Sermon Illustration

The sins committed by ancient Israel were recorded “for our admonition” (1 Cor. 10:6, 11) that we might not make the same mistakes. Many great men have failed God because they were found in the wrong places. In the form of a question, we introduce several of the “wrong places” where some great servants of God failed. Are you on the slippery path of dishonesty, as was Abraham when he went down to Egypt (see Gen. 12:10–20)? Since his wife, Sarah, was such a beautiful woman, Abraham feared that the Egyptians might kill him in order to have her. To prevent this, Abraham deceived them by telling them she was his sister. It was only a “half-truth” for Sarah was Abraham’s half-sister (Gen. 20:12). We have a modern name for what Abraham did: “situation ethics,” the philosophy which says that one’s ethics are determined by the situation in which he finds himself. According to this concept, there is no absolute standard of morality, no objective basis for conduct. Thus, one may lie, cheat, commi...

Abraham Lincoln spoke about the legacy the people of his time were leaving, and he clearly is speaking to us today as well. “We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in number, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. “But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these things were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. “Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”

Charles Dickens once wrote: “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” It only takes a minute to begin reflecting on our present blessings: the gift of life itself, the warmth of friendships, the riches of good health, the power of love, the glory of a sunrise, the privilege of prayer, the joys of music, the satisfactions of work, the treasures of books, the beauty of art, the miracle of spring, and the grace of God. Be more grateful and you will become more joyful!

The footnote in the New International Version at 2 Kings 18:4 is most interesting. When Hezekiah found the children of Israel worshiping the brazen serpent made by Moses in the wilderness, he destroyed it. Hezekiah called the serpent “Nehushtan.” The footnote explains the meaning of the word as “a serpent made of brass.” We wonder how such an idol could have existed for so long. It would seem that it would have been destroyed in one of the reformation movements of one of the judges or kings. In my opinion, it lasted so long because it apparently was not recognized as an idol. Perhaps the children of Israel justified the worship by not calling it an idol. Hezekiah, however, came and called it what it really was—a brass image of a snake. How often we justify sin by either ignoring it or calling it a different name! Some call adultery “a meaningful relationship.” We excuse covetousness by calling it “prudence” or “economy.” A life of sensual pleasure is “living with gusto.” In answer to a...

A blind man was discovered sitting at the corner of a city street with a lantern beside him. When he was asked why the lantern was there since light and darkness were the same to him, he replied, “I have it so that no one may stumble over me.” What a message for Christians who have the light!

During the Revolutionary War in America, a few British officers, the bearers of a flag of truce, were invited by the general of the Insurgents to stop and dine with him. As a result of this courtesy, they were ushered into a tent where an officer was roasting some potatoes on a camp stove. Expecting an elaborate table, the British officers were astonished when the officer preparing the meal wiped away the ashes from the potatoes, and placed them on the table as the dinner for the general and his company. When the British officers returned to their own camp, they contrasted the American soldiers’ fare with their own expensive fare. They justifiably reflected on the difficulty of their self-indulgent habits and their need of contentment under all circumstances.

Nearly one-third of the four Gospels is devoted to accounts of the death of Christ, the incidents leading up to it and following it. A writer has reminded us that the other two-thirds of the four Gospels are given up to a preparation for the account of Christ’s death. If the men who gave us the record of Jesus’ life thought His death was an event of such importance as to justify giving it so large a portion of their attention, is it not possible that we have erred in understanding the comparative importance of the cross?

A preacher and an atheist barber were once walking through the city slums. Said the atheist barber to the preacher: “This is why I cannot believe in a God of love. If God was as kind as you say, He would not permit all this poverty, disease, and squalor. He would not allow these poor bums to be addicted to dope and other character-destroying habits. No, I cannot believe in a God who permits these things.” The minister was silent until they met a man who was especially unkempt and filthy. His hair was hanging down his neck and he had a half-inch of stubble on his face. Said the minister, “You cannot be a very good barber or you would not permit a man like that to continue living in this neighborhood without a haircut or a shave.” Indignantly the barber answered: “Why blame me for that man’s condition. I cannot help it that he is like that. He has never come in my shop; I could fix him up and make him look like a gentleman!” Giving the barber a penetrating look, the minister said: “Then ...

Some church members are as stubborn as a Missouri mule about doing church work, but as sly as a fox in their own business deals; as busy as a bee in spreading the latest gossip, but as quiet as a mouse in spreading the gospel of Christ. Many are as blind as a bat to see the needs of others, but have eyes of a hawk to see the faults of a few. Some are as eager as a beaver about a barbecue, but as lazy as a dog about the prayer meetings. Some will roar like a lion when things do not go just to suit them, but they are as gentle as a lamb when they need the preacher of the church. Some are as noisy as a blue jay when calling on the church for advice, but as timid as a kitten about talking to the lost and as slow as a snail about visiting absentees and shut-ins. Many are night owls on Saturday nights, but “bed bugs” Sunday mornings and as scarce as hen’s teeth on Wednesday nights.

