Sermons found for the topic Hope

God's Multicultural Church - Romans 15:7-13

The term multicultural is much in the news these days. Politicians and social scientists use it to describe a certain approach to American society in which persons are treated in special ways depending upon their raci More

Miracles Come in Many Varieties - Hebrews 11:33-38

I cannot promise you an easy road if you decide to follow Jesus Christ. But I can promise you this. You will be blessed and you won’t be sorry. And in the end, you will discover that the life of faith is full of adventure, and you will be glad you weren’t a couch potato but dared to make a difference in the world. More

Death is Not the End of Our Story - 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Death will not have the last word for Jesus has conquered the grave. Because he rose, we too shall rise. More

His Love Endures Forever - Psalm 136

When you have had all you can take, when the world seems to collapse around you, stand up, lift your head, and shout to the skies: His love endures forever! More

Rock Bottom Truth - Jeremiah 29:11

When we find ourselves struggling with discouragement, we need to be reminded that God is thinking about us, and his thoughts toward us are good and not evil. When we hope in God, we can be happy even though we find ourselves in Babylon. More

Why We Keep Believing - Hebrews 11:13-16

Because Christians are aliens and strangers on earth, we are destined to live and die feeling slightly (and maybe more than slightly) out of place. But we will not quit, give up or go back because our home is in heaven. We have expectations of something much better than anything the world has to offer. More

Why I Believe in a Last-Days Worldwide Awakening

If we are indeed living in the last days before the return of Christ, we should expect things to get better and worse at the same time. We should expect hard times and good times, increasing opposition and amazing open doors, trouble ahead and glorious gospel victories. More

Death Defeated - Revelation 1:18

Death was defeated when Jesus rose from the dead, and one day death will be no more. More

Before the Rooster Crows - John 18:25-27

Peter’s fall proves that anyone can fall at any time so we should be warned. His restoration proves that God’s grace truly is greater than all our sin. Therefore, let sinners everywhere flee to Christ for forgiveness. More

When Life Goes Bad - Revelation 2:8-11

To those who stand strong in the midst of trials, the best is yet to come. We will receive the “crown of life” and reign with Jesus forever. The “second death” in hell cannot touch us at all. More

Press On! - Philippians 3:12-14

In the spiritual life, direction makes all the difference. True believers aren’t in heaven yet, but they aim their steps in that direction. More

What You Seek, You Find - Jeremiah 29:12-14

God uses the hard experiences of life to bring us to the place where our trust will be in him alone. Through those hard times, we learn to seek him and to rejoice even when life doesn’t make sense. More

Yet

What is it that you are waiting for from the Lord? What are you hoping for that you do not yet have? While you are waiting, don’t let go of that little word “yet.” It’s the difference between hope and despair because God is not finished yet. More

On the Victory Side - 2 Corinthians 2:12-17

We are still the aroma of Christ to the saved and to the lost. Some believe and are saved. Others reject and are lost. That was true 2000 years ago, and it is still true today. More

A Desperate Man’s Desperate Prayer - Jonah 2

God will do whatever it takes to bring us to the place where we remember him. He’ll stop at nothing. Whatever it takes to get us on our knees is good for our spiritual growth. More

The Greatest Revival in History - Jonah 3

We can’t look to the past and focus on what others have done for Christ. Nor can we live in the future, thinking about what the children of today might do thirty years from now. The only generation we can reach is our own. More

The Church Christ Prefers - Revelation 3:7-13

Jesus wants his churches to be motivated by love, founded on the truth, strong under pressure, and unashamed of his name. More

Why God Prefers Losers - 2 Corinthians 4:7

God prefers losers who know their weakness, see their flaws, admit their mistakes, and cry out to him for help. More

Lord, Please Change Me! - Romans 12:2

Knowledge alone will not save us and knowledge alone will certainly not change us. You’ve got to do something with the knowledge you have. More

The Next Hero - Hebrews 11:39-40

Hebrews 11 is God’s “Perpetual Plaque” of those who lived by faith. And if you look closely, you can see there is plenty of room for more names. There’s room for you and there’s room for me. More

Why Is Life So Hard? - 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Don’t waste your pain. Use it to grow closer to the Lord and to his people. Use it as a means to minister to others. Our personal ministry begins as we share with others what God has shared with us. More

Why We Never Give Up - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

You do the figuring. Which is greater? Your sorrows or the vast and immeasurable promises of God, made in his Word, guaranteed by the Spirit, and purchased for us in the death and resurrection of our Lord? More

How God Pursues Prodigals, Part 1 - Jonah 1:4-17

The people of the world can do without our sermons, but they can’t live without our prayers. And if they get our prayers, they might one day listen to our sermons. More

Strength for the Journey - 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

In this message Pastor Ray reminds us everything we believe rests on the sovereignty of God. Salvation starts with God, not with us. Because he has chosen us, we can stand firm amid the trials of life. By standing firm we prove to ourselves and to the watching world what we truly believe. More

The Blessing of a Believing Spouse - Hebrews 11:11-12

God may arrange things so that your faith bears vast fruit in the years to come. Your legacy will be most clearly seen after you have gone to heaven. Sarah never lived to see the world-changing impact of her faith in God, but we still remember her 4000 years later and honor her example. More

If I Should Die Before I Wake - Hebrews 11:20-22

The stories of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph show us what faith looks like at the end of life. Here is one mark of genuine Christianity. When you come to the end of your earthly journey, you still hold on to what you believe. Because Jesus died and rose again, we can face our own death with confidence, knowing that the Lord will not abandon us when we need him most. More

