Sermons on Unexpected Circumstances:

Grateful Living PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Dec 21, 2023

This sermon emphasizes finding true happiness in gratitude towards God, honoring Him in all circumstances, and holding onto hope through His enduring love and mercy.

Good morning, beloved congregation. It's always a joy to gather together in God's house, to lift our voices in praise, to bow our heads in prayer, and to open our hearts to His Word. Today, we are turning our attention to a Psalm that is a song of joy, a hymn of thanksgiving, a melody of hope. ...read more

Topics: Joy, God

Unspeakable Joy: Loving The Unseen Savior Series

Contributed by Paul Dayao on Nov 10, 2025

This sermon teaches that our faith allows us to genuinely love the unseen Christ, resulting in an inexpressible and glorified joy that transcends our circumstances and serves as a foretaste of heaven.

Introduction: The World's Motto The world lives by a simple motto: "Seeing is believing." We are creatures of the senses. We trust what we can see, what we can touch, what we can measure. We demand evidence, proof, and personal experience. To love someone, you must know them, see ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:8

Denomination: Baptist

Patience

Contributed by Norman Bernad on Jul 20, 2023

Patience is persistently enduring without blowing up, giving up or lashing out. You find your stability in knowing that God is sovereign in both circumstances and timing.

Patience (James 1:2-8, James 5:7-11) Patience is persistently enduring without blowing up, giving up or lashing out. You find your stability in knowing that God is sovereign in both circumstances and timing. The counterfeit of peace is indifference or apathy. People think you are calm; really, you ...read more

Scripture: James 1:2-8, James 5:7-11

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Cut It Out

Contributed by Alison Bucklin on Jul 21, 2023

We are always trying to blame our sin on something else - on someone else, on society, on circumstances. But Jesus says that what makes us sin is part of ourselves.

I stopped watching TV news three or four years ago. But you have to know what's going on, somehow, so there are a few sources I've come to trust. But guess what? They're just as depressing as TV news. Because what is actually happening is worse than what you might imagine if you stayed ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:38-50

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Waiting & Praying Youth Sermon

Contributed by Youth Sermons on Sep 4, 2023

Waiting on God and praying in faith are powerful actions that require strength and trust in God. They can bring about change in our circumstances and amplify the impact of our faith.

Today, we're going to focus on the last book of James. James, who was Jesus' half-brother and a pastor, wrote this letter to give some real-life advice to his church that was going through some tough times. We're going to talk about why waiting on God and praying with faith is so important. Imagine ...read more

Scripture: James 5:7-18

Topics: Spiritual Growth, Divine Timing, Faith, Persistence

Be Encouraged PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Sep 28, 2023

This sermon's main point is to encourage believers to live in full confidence in God, use the power of encouragement, and trust God in all circumstances, remaining steadfast and unmovable in their faith.

Good morning, church family! Today's sermon is all about living in full confidence to God, harnessing the power of encouragement, and trusting God in all circumstances. And what a timely message this is! In a world filled with uncertainty, we ought to have a firm foundation in our faith that allows ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 15:58

Topics: Trust, God

The Path Of Life PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Oct 13, 2025

God’s constant presence offers true guidance, lasting joy, and unshakable hope, inviting us to trust Him fully no matter our circumstances or uncertainties.

Friend, pull up a chair and take a breath. Your week may have been packed with appointments, alerts, and anxieties. Maybe your heart carries a quiet ache that doesn’t clock out at night. Perhaps you’re standing at a crossroads, scanning the horizon for a sign. We all long for a path that doesn’t ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 16:11

Topics: Path, Life

Trick Or Treat? PRO Sermon

Contributed by Sermon Research Assistant on Oct 27, 2025

God’s presence with us overcomes the enemy’s attempts to steal our peace, offering abundant life, hope, and strength through Jesus in every circumstance.

