Sermons on Joseph:

Something No Thief Can Steal

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 30, 2009

Contrast the thieves on the crosses; from Jesus they had, or could have had, salvation, assurance, companionship, things which no thief can steal.

The scene was one of striking and even bitter contrast. While three men were being hauled off to their deaths, one of them was far different from the other two. Two of these hapless three were thieves, and as thieves they had lived by the law of the thief: namely, easy come, easy go. If you take ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:32-43

Denomination: Baptist

So Much I Can Taste It

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 31, 2009

We the church have not been paying attention to what God wants passionately for His people: that they be fed, that they be healthy, that they have salvation.

She strode feverishly across the room, brandishing two sheets of paper, one in each hand. She was smiling and yet agitated, excited and yet anxious. "I want this job so much I can taste it." In one hand was a job listing that read as if her very name were on it. Her degree, her major, her ...read more

Scripture: Ezekiel 34:1-31

Denomination: Baptist

When Bad Things Happen To Good People

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 3, 2009

Rewritten for Calverton Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD: When terrible things happen, pray honestly, in complaint; remember what God has done in the past; and know that He may be forcing us to see how much we need Him.

There is very little justice in the world. Many people feel that they are not being treated fairly. Just about all of us think we deserve a better deal than we are getting. We think that there is very little justice in the world. But that’s old news. We already know that. So what do you do ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 22:1-31

Denomination: Baptist

Flesh And Spirit: Love And Patience Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 3, 2009

Patience reaches four layers: relational, emotional, sexual, and spiritual. At each level to be impatient is to fail to trust God to be God.

I know you’ve heard this old line, but I just can’t resist repeating it. It concerns the fellow who had realized that he was impetuous, compulsive, and impatient. And so he decided to ask the Lord to help him settle his personality problem. "Lord," he prayed. “Lord, give me the gift of patience and ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:16-25

Denomination: Baptist

The Sacrifice Of Silence: How Men Pray

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 4, 2009

Men can pray in their own way by doing what they know is right to do, by listening to the Lord as well as speaking, and by holding others and God Himself accountable to keep promises.

The young Australian pastor had just received his first assignment. It was to a remote sheep-ranching settlement deep in the Australian outback. He had arrived during a period of prolonged drought, and was making pastoral calls to his far-flung flock of ranchers, who were trying to keep their ...read more

Scripture: 1 Samuel 1:1-28

Denomination: Baptist

Dead Prophets Society

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 4, 2009

For Transfiguration Sunday: we, like the disciples, have not imagined Christ as who He is, we as who we can become, or the cost of glory ... losing our lives to save them.

Every one who teaches knows what a mighty struggle it is to teach anybody anything and make it stick. Students come to school drowsy and distracted. Some are there because they have to be; some because Daddy’s money put them there; and some just because they cannot think of anything else to do. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:23-26

Denomination: Baptist

Dazzling Mountain, Dying Mountain

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 5, 2009

For Transfiguration Sunday. God gives us defining, dazzling moments, perhaps only a few; but they empower us for the self-giving times and never need to be renewed.

For many people, life peaks early, and then they seem to run downhill all the way thereafter. There are many people who do well early in life -- they have a happy childhood, they do well in school, they launch their careers, all in their early years. But then something goes wrong. Something goes a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 9:2-12

Denomination: Baptist

Seeing Now

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 6, 2009

People and churches can settle down and forget where they came from and lose sight of where they could be going. Now is the time for the church to venture forward, or lose its place in God’s plan.

There are two problems with settling down: one of them is that you forget about where you came from. The other is that you lose sight of where you could be going. Here is a young couple. They start out married life in just a small place, with room for themselves and maybe that first child. They ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

When Good Things Happen To Bad People

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 9, 2009

Rewritten for Calverton Baptist Church: In a world of injustice, "bad" people get good things they do not deserve. But grace gives us gentle gifts, gives us the satisfaction of outwaiting our enemies, and allows us to wait for God’s justice.

I was in my office at Takoma Park church, and, as so often happened, someone stopped by to ask for help. The story was very much like most of the stories I had heard. He said that he just needed a few dollars to get by. Tomorrow there would be a job and, “Pastor, if you’ll just give me ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

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

Overwhelming Or Overcoming? It Depends

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 23, 2008

Autobiographical account of memories of race relations. Christ gives us the power to overcome backgrounds that might overwhelm us.

If you find yourself facing a monstrous evil, there are really only two choices: either to run or to fight. Either to run or to fight. Now most of us will try a third choice; we will try to ignore the problem. But that won’t work. That won’t work. Massive, monstrous evil demands a response: ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:14-21

Denomination: Baptist