Why Jericho Fell - Hebrews 11:30

Hebrews 11:30 says that “by faith” the walls of Jericho fell. But what kind of faith brings down the walls of impossibility? This message points out five characteristics of the faith God honors when we face long odds and the only way forward doesn’t seem to make any sense. More

Sunrise at Bethlehem - Luke 1:78-79

On the first Christmas morning the sun began to shine in Bethlehem. Now that he has come into the world, nothing can ever be the same again. Now we have light in the darkness, pardon from our guilt, and peace that passes all understanding. More

Deliver Us From Evil - Matthew 6:13

This petition reminds us of how weak we really are. We are sitting ducks for the flaming darts of the devil. Unless the Lord helps us, we will not only face temptation, we will succumb to it every single time. More

Living on a Spiritual Plateau–Part 1 - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Spiritual plateaus, like physical plateaus, are natural and normal and necessary. They are part of God’s “scenery” of the Christian life. More

Who Sinned? - John 9

It doesn’t take deep faith or total understanding in order to be transformed. All it takes is faith that believes the words of Jesus even when you aren’t sure of anything else. More

Did I Make a Mistake? - Romans 8:28; Hebrews 11:8

Life is short for all of us, and if any of us had a chance to do it over again, we would probably make some decisions differently. But if we believe in God and his sovereignty, at some point we have to move on. More

Song of a Slipping Saint - Psalm 73

“When we put our coming glory on the scales of eternity, the passing prosperity of the wicked amounts to nothing at all.” More

Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else - Matthew 6:10

Praying “Your will be done” is an act of God-ordained rebellion. This is not a prayer for the weak or the timid. This is a prayer for troublemakers and rabblerousers. More

What Christ Does With Failure - John 21

John 21 is in the Bible so that all of us Peter-types would know that though we fall again and again, by God’s grace we can keep on getting back up. If he did it for Peter, he can do it for me and for you. More

Christmas Hope - Hebrews 6:18-20

This is Christmas Eve. Even though there is no command in the New Testament to celebrate Christmas, we happily join with millions of Christians around the world in remembering the birth of our Savior. “Joy to th More

Can We Still Believe in Life After Death? - Luke 20:27-40

One day the Sadducees tried to trick Jesus with a very weird question. Jesus’ surprising answer teaches us a great deal about life after death. Our hope of the resurrection rests on the faithfulness of God. Our hope for the future rests not in science, not in speculation, not in some proof text, but in the character of God himself! More

Theology at Midnight - Acts 16:25

Anyone can sing “Shout to the Lord” when life is good, your health is good, your marriage is strong, your kids are doing well, and all is right with the world. If with Paul and Silas you can sing praise to God at midnight in jail, then what you’ve got is real. More

Praying for the Sick–Part 1 - James 5:14-15

If we pray at all, sooner or later we will spend time paying for the sick. Our prayers matter to him. Our prayers matter to the sick. When we pray for the sick, we are bringing God’s mercy into the hospital room and inviting the Great Physician to take up the case. More

Six Miles From Jesus - Matthew 2:1-6

Jesus stands at the end of life’s road for all of us. There can be no middle ground. The ultimate question is not how someone else responds but how you respond to Jesus. That’s really the only thing that matters. More

Knocked Down But Not Knocked Out - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

So what can we expect as Christians who live in this world? Well, we can say with Jimmy Stewart, it’s a wonderful life. But it’s not an easy life. More

Something Big Is Happening Here - Ephesians 3:10

When we face hard times and when life makes no sense whatsoever, we need to stop and say to ourselves, “Something big is happening here.” God never wastes anything. Not even the tiniest tear falls without a purpose. More

When You Are Unfairly Accused - Matthew 5:11

You find out what you really believe when others mistreat you. Sometimes the real test of your faith is what you don’t do. More

God Has a Bigger Plan - Jeremiah 29:10

We serve a trans-generational God whose purposes span the centuries. He does not confine himself to our timetable or limit himself to our puny understanding of what he intends to do. If you have eyes to see beyond your own problems, look up and you will see the hand of God at work. More

Where is Jesus When We Need Him? - Luke 24

Earlier this week I took a bike ride along the Natchez Trace. Exiting at Friendship Road, I rode a mile or two and came to Friendship Baptist Church, a neatly-kept brick building at the intersection of two country roa More

What If - 1 Corinthians 15:12-20

This sermon reveals the four disastrous consequnces if the resurrection is not true. If Christ did not rise from the dead, our preaching has no purpose, our faith has no forgiveness, our death has no deliverance, and our service has no significance. More

It’s the Faith, Brother - Hebrews 11:3-7

There are those who have faith and those who don’t. And if you don’t have faith, you cannot please God. True faith, faith that rests on God and his Word and believes all that he has said, true faith sees the unseen and say, “Yes, it is true.” More

What Is Your Isaac? - Hebrews 11:17-19

From the story of Abraham offering Isaac, we learn that God calls us to yield our dearest treasures to him. Anything good can become an idol when it becomes too important to us. What is your Isaac? Are you willing to lay it down for Jesus’ sake? More

What If - Ephesians 6:18-20

Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that were true of your church? My church? Every church? More

Praying for the Sick–Part 2 - James 5:14-16

Through prayer we have the privilege of lifting the burden from our brothers and sisters. Through prayer we may become agents of healing to those who are sick. What an honor to be used of God in this way. When we pray for the sick, we are doing the work of Jesus in the world. More