Some weeks feel like someone sneaked into the pantry of our souls and walked off with the peace we thought we had stored for days like these. Distractions multiply. Weariness whispers. Worry shouts. And our hearts wonder: Where did my joy go? Why does hope seem thin? Why do I feel like I’m fighting ...read more

Scripture: John 10:10, 1 Peter 5:8

Topics: Friendship, Jesus

Jesus Our Wonderul Counselor Series

Contributed by Paul Barreca on Dec 3, 2011

We find the name WONDERFUL COUNSELOR in Isaiah 9:6 given in the context of a troubled nation that was trusting in everyone else but God. This sermon will examine the life of Judah's king Ahaz as we are encouraged to trust the Lord in our circumstances.

Today, we begin a new sermon series for Christmas that we will call “A.K.A. JESUS.” This series title originated when I asked our pastors to think of a title for a series on the Names of the Savior. Pastor Frank, who worked in a prison for many years came up with the idea. “In ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:6

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Surprise Of Christmas

Contributed by Tim Smith on Aug 13, 2017

When you think about it, the thing that really makes Christmas for us is not what we expect but what we don’t expect. The most memorable Christmas’ are those when something unexpected happened. Christmas isn’t about what we expect; it’s about what we don’

The Surprise of Christmas Matthew 3:1-12 What are your expectations of Christmas this year? There is no season of the year so full of nostalgia and ripe with expectation than Christmas. It takes a Scrooge, with a heart of stone, not to become excited about the approach of this joyous occasion. We ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12

Denomination: Methodist

Where Is God When Life Is Hard? Series

Contributed by Gerry Cheney on Jul 22, 2014

When you get blindsided by life, when things get overwhelming, and you find yourself surrounded by pain or terrifying circumstances, how do you handle it? This message seeks to begin to answer those questions.

Where is God When Life is Hard? Part I: Where is God? INTRODUCTION: When you get blindsided by life… how do you ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 73:1-26

Denomination: Vineyard

All You Could Want For Christmas Series

Contributed by James Wallace on Dec 18, 2018

God gave some incredible, unmistakable signs about who would save, and how he would save. It's important not to miss the signs concerning the most important event in all of history, and the most important person in all of history--the signs that show us that God came to save us through Jesus!

The Divine Advent(ure) All You Could Want for Christmas Matthew 1:16; 18-25 After many failed attempts in November and December of 1803, Orville and Wilbur Wright finally got their flying machine off the ground. The airplane was born. In their excitement, they sent a quick telegraph to their ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:16-25, John 14:6

Denomination: Bible Church

Having Confidence Always

Contributed by Allan Quak on Dec 30, 2005

In our Christian life there are many issues that test us and cause us to stumble. Sometimes they even have the ability to make us lose our confidence in God. In this passage we are shown how to keep our confidence in difficult circumstances.

Hebrews 10:32-39 Having Confidence Always Scripture Readings:- 1 Peter 4:12-19 Hebrews 10:32-39 Congregation in the Lord Jesus Christ, Have you ever been involved in a “remember the good old days” discussion? That is one of those discussions where you sit with your parents or grandparents and ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:32-39

Denomination: Baptist

Summer Storms

Contributed by Mark Aarssen on Jun 23, 2011

Have you had your faith tested lately? Was it a sudden violent unexpected storm that tossed you from side to side nearly drowning you in its wake? They come, they come in every season of life. Still the question remains as Jesus put it – “where is your

Summer Storms Luke 8:22-25 It had not yet rained at the time I prepared today’s message. It had been forecasted, promised but did not arrive. We had been waiting for days for it to rain. I had put off trying to put the boat in the water for the first time this year because they said it ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:22-25

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The God Of Great Turnarounds Series

Contributed by Duane Wente on May 22, 2023

The story of Esther and Mordecai is full of plot twists, unexpected outcomes, and surprise endings, all reminding us that we serve a God of great turnarounds. Do we have “Hamans” in our lives? From the story of Esther and Mordecai we can draw encouragement for our lives today.

Introduction Video Ill.: The Story of Esther - Second Look Films (segment 4) We are continuing our study today based loosely on Max Lucado’s book, You Were Made for This Moment. When we started, we saw that Esther and Mordecai just wanted to blend in — to be cosy in the Persian culture. Don’t ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 35:17, Jeremiah 12:1, Acts 17:31, Psalm 7:11, Mark 12:29-31, Matthew 5:43-45, Isaiah 58:6-9  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