Sermons on Joe Smith:

A World-Class Child For A World Of Children

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 15, 2008

Story sermon: a child watches her father being taken away charged with being disorderly, feels guilty, but does not understand why all the others in her family "receive him not."

No Scripture is more loved and more often quoted than the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. If you want to put: the good news in miniature, there it is. One sentence encompassing the heart of the good news. So as we cane to the Advent season, during which we shall remember the Lord’s ...read more

Scripture: John 1:10-13

Denomination: Baptist

Payday Someday

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 15, 2008

Dated 1988. Being paid not only means money, it also means self-worth. So when they complained to Malachi that evil people got rewarded, he pointed out that being God’s possession was reward enough, and that God’s justice would ultimately be done.

My seminary classmates and I were approaching graduation, and went through a little process requested by the alumni office of the seminary. They asked us to fill out a form that would help them place us in churches or other ministry positions, now that we were finishing our training. And one of the ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Shaping The Clay Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on May 24, 2008

For Memorial Day/Christian Legacy Sunday: We must not protect the vessel in which the Gospel is carried more than the Gospel itself. The Gospel is power; the vessel must be impervious to popularity, a good transporter. Legacy giving encouraged.

I am not much of a gardener. The Scripture says that there is a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, but I must tell you that I don’t know the difference. I pluck up only what I am told to pluck up, because I don’t know a weed from a willow. However, the mistress of our little ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

What Do These Stones Mean? Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on May 31, 2008

For a Children’s Day message; twelve varying stones used as visuals to speak of original innocence, sin and accountability, and the redemptive work of Christ.

For centuries, people have raised up stones as a witness. Stone monuments testify as to who they are and what happened among them. Just this week news came of discoveries at the ancient monument of Stonehenge on the Salisbury plain in England. Those great Sarsen stones were raised to honor the ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 4:8-24

Denomination: Baptist

That They May Be One (A Sermon On John Chapter 17)

Contributed by David Smith on Jun 3, 2008

Jesus said, "I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your name, the name that you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one." (John 17:11)

“Kiss me Hardy” “Et Tu, Brute” “Strike the tents!” What do these statements have in common? They were each the last words of famous men (Lord Nelson, Julius Caesar and Robert E. Lee, respectively). Let me add one from a famous woman: "Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames!" ...read more

Scripture: John 17:1-26, John 17:11-17

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

So Filled We Cannot Stand Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 8, 2008

The Presence comes not because we manufacture emotions, but because we complete what our history calls us to and because we cultivate holiness and unity.

Prayer, in the words of hymn-writer Charles Wesley: Finish then Thy new creation, Pure and spotless let us be; Let us see Thy great salvation Perfectly restored in Thee! Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, love, and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 5:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

You Missed The Point Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 14, 2008

Like Josiah’s sorry sons, we have missed the point of our fathers’ messages about the value of Scripture, the worth of the church, and the meaning of the work ethic.

Why is it that on Mother’s Day we honor our mothers, we talk of saintly moms who worked their fingers to the bone to cook and clean and sew for us? But on Father’s Day we scold the dads! Why is that? Have you noticed? We honor mothers for their industry, their wisdom, their prayer life, and ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 22:11-23

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus Heals A Man With Who Won't Shut Up! Mark 1: 40-45

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 21, 2006

Father Dave’s sermon on the Jesus’ healing of a man with leprosy and His compassion.

Mark chapter 1: Jesus has the power to heal a man of his leprosy, but He doesn’t have the power to keep him quiet! That’s the story of this reading today, isn’t it? Leprosy was the great scourge of those ancient communities, in a similar way to which AIDS has been a scourge in our own time, and ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:40-45

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jacob Wrestles With God - A Reflection On Genesis 32

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 21, 2006

Father Dave’s Sermon on wrestling with God. Real growth experiences always involve struggle and pain. And so Jacob, at the turning point of his life, wrestles all night with a dark and shadowy figure by the river Jabbok. He struggles. He fights. He is wo

"Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. (25) When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. (26) Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 32:24-30

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

David & Bathsheeba

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 21, 2006

Father Dave’s sermon on David and Besheba; A story of sex, lies and murder, starring the ’man after God’s own heart’!

"You can get a large audience together for a strip-tease act-that is, to watch a girl undress on the stage. Now suppose you came to a country where you could fill a theatre by simply bringing a covered plate on to the stage and then slowly lifting the cover so as to let everyone see, just before ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 11:1-27

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Love One Another: John 15: 9-17

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 21, 2006

The theme couldn’t be more basic - ’love one aother’. I’ll leave you to be the judge.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you ... love one another." I think it was Mark Twain that I first saw quoted, saying that it was ...read more

Scripture: John 15:9-17, John 15:5-17

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Ephesians 3: The Mystery Of Christ

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 21, 2006

Father Dave’s sermon on the multicoloured wisdom of God and mystery of Christ. Let us not forget what we are called to be...

"In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:4-11

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Heaven: Revelation 21: 1-6

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 21, 2006

Father Dave’s answer to some basic questions on heaven: ‘what is it?’, ‘where is it?’ and ‘how do I get there?’ This sermon focuses on the vision in Revelation... where ‘the sea is no more’.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. It’s about time I preached on ‘heaven’. The number of friends and family who have been heading in that direction lately make it a pertinent subject for me personally. Besides ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-6

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Spiritual Training: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 21, 2006

Father Dave’s sermon on spiritual training... "I do not box as though beating the air," says St. Paul, and all the boxers in the congregation say ... Amen!

Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. (25) Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. (26) So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican

Jesus Is The Answer - No ... Not Always (A Sermon On Acts 17)

Contributed by David Smith on Dec 21, 2006

Father Dave’s sermon on Paul, the preacher of the Gospel of Jesus, communicating with a group of persons who have never heard of Jesus. How did he go about it? And what is wrong with the ’Jesus is the answer to all your problems’ approach?

"Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols." (Acts 17:16) Ange and I have been to Athens, as I suspect many of you guys have also. We went for less pious reasons than St Paul. We went as the Australian contingent ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:22-31

Denomination: Episcopal/Anglican