Sermons on Joseph The Saviour:

Rowing The Growing Machine Series

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Feb 12, 2009

A six part series on building better church body

BETTER BODY BUILDING Part 5 all my illustrations come from Sermon Central unless otherwse noted scripture is NIV unless noted ROWING THE GROWING MACHINE I hope that you have enjoyed this series of sermons as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Building a Better Body is the theme of ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Lifting Weights Series

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Feb 12, 2009

a six part series on building a better chuch body

BETTER BODY BUILDING Part 6 all my illustrations come from Sermon Central and scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted. LIFTING WEIGHTS It is almost hard to believe that we are 5 weeks into this year already and at the end of this series of sermons on Building a Better Body. I think it is ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:2

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Surviving Marriage

Contributed by Joseph Stapleton on Feb 13, 2009

A Sermon about marriage with illustrated suggestions

Surviving Marriage (ALL illustrations come from Sermon Central and scripture is NIV unless oherwise noted) It seems with the completion of Revival and the series of sermons I preached on Building a Better Body, that we should stay on the roll. However, this is Valentine’s weekend and after next ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 19:4-6

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

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

The Time Came

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 9, 2008

When God comes, it seems inconvenient to us, but it is the right time. And when we cannot get Him to arrive when we want Him, that simply is not the right time.

While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. The time came? Whose time? What kind of timing is this? A child deserves to be born in the surroundings of home, not in some strange place scores of miles away. A young woman wants to give birth to her child with her own ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7

Denomination: Baptist

If You Want Joy

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 13, 2010

Genuine joy comes after we do what Christ bids us do, and is grounded in our relationship to Him. In fact, the real issue is not our joy but His.

If you want joy! What a ridiculous premise! Of course you want joy. Of course we want to be happy. Of course all of us want to feel deep satisfaction with life. We want joy. That's just self-evident. The trouble is, we don't know how to get that joy. We don't understand where joy comes from, how ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:1-21

Denomination: Baptist

All Things

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 14, 2010

Final message on the church's vision statement. Christ's lordship over all things means that there is nothing worthy that we can leave out of our work, but it will succeed if we are focused on Him and not on our own success.

At the very center of the Christian faith there is Christ. That sounds self-evident: it seems obvious. But we keep forgetting it. We keep on trying to live without a center. Think about a wheel which has no hub; if you try to roll that wheel, its spokes will collapse. And no church will hold its ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:28-39

Denomination: Baptist

Fearing Fear

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 15, 2010

Delivered 1986. Fear is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, based on our image of a vengeful God. But challenging God is faith-filled, and His response is Jesus, who experiences all that we experience.

The trouble with preparing sermons in a series that lasts several weeks is that I am never quite sure whether I am the only one who knows where we are in that series. I am never quite sure whether you see just four sermons, or maybe you only attend two of the four weeks, or whether you sit with ...read more

Scripture: Job 3:20-26

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

Prayer And The Cynical

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Mar 25, 2010

Prayer emphasis fall 1987: common wisdom is that we will never change, and the cynic believes that. Like Koheleth we can lose hope for everything. But the Christ who will come gives us hope, life, companionship, and is at work in all things for change a

One of the rules you learn when you study the discipline of marriage counseling is that you must try to help young people preparing for marriage to know at least this much: that whatever he or she is now, they will be more of it in fifty years. Whatever he or she is now, they will be more of it in ...read more

Denomination: Baptist