Sermons on Greg Smith:

The Law Of Love Series

Contributed by David Smith on Nov 18, 2008

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord you

We’re in Matthew 22, and Jesus is brawling! To be exact, we’re in the last round of a three-round brawl, where over the chapter in Matthew’s Gospel we’ve seen Jesus do battle with a group known as ‘the Herodians’, followed by a round with the Sadducees, followed by this week’s third and deciding ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:34-40

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Letting God Be God Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 20, 2008

To pray as Jesus prayed is to have the same understanding of God as He did: a firm but compassionate father, a giver who expects us to learn appreciation, and an empowering forgiver.

Introduction to Series Praying As Jesus Prayed Every fall I like to take at least two Sundays to focus on some aspect of that most basic of all the disciplines of the Christian life, the discipline of prayer. I do this for several reasons. First, building in a specific emphasis on prayer in our ...read more

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Magnetic Faith Series

Contributed by Joel Smith on Nov 20, 2008

Isaac reveals the ways of winsomeness.

Last Sunday the congregation of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan received several unwelcome protesters into their 11:30 AM service. On cue members of a gay rights activists group called Back Bash began disrupting the service. They were attempting to protest the passing of California’s gay ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 26:1-33

Denomination: Baptist

No Fools Here: Job's Young Friend Elihu

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 20, 2008

April Fool’s Day. Brash young Elihu is angry at Job and his friends for their inactivity. And he sees the extravagant, "foolish" mercy of God that foreshadows God’s forgiveness in Christ, "foolishly" spending His life for us.

Of some folks they say, "He’s really just a big kid at heart". "He’s really just a big kid at heart." Which means that even if he is in his fifties and has grown-up children, a mortgage and a pension plan, even so he has that irrepressible urge to play. Even so he wants nothing more than to have ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

No Secret Christians

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 20, 2008

Our desire to keep it secret that we are Christians will have to be revised when we receive joy from a redemptive fellowship. when we become informed about our faith, and when we learn to live conscious of the presence of Christ.

Before I begin, I do have some instructions for our ushers. Can I get the ushers to help us make sure we are truly ready for this experience? First, gentlemen, please make sure all the windows are sealed tight. We don’t want any sound to seep out to the outside world. And then will you please ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

Denomination: Baptist

God's Indescribable Abundance Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 23, 2008

How can one describe what God has given in this church, with the successes of the past year? How describe human needs, especially for the Gospel? And how describe the opportunities for inclusive worship, honest learning, and artistic expression?

Once upon a time a certain church was in an uproar. Some said that the pastor was not performing according to expectations. And so complaints were brought to the deacons, who met to consider the issue, and asked those who were grumbling, “What is the problem with the pastor?” One disaffected ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:1-15

Denomination: Baptist

Summer Disappointments

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 24, 2008

When we feel disappointment in life, we blame our own expectations, we blame those who love us, and ultimately we blame God. Repentance and acceptance of grace takes us away from self and toward contentment.

Those of you who attempt to grow gardens know that it takes infinite patience and infinite hope to be a gardener. It takes infinite patience because it can be a great deal of work and a lot of expense and much waiting to get any kind of results. Incidentally, I dispute the notion that you can ...read more

Scripture: Micah 7:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Four Words Concerning God's Amazing Grace

Contributed by Duane Smith on Nov 25, 2008

The purpose fo this message (part 1 of 2) is to help us see the amizing grace of God and all that it does for us, that we might magnify the Lord Jesus Christ.

FOUR WORDS CONCERNING GOD’S AMAZING GRACE – Part 1 of 2 Titus 2:11-15 INTRODUCTION: A. Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace. 1. The words of Jerry Bridges ring ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:11-15

Denomination: Baptist

Four Words Concerning God's Amazing Grace

Contributed by Duane Smith on Nov 25, 2008

Part two of two. This message is intended to help us see the amazing grace of God and all that it does for us that we might magnify the Lord Jesus Christ.

FOUR WORDS CONCERNING GOD’S AMAZING GRACE – Part 2 of 2 Titus 2:11-15 INTRODUCTION: A. Phillip Yancey describes grace in his book What’s So Amazing About Grace. He writes, “Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more—no amount of spiritual calisthenics and renunciations, no ...read more

Scripture: Titus 2:11-15

Denomination: Baptist

The Place Of Thanksgiving

Contributed by Duane Smith on Nov 25, 2008

The message is intended to help us gain a thankful heart and express it to God in everyplace we might find ourselves.

THE PLACE OF THANKSGIVING 1 Thessalonians 5:18 INTRODUCTION: A. Thanksgiving Day is a distinctive holiday. It doesn’t commemorate a battle or anyone’s birthday or anniversary. It is simply a day set aside to express our nation’s thanks to our nation’s God. 1. In 1789, George Washington made ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Denomination: Baptist

Lost In Wonder, Love, And Praise

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 26, 2008

We have a tendency to get lost in activities, especially church activities. The church that is worthy of getting lost in focuses on Christ, serves people, and calls for specific new commitments.

The other night I caught a TV show that featured people showing off the peculiar talents of their pets. One man brought a tiny little dog and proceeded to wind up its tail, sort of cranking the tail, much as you used to have to wind up a mechanical toy. Then he let go and the poor puppy ran round ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A World Crying From The Quicksand

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 26, 2008

We get bogged down by responsbilities. The way out is first to act responsibly, second to tell others what God is doing in you, and ultimately to yield to our Savior.

One afternoon I came by the church to pick up a few things. I parked around the back, and there discovered two of our members, plus our sexton, in major trouble. These men had purchased a heavy-duty safe for the church office, and were intent on moving it inside. The safe had been hauled here on a ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 40:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

A World Visited By The Word

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 27, 2008

Using the format of "The Night Before Christmas", an imaginative account of Joseph’s feelings at the nativity.

A worshiper’s task on Christmas Eve is always the same, and it is no simple one. The task is, first, to let the beauty of Christmas happen. It doesn’t require explaining or expounding. It just needs to happen. But then the task becomes more complex, for we gather on Christmas Even around this ...read more

Scripture: John 1:14-18

Denomination: Baptist

A World Where Nothing Is Lost

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 28, 2008

A fish that would not die symbolized the Christ who is able to give a relationship that will never end, as opposed to our typical dependence on things or on information to make us secure.

We have, at our house, a small miracle. I can only call it a miracle. Maybe we ought to build a small shrine to house this miracle. The miracle is the incredible, indestructible fish. Our own private incredible, indestructible fish. You see, from time to time somebody in our household will decide ...read more

Scripture: John 6:22-40

Denomination: Baptist

Come On Down Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 30, 2008

The times, like those of post-Exilic Jerusalem, require us to wait. Will it be passive, impassive, or active waiting? Active waiting means seeing that what God has done He will do again. God will enlist us and shape us to work for His purposes.

“We wait. We are bored. No, don’t protest, we are bored to death, there’s no denying it. … A diversion comes along and what do we do? We let it go to waste . . . .In an instant all will vanish and we’ll be alone once more, in the midst of nothingness!” So speaks one of the characters in Samuel ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 64:1-8

Denomination: Baptist