Sermons on Joseph Remembered:

Living At Four Corners

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 25, 2007

For Christ the King Sunday and in support of international missions: using a metaphor of a complex intersection, we are to give, teach, heal and share as the four corners of our Christian life.

May I introduce you to my neighborhood? For two months now I have been burning up the Beltway and 270 coming up to your place two or three times a week. It would seem only fair that you should come down to where I live, if only in your mind’s eye. Let me introduce you to Four Corners. Four ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 11:10-13

Denomination: Baptist

The Tragedy Of Spongebob Squarepants

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Jul 29, 2010

With ALL the false teachings going on today, this sermon shows Paul's warning and application to defend ourselves

The Tragedy of SpongeBob Squarepants (All my sermons use illustrations from sermoncentral.com and all scripture is niv unless otherwise noted) When I was a young child I can remember coming in from trick-or-treat on Halloween night and hearing Orson Welles “War of the Worlds” and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

The Strength Of The Triangle

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 22, 2009

We like to think we can support our lives on love alone; but we first need hope, a healthy self-love; and fundamentally need faith, trusting in God’s empowering us.

With the summer coming on, we began to think about getting our deck ready for some serious use. It was built several years ago and needed a little repair work. Now I had been reading about some problems with deck construction. I had read of decks that had collapsed, and how the building ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Salvation And Solitude Series

Contributed by Joseph Rodgers on Jul 11, 2006

To Dance with the Father is to engage in an intimate relationship with the Creator. This series addresses how to relate with God by focusing on the Father instead of on the steps of the dance.

The DANCE Salvation and Solitude March 3, 2013 Video: 40 Million Minutes Wow! The average person will spend less than 6 hours per month, 3 days per year and 7 mo. in their lifetime seeking God. I wonder – does your life blow the curve? How much time do you spend in a week seeking, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 149:3, John 3:16-18

Denomination: Baptist

Shakedown Spirit

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 9, 2009

The time has come to invest in our church facility so that it glorifies God and serves today’s circumstances. God has placed the resources among us and will be shaking us to let go and move toward excellence.

I hope you’ve noticed that I try to come at preaching from a wide variety of different angles. There are many aims I bring to the preaching task. Most of the time, of course, I am trying to work with you in seeing in the Scriptures something that will help you live out your daily life in the ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 2:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Friend Of The Shut Out Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 20, 2009

We are not shut out: Jesus includes us by giving us knowledge, by giving us a place in His mission, and by paying the price to see that we are included in the Kingdom.

A number of years ago I saw a very provocative poster. It was a depiction of the doors of Washington. Nothing more than a series of doors, arranged in rows on the poster, probably twenty or twenty-five, all photographs of various doors in this city. Some of them were beautifully simple doorways ...read more

Scripture: John 15:12-17

Denomination: Baptist

Who Am I?

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Nov 16, 2010

Who are we? Those who claim Christ are promised so many things, and yet do we stand upon the pormises? This sermon speaks loudly about who we are.

WHO AM I? (ALL my sermon use illustrations found at www.sermoncentral.com and ALL scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) ** This sermon was preceded by a Special “Who AM I” by Casting Crowns ** Who Am I? For many teenagers, this is a question that is routinely asked. In High School ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:9-14

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Who Are Our Strangers? Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 13, 2004

Many things conspire to keep people separate, even in the church. Only God can connect us, and it is the cross that binds us. Are we living out that reality, or have we let separations disconnect us?

When he says it, it feels both enraging and endearing. When he pronounces it, it sounds like irritation, but it also sounds like invitation. It is both attracting and detracting, both including and excluding. I am referring to those moments in the old TV show, when Felix Unger, the neat freak half ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22

Denomination: Baptist

Sick Religion And Healed Hearts

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 29, 2003

Religion is sick when it is system-only, salvation-only, or self-only. Christ gives us instead a relationship with Himself, a model of life, and an embracing compassion.

Religion is either one of life’s greatest blessings, or it is one of the sickest things we do. Religion can be wonderful. I assume that because you are in church today you agree with that. Religion can be fulfilling, it can be instructive, it can be inspiring. Religion has driven so much of ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jeremiah 7:1-23

Denomination: Baptist

You Were Shaped For God's Service Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 6, 2003

Part of a series on Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life. Worship without service is idolatry; fellowship without service is self-indulgence; discipleship without service is perfectionism. Pay the price of service.

Not long ago an insurance salesman called, wanting to sell me long-term care insurance. I was tempted to tell him I had an unbeatable plan for long-term care, called heaven, but I didn’t. Not this time, anyway, because some aches and pains we had been feeling did remind us that we might actually ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Promises To Keep Before I Sleep Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 18, 2003

As young people we make many naive promises, which are diluted by the demands of the day. But God sends people to intervene with the truth, so that at the end we are able to praise Him for the grace that helps us feel some degree of fulfillment.

The shouts of today are so loud that I do not hear the echoes of yesterday, nor do I listen to the faint whispers of tomorrow. All I really know is what is clamoring in my ear right here, right now. That makes me lose perspective. The shouts of today are so insistently loud that I do not hear ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 1:1-48

Denomination: Baptist

But Nails Hurt! Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on May 24, 2003

Nails were distributed to the congregation, so that they could test: if you wish to endure, you have to endure some pounding. Holes may be punched in you, too. But if you persist, ultimately you will be built up.

If you really want to grow, it’s going to cost you. If you truly expect to be built up, there will be some pain involved. No growth ever takes place without pain. That’s a law of life. That’s not negotiable. No pain, no gain. No hurt, no growth. No rough edges, no building up. If you truly ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Lord Of The Dance

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 25, 2003

There is joy in losing things because ultimately you find them! We, like the elder brother, do not even know what we are missing by not experiencing conversionsn, nor are we in touch with everyday grace. Celebrate! (Congregation invited to sing, severa

The older I get, the more I lose things. I leave a file on that ridiculous garbage heap I call my desk, and two minutes later it has buried itself three layers down. I set my keys on the table to free my hands for something else, and when I turn my back, those keys take flight. It’s amazing. I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:25-32

Denomination: Baptist

Appearances Are Deceiving Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 24, 2000

A quest for truth often begins with disillusionment, but is easily diverted to something that appears good on the surface; but when you find God's truth, even if it is in a strange place, embrace it quickly and fully.

The LORD does not see as [men] see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. Ridgecrest is a large Baptist-run assembly ground, nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina. All summer long, every year, thousands of Christians come to Ridgecrest for training, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Ephesians 6:10-18

Denomination: Baptist

Presenting Eyes And Ears: Vantage Point From The Hiding Place Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 7, 2001

When we are overwhelmed, in our panic we do not see what is before us, nor can we hear any word of counsel; someone -- innocent, devoted to us -- needs to create a stable point, a hiding place for us. Ultimately that is what Jesus Christ in His cross does.

We have abilities that we barely even use. Our senses are capable of doing much more than we allow them to do. I want to try a short experiment with you. I want to test your eyes and your ears. First, I am going to give you thirty seconds to look around this room and take it all in. Many of ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 32:1-8

Denomination: Baptist