World Challenge Sermons

Have you ever refused to join in a sinful situation, so the people who were taking part in it started to make accusations against you? In this sermon, Gary Wilkerson explores Psalm 26 and how our sanctification will convict others and possibly cause them to turn against us. Since none of us is perfect, their accusations can hold an especially painful grain of truth. In those moments, how do we turn to God and find hope for his work in our lives?

Two very different types of shame haunt most people in the world, but the Bible offers us solutions for both kinds of shame. In this sermon, Gary Wilkerson explores how we can distinguish between these types of shame and why learning to address both of them is critical for our spiritual growth. God knew exactly what his children would face in a broken world and how their own guilt would compound their pain. He has given us the tools to address this, if we earnestly seek him and closely examine scripture.

Being distracted by good things when we are meant to be enticed by the best thing—learning more about God and worshipping him—will slow our spiritual growth and maturity. Often good works and service are a mask for anxiety over things that the world tells us are more important than our calling to seek the Lord's face. This week, Gary Wilkerson shares how this can happen to any Christian and how Psalm 24 illustrates the true life believers are meant to live.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Reading about the 14 blessings in this psalm may feel overwhelming because we don't see them in our lives, despite years of faithfully following Christ. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson talks about how we can overcome discouragement when we are not experiencing the goodness described in Psalm 23.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

This psalm is prophetic and predicted the suffering that Jesus would experience before his death; however, Gary Wilkerson points out how this psalm can be predictive but still have a great deal to teach us about how to approach suffering. In our trials, God invites us into unique honesty with him and assurance that he understands our pain.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Too often the gospel gets candy-coated in order to make it more appealing, but God’s judgment is a key part of Christianity. Gary Wilkerson reminds listeners that God gives incredible blessings and gifts to his children but that he also will bring justice to all the evils committed by those who do not submit to their Lord.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Often believers do not consider how much power they have in prayer. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson explores how God invites his followers into prayer, whether it’s dealing with medical issues, troubled relationships, trials and tribulations, or the anguish of loved ones. He discusses the answers to the question “Why does prayer often seem too good to be true?”Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

What does ‘fear of the Lord’ mean? In this episode, Gary Wilkerson discusses how all of the natural world is designed to make us turn with awe to our creator. Actually understanding who the Lord is, however, will elevate our awe into holy fear, which is instrumental for living with zeal and righteousness.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Our beliefs in God and scripture will put us at odds with the people of the world. Gary Wilkerson encourages his listeners to take a biblically centered, high view of God; this perspective, however, will prepare us to do battle against sin and the spiritual darkness in the world.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Depending on your church upbringing, the following statement may sound alarming: Christ made those who trust in him the righteousness of God. In this episode, Gary Wilkerson discusses how embracing that fact actually takes a great deal of humility and offers us in return a great deal of joy.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

In the middle of pain or trials, how do you remind yourself of God’s presence and goodness? Gary Wilkerson reminds his listeners that God’s power gives us victory over every trial and hardship we face. We may struggle to see how his victory is coming into our lives unless we understand the heart of our heavenly Father.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Why should the idea of God’s judgment give you peace? In this episode, Gary Wilkerson talks about how holy justness looks very different from the secular world’s social justice. As believers, that difference should be a great comfort us, but first we must have a solid understanding of the Lord’s righteousness and justice.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Why should the idea of God’s judgment give you peace? In this episode, Gary Wilkerson talks about how holy justness looks very different from the secular world’s social justice. As believers, that difference should be a great comfort us, but first we must have a solid understanding of the Lord’s righteousness and justice.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

How can believer say, “God is our refuge” when hundreds of thousands are persecuted for the faith every day? In this episode, Gary Wilkerson looks at how God tends his people’s hearts throughout hardship and wants to use us to bless and build the church.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Psalm 15 could sound like a series of impossible legalistic demands, but Gary Wilkerson shows how it emphasizes the importance of God’s holiness and invites his children into a true posture of worship. Those who are in awe of our holy Lord will not be tempted or shaken by the world.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

