Sermons on Joseph The Dreamer:

Are You Generous?

Contributed by Robert Joseph on May 10, 2014

This is a small group topic about being generous and looks at some of the reasons people aren't generous.

ICE BREAKER Question: What kind of tip do you usually leave when you eat at a restaurant? KEY VERSE: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” [2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV ] LESSON: In Matthew 10:8, Jesus said, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:6

Denomination: Pentecostal

It Is Not A Nothing Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 21, 2008

We excuse everything with "I don’t care", but when we see the eyes of those we have offended and hear them speak, we know that we have hurt them. When we see Christ and hear Him at the cross, we can no longer pretend that we don’t care.

I “I don’t care.” That was the mechanism I used as a boy to fend off whatever punishment my parents gave. “You’re grounded.” “I don’t care”. “No allowance this week.” I don’t care.” And, to tell the truth, I didn’t care. I would just go to some quiet corner and get a book and read. I was ...read more

Scripture: Lamentations 1:12-14

Denomination: Baptist

Dropped Cloths Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 23, 2008

The young man who lost his linen cloth and ran away naked may be a wealthy person, depending on status; or Lazarus, living in the past, or Mark, caught in immaturity. But He who dropped another linen cloth gives life.

Not too many years ago, Easter was the day on which everyone trotted out new clothes. It was on Easter that spring dresses sprung off the racks for young girls, and starched collars irritated the necks of young men. I don’t miss the starched collars, but I do rather miss the elaborate display of ...read more

Scripture: Mark 14:51-52

Denomination: Baptist

Struggling To Work For Peace Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 19, 2009

August 1989, Day of Prayer for World Peace: Making peace in the world begins with making peace with God. It does not mean making peace WITH the world.

Just a few weeks ago they re-enacted, not very far from here, a small but crucial Civil War battle. The Battle of Fort Stevens did not get into a lot of the history books, but it was important in that it turned back the Confederate armies on the very edge of the capital city. Had the South taken ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 10:12-15

Denomination: Baptist

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

Triumph Through Trying Times

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Mar 29, 2011

When trying times come, and they always do, God has a message for us.

TRIUMPH THROUGH TESTING TIMES (All my sermons use illustrations found at www.sermoncentral.com and ALL scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) After a long series of sermons on giving God room to work, it almost seems fitting, to look at scripture and find a place where God tells us, that tough ...read more

Scripture: Luke 22:31-32

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

It

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Mar 29, 2011

Are we not looking for a simple plan to make our lives easier in Christ? Here IT is.

IT (All my sermon use illustrations found on www.sermoncentral.com and All scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) All of us what IT, we all need IT, but what is IT? Today’s culture is all about making things simpler, and I personally think there are some things that need to be just a ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:6

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Do It Now

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Mar 29, 2011

Never put off doing today what you could do tomorrow, who knows what tomorrow will bring.

DO IT NOW! (All my sermons use scripture found on www.sermoncentral.com and ALL scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) I have been meaning to talk to you about this subject, but I just keep putting it off. It is a subject that needs to be looked at from a scriptural perspective, but for some ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 6:3

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Hazard Ahead: Hypocrisy

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Mar 29, 2011

A main excuse for worldly people not to come to church is that the church is full of hypocrites, well there is always room for one more.

HAZARD AHEAD: HYPOCRISY (All my sermons use illustrations found at www.sermoncentral.com and All scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) Perhaps one of the biggest reasons given by non-churchgoers is “church is full of hypocrites.” This is true to some extent, but there is always ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 29:13-21

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

What Really Counts

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Mar 29, 2011

What really counts is a follow up to a sermon entitled IT, faith expressing itself through love, simple church.

WHAT REALLY COUNTS (All My sermons use illustrations found at www.sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted) A few weeks ago I presented a sermon entitled, “IT.” We talked about how simple IT really is, the scripture tells us the “only thing that ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 69:9-12

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

To Tell The Truth

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 12, 2009

We can and must speak truth to power. We can do so if we receive our own power through prayer; and so speaking makes a difference if there is compassion in it.

You’ll remember the old fable called "The Emperor’s New Clothes". In that story there is a crafty tailor, who persuades the emperor that he can make a suit of clothes out of a magic fabric, a fabric which can be seen only by the wise and intelligent. Stupid people, foolish people supposedly cannot ...read more

Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:1-13

Denomination: Baptist