Sermons on Oswald Smith:

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

Bramble For President!

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 6, 2010

The politician who sells out to special interests and who has no regard for life is not worthy of our loyalty. We need to get involved in the political process with a servant mentality.

We have here in our church a long-standing tradition of the separation of church and state. We do not get involved in partisan politics. We do not support candidates, we do not give platforms to those running for political office. This sets us off from some other churches, where it is not at all ...read more

Scripture: Judges 9:1-21

Denomination: Baptist

All I Need Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 7, 2010

Jesus’ healing of the man born blind forced his disciples to rethink their theology, forced his neighbors to rethink their perception of him as victim, and forces us to rethink our posture toward healing ministries.

Have you noticed that when you get sick, you get sick all over? When some part of your body isn’t up to par, then the whole person, the whole self, feels bad. When we get sick, we get sick all over. Now you may speak of having an upset stomach, but it’s really an upset you. The physician might ...read more

Scripture: John 9:1-33

Denomination: Baptist

The Rest Of Your Life

Contributed by Steve Smith on Feb 8, 2010

A reminder that when we try just a little harder proving our obedience and when we recognize our inability and His complete ability, then we will find the blessings from being involved in His work!

Introduction Two Texans were trying to impress each other with the size of their ranches. One asked the other, “What’s the name of your ranch?” He replied, “The Rocking R, ABC, Flying W Circle C, Bar U, Staple Four, Box D, Rolling M, Rainbow’s End, Silver Spur ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Denomination: Baptist

Every Time The Church Doors Open

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 11, 2010

Preached 1985. What merits our coming to church frequently? We need to come with the expectation that God will meet us in the presence of His people. And then we will respond with prayer for the church, not mere criticism or complaint.

They tell the story about the fellow who on one Sunday morning woke up, struggled out of bed, shuffled downstairs for his breakfast, and then announced to his mother, "Mother, I’m not going. I’m just not going to church today. I don’t feel like it, they don’t care for me down there, I don’t need ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 122:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

I Thirst

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 13, 2010

Fifth Word of a Seven-Last-Words service, summing up the first four as Jesus’ thirst for others, for salvation, for God, and finally for His own needs. Gethsemane Baptist Church, Washington, DC

True spirituality is to know that we have needs. It is only those who pose as ultra-spiritual who deny their needs. True spirituality is to need help, and to ask for it. Spiritual maturity means knowing when we are not adequate and knowing that it is all right to ask for help. It is only the ...read more

Scripture: John 19:28

Denomination: Baptist

Starting Over With God

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 13, 2010

God, though He is a god of wrath, also gives Himself permission to start over with us; we ought to take a cue from that and give ourselves permission to start over in our relationship with Him.

Did you ever start something and then find that it was going so badly, it was such a mess, you just wished you could just start all over again? You started down some path, you knew it was a mistake, but you got so invested in it you felt you had to see it through, even though it was getting worse ...read more

Scripture: Hosea 11:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Baptism: Magic Or Mission?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Feb 14, 2010

"How can I get God to do what I want?" is the poor question that has led to erroneous concepts of baptism. Baptism is, to the contrary, our signing on to how we can go what God wants.

The problem is that if you don’t ask the right question, you’ll never get the right answer. If you ask the wrong question, you’ll never get the answer you want. A long time ago I learned that it is the wrong question, definitely the wrong question, to ask, "Are we having dessert tonight?" If I ...read more

Scripture: Mark 1:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

What Makes You Think You Can Come Here?

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 17, 2010

Lent, 1986, Communion: We should never be intimidated from the Lord's Table by ritual, shame, or weakness. It is hosted by one who offers us mercy and grace, paid for by His blood; so come boldly.

In the South Africa of apartheid, I suppose, nearly anything is possible. And so I do not expect that this story, improbable as it sounds, is untrue. If anything, I expect it could be multiplied many, many times over. At any rate, the story is that one day an Afrikaner, one of the ruling class in ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-16

Denomination: Baptist

When Jesus Comes: No Respect Series

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 17, 2010

Christmas Eve 1988: When Jesus comes as an infant, there is no respect, for he is the child of an unwed mother and is poor. When Jesus comes to the end of his life, there is no respect. But He redeems His status and can redeem ours.

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield has made en entire career out of a single piece of business and a single punch line: "I don't get no respect". He will regale you with tales of his childhood, when the other kids used him as a punching bag and called him a host of unflattering names, and then he sums it ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Denomination: Baptist

Prayer And The Chronically Unhappy

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 21, 2010

For Reformation Sunday, October 1987: Job in the Old Testament and Luther in the Reformation Era were chronically unhappy people, but used that as a form of spiritual energy to drive them toward creative achievement and an honest personal faith.

It looks as though some people are just born to be unhappy. There are some people who are going to approach nearly everything with a complaint or a gripe, who are going to make a personal issue out of everything. Nothing is quite good enough, nothing quite satisfies. There are folks whose ...read more

Scripture: Job 6:8-13

Denomination: Baptist

From Faith To Power

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 23, 2010

After Christmas, 1985. We alone of creation know that we could be and should be more than we now are. In Christ and in his vulnerability we are empowered to change.

"To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God." Power to become … If you ask what it is to be human, if you want to know what separates us as human beings from all other forms of life, one way you could answer the question would be to say that ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-14

Denomination: Baptist

Hard To Be Humble

Contributed by Joseph Smith on Apr 24, 2010

Independence Day 1988: Arrogance breeds blindness to our own sin, numbness to the needs of others, and a denial of relationships. The Father's Table is about mercy and grace for all.

You have heard him a thousand times in the TV commercial, warbling away in that gravelly voice with an accent I hear only when I go back to Kentucky. He is singing in the shower and flaunting his huge schnozz at the camera. "0 Lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way". ...read more

Scripture: Luke 15:11-32

Denomination: Baptist