Why is it so important for believers to go against the common culture? Gary Wilkerson explores the answers to this question as he walks through this psalm. He invites listeners to consider how unrighteousness manifests in each generation and how the people of God combat it.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

In this episode, Gary Wilkerson talks about how even the most mature Christian may sometimes struggle with feeling abandoned by God. It can be very tempting to turn to other things for refuge during those lonely times. However, God is our only reliable refuge.Down the free study guide: https://wcm.link/ps23c

In this episode, Gary Wilkerson shows how psalm 12 is a reminder of how all believers are part of a spiritual battle. We are meant to take an active part in this conflict, and that means confronting anything that tries to plunder our relationships and spiritual calling of life, health and power.

The darkness of the world can feel utterly poisonous when we’re confronted with the full depravity of sin. Through psalm 11, Gary Wilkerson addresses how the horrors of sin should turn us toward God. There we will learn to trust the Lord who defeats all evil and who gives us the strength to endure and overcome.

In this episode, Gary Wilkerson tackles the question of “Why does God seemingly allow evil people to go through life unscathed by so many of the problems that earnest believers grapple with regularly?” He unpacks how God and psalm 10 directly address the pain and confusion of this issue.

What should we do when we’ve had our hopes dashed so many times that we stop praying for God to deliver us? Gary Wilkerson explains how God desires for us to be honest about our disappointments and pain but that he also wants us to remember his past deliverances so that we wait with great expectation for him to move.

Gary Wilkerson talks in this episode about how worship is vital for our spiritual health because it draws our attention to God’s work through the most insignificant seeming parts of our lives. As we pay closer attention to God’s goodness, we will see the truth of scripture’s profound statement “the battle belongs to the Lord.”

Most believers are familiar with the scriptures that caution us against judging or condemning others, but how should we respond to having others attack us? Gary Wilkerson walks through how psalm 7 discusses the reality of feeling personally assaulted by those who wish us harm and how to overcome.

In this episode, Gary Wilkerson returns to the rich text of psalm 6 to examine how God is a miracle-worker and has compassion on his children. The Bible and history have thousands upon thousands of examples of God miraculously moving on the behalf of his people, so how do we have faith in this aspect of our Heavenly Father?

Why does God allow certain types of difficulty or suffering to stay in our lives, despite all of our prayers for relief? Why does God sometimes not heal us from illnesses? Why does he not grant our prayers for freedom from certain sins? Gary Wilkerson explores the weight of these questions and how the Bible gives us an answer.

In this episode, Gary Wilkerson talks about how believers can respond when the situation they hoped would be overcome or past lingers on and they continue to struggle. He shows how this psalm addresses our heart-deep weariness after prolonged seasons of hardship and how God addresses that pain.

What is one of the most important chapters in the Bible? It’s arguably psalm 4 because it touches the very nature of evil and the heart of the conflict that believers find themselves in the world today. Gary Wilkerson walks through the ways this psalm teaches believers how to fight back in faith.

In this episode, Gary Wilkerson discusses how important it is to be honest about our pain and struggles to God as well as within the church and our community. Psalm 3 opens the door on how to not be ashamed of our troubles or shortcomings and how to be open about our heart condition.

How do we move forward and still trust others when we see the world enveloped in crisis and when authority is acting in contradictory or unreliable ways? Gary Wilkerson explores how the Bible answers this question and offers us hope through psalm 2.

In this episode, Gary Wilkerson talks about how righteous believers prosper, not necessarily materially but spiritually. While hardship is almost guaranteed in life, anyone who is firmly rooted in Christ will have an abundance of joy and strength throughout their trials.

Unbelief in our trial grieves the heart of God and causes Him pain—it's the mountain we must move. Yet, it's agony that leads us to a place where we pray the ultimate prayer. After fasting, prayer and weeping we will cry out just as Jesus did in Gethsemane, "Not my will but thy will be done." To move the mountain, we must be absolutely convinced of the love of God.https://wcm.link/s080511c