this world has now been threatened. Like it or not savings, investments, retirements, real estate, and much ...read more

Scripture: Job 1:20-22

Denomination: Baptist

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

Our Real Struggle

Contributed by Kent Kessler on Dec 27, 2006

We are tempted so many times to go by the way things seems to us, or "the seems like", but a believer knows not everything is as it seems. There are other factors involved non-believers are not aware of. We need help in understanding how to deal with thes

Illustration: The Mafia Game “Not everything is at it seems.” One thing we learn quickly as a believer is you cannot live life by the way things SEEM! When Paul writes to the Ephesian believers, “We wrestle not with flesh and blood” [KJV] Or Our “struggle” is not against flesh and blood [NIV] ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:12

Denomination: Methodist

Things Christians Struggle With

Contributed by Clint Shrum on Jan 7, 2007

Even though a person is saved there are still some things they may deal with concerning their conversion. This message explains some of the struggles Christians may encounter.

THINGS CHRISTIANS STRUGGLE WITH Romans 7:15-21 Intro: Paul uses the word “flesh” in several different ways. In this particular passage Paul denotes the flesh as the personality of man controlled by sin and directed to selfish pursuits rather than to the service of God. Often times I find myself ...read more

Scripture: Romans 7:15-21

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

There's Something In The Struggle

Contributed by Pastor/Author: Terry Sisney on Mar 21, 2007

With spiritual eyes we can see that many times there is something we need that can only come through the struggles of life.

Let’s also read 2Co 1:3-4 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 13:25-33, 2 Corinthians 1:3-6

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Transformation Of Struggling Disciples

Contributed by Tim Patrick on Feb 20, 2006

Consider the four dynamics that will change struggling disciples into dynamic disciples.

Introduction- Have you ever had a duh moment in your faith walk? Duh is a new word that has come into use in recent years. Duh is a slang term of sorts. It is used to tease someone who misses something that is obvious. Such as, if you were to fall and break your arm and I were to ask “Does it ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:9-11

Denomination: Baptist

Pilate's Moral Struggle Series

Contributed by Richard Tow on Sep 22, 2005

Expository sermon dealing with Pilate’s decision. Movie clip from the "Patriot" illustrates the importance of making courageous decisions.

Pilate’s Moral Struggle Fortifying the Foundations # 41 John 19:1-16[1] 7-18-04 In our text this morning we encounter a tremendous moral struggle. The man experiencing this struggle is the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. His struggle begins when providence brings him face to face with the ...read more

Scripture: John 19:1-16

Denomination: Charismatic

Encouragement To A Struggling Church Series

Contributed by Guy Glass on Aug 23, 2006

This section deals with the appropriateness of expressing our gifts within the church service. Now, one thing needs to be noted at the onset, the Corinthian church was operating before a completed revelation and as such, the church is operating in a peri

ENCOURAGEMENT TO A STRUGGLING CHURCH 1 CORINTHIANS 14:26-40 INTRODUCTION: our passage this morning brings us to the end of Paul’s teaching concerning spiritual gifts in general, and tongues in specifics. This last section deals with the appropriateness of expressing our gifts within the church ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:26-40

Denomination: Baptist