During the early days of the ministry of Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist launched a series of meetings in Chicago with promise of the largest crowds that he had ever addressed up to that time. He was speaking of the life of Christ, and on the first Sunday night, October 8, 1871, he took as his topic the trial before Pilate. As he came to the end of his message, he turned to Matthew 27:22, “What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?” He concluded, “I wish you would take this text home with you and turn it over in your minds during the week, and next Sabbath we will come to Calvary and the cross, and we will decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth.” It may have been an artistic device. But speaking of it in later years, Moody called that conclusion to his morning’s address the greatest mistake of his life. Even while Mr. Sankey was singing the final hymn: Today the Savior calls; For refuge fly; The storm of justice falls, And death is nigh— the fire engines began to so...

A young military officer was traveling by train from Newark to New York City. He constantly introduced profane language into his conversation as he conversed with another passenger beside him. His profanity greatly annoyed a young lady who sat not far away. At last, unable to tolerate his language further, the offended passenger leaned over and inquired politely, “Sir, can you converse in a foreign language?” “Yes,” was his reply in a slightly surprised manner, “Then,” she continued, “if you wish to swear anymore, you would greatly oblige me—and, no doubt, the rest of the passengers—if you would swear in another tongue.” Astonished at her suggestion as well at her audacity, the young officer was speechless momentarily. However, he finally resumed his conversation; he did not swear again—neither in a “foreign language” nor in English.

There is a tiny harbor town on the ocean shore where many ships have crashed on the rocks in violent weather. This town became well-known because of a dedicated rescue team which aided mariners in distress. The rescue team would rally to the sound of the siren and rush to the scene of the accident, risking life and limb to save the sailors from drowning. As time went on, the citizens of that tiny town raised enough money to build a rescue station close to the shore. While this greatly facilitated the operation, it softened the dedicated team as well. As time went by they added some of the comforts and conveniences that other rescue stations had. Through the years the rescue station became a social club where the town’s people gathered to have fun and relax. Ships would still crash upon the rocks, the alarm would still sound, but eventually no one responded. They were reluctant to leave their comforts because their commitment to rescue the miserable mariners was no match for their compl...

Many times we are caught in the trap of running to extremes. God’s will has been revealed and needs to be understood the way God intended it to be. The Pharisees had this problem. They even had everyday life defined to the point where it was hard for a person to live. On the Sabbath day, they had problems with different concepts such as “work.” On the Sabbath you were to cease from work, and the Pharisees decided to define what God intended by this. Here are a few examples: 1. You could not turn over in bed more than seven times or that was considered work. 2. If you wanted to borrow something from your neighbor, you could not put your hand through the threshold of the door to receive it, nor could the neighbor do that. This would be considered work. If you both met halfway, it was not considered work. Jesus said in Matthew 15:6, speaking to the Pharisees, “… And thus you invalidated the Word of God for the sake of your tradition.” For the sake of their definitions which they had...

Isaiah 49:8 Jesus Christ is himself the sum and substance of the covenant, and as one of its gifts. He is the property of every believer. Believer, canst thou estimate what thou hast gotten in Christ? “In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Consider that word “God” and its infinity, and then meditate upon “perfect man” and all his beauty; for all that Christ, as God and man, ever had, or can have, is thine-out of pure free favour, passed over to thee to be thine entailed property forever. Our blessed Jesus, as God, is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. Will it not console you to know that all these great and glorious attributes are altogether yours? Has he power? That power is yours to support and strengthen you, to overcome your enemies, and to preserve you even to the end. Has he love? Well, there is not a drop of love in his heart which is not yours; you may dive into the immense ocean of his love, and you may say of it all, “It is mine.” Hath he justice? It may s...

Isaiah 41:1 All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing continueth by itself. “Thou renewest the face of the year,” was the Psalmist’s utterance. Even the trees, which wear not themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with labour, must drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only live because day by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from the earth. Neither can man’s life be sustained without renewal from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances. How depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor starvelings some saints are who live without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without God it is not of divine creating; it is but a dream; fo...

Colossians 4:2 It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, “Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;” and just as we are about to close the volume, the “Amen” of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob-there a Daniel who prayed three times a day-and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in his Word, he intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If he has said much about prayer, it is because he knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not...

- Song of Solomon 1:4 We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. “O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation.” We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God. Let others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah’s bitter pool, with joy will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the temples in which thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus. We WILL, we are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart’s delight; we will not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in his presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the ...

