Sermons on Total Despair:

Unexpected Hope Series

Contributed by Rich Mccaskill on Jul 21, 2020

In our confusing and broken world, we can still have hope because of Jesus.

My own journey of hopelessness began when I was 15. As much as I wanted to believe in God, I could not. I could relate to Tolstoy who recounts an "old Eastern fable about a traveler who was taken by surprise in the steppes by a raging wild beast. Trying to save himself from the beast, the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:24-25, Isaiah 7:14, Romans 8:18-24

The Testimony Of A Preacher Again Series

Contributed by Freddy Fritz on Oct 17, 2025

Acts 25:13-26:32 shows us how God’s grace transforms sinners into faithful witnesses.

Introduction Casey Diaz was born in 1965 in South Central Los Angeles to Mexican immigrant parents. His early life was marked by poverty, domestic violence, crime, and despair. By age 11, he had joined the infamous 38th Street gang. His life became a blur of robberies, assaults, and hardened ...read more

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Road Where Hope Returns

Contributed by David Dunn on Oct 19, 2025

Jesus walks beside discouraged hearts, opens the Word, breaks the bread, and turns despair’s road into the path where hope returns.

Introduction — When Hope Walks Beside You and You Don’t Know It It is late afternoon on the first Easter Sunday. Two travelers walk the dusty road westward from Jerusalem toward a village called Emmaus. Seven miles, Luke says — not far, but far enough for grief to stretch every step. Their ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35, Psalm 119:130, Isaiah 53:4-5, John 20:29, Romans 15:13  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Does God Have You Now (Part 1) Series

Contributed by Greg Cooper on Sep 19, 2001

Being totally committed to God

Title: Does God Have You, Now Text: Psalms 57:7 Intro: The other day I was coming back from hospital visits and passed by where a wreck had happened sometime ago on Double Oak Mountain. Graffiti had been sprayed on the wall and said “God has you now” As I drove I began to ponder this one sentence ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 57:7

Denomination: Pentecostal

God Is Our Refuge.

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Nov 11, 2022

Our total confidence in the LORD.

GOD IS OUR REFUGE. Psalm 46. PSALM 46:1. A “refuge” is a place of safety for those who are in distress, a shelter from danger, a place of support for those in difficulty. “God” is all these to us. He is our “strength” when we are weak, more secure than a castle or a fortress, “a very present ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Our Response To The Discipline Of God Series

Contributed by Paul Apple on Oct 18, 2000

HOW TO TRANSFORM SULLEN DESPAIR INTO SUBMISSIVE DESPERATION

BIG IDEA: HOW TO TRANSFORM SULLEN DESPAIR INTO SUBMISSIVE DESPERATION INTRODUCTION: One test of a good father = How well do you discipline your children? By discipline I don’t just mean the actual spanking itself (the execution of the appropriate punishment for the given infraction)... I mean ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 39:1-13

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Intervention

Contributed by Joe Harding on Apr 18, 2001

God intervenes in the midst of despair and offers hope.

INTERVENTION JEREMIAH 33: 1-16 DECEMBER 3, 2000/ 1ST SUNDAY IN ADVENT INTRODUCTION: South Mountain: Really, there is nothing there: A gravel road (Big Deal), a half completed picnic shelter (Bathrooms don’t work), a Bridge [I don’t know about you, but bridges are just there.]. There are two ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:1-16

Denomination: Baptist

"Disappointed With God"

Contributed by Robert Leroe on Jul 15, 2002

Dealing with despair...moving from fear to faith

"Disappointed With God" Rev Dr Robert G Leroe We see quite a contrast between chapters 18 & 19! Elijah moves from exhilaration and intense excitement to dejection, discouragement and depression after his miraculous contest against the prophets of Baal. From his mountain top experience he ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-18

Denomination: Congregational

Ephesians Chapter 2 Series

Contributed by Bob Marcaurelle on Aug 18, 2025

Sermon from Going from death to life at conversion to the fundament duties of the new life

PREACHING THROUGH EPHESIANS PART 2 Copyright 1987 By Bob Marcaurelle Bob Marcaurelle Facebook For free monthly mailouts via email "The Life of Jesus in Chronological order" 350 Daily Devotions" request at bmarcaurelle@charter.net Ephesians-Part. 2 ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Consequences Of Not Hearing From God Series

Contributed by Manny Salva Cruz on Aug 7, 2016

We will learn from this chapter that there will be corresponding negative consequences that can happen in our lives whenever we do not hear from God. God wants us to obey His voice always.

I Samuel chapter three is about the importance of hearing the voice of God from the example of Samuel. We learned that we must be sure of hearing God's voice and not the voice of the enemy because there are many voices out there trying to get our attention. We had to reject other unfamiliar voices ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 4:1-22

Denomination: Nazarene

We Christians Have Two Natures One Utterly Corrupt The Other Totally Divine

Contributed by David Leach on Jan 10, 2014

What my human nature really looks like – Oh yes, and so does yours too.

We Christians have two natures one utterly corrupt the other totally divine Eph 4:22-24 (Written to Christians) That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man (human nature) which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts… and that you put on the new man (divine nature) ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:22-24

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When You Can't Forgive Yourself: How To Experience Total Forgiveness Series

Contributed by Perry Fowler on Aug 31, 2023

Forgiveness.... we give it to others, but can we give it to ourselves? How can forgiveness go full circle? Joseph's brothers had still not forgiven themselves. Joseph modeled the forgiveness of God and helped them experience total forgiveness.

Joseph: Living the Dream When You Can’t Forgive Yourself: How to Experience Total Forgiveness Genesis 50 On September 6, 2018 a tragic event that happened in Dallas. Botham Jean who was a worship leader in his church moved into the South Side Flats apartments in Dallas while also working for the ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Helping Jesus Build His Kingdom Series

Contributed by Jeff Strite on Sep 1, 2002

The most efficient form of government is a benevolent dictatorship. It’s totally efficicent, totally logical, and totally without human error. But Jesus didn’t set up His kingdom that way. Why not?

OPEN: In the 1970’s Andrew Richardson, a Liverpool postal worker, declared his semi-detached flat to be the independent nation of Granbia. After a while, however, Richardson lost interest, and the apartment reverted to England by default. In 1964, Leicester Hemingway, the little brother of author ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:7-16

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Hope Of Heaven: Stephen Series

Contributed by Troy Borst on May 19, 2005

Stephen did not despair as they dragged him from the Sanhedrin to a place outside the city. He did not despair as they left their coats with a man named Saul so they could stone him. He did not despair as the stones began to beat his body. Why? Becaus

THE HOPE OF HEAVEN: STEPHEN ACTS 7:54-8:3 INTRODUCTION... Beauty and the Beast One of my wife’s favorite movies of all time is Disney’s ’Beauty and the Beast’ which came out in the early 90s. The story centers around a young woman named Belle and her experiences with the Beast. The story begins ...read more

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Our Greatest Temptation

Contributed by Raymond Perkins on Jan 9, 2002

A lesson to encourage total surrender to God

OUR GREATEST TEMPTATION Luke 22:39-46 INTRODUCTION: A poor country preacher and his wife were having a terrible argument. Seems she had bought a very expensive dress and he was none to happy. "How could you do this!" he exclaimed. "I don’t know," she wailed, "I was standing in the store looking at ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:39-46

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