Sermons on Moments Joseph:

Fresh Encounter

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Oct 24, 2009

All of us need to hear God’s love in a fresh way. Some say they do not want an encounter, but they do. Some do not expect anything new. Some are just past their first thrill of knowing Christ. Some have never exercised faith. Christ waits to receive

Just about everybody ought to get married, at least once. There’s nothing quite like it in all the world. Everybody ought to have the experience of learning the difference between fantasy and reality. That’s what happens when you get married. Everything up to marriage is fantasy. It’s romance, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:14-17

Denomination: Baptist

Ambassadors With Contradictions

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 3, 2001

We live with contradictory feelings about many things, including our church. We do not get the gift of reconciliation fully until there is conflict, but God wants to give the gift of reconciliation now, if we will accept it.

Church, some say, should be a place of peace. Church should be a place where we can come after a week of dealing with conflicts, fears, and doubts, and find peace. I was told we don’t want conflict at church. And I do understand. I do understand why, when we come to the hour of worship, we want ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, 2 Corinthians 6:2-10

Denomination: Baptist

Choose Life!

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 21, 2007

In response to Virginia Tech: we have choices -- to choose to live in the here and now; to choose to give life to our children by contradicting this violent culture; and to choose life eternal for ourselves.

“I had no choice.” Of all the things we heard this past week from the deeply disturbed mind of Cho Seung Hui, that stands out for me as key: “I had no choice.” Cho Seung Hui felt trapped and cornered. He felt driven to do this terrible thing. In his mind, every victim was to blame – they were ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Denomination: Baptist

Too Busy Not To Pray

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 13, 2009

When we think we are too busy to pray, we are succumbing to the issue of control: either we suppose we can manage everything or we want to abdicate. Prayer is the way to find priorities and strength.

Let me throw some numbers at you. Imagine that you were in charge of an operation that involves, on the average, some ten thousand people a week, almost all of whom come together at one time. Of these ten thousand or so, not all will get there every time, but sometimes many more than that will show ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-27

Denomination: Baptist

Pain Ignores The Appointment Book Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 20, 2001

Many of us dislike dealing with unplanned events, but those who need us need us now. So either we paralyze or we panic, unless we learn to work together inside God’s grace and unless we discern that He is giving us time in which to grow our faith.

I have the utmost admiration for anybody who can live amid constant crises. I cannot do that very well. If you are the kind of person who can keep your sanity when there are ten unplanned things happening around you, I salute you. How do you do it? That’s not me. That’s not my skill. I like ...read more

Scripture: Mark 6:30-56

Denomination: Baptist

Only The Loved Can Love Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 11, 2003

Sermon preached to address atmosphere of crisis we experienced when our Assistant Pastor resigned after a short tenure. This sermon interprets the departure as a godsend, in that it stirs us to re-examine our stewardship, our faith, and our direction, an

Some things cannot be explained; they can only be experienced. Music, for example. How could I possibly do justice to music by talking to you about frequencies, rhythm patterns, tone qualities? I couldn’t. But I can play music for you, so that you can experience it. I can sit at the keyboard ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 1:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus In Love Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 18, 2002

Jesus, in dealing with sexual sin, did NOT make an object out of the woman involved, nor did He feel it necessary to do anything but give her space to work out her own spiritual issues. He DID determine that His aim was redemption, not shame, and He love

All these years of preaching and teaching, and no one has ever asked me why Jesus didn’t have a wife or a girl friend. No one has even so much as wondered out loud whether Jesus the man felt what most men feel. Are you afraid of that question? Or do you just suppose that, after all, ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Without A Trace

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 18, 2004

Funeral sermon for Paul Quick, member of the cleaning crew. A gentle spirit without a trace of negatives help others, labors in the house of God, and has received gentle treatment from a Christ who understands our weaknesses.

Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom ... the wisdom from above is ... gentle ... without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. He is able to deal gently with the ... wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness. In this noisy world, it is easy to miss ...read more

Scripture: James 3:13-18, Hebrews 5:2

Denomination: Baptist

Certainly -- At A Distance

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 18, 2003

For Good Friday: sometimes we no longer see things because we are too close to them. The disciples saw the cross "at a distance", but the centurion saw it through his callousness, cynicism, and skepticism, and affirmed, "Certainly".

Sometimes when you are too close to something you cannot see it. Or at least you cannot recognize what it is. You can be so close that you do not know what you are looking at. You need somebody else to give you a fresh perspective. My wife and I buy grocery items when they are on ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:44-49

Denomination: Baptist

Presenting Eyes And Ears: Vantage Point From The Hiding Place Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 7, 2001

When we are overwhelmed, in our panic we do not see what is before us, nor can we hear any word of counsel; someone -- innocent, devoted to us -- needs to create a stable point, a hiding place for us. Ultimately that is what Jesus Christ in His cross does.

We have abilities that we barely even use. Our senses are capable of doing much more than we allow them to do. I want to try a short experiment with you. I want to test your eyes and your ears. First, I am going to give you thirty seconds to look around this room and take it all in. Many of ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 32:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

Exploding Manhole Covers Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on May 31, 2003

A series of exploding manhole covers in Washington is compared with the series of unexpected and disruptive events in Paul’s life. Surviving becomes a matter of one’s vision of where we have come from and where we are going.

It all started in Georgetown. On M Street, in broad daylight, a manhole cover suddenly exploded into the air, flying six feet straight up and landing with a heavy clatter. There were no injuries, but there were fiery flames, an acrid smell, cars dodging one another, pedestrians pumping ...read more

Scripture: Acts 26:19

Denomination: Baptist

So Filled We Cannot Stand

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Aug 5, 2003

What brings the glory of God to worship? Discernment of where we are in God’s plan and a willingness to grow the gifts of God’s people.

What a clattering cacophony, that day in Jerusalem! What an assault on the ears! You could hardly hear yourself think. I don’t suppose they had rock concerts three thousand years ago, but it must have been a little like a rock concert. With noise, noise, noise! Loud, boisterous, ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 5:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Troubler Of Israel

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jul 22, 2009

First-person monologue, as Elijah: the voice of God is not in the winds of popularity, nor the earthquake of instability, nor the fires of self-destruction. It is in the One in whom God has spoken and who will never leave us.

I’m so lonely. So desperately lonely. It’s been so long since l’ve seen a friendly face. So lonely. So completely alone. I feel … deserted. No one even cares whether I am alive or dead. After all I’ve done for them, would you not think that somewhere in Israel there would be a good word for ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:17-18

Denomination: Baptist

Standing Close To The Lightning Strike

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 19, 2009

God will get our attention and force us to make choices, despite our desire to avoid decisions or our wish to be secular. When the lightning strikes it may be painful but it will be about grace.

You can most certainly expect God to attract your attention. I cannot tell you exactly how He will do it, but I do know that He will do it. He will attract your attention. Many of us face a spiritual issue called inattention. Distraction. Inattention. We are not paying attention to what God is ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:20-39

Denomination: Baptist

Paul And Anania: From Goodness To Going

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 25, 2009

God’s call is for those of us who think that looking good is sufficient to go share the Gospel; and to those who are discipled to be alert to the potential in those whom God has placed in our paths.

I heard this week about a very, very special automobile. It was built in the 1920’s by the Italian manufacturer Bugatti, and it was designed to be sold to the outrageously wealthy. This car was equipped with 450 horses under the hood; it was some 22 feet long and weighed about 6000 pounds. It was ...read more

Scripture: Acts 9:1-19

Denomination: Baptist