Sermons on Joseph:

The Purpose Of The Church

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 1, 2008

The 2 priority purposes of the Church are to bring glory to God & to bring people to know God. Anything that gets in the way of that is just window dressing.

Matthew 28:16-20 Romans 15:1-13 Question: What is the purpose of Church? What does it do for us / for the community? Answers: Shouted out answers during the service included to share our faith, to bring glory to God, to be Jesus hands and feet. The problem is what would God say should be ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20

Denomination: Methodist

Salt

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 3, 2008

Jesus calls His followers to be the "salt of the earth." This message thinks about what it is to be salt ; examining the characteristics of salt & asking if these are hallmarks of our Christian walk.

Matthew 5:13-16 Galatians 5:16-18 Jesus calls His followers to be the "salt of the earth." What does this really mean? Today, we are thinking about what it is to be salt ; examining the characteristics of salt & asking if these are hallmarks of our Christian walk. So the first thing I want us to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

Denomination: Methodist

Naaman's Healing

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 3, 2008

Naaman’s pride almost prevents a healing, but are we that different?

2 Kings 5 Most of us have the trappings of power and privilege: we live in one of the wealthiest countries with one of the highest standards of living. We live in an age our grandparents could never have dreamed of. We are not unlike Naaman in the story in 2 Kings 5. But he had to learn an ...read more

Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-27

Denomination: Methodist

Pentecost - The If Only's

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 3, 2008

A simple message about Pentecost used at Women’s fellowship’s & shorter Holy Communion services.

If only one of us could win the lottery! Imagine how much better your life would be. You would have the power to control your own destiny, at least that’s what the nice people at the National Lottery believe. If only because just think of all the things you could buy – new house, car - & I hope ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:1-13

Denomination: Methodist

Prayer A Why When How Introduction

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 3, 2008

A simple introduction to prayer for a Church that didn’t pray together

Genesis 18:23-33 Luke 11:1-13 You know I hear more comments about how difficult it is to pray or how confusing it is that God sometimes seems to answer and other times doesn’t or how God doesn’t really hear us or how nothing really changes because of our prayers. So I figure we need some teaching ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 18:23-33

Denomination: Methodist

Christmas Eve

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 3, 2008

A midnight Holy Communion address about the significance of the Nativity for us & the world

Hebrews 1: 1 - 4 Isaiah 9: 2 - 7 Luke 2: 1 - 7 The writer of the Hebrews letter or epistle gets excited at the start. He says this is how things were, but now WOW! Maybe because we have heard all of this, the story of Christmas and the incarnation, we lose some of excitement he felt. We take for ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4

Denomination: Methodist

It Isn't Fair Lord

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 3, 2008

A meditation in 2 parts - a Christian complaining about how awful Christmas has become, & God’s response. I included the Christmas story from Luke in the service.

A CHRISTIAN AT PRAYER Lord it just isn’t fair the way they treat us at Christmas time. We’d worked hard to put on the specials this year. Harder than ever perhaps. Did they come – did they heckers like. And the crowds down in town this year seemed bigger too Lord. From the moment they switched ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:1-7

Denomination: Methodist

John - Full Of Christmas Cheer

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 3, 2008

An advent message thinking about what John the baptist has to do with this season.

Luke 1:3-18 The season of Christmas is upon us, but I wonder at what point did this realisation hit you? When you saw the decorations going up in shopping centres - something which always seems to happen way too early (i.e. October)? When you received your first card? In the Church Advent ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:3-18

Denomination: Methodist

Ambassadors Of Christ

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 3, 2008

Christ has reconciled us to God in such an amazing way - not so that we can sit & feel good but so that we might be ambassadors of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:11–6:2 The Message ‘We’re Christ’s representatives, God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their defences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now.’ Today I want us to follow Paul’s line of thought in this ...read more

Denomination: Methodist

Covenant Family Service 08

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 6, 2008

Full service - Family Covenant Service with Holy Communion. All have sinned BUT GOD in His immense mercy & amazing love . . .

Sutton Coldfield Family Covenant Service Jeremiah 31:31-34 HP 10 Let all the world in every corner sing Prayers & Intercessions Ephesians 2:1-10 (The Message) Talk 1 Notices & Collection during HP 31 Come let us all unite & sing John 1:11-14 Talk 2 SOF 138 God of grace I turn my face SOF ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10

Denomination: Methodist

Covenant 08

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 6, 2008

We often get carried away thinking everything is all about us & our own personal Jesus, but the Holy Spirit wants us to understand that we do not exist in isolation. Just as when we get to heaven we will be part of a huge family, there is a corporate side

Promises are made to be broken. That’s what it seems like in the world isn’t it? It’s what seems to be going on in scripture too. A Covenant is of course just a promise, like in the covenant of marriage, & it can be between human beings alone or God & human beings. A very important part of a ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25

Denomination: Methodist

The Arrow

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 7, 2008

A Family all age message about practicing our faith, leaning on the Spirit & staying close to Jesus.

The Arrow 2 Peter 1: 3- 11 WORD # 1 I want to suggest that being a Christian is lot like being an arrow. Now I’m no expert on arrows, though have seen them used, I can remember Errol Flynn - Robin Hood, anyone else? I can remember hours spent as a child imagining life as Robin Hood firing pretend ...read more

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:3-11

Denomination: Methodist

The Silence Of God

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 7, 2008

God speaks to us in a still small voice - but how good are we at hearing Him in the silence?

The silence of God 1 Kings 19:1-18 & Psalm 42 We pick up the story of Elijah just after his most amazing moment. He has stood for God against the prophets of Baal, & proved that God alone is the true God as the Lord poured fire down to consume his offering. But then the prophet hears that Jezebel ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-18

Denomination: Methodist

Week Prayer For Christian Unity 08

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 8, 2008

Full service for ecumenical service - Praying about unity is a waste of time if we do not work for unity too; we have to be people who value variety & difference in one another.

Welcome CTW - HP 882 Psalm 133 HP 252 All hail the power of Jesus’ name Prayers of adoration Prayer of thanksgiving Reading 1 Thessalonians 5: 12a, 13b-18 SOF 303 Jesus stand among us Sermon SOF 43 Bind us together SOF 388 May the fragrance of Jesus Intercessions HP 758 In ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18

Denomination: Methodist

Turn The Power On

Contributed by Joseph Neil Adams on Jan 17, 2008

We can’t find meaning & proclaim truth if we are not plugged into the Holy Spirit, yet so many Christians try to live without any relationship or even contact with the Spirit of God.

Mark 1:4-11 & or John 1:29-36 Some things are just obvious aren’t they? Yet sometimes we act in a way that seems to deny common sense. For instance we drive sometimes without thinking properly about where we are going, almost on automatic pilot; do you know what I mean? Sometimes I’ve got in the ...read more

Scripture: John 1:29-36

Denomination: Methodist