Sermons on Joseph Phillips:

Recognizing Aging: Has My Life Been A Failure? Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 29, 2007

Montgomery Hills Baptist Church: Built around the five "God is" statements of Avalanche Ranch Vacation Bible School, and punctuated by "Wahoo". God is real, God is with us, God is strong, God is awesome, God is in charge.

And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one thing has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you; all have come to pass for you, not one of them has failed. Not one thing has failed. It would ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 23:1-16

Denomination: Baptist

Getting Real With Your Enemies Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 10, 2007

Opposition actually helps us grow. Hostility is destructive not only of others, but also of one’s self; and it spreads without reason. Jesus named its absurdity and then left it in the hands of God. Montgomery Hills Baptist Church

Stress strengthens. That is a physical fact. It is also a spiritual truth. Stress strengthens. When we face opposition, we grow. When we deal with differences, we become stronger. Strange as it may sound, give thanks when you are opposed! For stress strengthens; enmity empowers; and ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:43-50

Denomination: Baptist

Thelema: Thelma's And God's

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 12, 2007

Funeral message for Thelma Green Mann, known for her direct manner and strong will. The name Thelma is derived from the Greek, "Thelema", meaning will. A turning point is reached when one no longer focus on her own will, but on God’s will. Takoma Park

Grandchildren will teach you much about life. One of mine, Jackie, age 5, taught me about human nature recently. My wife and I had gone to take care of the girls while their parents were away, and we came, as always, armed with things to do – arts and crafts, games, books, the whole gamut of ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

From The Very Least

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 16, 2007

Done as first-person, in costume and character, summary of Paul’s teaching; built on acronym of the name PAUL -- prayer, avoidance (of immorality), understanding, love. Montgomery Hills Baptist Church

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. As an apostle, charged to preach the Gospel, I am here today to say to you ... What?! You challenge me? You challenge my right to speak? Am I not an apostle?! Am I not, though born at the wrong time, nonetheless one whom ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:7-13

Denomination: Baptist

When Life Turns Sour Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 15, 2009

When life turns sour, tell yourself the truth, complain to God, and He will deliver. Message focuses on Dylan Thomas’ poem, "Do not go gentle into that good night; rage, rage against the dying of the light."

On a warm spring evening in 1952, at his home in Swansea in Wales, David John Thomas lay on his deathbed. Once a soldier who had fought in the Second World War, later an English teacher, Thomas had become very frail in his later years. There was no doubt that he would die soon. There was no ...read more

Scripture: Job 10:1-22

Denomination: Baptist

Letting The Pro Do It: Job's Friend God Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 17, 2009

We want to manage our own spiritual lives, but the truth is we do not understand,nor do we know enough. Trust God, who has vindicated our hope in Christ the sufferer now victorious.

There is a certain kind of person who seldom trusts anybody but himself to get things right. Some of us want to have our hands in every stewpot, we want to be up to our ears in every enterprise, we want to do it ourselves, or else we are afraid it won’t be done right. Do you remember that a few ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Moving Out In Trust Series

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Mar 17, 2009

Part 3 of a five part series on Giving God Room to Work in Our lives Our Church and Our world.

When We Move Out, God Moves In Part 3 “Moving Out In Trust” ( All my sermons use illustrations from sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) We are in the middle of a five part series entitled, “When We Move Out, God Moves In” and we have seen the ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-8

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Walk The Walk, Sing The Song

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 17, 2009

To have singing joy in our hearts, we must be ready to serve when God’s time comes, to discern the will of God, and to avoid all escape mechanism.

I would wager that most of you can finish this sentence. You will have heard it a thousand times. Try it. "If you are going to talk the talk, then you have to what?" "Walk the walk". If you’re going to talk the talk, then you have to walk the walk. It means, of course, that what you profess ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:15-20

Denomination: Baptist

The Resolution We've Already Broken

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 18, 2009

We try to be perfect, in the "spotless" sense. But perfection means completion, and is tied to meeting others’ needs rather than achieving our goals. Jesus’ sacrifice was his "finished" accomplishment.

It happens every January. Just as sure as snow and the Super Bowl, with or without your favorite team, it always happens in January. Broken resolutions. Broken resolutions are the order of the day in the first month of the year. Those noble impulses we all have to do better and to be better – we ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

Denomination: Baptist

Snapshots In An Autumn Album

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 15, 2009

Contrasting Koheleth and Paul in the later season of their lives: one blames the young, the other gathers them; one mourns broken things, the other invests in ideas; one is anxious, the other trusts God for every need.

This past weekend, as a part of our brief getaway, my wife and I spent two nights in an old farmhouse. The farmhouse dated from 1704 and was partly furnished with antiques. Now my wife loves antiques; I guess that’s why she puts up with me. So we took the tour of the house, especially the parlor ...read more

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

The Ultimate Thanksgiving

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 17, 2009

November 1989: We are at bottom grateful for spiritual values rather than material ones. Ultimate thanksgiving will be to sing praises in a global community and in recognition of our deliverance.

On the surface, Thanksgiving seems like a holiday designed to celebrate the American experience of material fulfillment. On the surface, at least, it would appear that what we do at Thanksgiving is to celebrate our wealth, our material prosperity, and our achievements. We indulge in an orgy of ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17

Denomination: Baptist

A Serving Attitude Series

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Jul 18, 2009

The first in a five part series on having the attitude of Jesus, Jesus came to serve.

ATTITUDE! (part one, serving like Christ) (ALL my sermons use illustrations from sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) In five weeks, I will preach my last sermon! Well, perhaps my last sermon, only God truly knows what He has in store for my life. I know we just ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-9

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

A Humble Attitude Series

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Jul 18, 2009

Part two of a five part series on having the attitude of Jesus, Christ had a humble attitude.

ATTITUDE - 2 HUMILITY (ALL my sermons use illustrations from sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) Last week, we dove into the scripture and looked at ATTITUDE, the Bible tells us that our attitude should be the same as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 131:1-3

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

An Obedient Attitude Series

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Jul 18, 2009

part 3 of a 5 part series on having the attitude of Jesus, Christ had an obedient attitude.

ATTITUDE # 3 (Having an Obedient attitude) (ALL my sermons use illustrations from sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) Writing this series of sermons has been a great challenge for me, and yet it has been some of the most rewarding research and time alone with God ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Touched: Joy Complete

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 18, 2009

Story sermon for Christmas Eve Communion: God has given us what we have always wanted, but it must be shared.

John had first learned about Nintendo games at the home of his friend David. David was the kid who always had everything first. All the other kids liked to go over there and mess with David’s stuff, so they could go home and whine until they got it too. John thought Nintendo games were the ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:1-4

Denomination: Baptist