Sermons on joseph smith: showing 436-450 of 26,523

Never Powerless Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on May 26, 2002

We are powerless to change things only because we give power away and do not know how to reclaim it. We can do so first by affirming that change comes only through Jesus Christ, and then by believing that He partners with us when we pray. To do any less

We are never powerless. We think we are. We think we cannot change the things that trouble us. But in fact we are never powerless. We just give away our power. We give away our power and do not know how to claim it again. Those who have power over us have it only because we let them ...read more

Scripture: John 14:1-12, John 14:28-31

Denomination: Baptist

Never Unloved Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 2, 2002

Some receive love, but reject it; others never know that they are loved. In either case, the Cross is evidence that we have never been unloved.

We need to think not only about the way we relate to other people, but also about how we receive them. It is not enough simply to be friendly and cordial. We also need to look at how we receive people when they extend themselves to us. I went to a meeting this week, where all the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32, John 14:18-24

Denomination: Baptist

Getting It Right

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 17, 2002

Pulpit monologue-drama, in which "Solomon" describes how his father’s example influenced him negatively, but his father’s repentance redeemed him.

“A wise child makes a glad father, but a foolish child is a mother’s grief.” Would you agree? I wrote that, you know. “Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.” Ah, but how do we train them? That is the question. Just by commands? Or do we train them by ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Some Assembly Required

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 1, 2002

Designed for a day devoted to reclaiming inactive members, this sermon argues that the spiritual life is like a piece of equipment: unpack, read the instructions, assemble, plug in the power.

Nothing you purchase comes ready to go. You can’t buy anything ready to use. Everything takes finishing and finagling before you can use it. You would think that when you have paid good money for your purchase, it would be ready. But not so. Something else always has to be done. You ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-25

Denomination: Baptist

I Pledge Allegiance To A Hiding God

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 7, 2002

The recent "under God" court decision is inconsequential. Far better to pledge allegiance to a God who does not need publicity and lip service, but who points us to acts of justice, liberation, and witness.

In every age there are those who feel they need to help God out of hiding. God, it seems, is never without public relations agents, who want to help Him get His name out. They have their own reasons – some of them well-intentioned, and some of them selfish – but the truth is that God does ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 45:1-19

Denomination: Baptist

Silence And Sin, Strength And Summer

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 14, 2002

Our lives have seasons like summer: heated, turbulent, conflicted. This is a result of unconfessed sin and of not listening to God’s priorities.

Every season of the year has its joys and its challenges. But God has ordained them all for the benefit of His creation. And every season of our lives has its joys and its challenges. Yet again God has ordained all these for the benefit of His people. Every season of the year is ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Don't You Get Weary, Children Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 5, 2002

There are many thankless tasks we have to perform, of which, to some, church participation may be one. But God teaches us that if we do something out of love, it is not burdensome, and the Cross and Empty Tomb teach us that it is not futile.

There sure are a lot of thankless tasks to be done. There certainly are a great many things that are immensely frustrating, because they just won’t stay done. Do you know what I mean? The kinds of jobs that you do and almost immediately you have to do them again? These are thankless ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 5:1-5, 1 John 5:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

On Not Losing What We Have Worked For Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 11, 2002

There is nothing more disappointing than losing something for which we have worked; we are in danger of losing a generation of children if we do not teach forthrightly what Christian values are and if we do not reject intrusive, deceptive messages from th

There is no greater disappointment than working for something for a long time, only to see that work just disappear. You worked hard, but it’s gone. That is truly an awful feeling. A couple of weeks ago, on one of those steamy weekends filled with unpredictable thunderstorms, my wife was ...read more

Scripture: 2 John 1:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Two "Weddings" And A "Funeral" Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 17, 2002

In the characters of III John, Gaius, Demetrius, and Diotrephes, we learn how to bond and we discover what kills relationships. Designed for "punctuation" by organ music between the sections.

We really need to connect. We are made for fellowship, and if we do not connect with one another, we will dry up and die. We need to connect with God; and we need to connect with one another. When I was the Baptist chaplain at Howard University, it seemed that my students only knew two ...read more

Scripture: 3 John 1:1-15

Denomination: Baptist

When To Be Stubborn

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 25, 2002

There are times to be definite, clear, even stubborn: when you know the truth, when you understand your own motives, and when you can turn your stand into good news. Parts of the sermon were drawn from testimonies solicited earlier in the service around

Indelibly etched on my mind is the photograph of one of our members, now deceased. If you go to Frances Flippen’s apartment, you can see a picture of her late husband, John, a military man, in full battle dress, helmet and all, standing with his legs spread apart and his arms folded, and ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:14-17, Proverbs 25:25-26

Denomination: Baptist

Entering The Joy: A Five Talent Man

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 7, 2002

Funeral service for Robert Cecil White, poet, jazz musician, self-professed prodigal.

It’s hard to believe that it was only a few months ago when onto the scene, here at this church, there burst like a blaze of light a small intense man, dressed in a loose-flowing shirt, speaking up frequently. People took to him immediately; he was so open and so outgoing, and we at Takoma ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Windows Blown Out Or Open? Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 8, 2002

God’s mercy is available to us, whether we call on Him in disasters only or whether we are constantly in His presence. But how much more ready we would be for disaster if we cultivated His presence. A sermon for the 9/11 anniversary.

(Singing): “Sitting by the window praying, waiting for the break of day; sitting by the window praying, hearing what God might say.” (Repeat) Of all the images which linger, a year later, of the events of last September 11, none is more haunting than the picture of people falling from the ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 6:1-23

Denomination: Baptist

All Your Diseases

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 12, 2002

Funeral sermon for Melvia Jean Harrison, victim of interstitial lung disease.

“Bless the Lord ... who heals all your diseases.” What an astounding claim! What an extravagant promise! The Lord heals all your diseases. Not some of them, not most of them, but all of them. Do we believe that? Do we think that is true? Then, if the Lord heals all our diseases, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-18

Denomination: Baptist

Window Of Opportunity Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 15, 2002

Through prayer, God will open a window of opportunity for us to work past our stresses, our conflicted feelings, and even our sins and shortcomings.

Life is tough. Am I going to get any argument about that? The philosopher Thomas Hobbes said that human life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Wow! Not the kind of stuff we expect on Sunday morning. Supposed to be all, “Praise the Lord”! But deep down, lots of people do ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:21-33, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Denomination: Baptist

All Is Now Yours: Giving What We Do Not Have

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 8, 2001

In uncertain times, it remains true that giving away what we cannot possess anyway is the path to fulfillment; it must, however, be a gift that refreshes the fainting.

It seems that we do not have what we think we have. Sometimes what seems to be ours is not ours at all. Buildings as sturdy as the Pentagon and as imposing as the World Trade Center can be destroyed in a moment of awful terror. Lives promising and beautiful are snuffed out, and there is little ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 16:1-4

Denomination: Baptist