Sermons on joseph smith: showing 646-660 of 26,528

Together In Disappointment, Together In Hope Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 2, 2008

Church life is full of disappointments, but it can be equally full of hope and fulfillment. The key is to stay together and see what God will do. God is a God of abundance and not of scarcity.

We serve a God of abundance and not a God of scarcity. Ours is the God who possesses the cattle on a thousand hills. He is not a dilettante deity with nothing in His hands; He is the God who flung the stars into space and who has made all things. All things are made by Him and all things are at ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Denomination: Baptist

Getting Real With Your Enemies Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 10, 2007

Opposition actually helps us grow. Hostility is destructive not only of others, but also of one’s self; and it spreads without reason. Jesus named its absurdity and then left it in the hands of God. Montgomery Hills Baptist Church

Stress strengthens. That is a physical fact. It is also a spiritual truth. Stress strengthens. When we face opposition, we grow. When we deal with differences, we become stronger. Strange as it may sound, give thanks when you are opposed! For stress strengthens; enmity empowers; and ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:43-50

Denomination: Baptist

Thelema: Thelma's And God's

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 12, 2007

Funeral message for Thelma Green Mann, known for her direct manner and strong will. The name Thelma is derived from the Greek, "Thelema", meaning will. A turning point is reached when one no longer focus on her own will, but on God’s will. Takoma Park

Grandchildren will teach you much about life. One of mine, Jackie, age 5, taught me about human nature recently. My wife and I had gone to take care of the girls while their parents were away, and we came, as always, armed with things to do – arts and crafts, games, books, the whole gamut of ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

From The Very Least

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 16, 2007

Done as first-person, in costume and character, summary of Paul’s teaching; built on acronym of the name PAUL -- prayer, avoidance (of immorality), understanding, love. Montgomery Hills Baptist Church

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. As an apostle, charged to preach the Gospel, I am here today to say to you ... What?! You challenge me? You challenge my right to speak? Am I not an apostle?! Am I not, though born at the wrong time, nonetheless one whom ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 3:7-13

Denomination: Baptist

First Thank God Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 14, 2007

Initial sermon of interim pastorate. As Paul lived into relationship with God prior to theologizing, I thank God for the faithfulness in the congregation’s history; for mutual enrichment in its diversity; and for coming victory when no one need be ashame

God is not a problem to be solved. God is a mystery with whom we are to live. God is not an equation to be worked out in mathematical precision; God is personal, with whom we connect. God is a who, a where, and a when -- acting, living, and doing; and if God is sometimes a what and a why, an ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:8-17

Denomination: Baptist

Getting On God's Agenda

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 16, 2007

God’s agenda is to give freedom to the oppressed, and He will not be stopped. But our disobedience can frustrate Him. The church needs to get on God’s agenda quickly.

A little book called “Kids’ Letters to Pastors” provides some fertile ground this morning for us to begin thinking about getting on God’s agenda. You see, you and I know the words we are supposed to say, whether we mean them or not. But kids say what they think, without editing. And so I suspect ...read more

Scripture: Exodus 6:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Do You Really Want To Follow Jesus?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 18, 2007

We need to distinguish between needs and wants. Poverty can help us decide what we truly need; then we become eager to make happen what we truly want. Our relationship to God determines our priorities. Montgomery Hills Baptist Church

Some things I need, it is true. But many of the things I think I need I do not truly need. I only want them, but persuade myself I need them. They are not needs; they are wants. And, deeper than that, many of the things I think I want I do not truly want. I just hope they will make me feel ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

Denomination: Baptist

Second Chance In Christ Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 21, 2007

Deepening "whiles" become heightened "boasts". Weakness, sin, and enmity are our problems toward God. But in Christ there is help at the right time, conversion of consequences into positives, and sacrifical love for reconciliation.

“We have a problem here.” That phrase, in one form or another, runs through much of human history. We have a problem here. You know it, if you remember 1995, as almost what astronaut John Swigert said from Apollo 13. “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” Changed a little and immortalized by ...read more

Scripture: Romans 5:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Three Coins In The (Spirit) Fountain Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 28, 2007

Everyone wants fulfillment. Some try being good, but that only brings smugness. Some try religion, as Luther did, but that brings only busy-ness. Life and peace are found in the Spirit of God as our companion.

When I look deep down and ask myself what I really want out of life, one answer keeps coming back over and over: I want meaning. I want significance. I want fulfillment. When I look deep down and ask myself what I really want for my life, I know that the accumulation of things is not it. These ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Ripe Ritual And Redemptive Righteousness Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 20, 2008

Dramatic monologue as if it were from Micah himself, summarizing the entire book around the contrast between practicing ritual in order to avoid judgment vs. living God’s requirements of justice, mercy, and the humble walk.

[Outside the sanctuary] Justice, O God! Justice! We must have your justice! And righteousness! Without that we are lost! Oh, Lord God, the Temple and the city – what I see there sickens me. That ripe and rotten ritual, those empty gestures, those paid and padded priests! O God, ...read more

Scripture: Micah 7:1-20

Denomination: Baptist

A Completed Appointment

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 30, 2008

Funeral sermon for Alfred Bailey, long-term chair of the church Building and Grounds Committee, civic activist, and Martin Luther King Memorial founder. His unfinished tasks and his missed appointments are completed by a God who gave him many assignments

It’s tough to be on time. And it’s tough to get things finished. In fact, those two items are closely connected. It’s tough to be on time precisely because it is so tough to get things finished. And if you are involved in a great many things, chances are you will never complete them all, nor ...read more

Scripture: Job 23:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Stumbling Into A Quantum Leap

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 3, 2008

When we stumble, but repent, God gives us a chance to leap like a deer and rejoice.

The best discoveries are the discoveries made by accident. The things you did not set out to find, but found anyway. The five dollar bill tucked in between the pages of the book you picked up to read. The charming little boutique around the corner from where you really intended to go. The best ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Hidden Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 17, 2008

God always reveals Himself in personal ways. Three times "hidden" appears in Colossians: to show that there is meaning in our suffering, to demonstrate that transformation can come, to call us to personal commitment, all at the right times.

Every child loves to play “Hide and Seek”. And every grandparent loves to play with them. But the lesson I learned is that playing “Hide and Seek” is a delicate operation. It is a test of grandpa’s interpersonal skills. “Hide and Seek” is about more than using your powers of observation to find ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Remember My Chains Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 24, 2008

Like some of Paul’s companions in prison, we may be held back by tasks too small, by shame, or even by our own prejudices. But once we accept our limitations as part of God’s will, they become ways to help others and fulfill our life callings.

If you suffer severe limitations, what do you wish for? What is your prayer, if you are bound by something that keeps you from doing what you really want to do? Do you wish you could be free from it? Likely you do. Do you even pray that you might have that limitation removed? I expect that I ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 4:2-18

Denomination: Baptist

The Price Of Peace

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 6, 2008

Conflict is fundamentally spiritual, not just interpersonal, founded in insecurity and elusive. But persistence in prayer will ultimately provide peace.

When Jesus spoke of those who cry, “Peace, peace” when there is no peace, He must have foreseen the pain of the present time. Never before in human history, I would suspect, have more people felt less peace than now. Everywhere you turn there is the evidence of a generation which is deeply ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9

Denomination: Baptist