Sermons on Josephs Brothers:

Come Out And Be New

Contributed by Joseph Nordyke on Dec 13, 2008

God wants us to come out and be new in Christ

Come out and be new 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Helen – Tom – Sarah, Story of the lost ladle Helen was a wonderful Christian woman, She was a single mother raising her only son Tom as best she could to love God. Helen was very worried when Tom told her he was moving to the Big city. A year went by and ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Denomination: Pentecostal

Lining A Diliberate Life

Contributed by Joseph Nordyke on Dec 13, 2008

We must live for God deliberatly, not blown to and fro.

Living a deliberate life LUKE 14:28-35 Carefully weighed considered; studied; intentional. A person tells a deliberate lie. *When living for Christ we MUST live deliberate lives * We cannot afford to live haphazardly, or spur of the moment 1) A deliberate life is one that is carefully ...read more

Scripture: Luke 14:28-35

Denomination: Pentecostal

Wonderful Words Of Life

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 17, 2008

Knowledge of the Bible is essential for us to life fruitfully, and it is critical to pass on that knowledge to our children, for whom it can be made exciting.

I’m glad they’ve brought "All in the Family" back on TV. I never did see what the fuss was, frankly, when it came out the first time. And now it still seems fresh and insightful and funny. To me, the best pieces of business in "All in the Family" are those scenes in which Edith starts out to ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:44-47

Denomination: Baptist

Wonders Of His Love

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 17, 2008

God has, in Christ, transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary, through the power of His love.

Which would you rank as the finest Christmas present you ever received? If you can go back in your memory and recall several Christmases, which was the gift that impressed you the most? Fellows, was it that electric train? I can’t explain it, but there is a touch of little boy in every man, no ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Whoopers, Nice Guys, And Rabbis

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 17, 2008

Some churches want entertainment, some want not to disturb anyone. But a Great Commission church will be interested in teaching everyone to obey everything commanded.

Funeral services always challenge me. It is always a high and solemn duty to speak a word from God to those who gather to remember someone’s life. I can hardly say that I enjoy funerals; they are a lot of work. But I can certainly say that I find them a challenge, I find them occasions that demand ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Denomination: Baptist

Who's Killing The Church?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 22, 2008

Reformation Sunday. As in Luther’s Day, those who will kill the church are those who have no hope for its future, no respect for its past, and no presence in its present.

Near the Tower of London there stands an ancient parish church called "All Hallows". Just inside the wall enclosing the graveyard at All Hallows there is a large sign, placed so that tourists leaving the Tower may read it. The sign at "All Hallows" cites a bit of history and then raises a pointed ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23

Denomination: Baptist

Who Gets Hurt By What We Do?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 24, 2008

Morality is not just an arbitrary abstraction. God is hurt by what we do, and we ourselves are hurt by immoral behavior. But God in Christ can give us a new heart.

I am a part of a group of five ministers who get together about once a month as a support group. Our intent is simply to share what is going on in our lives and let the others comment with any wisdom they may have. At the last meeting of the group, one of the members was talking about the way he ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 7:1-19

Denomination: Baptist

Light The Candle: Jesus Has Come

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 24, 2008

For Christmas Eve, just prior to the lighting of the Christ Candle. When we take our light from the Light of the World, we will be changed and we will leave traces of that change behind us.

One of the world’s great natural wonders is Mammoth Cave, in my home state of Kentucky. In Mammoth Cave there are more than 300 miles of caverns, there are mineral deposits that supplied the American army during the War of 1812, there are fish that have no eyes and need no eyes since they live ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:68-79

Denomination: Baptist

You Can Just Fill In The Blanks

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 27, 2008

The work of Christ is not complete until we fill in the blanks of justice not yet done, kindness not yet given, and witness not yet shared. He wants our very cores.

To do anything these day, you have to fill out a form. Have you noticed? To get anywhere with anything you want to do, you have to fill out an application. Some of you have been job-hunting. So what happens? You go to the personnel office, you pull out your beautifully polished resume, the one ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-29

Denomination: Baptist

You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 30, 2008

For Graduate Recognition Sunday, June 1989. Christ promises that if we ask, we will do greater things than He. Trusting Him means that in this room there are those who can heal, can bring life, can teach, can exceed all expectations.

The most memorable line spoken by singer Al Jolson in the 1927 movie classic The Jazz Singer was the ungrammatical but prophetic word, "You ain’t seen nothin’ yet". I don’t remember what that line contributed to the story, but it was really there as a kind of canment about this wonderful new ...read more

Scripture: John 14:8-15

Denomination: Baptist

Your Life Is Hidden

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 31, 2008

For Remembrance Sunday, commemorating members who have died the previous year. All want significance; some try to be remembered with material things, some with reputation. But the only lasting memory is to be hidden in Christ.

My father-in-law had an irritating habit of trying to identify and pigeonhole people. If you mentioned to him the name of someone he didn’t know, he would invariably ask, "Who is he?" "Who is he?" The question, "Who is he?", I soon learned, really meant, "Where did he come from, who are his ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4

Denomination: Baptist

Of Superstars And Starlight Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 4, 2009

We have not yet learned the difference between superficial superstars and the starlight wisdom of Jesus. He transforms gold into Kingdom power, frankincense into respect, and myrrh into the preface for resurrection.

In 1970 Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber brought out a rock opera with the provocative title, Jesus Christ Superstar. Predictably, not everyone was amused. Some condemned it as sacrilegious. But if you listened carefully and let your defenses down a notch or two, their work communicated the ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Making Peace When There Is No Peace

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 7, 2009

We would like to contribute to world peace, but how? Confront others with their wrongness; but before that, understand your own heart; and before that, be reconciled to God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." Well, who wouldn’t like to be that?! Who wouldn’t want to be a peacemaker and be rewarded by God and by a grateful world? "Blessed are the peacemakers." The trouble is, it’s not that easy. You and I may fantasize ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:9

Denomination: Baptist

What To Do About A Broken-Down Church

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 7, 2009

God is not committed to maintaining a church just because it is there. His commitment is to maintain us if we show compassion, particularly on the young. Restoration of our church life in challenging times begins with repentance, self-examination.

Two or three weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, I noticed several of you staring straight up here, right into the notch of this arch. I too looked up there, and what we all saw was a sizable piece of paint and plaster hanging there by a mere thread. It looked as though it was poised and ready just in ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

What To Pack In Your Travel Bag

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 7, 2009

Service recognizing students as they leave for school: Pack in your travel bags warmth for others, but no destructive attitudes; and pack gifts to share but no self-destructive feelings.

Everyone say with me the key verse, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Getting ready is the biggest part of taking a trip. It takes almost as long to get ready to leave home as it does to take the trip itself. Around our house, when we’re getting ready to go away, we have ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:9-21

Denomination: Baptist