Sermons on Moments Joseph:

Mixed Signals: Awesome And Owesome

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jun 21, 2003

A banner was posted with a misprint: owesome instead of awesome. But it is nonetheless true: we owe some love to one another, we owe some urgency to ourselves, and we owe some loyalty to Christ.

As some of our youth discovered last week, it is not as easy as it looks to preside over a worship service. It is not as easy as it looks, because you have to read signals. You start to do something, and someone in the back waves at you. Meanwhile, someone else on the front pew is ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:8-14

Denomination: Baptist

Go Tell It On Mt. Carmel Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Dec 20, 2003

We turn our successes into failures because we see only the negatives, and we need approval. But in the Incarnation God accepts our incompleteness and offers us His unconditional love.

All of us want success. All of us need success. If you don’t care about doing something well, you are in sad shape. You are in trouble if you don’t want to succeed at something. And yet the problem is that we are our own worst enemies. We defeat ourselves time and time again. We take ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-18

Denomination: Baptist

A Tale Of Three Crosses Series

Contributed by Joseph Rodgers on Apr 13, 2004

The final message in a series leading up to Easter on the Passion of Christ. This meesage focuses on the difference between the three crosses.

A Tale of Three Crosses April 11, 2004 The Passion - Luke 23:39-43 Sunday AM Intro: In reviewing the last hours of Jesus’ life, we often only see one cross dotting the Jerusalem skyline – but to the casual observer that day, the middle cross carried no special significance – just three men dying ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:38-43

Denomination: Baptist

Put Your Pencils Down

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 1, 2001

A Labor Day and Communion message, dealing with the sources of satisfaction in work. Designed for audience participation.

Labor Day, and school is starting again. I wonder, do they still do the same things as when I was in school? Do they still have the same rituals? Maybe not. Things do change. Dodgeball, for example. Now that was THE game in my day. You had the right to throw the ball as hard as you could and ...read more

Scripture: John 17:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

God And Hurting Persons

Contributed by Joseph Smith on May 21, 2009

God has always expressed care for those who hurt; it’s nothing new. But Jesus extended that care to those not like His listeners, and His church is intended to reach the marginal.

This week, while the rest of you were surfing the Internet reading Ken Starr’s report, I was reading my favorite form of literature. I was reading "church bulletin bloopers." Church bulletin bloopers are those funny little errors that creep into church bulletins, maybe because the typist didn’t ...read more

Scripture: Luke 4:14-30

Denomination: Baptist

So Near And Yet So Far

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 14, 2009

We will never be as close to Christ as we could be or think we are if we are oblivious to today’s issues or build monuments to past achievements.

We can be close to something, and yet miss it. We can be almost on target, almost where we want to .be, and yet, if we’re not exactly where we ought to be, we miss it. So near and yet so far. A couple of years ago, when my wife and I were touring England, we were in Victoria Station, one of the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:18-36

Denomination: Baptist

Leaky Disciples

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 17, 2008

Dated 1988; post-revival message. We do not retain the Spirit after a period of excitement because we have not counted the cost, we are victims of low self-esteem, or we are not our own persons.

Nothing is more annoying than to be trying to transport some liquid in a leaky vessel. You think you’ve got whatever it is all secure and ready for use, and then all of a sudden you find out it has leaked and drained allover the place ... and nothing is more disturbing and frustrating. When I ...read more

Scripture: Luke 9:57-62

Denomination: Baptist

No Secret Christians

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Nov 20, 2008

Our desire to keep it secret that we are Christians will have to be revised when we receive joy from a redemptive fellowship. when we become informed about our faith, and when we learn to live conscious of the presence of Christ.

Before I begin, I do have some instructions for our ushers. Can I get the ushers to help us make sure we are truly ready for this experience? First, gentlemen, please make sure all the windows are sealed tight. We don’t want any sound to seep out to the outside world. And then will you please ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

Denomination: Baptist

An Appeal To The Fringe

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 22, 2010

Serving others when they need help is distracting, but it is our calling; it is draining, but not depleting ... rather it is empowering.

The trouble with my "honey-do" list is, it is much too complicated for my limited brainpower! How am I supposed to remember all the things I am expected to do? How am I supposed to keep it all straight? 3 I am about to walk out the front door, and I hear: “Oh, you’re going out to make a hospital ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:43-48

Denomination: Baptist

Lofty Lord, Live Lips, Long Layby

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 28, 2009

Where do we get the motivation to keep doing what the Lord wants us to do? We affirm that we are called by a God of power, who is able to equip us; He will give us victory eventually even though it may come slowly (Deacon Ordination Sunday).

This evening two very good football teams will face each other under the dome. The outcome will hinge not only on physical condition and coaching strategy and just plain luck; it will hinge also on motivation. Who really, really wants to win? Who is hungry to win? One of the great personal issues ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Hands

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 21, 2009

To a church which has prided itself on its accumulated resources, but which now faces austerity, God says that if we do not fear but trust Him, we are enough to get Him the victory.

Hands. You have two hands. A right hand and a left hand, two hands. They are the most versatile parts of the human body, the places where our creativity is expressed, the instruments through which we register emotions, the tools we use to earn our daily bread. Hands. What a wonderful gift are our ...read more

Scripture: Judges 7:1-22

Denomination: Baptist

Remembering, Reconnecting, And Rejoicing: What God Gives To The Grieving Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 25, 2009

Grieving healthily means remembering both positive and negative; it means connecting with others who can love us and whom we can love. In His own time God will give joy.

One of the laws of life is: To get something, you must give up something. To gain, you must also lose. We call that the tradeoff principle. We operate on the tradeoff principle every day. When you go to the grocery store and fill your basket, they have the audacity to expect you to pay for what ...read more

Scripture: John 19:25-27

Denomination: Baptist

Jehovah Rohi- The Lord Is My Shepherd Series

Contributed by Joseph Rodgers on Oct 24, 2005

a message on the name Jehovah Rohi - the Lord is My Shepherd.

Hello I Love You Jehovah Rohi – Ps. 23 Intro: The 23rd Psalm is possibly the most beloved passage in the Bible. Spurgeon called it, the pearl of the psalms. Millions have memorized these few words penned by the shepherd king – David. Ministers have recited them at weddings, baptisms, and ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 23:1-6

Denomination: Baptist

Hands Touching Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Sep 14, 2008

Ordination sermon for new deacons. God’s gifts are not found in timidity, but in the power to encourage, the touch of love, and the skill of self-discipline, all symbolized in the laying on of hands.

Of all the ways we can use our hands, none is more authentically human than touching. Touching, not grasping, for some of the apes can do that too. Touching, not hitting, for that is a perversion of our humanity. Touching, not taking, for that is part of our fallen nature. We are most human ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

A Good Soldier Of Christ Jesus

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 25, 2010

Funeral sermon for John Sheppard, retired Army sergeant, who had taken on a life of service and who had suffered with illness for several years.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then today the photographs you have selected will suffice for the message. In one of them there is a young man, wearing the uniform of the United States Army. This young man’s face displays dignity; his bearing is proud, his eyes are steady, his stance is ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-8

Denomination: Baptist