Sermons on Joseph Freidman:

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

Let's Turn The World Over To Mothers

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 15, 2008

Dated 1988. Part dialogue, part conversation, between the preacher and his wife. Pain is caused by absenting ourselves from those against whom we have a grievance. Mothers understand compassion and challenge the rest of us to reconcile.

It is very appropriate that Margaret join me in bringing the message today… appropriate not only because she is a mother, but also because today’s message was inspired by both of our mothers … both hers and mine. Several years ago my mother was sitting in her living room reading the newspaper with ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 14:1-24

Denomination: Baptist

Leaky Disciples

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 17, 2008

Dated 1988; post-revival message. We do not retain the Spirit after a period of excitement because we have not counted the cost, we are victims of low self-esteem, or we are not our own persons.

Nothing is more annoying than to be trying to transport some liquid in a leaky vessel. You think you’ve got whatever it is all secure and ready for use, and then all of a sudden you find out it has leaked and drained allover the place ... and nothing is more disturbing and frustrating. When I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:57-62

Denomination: Baptist

Heart Bypass (1996)

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 15, 2009

If we do not understand what God does for us every day, then we will not receive what He wants to do when we really need Him. Sometimes He must withdraw from us because our abundance blinds us. (Communion message)

If we do not understand what God does, every day, then we will not receive what He wants to do when we really need Him. If with both minds and hearts we do not grasp that it is God who provides for us, day after day, even when we don’t think we need Him, then our minds will be closed and our ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:45-52

Denomination: Baptist

The Great Dismal Swamp And The Evereadies

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 15, 2009

Just as comic strip characters were saved from the Great Dismal Swamp because their Eveready batteries summoned the Fleet, so also if we will use the resources we have, we can save others from this world because the risen Christ is our resource.

The travel brochures say practically nothing about it, and yet it is one of the largest features on the landscape of two’ adjacent states. Two incorporated cities encompass include a great deal of it, but very few people live there. It’s mostly hundreds of square miles of nothing. The official ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 49:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

Knit Quilt

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 16, 2009

Jonathan and David demonstrate how people are joined to one another: acknowledging a Father, receiving validation, empowering one another, working together for life.

There is a group in our church which is planning a quilt. This quilt is to depict the history of our church, with each square representing a decade in the church’s life. The finished product will be put on display so that everyone can get a picture of our history. Now this is not the first time ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

What More Can You Ask?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 19, 2009

What keeps us from fulfilling Jesus’ "So send I you" mandate? Lack of information? There is the Bible. Motivation? Forgiveness is critical for all. No personal experience with Christ? Now is the time for a fresh encounter. Montgomery Hills Baptist

Some of us live in a state of perpetual unreadiness. No matter what happens, we think we are not ready. Notice how I put that. We THINK we are not ready. We may have plenty of stuff in our old kit bags. We may have assembled all that we need to accomplish whatever we are about to do, but the ...read more

Scripture: John 20:19-31

Denomination: Baptist

Hands

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 21, 2009

To a church which has prided itself on its accumulated resources, but which now faces austerity, God says that if we do not fear but trust Him, we are enough to get Him the victory.

Hands. You have two hands. A right hand and a left hand, two hands. They are the most versatile parts of the human body, the places where our creativity is expressed, the instruments through which we register emotions, the tools we use to earn our daily bread. Hands. What a wonderful gift are our ...read more

Scripture: Judges 7:1-22

Denomination: Baptist

He Had To Rise

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Apr 21, 2009

Easter is a time of HOPE in a world sadly lacking

He HAD To Rise! (All my sermons use illustrations from sermon central.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) (We showed a video from the “Passion of Christ” entitled “Beautiful Savior” just before I preached.) “Jesus your nailed scarred hands are beautiful, and your nailed scarred ...read more

Scripture: John 1:9

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

His Poverty, Our Wealth

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 22, 2009

Ours are uncertain times, like those into which Jesus came. But God in Christ invested for the long haul and pours Himself into something risky. So therefore can we.

These are uncertain times. And in uncertain times uncertain people do irrational things, destructive things. People who are drifting, people who have no anchor, people who have no center - in uncertain times, such people do things which destroy. The pages of the calendar are turning toward ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:9

Denomination: Baptist

Recognizing What Time It Is

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 23, 2009

There is nothing so fulfilling as good timing, nothing so embarassing as bad timing. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was wonderful for some, judgment time for others. What time is it for us? (MLK assassination anniversary)

There is nothing quite so fulfilling as good timing. And nothing quite so embarrassing as bad timing. They say that the secret in being a comedian is good timing. Well, the secret in living is good timing. Quite a few years ago, a young lady in whom I was more than slightly interested had to be ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:36-44

Denomination: Baptist

Reform, Revival, Or Renewal

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 24, 2009

(Reformation Sunday). It is good to reform how we do church, using the Bible as our basis; it is good to revive our spiritual energies. But best of all is to renew ourselves for mission.

My great-uncle, Ed Weber, drove an ancient car. I doubt if you’ve ever heard of its brand name. He drove a Terraplane. Anybody remember the Terraplane? Well, dearie, if you do, then you are much older than I, because my great-uncle’s Terraplane was already ancient when I was a boy. It had been ...read more

Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-18

Denomination: Baptist

Remembering, Reconnecting, And Rejoicing: What God Gives To The Grieving Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 25, 2009

Grieving healthily means remembering both positive and negative; it means connecting with others who can love us and whom we can love. In His own time God will give joy.

One of the laws of life is: To get something, you must give up something. To gain, you must also lose. We call that the tradeoff principle. We operate on the tradeoff principle every day. When you go to the grocery store and fill your basket, they have the audacity to expect you to pay for what ...read more

Scripture: John 19:25-27

Denomination: Baptist

Remembering, Reconnecting, And Rejoicing: Taking Charge Of Our Own Grief Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 26, 2009

We take charge of reducing our grief when we first trust ourselves, then trust others in redemptive relationships, and ultimately trust God, who raised Christ from the dead.

Granger Westberg, in his little book, Good Grief, says that when you have something worth grieving about, then go ahead and grieve, but grieve in a healthy way. Westberg agrees that the Bible says, "Do not grieve as those do who have no hope", but that does not mean we do not grieve. When you have ...read more

Scripture: John 19:25-27

Denomination: Baptist