Sermons on Joseph Smith: showing 871-885 of 26,428

All Your Diseases?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 5, 2010

For Labor Day Sunday, 1989; a focus on and prayer for those involved in the medical professions. God wants to heal us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The resurrection means that full healing is ultimately assured. Those who research and apply

God wants us to be well. Do you believe that? I do. God does not want us to be sick; our gracious, loving, Father has not wished disease upon us, nor has He orchestrated illness to punish us, nor does He target us with sickness in order to judge us. Our God wants us to be well. If you read ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Being And Telling The Good News

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 5, 2010

To tell the good news, one must BE good news. It can start in the home, with marriage; with children; and with the children and youth of the community.

You must be good news before you can tell good news. You must be good news before can tell good news. If you have a story to tell, and it’s supposed to be good news, it won’t make any sense unless you sound like a good news person. There used to be a character on the Saturday cartoons. His name ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Bramble For President!

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 6, 2010

The politician who sells out to special interests and who has no regard for life is not worthy of our loyalty. We need to get involved in the political process with a servant mentality.

We have here in our church a long-standing tradition of the separation of church and state. We do not get involved in partisan politics. We do not support candidates, we do not give platforms to those running for political office. This sets us off from some other churches, where it is not at all ...read more

Scripture: Judges 9:1-21

Denomination: Baptist

All I Need Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 7, 2010

Jesus’ healing of the man born blind forced his disciples to rethink their theology, forced his neighbors to rethink their perception of him as victim, and forces us to rethink our posture toward healing ministries.

Have you noticed that when you get sick, you get sick all over? When some part of your body isn’t up to par, then the whole person, the whole self, feels bad. When we get sick, we get sick all over. Now you may speak of having an upset stomach, but it’s really an upset you. The physician might ...read more

Scripture: John 9:1-33

Denomination: Baptist

Every Time The Church Doors Open

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 11, 2010

Preached 1985. What merits our coming to church frequently? We need to come with the expectation that God will meet us in the presence of His people. And then we will respond with prayer for the church, not mere criticism or complaint.

They tell the story about the fellow who on one Sunday morning woke up, struggled out of bed, shuffled downstairs for his breakfast, and then announced to his mother, "Mother, I’m not going. I’m just not going to church today. I don’t feel like it, they don’t care for me down there, I don’t need ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 122:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

I Thirst

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 13, 2010

Fifth Word of a Seven-Last-Words service, summing up the first four as Jesus’ thirst for others, for salvation, for God, and finally for His own needs. Gethsemane Baptist Church, Washington, DC

True spirituality is to know that we have needs. It is only those who pose as ultra-spiritual who deny their needs. True spirituality is to need help, and to ask for it. Spiritual maturity means knowing when we are not adequate and knowing that it is all right to ask for help. It is only the ...read more

Scripture: John 19:28

Denomination: Baptist

Starting Over With God

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 13, 2010

God, though He is a god of wrath, also gives Himself permission to start over with us; we ought to take a cue from that and give ourselves permission to start over in our relationship with Him.

Did you ever start something and then find that it was going so badly, it was such a mess, you just wished you could just start all over again? You started down some path, you knew it was a mistake, but you got so invested in it you felt you had to see it through, even though it was getting worse ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 11:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Baptism: Magic Or Mission?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 14, 2010

"How can I get God to do what I want?" is the poor question that has led to erroneous concepts of baptism. Baptism is, to the contrary, our signing on to how we can go what God wants.

The problem is that if you don’t ask the right question, you’ll never get the right answer. If you ask the wrong question, you’ll never get the answer you want. A long time ago I learned that it is the wrong question, definitely the wrong question, to ask, "Are we having dessert tonight?" If I ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Asking Both Kings For The Wall

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 15, 2010

For every significant task, there is the "sit-down" approach and the "rise-up" approach. We need both to sit down and pray and then to rise up and do, but even then by involving the resources of others. Lone wolves are not appropriate.

When a big challenge faces you, essentially there are only two things you can do about it: You can rise to the challenge. Or you can sit down and ignore it. When there is a big task to be done, I am saying, there are two entirely different ways to approach it. There is the rise up approach and ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Built Up, Bound Up, Lifted Up

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 16, 2010

We are so into upward mobility; but God's version is different. It involves building us up so that the powerless have power; binding up the wounded so that they can understand brokenness; and lifting us up so that we can use our power for others.

I can remember when the word "furlough" was a happy word. It was a happy word because it meant that somebody in your family was coming home from military duty for a while. "Furlough" for me brings up a memory of standing, as a small boy, in Union Station in Louisville, waiting for the train to ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 147:1-20

Denomination: Baptist

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 17, 2010

ASH WEDNESDAY MESSAGE: We resist the "allness" of sin. David shows us that we must acknowledge it as our own, and that it has to do with our relationship to God, not just breaking rules. We have an even greater resource for our broken hearts than he had

His words were uttered in a commanding tone. It was clear that he was displeased. And to his displeasure he added a twist, as he said to his young son, “I said shovel all the snow off all the walks. What part of ‘all’ do you not understand?” And if, as a twelve-year-old who had soon grown tired ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 51:1-19

Denomination: Baptist

But ... But ... But

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 19, 2010

Introverts do not think they are ready for ministry, but actually their personality is a resource for ministry, for they can enable God to empower them.

The way we live out our lives depends on the kind of personality we have. What we do, how we do it, the way we go about our daily tasks, the ways in which we relate to one another … all these things come out of the kind of personality we have. You can argue, if you want, that cultural ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Automatic Door Openers

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 19, 2010

For deacon ordination: God has provided the wide door through which all may come, but also the narrow gate that calls for discipline and setting boundaries.

We seem to be fast coming to the place where we will scarcely have to deal with people at all. We can just deal with computer-driven machines to get what we want. I frankly cannot remember when I have dealt with a bank teller. I just roll up to an Automatic Teller Machine, punch in a few numbers, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 7:7-14

Denomination: Baptist

Ark, Anger, And Acceptance

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 20, 2010

We who are successful want instant gratification, but must know that God’s timing may be different, and that it is important to do something that enables others to succeed. In prayer we learn that we are accepted and so our efforts have meaning.

Success brings with it its own set of problems. If you get used to being successful, you soon expect it, and then if it eludes you, that can be very hard to take. I know that I am speaking this morning to reasonably successful people, by and large. Most of you, when you face a challenge, are able ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-27

Denomination: Baptist

A Good Soldier Of Christ Jesus

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 25, 2010

Funeral sermon for John Sheppard, retired Army sergeant, who had taken on a life of service and who had suffered with illness for several years.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then today the photographs you have selected will suffice for the message. In one of them there is a young man, wearing the uniform of the United States Army. This young man’s face displays dignity; his bearing is proud, his eyes are steady, his stance is ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-8

Denomination: Baptist