Sermons on Joe Smith:

More Than Hatch, Match, And Dispatch Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 13, 2000

The church is for far more than empty ceremony on occasions demanded by tradition; it is the steward of new life, with a rich and full experience that employs the diversity of gifts God has given it.

Last week you seemed to get a big charge out of my little story about going to a wedding rehearsal and wasting time waiting for a key person to arrive. When I said that I didn’t know what we’d do on Sunday afternoon if he didn’t show up, you let out a belly laugh. You assumed I was talking about ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Knee Bowed And Body Bent Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 19, 2000

Since body language communicates our real feelings, we must pay attention to how we present our bodies to God -- in the words of James Weldon Johnson, "knee-bowed", ready to submit our wills to His; and "body-bent", ready to work for things that matter.

You may not speak a great many foreign languages, but there is one language other than English at which most of us are proficient. That is body language. Whether our mouths can pronounce strange sounds or whether our eyes can make any sense out of different alphabets, we can see body language. ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Teary Eyes, Stumbling Feet, Hands Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 19, 2000

Deepseated shame and objective guilt arise from a self-serving spirit, but the Cross delivers us from both and frees us to live out of gratitude.

Mark it down. Memorize this. Engrave it somewhere. It is an ironclad rule. This will always happen: when it is the least convenient for you to respond, someone will want you to respond. When it is nearly impossible for you to get up and do what someone wants you to do, that is the very moment ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 116:1-19

Denomination: Baptist

The Secrets Of A Beautiful Face

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 19, 2000

The beauty of a nation, like that of a human face, is not cosmetic, but comes out of generosity, self-control, sacrificial love, and a vision that accords with God

Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth … Beauty. When I was a boy, my parents decided to take a trip to Niagara Falls. They wanted my brother and me to be exposed to one of the world’s great ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 48:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Gatekeeper, Gateopener

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 19, 2000

The pastor has two roles that must not be reduced -- a gatekeeper to guard against useless ideas and hateful attitudes, and a gateopener to let in God's surprises.

Do you think the Lord has a sense of humor? I do. I see a delicious little coincidence that God’s word drops in our laps today. Some of us remember a 70’s TV program, the Mary Tyler Moore show. If you remember that program, you will recall that sweet, nice, loveable Mary lived in an apartment ...read more

Scripture: Acts 12:1-17

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus Is No Turkey

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 26, 2000

For Christ the King Sunday: This message contrasts the one-time celebrations to which we "invite" the turkey to the full-time, all-seasons lordship of Jesus.

After Thanksgiving dinner, the men in the house retired to the family room to share in that most sacred of spiritual rituals – we worshipped at the shrine of the great god football. And it was not long before someone scored a touchdown and went into a liturgical dance in the end zone: high fives, ...read more

Scripture: John 19:10-22

Denomination: Baptist

Laughing Away The Burdens

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 4, 2000

Abraham laughed in the cynicism of old age; Sarah laughed in the denial that defends against what is inevitable; but beyond both of them God laughed in joy at the triumph of His purposes, fulfilled in two aged followers.

You have heard it said, “He who laughs last, laughs best.” Let me expand on that: I may laugh, you may laugh, but God will have the last and best laugh, for God’s purposes will be served. Laughter. There are all sorts of reasons to laugh. Some will laugh out of frustration; unable to do what ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 17:15-17, Genesis 18:10-15, Genesis 21:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

Do I Really Have A Choice?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 4, 2000

When we are offered great choices, although we think we have no real freedom, we can choose to live emotionally, we can choose to give and affirm life for the most vulnerable in our society, and we can always choose to receive God’s gift of eternal life.

“Do I really have a choice?” That question was posed the other day by one of our teenagers. She was talking about whether she had to go to school. She felt cornered. She felt boxed in. She was speaking for a great many of us. We feel as though we really do not have any choice about many ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Denomination: Baptist

Where Peace Begins Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 10, 2000

Peace begins in the heart, and is not imposed from outside, for discord also begins within; but in a committed relationship there is a matrix for genuine peace.

It had been a long, tiring day. A day full of frustrations. Plans so carefully laid in the morning had been forcefully set aside by evening. Good intentions for a day of accomplishment had been ruthlessly destroyed by many intrusions. Now it was night, and cold, and lonely. No one around. No ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 37:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Purple Passion

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 22, 2001

We can become passionate about Kingdom work if we will first listen eagerly to God’s word; then take a step of commitment (feelings follow facts and faith); and maintain the passion by surrounding ourselves with God’s people. Then we will prevail in our

Passionate people are frightening, and yet I admire them. I like passionate people, whose feelings run very deep. But they are scary. They remind me that it is possible to go out of control and to commit to things so intensely that we lose sight of everything else. That scares me. That sort ...read more

Scripture: Acts 16:11-15

Denomination: Baptist

The Great Commission

Contributed by Jody Smith on Oct 28, 2001

Why do we get so caught up in the business of the church? Why are we not more involved in carrying out the church’s business?

Title: The Great Commission Every year within the United Methodist Church, we find ourselves comsummed by the local charge conference. We have our meetings, our disagreements, our nominations, our elections, our budgets and our paperwork. For nearly two solid months, we become consumed with ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20

Denomination: Methodist

Paying Our Spiritual Debts

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 4, 2001

Debt can be a good thing, spiritually; we owe debts to those who have shaped us, both negatively and positively, and pay that back by sharing in mutual respect and by offering the good news to a generation yet to come.

How do you feel about debt? Do you like debt? Do you take pleasure in interest payments? How many of you say, “Oh, Mr. Greenspan, please don’t lower the interest rate again. I want to pay more. I love debt.” Can I get a show of hands? I thought not. You don’t like debt. I don’t like ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:8-17

Denomination: Baptist

Eleventh Hour Peace

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 11, 2001

Peace seems so elusive; the armistice signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month was not permanent, and now we are dealing with the 11th of September. But we are never more near deliverance than when our troubles deepen, and we can wait ac

Peace! What an elusive thing peace is! Most of the time, we don’t have peace. And when we get it, we cannot keep it. Peace is hard to come by and even harder to keep. In a railway carriage in the forest of Compiegne, in France, gathered representatives of imperial Germany and of the allied ...read more

Scripture: John 16:16-33

Denomination: Baptist

What We Can Learn From The Life Of Jonah

Contributed by James Smith on Nov 19, 2001

An outline with chronology and practical points on the life of Jonah. The sermon breaks the chapters down with a master conclusion, with focus on following the will of God for our life.

What We Can Learn from Jonah Chapter 1 Possible excuses for not going to Nineveh · It was a dangerous journey · He feared the wickedness and the people · He might have lacked finances · Fear of the unknown · Maybe he doubted his prophetic ability · Wondered of it would make a difference · Maybe ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Jesus's Simple Plan For Evangelism And Church Planting Series

Contributed by James Smith on Nov 19, 2001

This is a sermon based on my testimony of how the Lord called me to start a church, and our biblical pattern for ministry & evangelism. Practical points are made on how we are called, how God fullfills that calling, and suggestions for church planting.

Introduction: It’s funny how the Lord has us in the palm of His hand. How he knows what we can do, and plans the future for us. Some times this even involves what seems like catastrophe. We were in the middle of a cell group barbecue at our friends the Grants. The children are playing, the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:1-17

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational