Sermons on Joseph In Prison:

The Sword Of Speech

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 2, 2010

If we have God's truth in our hearts, we must speak our witness. It is not good enough to remain silent. That word must be a word of love and it must be a word of justice. Martin Luther King exemplified this discipline.

Takoma Park Baptist Church, Washington, DC January 19, 1986 It was the spring of 1964, and I had to make a choice. I had to decide whether I would, in my very first year of ministry, do something which would create a bit of tension in the church, but which the students with whom I worked were ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 12:17-18

Denomination: Baptist

The Women At The Tomb: Remember

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 3, 2010

The skepticism of the apostles, hearing the women's testimony of the resurrection, could have been prevented had they heeded the angels' admonition to remember what Jesus predicted would happen. So today when our witness is challenged or our desires to d

Takoma Park Baptist Church, Washington, DC April 14, 1987, Easter The old vaudeville song proclaims, “Dearie, do you remember? Because if you remember, then you’re much older than I.” The idea seems to be that remembering is nothing to be proud of; the implication is that ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Water For Drowning, Water For Thirst

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 4, 2010

After Christmas it is easy to feel overwhelmed with the return to reality, responsibility, and even depressing weather. The psalmist also felt overwhelmed until he remembered what God had done in and for him and that God was still present, even when unfe

Takoma Park Baptist Church, Washington, DC January 6, 1985 Well, Christmas is over, isn't it? Christmas is over and done with, except for a few remaining lights and poinsettias … over, done with, finished. It was great while it lasted, but Christmas is over. How do you know that ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 42:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Don't Get Caught In The Return Line

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Dec 7, 2010

S many people will return the gifts they get for Christmas, don;t be one that returns the greatest gift of ALL, Jesus.

DON’T GET CAUGHT IN THE RETURN LINE (All my sermons use illustrations found at www.sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) Wow, it is Christmas time already! I know that I have waited until now to preach about Christmas, but this year I will only be doing 2 ...read more

Scripture: John 6:66-69

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God's Penetrating Plan Revealed

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Dec 29, 2010

The Bible is a useful tool in the life of a Christian if we allow it to be, this sermon spotlights 4 ways we can let the bible do its' work

GOD’S PENETRATING PLAN REVEALED (All my sermons use illustrations found on www.sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted.) I once heard a story with a neat lesson. There was an old man that lived in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. The old man had a big family. ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12-13

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Less Of Me, More Of Him Intro Series

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Jan 12, 2011

This is a re-write of a series I wrote many years ago, about giving God room to work in our lives, the intro sermon speaks of selfishness giving way to service in God's kingdom

LESS OF ME . . . MORE OF HIM (All my sermons us illustrations found on www.sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) (This series of sermons, is a complete re-write of another series I wrote years ago called, When We Move Out God Moves In) Many years ago, a good ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:7-8

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

God's Nobodies

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 20, 2011

We as the church, facing today's challenges, think of ourselves as nobodies. But we are God's kind of nobodies, those in whom He has been at work to make changes, and we are needed by the world around us.

(Originally preached at Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD, Aug. 12, 1973; subsequently, with variations, at Woodbrook Baptist Church, Baltimore, MD, Aug. 19, 1973; Viers Mill Baptist Church, Rockville, MD, Sept. 9, 1973; Bethesda First Baptist Church, Bethesda, MD, Oct. 14, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10

Denomination: Baptist

We Have A Light To Shine

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 21, 2011

Stewardship message, designed as a dialogue between the pastor and a lay reader, and focusing on all the light we as a church now shed, but also could share, with adequate personnel and finances. Ends with a candlelighting ceremony.

Takoma Park Baptist Church, Washington, DC, Nov. 11, 1990 Pastor: One Christian organization that is concerned with helping people who have emotional problems uses as its slogan, "It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Today we are going to test that theory. This morning we ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:14-16

Denomination: Baptist

Struggling To Be A People Of Integrity

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 12, 2009

Preached 1989. A people of integrity will not act as though God is automatically on their side, apart from righteousness; and they will pay attention to the way in which leadership is chosen.

On this Independence Day weekend we think about our nation’s history, our nation’s life. As we do so I want to assure you that we will be wrestling with the word of God, not just scattering political opinions over the landscape like birdseed. I am not here as political pundit, but as a pastor and ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 8:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

Three Score And Ten

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 12, 2009

For 1989, 70th anniversary of the church. Three Scriptures with the number "70" in them ... life includes pain and conflict; but we are to forgive without reservation; God knows the plans He has for the next 70 years of this church.

We’ve reached a milestone, a real milestone. Seventy years old. That’s a good long while. That is, in fact, a lifetime, according to one of the Scriptures I’m going to read, the typical, average lifetime of a human being. And it’s not too bad for an institution like a church. We’ve been here, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Faith, Freedom, And The Future

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 13, 2009

God is always giving the gift of freedom. In revolutionary times, value the past, know that the present is incomplete, step forward in faith for the future.

God is always ready to give the gift of freedom. The one thing you can be sure that God is always about is freedom, freeing His people from the things which hold them back. In every time and place, our God is working to give the gift of freedom. When He does that, we call it a revolution. We see ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

First Things First Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 14, 2009

Use what you have before you ask for more; put the work of the Lord first in your priorities; and expect the church itself to live in faith and with godly priorities.

It is very important to put first things first. It’s important to get things in the right order. If you don’t get first things first, life just does not work out right. For example, speech. Language is tricky, and if you don’t get the words in the right order, the meaning can be drastically ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1-16

Denomination: Baptist

The Dawn's Early Light

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 15, 2009

Just as Key saw that the darkness is intense before the dawn, that during battle we see enough to know that our freedom is won, and that we are at our best when we claim freedom for others, so also at the empty tomb we learn of our freedom from sin.

At 9 o’clock the firing from the ships anchored in the harbor slackened and then stopped. It seemed as though the siege of the city might be over for the night. But an hour or so later 20 small beats set out, under cover of darkness, with a driving rain pelting down. Their oars muffled, they ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Living At Four Corners

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 16, 2009

Rewritten for Montgomery Hills Baptist Church: a Silver Spring intersection is a metaphor for priorities in giving, teaching young people, engaging in healing, and sharing the Gospel with all.

To be a Christian is to live in tension with the world around you. You cannot live out your spiritual life in a cocoon; you live it out in the real world, in a community. Some, it is true, go to convents or monasteries; but that’s not an option for most of us, is it? To be a Christian, living ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 11:10-13

Denomination: Baptist

Soups, Sheets, And Socks

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 17, 2009

In support of a drive to collect items for a missions organization: genuine spiritual feeling comes when we deal with the real world and provide food, shelter, and clothing to the needy.

Let’s suppose that this is God’s issue of Time magazine. Someone has sent God a lifetime subscription to Time magazine; I guess you would have to say an eternity-time subscription. And when God’s Time magazine arrives ... by the way, do you know God’s zip code? You don’t think God has a zip code? ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-9

Denomination: Baptist