Sermons on Mufti Ebrahim Smith:

An Extra Letter

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 21, 2010

For Remembrance Sunday 1995, commemorating those who had died in the previous year: their lives remind us to embrace but not misuse our freedom, to love without limitations, and to serve concerns wider than our own lives.

Before I begin, let me ask you first to turn to Galatians 5: 13, and be ready to read it with me in a little while. [Read II Corinthians 3: 1-3] I have an announcement to make. The most amazing thing has happened. We have found another letter from the Lord to the churches. We have discovered an ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:1-3

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

A Mutual Assurance Company

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 23, 2010

In order to feel fully at home in the church, we begin with praying for one another, we learn both to receive and to give to one another, and we abandon top-down thinking.

Isn’t it astounding, the power of the group? Isn’t it amazing that an otherwise normal, there, healthy, together person can be in a group and feel so wrong? Have you ever been in a group that was sending out such negative vibes that you just wanted to get out of there? Somehow you even felt ashamed ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:8-17

Denomination: Baptist

Effective Giving

Contributed by Steve Smith on Jan 23, 2010

The example of the Macedonian our Corinthian churches give us tremendous advice on the sensitive subject of tithing for NT believers today! Advice that is easy to understand requiring very little interpretation!

So much is said about tithing and yet it is probably the most difficult subject for me to speak on. I think it would be actually easier if the church was wealthy. Why is this such a sensitive subject? Or maybe its me, but why is it so hard to preach on? What about to you? Think about it for a ...read more

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Denomination: Baptist

A Sting Or A Saint?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 24, 2010

An empty niche above the church door, made for a statue of a saint, but now containing a hornet’s nest, suggests the choice of letting our lives be empowered by God or letting the sting of death and disappointment take over.

The other day I was hauling in a load of stuff from my car. I came in the Aspen Street entrance to the building, the entrance nearest my office. For some reason, as I was carrying things through the door, I looked up above my head, probably to implore the Lord to give me an extra ounce of muscle ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Denomination: Baptist

Back To Basics

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 27, 2010

There are times when a church, however successful, must review the basics: do we love those whom we serve, are we able to love those with whom we disagree, and can we feel sheer, passionate love for Christ Himself?

Where I come from, the real religion is basketball. Baptists, Methodists, and Catholics all take a distant back seat, because the real religion in the Commonwealth of Kentucky is basketball. No spring day goes by without every schoolboy finding his way to the hoops to do lay-ups and to dream about ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 2:1-7

Denomination: Baptist

Born Old

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 29, 2010

To experience new life, even in the senior years, means using old knowledge to gain new knowledge; to set aside pride in order to learn; and to be fully open to Christ.

We had been talking about a mutual friend. We had laughed a little at how rigid he was, how staid. We had commented that he didn’t like change; he could easily be "all shook up" when something didn’t go his way. I asked the other person in this conversation, "How long have you known John? Has he ...read more

Scripture: John 3:1-16

Denomination: Baptist

Envisioning A Dream For Your Joshua

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 30, 2010

1988. We may be at a point in our lives where we know we will never fully realize our dreams, but we can find fulfillment if we can identify and encourage others to embody our values.

Several years ago a rather childish and tasteless movie, but nevertheless one good for escape purposes, made the rounds. The movie was called National Lampoon’s Vacation. It starred Chevy Chase, a batch of kids, fleeting glimpses of seductive models, and a monster station wagon that developed a ...read more

Scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

Blood And The One Blood

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Jan 31, 2010

All of us are more alike than we are different, even those who are well outside our values. We need to see the broken as brothers and sisters in search of God, and to feel urgency about reaching them.

If blood is supposed to be thicker than water, meaning that we have a primary responsibility to our families, then I guess we had better know who our families are. I guess we’d better know who our blood kin are if blood is thicker than water, as the saying goes, and there is some kind of special ...read more

Scripture: Acts 17:22-31

Denomination: Baptist

When Did We?

Contributed by Steve Smith on Jan 31, 2010

This message helps the church ask why we do the acts of mercy we do? What is our motive? Last in a series of 4, we are reminded that all opportunities of service are to be done as though we are doing them for the Master Himself!

Introduction Today, we end our study of preparation for the Vision of our church for the year 2010. We’ve talked about: 1. Recognizing the Open Doors (Rev. 3:7-8) 2. Effective Prayer (Col. 6:2-6) 3. Effective Giving (2 Cor 8:1-15) And now today the question, “When Did ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 25:31-40

Denomination: Baptist

Bread Of Adversity, Cup Of Affliction, Begone!

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 2, 2010

For Black History Month: The "world the slaves made" (Genovese) was one they chose to make, seeing hope and possibility in what God had done and in following the Teacher, Christ. He ate the bread of adversity and drank the cup of affliction, but rose in

By the light of the flickering bonfire you could see them. Gathering from the little cabins down by the creek, coming up the road from the brush arbor, a few of them on a creaky old wagon pulled by two mules. Something exciting was happening here tonight! Their laughter told you, too, that this ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 30:18-22

Denomination: Baptist

Breakthrough For Joy

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 2, 2010

Every now and then something happens, after a long struggle, to give us a breakthrough. So with God in Christ, planning from the foundation of time for the cross and achieving a breakthrough victory at the empty tomb. So count nothing impossible.

Every now and again, in human history, we achieve a breakthrough. Something which we have worked for, hoped for, fought and died for, finally happens. There has been struggle and agony and seemingly endless defeat, but suddenly it all works out. That’s called a breakthrough. You know the feeling. ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-3

Denomination: Baptist

All Ye Jigs And Juleps, Praise The Lord

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 3, 2010

The whole created order finds joy in the coming of Christ. It’s time we truly celebrated, either by doing something good for ourselves or by helping someone else.

The psalm which we just read together was paraphrased many years ago by Archbishop Cranmer as a great hymn of praise, used for generations in the Church of England. Its Latin name is "Benedicite omnia opera": "Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord". This hymn is a long recitation of many of ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 148:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

All Your Diseases?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 5, 2010

For Labor Day Sunday, 1989; a focus on and prayer for those involved in the medical professions. God wants to heal us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The resurrection means that full healing is ultimately assured. Those who research and apply

God wants us to be well. Do you believe that? I do. God does not want us to be sick; our gracious, loving, Father has not wished disease upon us, nor has He orchestrated illness to punish us, nor does He target us with sickness in order to judge us. Our God wants us to be well. If you read ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Being And Telling The Good News

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 5, 2010

To tell the good news, one must BE good news. It can start in the home, with marriage; with children; and with the children and youth of the community.

You must be good news before you can tell good news. You must be good news before can tell good news. If you have a story to tell, and it’s supposed to be good news, it won’t make any sense unless you sound like a good news person. There used to be a character on the Saturday cartoons. His name ...read more

Denomination: Baptist