Sermons on Joseph Smith: showing 301-315 of 26,421

Safe At Home Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 18, 2004

Interactive message. What do we do about the family? Respect our children; parent with sacrificial love; and give children priority of emphasis in the church’s outreach.

There are times when all of us need to participate, times when no single person can speak all the truths or do all the work. There are times when a community of people must come together, think together, pray together, speak together. This is such a time. The state of family life in our nation is ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

Denomination: Baptist

Everybody Will Like Me Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 18, 2004

First in a series on dealing with popular illusions. I can deal with not getting everybody to like me if I will live in integrity, love intentionally, let go of negative feelings, and leave it finally to God.

More energy has been spent on this one thing than on building the Panama Canal, constructing the Great Pyramids, or creating the Interstate Highway system. More energy! More tears have been shed on this one item than on the depredations of poverty, the destruction wrought by great storms, or a ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:9-21

Denomination: Baptist

Life Will Cease To Be A Struggle Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 19, 2004

Second in a series on popular illusions; and for Independence Day. Life will not cease to be a struggle if justice is not fully realized, feelings are not fully expressed, and wrong decisions are not fully reversed.

What kind of a retirement party was this? He had worked so long, he had struggled with so many things, and now, here, at the end, it seemed there was still unfinished business. His worries were not behind him, nor were all the issues settled. And why not? Had he no right to expect that now life ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 2:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

I Can Define God Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 19, 2004

Third in a series on popular illusions. We try to limit God by turning to religion instead of relationship. The issue is in our own integrity. The world understands the power of God better than we do! The loss of our idols is fatal, but in Christ ther

She was obviously tired of discussing the issue. The wrangling had gone on long enough. Neither side was about to give in to the other. It was time for somebody to settle this matter. So she drew herself up to her full five feet two; she threw her shoulders back; and with that certain toss of the ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 4:1-22

Denomination: Baptist

I Can Change People Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 19, 2004

Third in a series on popular illusions. We think we can change others, but shaming them will not work. Nor will forcing them. Only a spiritual-relationship crisis will do so. Help them see how sin injures Christ and they will change.

There have always been folks who have thought they could change the world, people who were unwilling to leave things as they are, who want to make a difference, who want to get things done. They want to change the world. The trouble is, they usually run up against harsh human reality. Eighty or so ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Sardis: Alarm Bells Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 12, 2003

God is working to get our attention. Sometimes He uses alarm bells when we must respond immediately. Sometimes He uses alarm clocks to focus us on our daily disciplines. What is best, however, is the inner body clock, the inner drive to be a Kingdom pe

The greatest challenge any speaker has is to gain and to hold the attention of his audience. Speech teachers tell us that if we are going to practice anything, practice both the opening and the ending of a speech. That may be all that anyone remembers. So how does a speaker gain and ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

Transfusion

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 18, 2003

Funeral sermon for Henry Allen, who had lingered in weakened condition for many months, and who had become distanced from everyone, particularly his family.

What you see is not always what you get. What your eyes tell you is not always the whole truth. Sometimes there is more going on than you can see. Have you ever been tricked by an optical illusion? An optical illusion is something that, when you first see it, you think you know exactly ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Denomination: Baptist

Smyrna: Some Things Money Cannot Buy Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 19, 2003

Money may actually distract us from Kingdom priorities. Some things money cannot buy are compassion for the needy, passion for the lost, and love for one another.

I begin this morning with an invocation from my favorite poet, the bard of Baltimore, Ogden Nash, who addressed our favorite god in prayer: “Oh, money, money, money; some may think thee holy. But I cannot figure out how thou goest out so fast and how thou comest in so slowly.” Ogden Nash, ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:8-11

Denomination: Baptist

Thyatira: 'tis The Gift To Be Simple Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 3, 2003

True simplicity is a focus on the fundamentals of love, faith, service, and patient endurance. Getting caught up in theological guesses or emotional highs diverts us from "this one thing I do".

Some things are so simple they are hard to understand! Some things are so direct and obvious that we don’t want to accept them as they are. We want to make them complicated. Have you ever tried to describe to someone how to tie a shoestring? It seems simple until you start to teach it. Left ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:18-29

Denomination: Baptist

Laodicea: Things Spoil At Room Temperature Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 16, 2003

The world will invade us with its values. But we are called to be "hot" to pursue such things as compassion and evangelism and "cold" toward such things as hostility and prejudice. We can sustain these values if we are connected to one another and to Go

The Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, speaks to me. I trust he also speaks to you. In fact, that is the very title of his poem! “To You” To sit and dream, to sit and read, To sit and learn about the world Outside our world of here and now – our problem world – To dream of vast horizons ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:14-22

Denomination: Baptist

I Never Saw That Coming

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 2, 2003

As a nation we are being blindsided by things that destroy us. Yet if we were to look more carefully and see Jesus at work in all things, we would learn to be wholistic, we would identify with the needy, and we would deal with both the physical and the s

Have you ever been blindsided? Something happened, but you never even saw it coming? The snow, for instance. After several mild winters, did you think we would be hit by repeated snowstorms? Did you see that coming? I didn’t. I laid out seven super Sundays of sermons on the churches ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46

Denomination: Baptist

I Know Where I Need To Be Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 17, 2002

We neither know where we are in our lives, nor where we need to be. But, like Job, we want to break out of the limits, we must take risks, and we learn to locate in trust of God and there to find that where are now is indeed where we need to be!

“Watch where you plant your feet!” That’s the command I hear every time I help with the garden. “Watch where you plant your feet!” My job is to clear out winter’s debris, the dead leaves and old twigs. I am to open up the flower beds for spring. To do that I have to step into the ...read more

Scripture: Job 13:1-27, 2 Timothy 1:12

Denomination: Baptist

Declare If You Know Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 24, 2002

The Palm Sunday crowds, like Job’s friends, shouted their slogans too glibly, communicating only popularity and prejudice, substituting religiosity and mere activity for knowing Jesus personally.

Declare if you know. Declare. Interesting word, “Declare”. It suggests that when we communicate, there are a variety of levels at which we can speak. There are different intensities we can use when we want to say something. Some folks merely suggest. They offer timid little ideas ...read more

Scripture: Job 38:1-27

Denomination: Baptist

I Know Your Schemes Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 29, 2002

Poetic reflection for Maundy Thursday, in which the Jesus who is about to go to the cross tells His disciples that He knows their schemes to harm, their unwillingness to travel difficult roads, and their failure to accept the burden of testimony, so that

"Oh, I know your thoughts, and your schemes to wrong me. ... Have you not asked those who travel the roads, and do you not accept their testimony?” ‘Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me." They began to be distressed and to say to him one ...read more

Scripture: Job 21:27-29, Mark 14:18-20

Denomination: Baptist

What Do You Know? Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 29, 2002

An imaginative reconstruction of the dialogue between the repentant and unrepentant thieves, to be spoken by two preachers. Focuses on the old dilemma, whether God hears prayer.

Unrepentant Thief (U): "Should the wise answer with windy knowledge, and fill themselves with the east wind? Should they argue in unprofitable talk, or in words with which they can do no good? ... What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43

Denomination: Baptist