Sermons on Joseph Smith: showing 1,186-1,200 of 26,431

Struggling With The Pain Of Faithlessness Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 20, 2009

July 1989. Our sexual behavior matters to God, and He has expressed His will. When we go our own ways, it hurts Him as well as others and ourselves. He can and will redeem even from this most painful sin.

A number of years ago a friend of mine was teaching a group of children the Ten Commandments in Vacation Bible School. In order to teach the Ten Commandments, she says, she was given a set of pictures. Each of the pictures illustrated the bad behavior forbidden by the Commandment; each picture ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Struggling Even When The Good Times Roll Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 21, 2009

July 1989: When we are prospering, we are tempted into the idolatry of me-ism and self-congratulation. This is an opportunity to do more for others and for the Kingdom, for God is the source of our bounty.

About a year ago, toward the end of July, I placed one of these up here on the pulpit as the visible sermon for the day. Remember? Do you recall what we called that Sunday? Right: we called it "catch-up Sunday" …catch-up Sunday … and the idea was that if we were behind in our giving, if we as a ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 14:4-8

Denomination: Baptist

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

Clean All Over Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 23, 2009

We are no good to anyone else unless first we have experienced cleansing. That rules out maternalistic protection or paternalistic inhibition. When we know we are cleansed, then we are useful to others.

I am beginning today a series of messages on the theme, "How He Helped Humanity." "How He Helped Humanity." The idea behind this is very simple, but it branches out in many different ways. The basic idea is that we are working toward becoming a helping church, a servant people. But we need ...read more

Scripture: John 13:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Earth Yielding Increase

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 24, 2009

For Worldwide Communion Sunday: How can we, like the Psalmist, be optimistic in the face of international conflict, national dispute, racism, church tension, our personal conflicts? The Cross is God’s reaching out to heal.

It was an awesome ruin. A hulk of stone, a pile of rubble. Smoke stains clearly visible. Jagged edges its roofline. What once had been a magnificent building lay now exposed to the open air, useless, a scar on the horizon. What terrible thing had happened here to create this ugly defacing of the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 67:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

The Wounded Healer

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 24, 2011

Jesus, going to the Cross, understands our aloneness and isolation, and heals it by identifying with it.

Calverton Baptist Church, April 4, 1982; Howard University Chapel, April 9, 1982; Takoma Park Baptist Church, March 31, 1985 Recently a Methodist pastor in South Carolina created something of a stir in his church, and all of it quite innocently. He asked a member of the congregation who was known ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 11:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

We Have Much To Learn From Joseph And How He Obeyed God.

Contributed by Gordon Mcculloch on Dec 18, 2016

Joseph was human, more human than we believe; he was the same as us. He had his own share of problems that we can relate to, problems relating to a tight knit community that was quick to condemn. Could we to overcome such difficulties.

This sermon was delivered at Holy Trinity, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland on Sunday the 18th December 2016; Holy Trinity is a Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries. The readings for today are: Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25 Please join ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Episcopal

Outside The Comfort Zone

Contributed by Daryl Bahn on Dec 24, 2001

First Sunday after Christmas, Year A -- God had Mary and Joseph take Jesus down to Egypt. When God sometimes takes us out of our comfort zone, it is part of his gracious plan for us in Christ.

Here we are at the end of one year and ready to begin another. The readings for this morning are for the First Sunday after Christmas, and the Gospel tells us about the trip that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus took down to Egypt. It wasn’t a vacation. They weren’t just “going south for the winter.” They ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:11-23, Ephesians 5:15-17

Denomination: Lutheran

A Man Of Faithfulness

Contributed by Tim Zingale on Jan 11, 2002

A sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

4th Sunday in Advent Matthew 1:18-25 "A Man of Faithfulness"   A father was telling his small son the story about the lost sheep who left the other 99. He explained, how the little sheep crawled through the hold in the fence -- running and skipping and playing in the sunshine. Out of the woods came ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Lutheran

Believing The Best In Others Series

Contributed by Bob Briggs on Dec 4, 2002

We often overlook the life of Joseph in the birth story of Jesus and in doing so miss valuable life lessons

Believing the Best in Others Each year we hear the Christmas story, how Jesus was born of a virgin, in a stable, in Bethlehem during the time of a Roman census. In the midst of our celebration we have images of Mary and baby Jesus while we push to the back Mary’s husband Joseph. Not much ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Best And Worst Day

Contributed by Ely Lambert on Dec 11, 2002

Matthew places his emphasis on Joseph during his retelling of the birth of Jesus. Joseph’s trust in God is an amazing story.

The Best and Worst Day Matthew 1:18-25 Preached at Laurel Church of Christ On Sunday, December 8, 2002 Introduction: I. Robert Beringer writes about a geography lesson from elementary school A. He learned that the southern most tip of Africa is a point, which for centuries has experienced ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Expect Death At The Birth Of The King

Contributed by Joel Pankow on Dec 24, 2003

how Jesus birth brought about the sword of Herod, and we can expect the same - a sermon for the minor festival of "the Holy Innocents: Martyrs"

Jesus once said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34) The pictures we see of Christmas seem to portray the exact opposite. With Mary and Joseph gently hovering over a little baby in a manger, it’s a very ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:13-18

Denomination: Lutheran

Embracing God During Confusing Times

Contributed by Vinnie Cappetta on Dec 19, 2006

What if your fiance announced she was pregnant with someone else’s child? Talk about confusion. How do we embrace God during confusing times? We’ll use Joseph and Mary as examples.

God With Us: Embracing God During Confusing Times Circumstances have a way of making us feel that God isn’t with us. See if you feel the confusion in these verses Matthew 1:18-25 18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

On The Balcony Or On The Road?

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Dec 5, 2003

The story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem is familiar that there is a danger that we become anethetised. It will only become a reality in our lives as we leave the balcony and let the rubber hit the road.

Stiffkey 07-12-03 The Journey to Bethlehem The Family Service team decided that they wanted me to speak on the familiar story of Joseph and Mary’s Journey to Bethlehem. The story is two thousand years old. So we might be tempted to view simply as a nice story!! Or ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-20

Denomination: Anglican

Appearances Can Be Deceiving Series

Contributed by Pat Cook on Dec 11, 2005

#3 in Christmas series on fear. What was Joseph afraid of? How things looked.

Matthew 1:18-25 – Appearances Can Be Deceiving Today we are continuing our series on fear. Four times in the Christmas story, someone is told not to be afraid. Today we are looking at the story of Joseph from Matthew 1:18-25. Now, there is a lot said about Mary, the topic of last week’s ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Baptist