Sermons on Joseph: showing 2,536-2,550 of 21,516

When Jesus Comes: No Respect Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 17, 2010

Christmas Eve 1988: When Jesus comes as an infant, there is no respect, for he is the child of an unwed mother and is poor. When Jesus comes to the end of his life, there is no respect. But He redeems His status and can redeem ours.

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield has made en entire career out of a single piece of business and a single punch line: "I don't get no respect". He will regale you with tales of his childhood, when the other kids used him as a punching bag and called him a host of unflattering names, and then he sums it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Baptist

Is It Worth It To Disciple Everybody?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 18, 2009

The death and resurrection of Christ give Him the authority to command us to disciple beyond superficiality, to reach even the marginal, and to have a global scope to our mission.

Somebody out there has a plan for your life. Somebody has a plan for the world you live in. Time and again I see evidence that there are those who believe that with enough planning, enough energy, and enough work, they will get you into their orbit. They have a plan for your life and for your ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20

Denomination: Baptist

It's All So Simple Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 19, 2009

To the issue of why bad things happen to good people, Eliphaz’s answer is spiritually lazy and assumes that we can earn God’s favor. Job’s response is to have faith in a God who will ultimately accept responsibility for sin.

You and I are about to enter the realm of mystery together. I know of nothing which challenges the mind and the imagination quite so much as the mystery of human suffering. Why men and women should have to suffer physically or emotionally – that has never been answered completely. In recent weeks ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A Hiding Place With Noble Plans

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 20, 2009

We all need a place of quiet in which to hide and reflect; it will be the community of faith. Here we know one another as we really are, but love one another anyway. That is transformative.

Just a little less than a month ago, as many of you know, my wife’s father passed away very suddenly. Of course, we all hurried to get together, and then, as families do in times like that, we began to tell stories. We remembered how he used to say this or how he once did that. And one story we ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 32:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

Paternal Pleas To Posterity

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 21, 2009

Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, DC: We will never achieve maturity until we come to terms with our paternity and accept our posterity. Understand that those who shaped us were also maturing; the transforming power of Christ will open wide our hearts.

All of us aspire to maturity. All of us hope to become mature and complete, grown up in every way, accomplished, respected, and honored. It’s a worthy goal. It’s a proper ambition. But we will never achieve maturity until we come to terms with both our paternity and our posterity. Our ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

Denomination: Baptist

Guiltless Grief

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 22, 2009

We can deal with grief if we allow ourselves to recognize its complexity, if we accept the love of caring friends, and if we permit God to use the grief to change us.

They stood at the gravesite, looking at the flower-covered casket of their father. The committal service had been over for ten or fifteen minutes. Everyone else had gone back to the cars. But the two sisters stood there, lingering long, staring into space. Their faces were masks: no emotions, no ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:5-11

Denomination: Baptist

Handling God's Success When We Wanted It For Ourselves Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 29, 2009

Ministry looks impossible, and we want to run the other way. But when we do finally tackle it, and God redeems, then we want the credit. In His grace He assures us that we are not forgotten even though we are inappropriate.

All during this month we’ve worked together on the theme of compassion. Because we are a church which urgently needs to do ministry in this community; because we are a people with much to give and much to share, and with a place to share it, by the time this week is over we will have invested four ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Raising The Roof: Sickness Down, Dander Up

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 29, 2009

It will be necessary to do some unusual things that will raise the anger of some Christians and will not be understood in the larger community. But the bottom line is getting help to those who need it.

Several years ago, when housing prices began to shoot up into the stratosphere, we began to see something new in my neighborhood. We saw many of the houses being opened up from the top, and then construction of new second stories or new dormers or even decks and balconies, way up high. What was ...read more

Scripture: Mark 2:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

The Pharisees: Stuck In Correctness Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 30, 2009

It is easier to be smug than satisfied, to be correct than compassionate, to be religious than real. What we need to do is to cry, "Lord forgive my sin."

The surest formula for unhappiness is have to be right, all of the time. If you are expected to be one hundred percent correct, never making a mistake, no blunders allowed, then you are asking for a serious heart attack, for high blood pressure, and for plain old unhappiness. It’s an awesome burden ...read more

Scripture: John 10:31-39

Denomination: Baptist

Rare Words Yield Worthless Children

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 1, 2009

Eli’s two sons were counted "worthless", and the fault can be traced to "the word of the Lord was rare in those days". Eli did not connect "church" and home for them. We must teach our children Biblical truth or face the consequences.

Nothing delights us any more than the birth of a new baby. Everybody gets sort of squishy and sentimental around a baby. And I suspect that it is not only because they are cute and cuddly and helpless and small, but also it is because they are full of promise. Babies are nothing more than a bundle ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Official Language: Spirit

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 2, 2009

The church’s communication medium is the Spirit, who understands us and allows us to understand one another.

Of all the achievements of human genius, nothing is more wonderful than language. And yet, it is also true that nothing is more destructive than language. For language unites us and yet, language also separates us. Of all the gifts we have been given, nothing is more useful than language. With ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21

Denomination: Baptist

I Refuse To Grow Up

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 4, 2009

Jesus’ admonition to become like a child blends with Proverbs solemn command to get wisdom. Refuse to become bland and careful; to be closed to new truth; to be cynical.

Without question the clowns were the hits of our Vacation Bible School a month or so ago. Fonzie the clown got things off to a rollicking start on Monday night, and the kids cackled at his fright wig and squealed with astonishment at all the wonders of his brown paper bag. Every joke was hilarious, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:1-4

Denomination: Baptist

Honor, Love, And Reverence

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 5, 2009

Emmaus Baptist Church, Quinton, Va: To be good citizens means that we follow Peter’s counsel and honor everyone by supporting the public good; love the church by investing in it; and reverence God by making sure of our personal relationship to Him.

This is a day to celebrate being a people of God in a nation shaped by the will of God. This is a day to remember who we are, where we came from, and to what we are called. This is a day for honor, love, and reverence. Two years ago, the last time I was here, I mentioned that I had been doing ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:10-25

Denomination: Baptist

Is It The Thought That Counts?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 6, 2009

Jesus’ parable of the dishonest but shrewd steward shows us that what people want is something real, not just nice thoughts; and that the use of God’s money is our finest responsibility.

My brother-in-law has a unique ability, a very special talent. He has the ability to go into a men’s clothing store, size up all the merchandise available, and cane out with the very worst, the most atrocious looking stuff that money can buy. What is worse, he does that when he is shopping for me. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 16:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Joy Plus Poverty Equals Wealth

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 7, 2009

World Hunger Sunday, 1989: We will find joy in giving if we make our giving a priority, if it is done proportionately and sacrificially, and if we see it as a privilege.

The notion is going around in some circles that poor people are happy people. Have you heard that? It’s a kind of romantic idea, that poor people are happy people, that when you have nothing you at least have each other, you at least depend on God … you know all the usual things that are said. I ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

Denomination: Baptist