Sermons on Joseph Smith:

Shakedown Spirit

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 9, 2009

The time has come to invest in our church facility so that it glorifies God and serves today’s circumstances. God has placed the resources among us and will be shaking us to let go and move toward excellence.

I hope you’ve noticed that I try to come at preaching from a wide variety of different angles. There are many aims I bring to the preaching task. Most of the time, of course, I am trying to work with you in seeing in the Scriptures something that will help you live out your daily life in the ...read more

Scripture: Haggai 2:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Diagnosing Your Heartburn

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 10, 2009

All of us get "heartburn" feelings over the questions "What is our world coming to?" and "What do I do with my life?". The risen Lord gives us better answers than we are able to develop on our own.

"Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?" Every now and then, when you’re tired, or you’ve worked too hard, or there’s been a lot of stress ... every now and then, do you get a strange, tight feeling in the chest? Do you sometimes feel peculiar, a little ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-35

Denomination: Baptist

Struggling To Be A People Of Integrity

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 12, 2009

Preached 1989. A people of integrity will not act as though God is automatically on their side, apart from righteousness; and they will pay attention to the way in which leadership is chosen.

On this Independence Day weekend we think about our nation’s history, our nation’s life. As we do so I want to assure you that we will be wrestling with the word of God, not just scattering political opinions over the landscape like birdseed. I am not here as political pundit, but as a pastor and ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 8:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

Three Score And Ten

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 12, 2009

For 1989, 70th anniversary of the church. Three Scriptures with the number "70" in them ... life includes pain and conflict; but we are to forgive without reservation; God knows the plans He has for the next 70 years of this church.

We’ve reached a milestone, a real milestone. Seventy years old. That’s a good long while. That is, in fact, a lifetime, according to one of the Scriptures I’m going to read, the typical, average lifetime of a human being. And it’s not too bad for an institution like a church. We’ve been here, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 90:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Faith, Freedom, And The Future

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 13, 2009

God is always giving the gift of freedom. In revolutionary times, value the past, know that the present is incomplete, step forward in faith for the future.

God is always ready to give the gift of freedom. The one thing you can be sure that God is always about is freedom, freeing His people from the things which hold them back. In every time and place, our God is working to give the gift of freedom. When He does that, we call it a revolution. We see ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Good To Go

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 29, 2010

Funeral service for Alberta Perry Faulkner, the mainstay of the church's missions support efforts and a world traveler, nurse, teacher, Scout leader, senior citizen sponsor.

I had my car repaired not long ago. It took about as long to check out at the cashier’s desk as it did for the mechanics to do the work, because at the desk I had to sign several forms, initial a couple of others, present my credit card and sign the charge slip, and then wait for the clerk ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Denomination: Baptist

Entering By The Front Door

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 31, 2010

Annual Theme sermon for 1989. Some of us have entered the fold by the back doors, for all the wrong reasons. We need to get that right, and then obey the Lord's invitation to bring others to the only door to the only fold.

One day as we/were here in the church building we heard a loud banging noise, as if somebody were trying to get inside the building. It was an insistent loud knocking, but at first we couldn't find out where it was coming from. Our secretary went down the hallway to the door on the alley, but it ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-18

Denomination: Baptist

Down To Racing Weight

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 2, 2010

Delivered March 1986. To run this race of life and faith, you need worthy role models, you need to rid yourself of destructive habits, and you need the pacesetter, Christ.

Beneath this bulky middle-aged body and especially beneath the generous folds of this preaching robe, there beats the heart of a runner, a racer. Surprise, surprise, you never knew that, did you? But it's true. Inside this fleshy disgrace to the human race there lies buried somewhere the soul of ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Immanuel: He Drives Away Our Fears

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 3, 2010

Advent 1987: Ahaz let fear drive him to sacrifice the best that he had and to mire down in "what if". God through Isaiah offered the ultimate sign of hope, His own presence, who drives away our fears.

The birth of a child has many layers of meaning. When a baby is born into a family, there can be all kinds of different feelings, all sorts of different meanings. For one family, this is indeed a blessed event, filled with joy, running over with excitement, the fulfillment of hopes and dreams and ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 7:10-17

Denomination: Baptist

The Absence Of God

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 3, 2010

January 1985: The psalmist experiences the absence of God, even to the point of denigrating himself as a "worm." But when he takes inventory, he does see evidence of God's presence, opens up his heart, and dares to hope.

Today I am going to take a somewhat different approach to the reading of the Scripture and the way I will be preaching on it. And in fact I hope this will make it come alive for you and will enable you to follow the thought of the Scripture writer as well as my own thought. What I plan to do today ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 22:1-24

Denomination: Baptist

Knowing Just Enough To Be Dangerous Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 17, 2010

Being less than fully informed Christians can be injurious to ourselves and to our world. Ultimately we need to know Christ personally as much as we need to know about our faith.

Between knowing nothing and knowing a great deal there is something which is very dangerous. That is knowing a little. Knowing just enough to be dangerous. In many instances, it isn't dangerous to be totally ignorant. If you don't know, and you know you don't know, you will go ahead and get help. ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Brothers: Rivals, Partners, Or Soul Mates?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 17, 2010

For Masonic Divine Service: Brothering can be an accident of birth or proximity, but it often becomes competitive because of insecurity or exploitive because of sin. Christ chooses us to be brothers and lays His life down for us.

It's almost time to elect a president of the United States. Every four years we go through this little exercise called a national election. And even though every four years we tell one another that the election is about issues; about the economy and about foreign policy and about defense and about ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

The Best Is Yet To Be

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 21, 2010

Senior Adult Sunday 1989: God wants to bless us in our senior years and to give us "laughter". He can work through our mistakes and even make those into blessings. From crosses He makes resurrections.

As they passed through the middle age years and headed for senior status, they took some measures to make sure that those years would be manageable years. They took stock of their finances, for example, and made sure that there would be enough for everyday life and for at least a few emergencies. ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 17:1-21

Denomination: Baptist

Waiting For Full Joy

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 22, 2010

Delivered 1989, on the 25th anniversary of the reception of the church's first black member. We wait for full joy and unity, which come from embracing all people and from being the agents of redemption for all needs.

Exactly twenty-five years ago, two things happened which were destined to have a profound effect on my life, and I want to share them with you this morning. These two unrelated happenings took place without the people involved in either one being aware of the other one, but, as I have said, both ...read more

Scripture: John 17:6-18

Denomination: Baptist

Where Is The God Of Justice?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 25, 2010

For Martin Luther King Day 1988: It is irresponsible to continue to whine about God's absence in the face of injustice. He is refining His church to address justice, and will bless us when we give ourselves without reserve to His purposes.

Some twenty-four centuries ago, when the prophet Malachi's ears were assaulted by an impertinent question, he heard it as a confession of irresponsibility. When the men and women of Judah shouted at this prophet, who had accused them of wearying God, who had charged that their blabbering talk was ...read more

Denomination: Baptist