- Joshua 5:12 Israel’s weary wanderings were all over, and the promised rest was attained. No more moving tents, fiery serpents, fierce Amalekites, and howling wildernesses: they came to the land which flowed with milk and honey, and they ate the old corn of the land. Perhaps this year, beloved Christian reader, this may be thy case or mine. Joyful is the prospect, and if faith be in active exercise, it will yield unalloyed delight. To be with Jesus in the rest which remaineth for the people of God, is a cheering hope indeed, and to expect this glory so soon is a double bliss. Unbelief shudders at the Jordan which still rolls between us and the goodly land, but let us rest assured that we have already experienced more ills than death at its worst can cause us. Let us banish every fearful thought, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, in the prospect that this year we shall begin to be “for ever with the Lord.” A part of the host will this year tarry on earth, to do service for their Lo...

Ephesians 1:11 Our belief in God’s wisdom supposes and necessitates that he has a settled purpose and plan in the work of salvation. What would creation have been without his design? Is there a fish in the sea, or a fowl in the air, which was left to chance for its formation? Nay, in every bone, joint, and muscle, sinew, gland, and blood-vessel, you mark the presence of a God working everything according to the design of infinite wisdom. And shall God be present in creation, ruling over all, and not in grace? Shall the new creation have the fickle genius of free will to preside over it when divine counsel rules the old creation? Look at Providence! Who knoweth not that not a sparrow falleth to the ground without your Father? Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. God weighs the mountains of our grief in scales, and the hills of our tribulation in balances. And shall there be a God in providence and not in grace? Shall the shell be ordained by wisdom and the kernel be left to bli...

At 14 years of age, the “bad boy” of a little Massachusetts town, was so powerful in his influence for evil that no one was found able to teach the district school which he attended; it seemed “pretty poor soil.” Everyone said the student in question was “bad clear through,” “hopeless,” and “bound to go to ruin.” One day a new teacher came who said he was not afraid to try. The school friends were quick to tell him all the stories of “the Marcy boy.” All advised that he be forbidden to enter the school. However, he was allowed to enter. The teacher analyzed the “hopeless soil,” and began at once to enrich it with kindness, justice, goodwill and confidence, and at the right time, dropped in seeds of ambition, hope and self-respect. The seed took root, developed, grew and began to bear fruit. The promising young student dropped his bad habits, studied day and night, went to college, and graduated with honors. He studied law, answered the call for men in 1812, became associate justice of ...

There is an old story of a man in West Virginia who had a reputation for being wise and for giving sound advice. A young person went to him one day and asked, “Uncle Jed, how come you have such good judgment?” “Well, I have good judgment because I have had a lot of experience,” he replied. And the boy said, “Yes, but how did you get all that experience?” “Well,” the man mused, “I got it by making a lot of bad judgments.” If people have traveled the road before us and can tell us what that road looks like, then we are wise to listen to what they have to say.

When Gilbert Frankau was producing a play, he sent to a theatrical agency for a young man to play the leading part. After the screen test, Gilbert Frankau telephoned his agent. “This man,” he said, “will never do. He cannot act, and he never will be able to act, and you had better advise him to look for some other profession before he starves. By the way, tell me his name again so that I can cross him off my list.” The actor’s name was Ronald Colman, who became one of the most famous actors the screen has ever known.

A man sitting at his window one evening casually called to his wife, “There goes that woman Charlie Smith is so terribly in love with.” His wife in the kitchen dropped the plate she was drying, ran through the door, knocking over a lamp, looked out the window. “Where, where?” she cried. “There,” he said, “that woman in the gabardine suit on the corner.” “You idiot,” she hissed, “That is his wife.” “Yes, of course,” he replied.

Ben Putnitoff was a member of the Lord’s church. Morally, he was a good man. He did not lie, curse, drink, beat his wife, or smoke. He paid his income tax, came to Bible class and worship services, paid his bills and gave a “few bucks” to the Lord. He was never opposed to anything that was good. One day old Ben Putnitoff died and stood before the Righteous Judge. The Judge said, “Ben, you are charged with trying to close the church. Are you guilty or not guilty?” “Not guilty,” pleaded Ben Putnitoff. “I didn’t do a thing!” “Guilty as charged,” the Judge ruled. And then He continued, “Ben, you have confessed to the most effective way ever devised of closing the church. You ‘did not do a thing.’ You did not visit the sick. You did not encourage the weak. You did not feed the hungry. You did not reach out to the lost with the gospel.” “But, Judge,” Ben pleaded, “I intended to do all of those things, but I was too busy making a living and enjoying myself. I have just been putting it off.”

Ruth E. Knowlton tells this on herself: “Years ago I lived in an apartment building in a large city. The building next door was only a few feet away from mine, and I could look across the alley into the apartment on the same floor as mine. There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her as she sat by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading. “After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her windows were dirty. Everything was indistinct through her smudged windows. I would say to myself, ‘I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her windows? They look dreadful!’ “One bright morning I decided to do my spring housecleaning and thoroughly cleaned my apartment, including washing the windows on the inside. “Late in the afternoon when I was finished, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible. Her windows were clean! “Then it dawned on me. I have been cr...

There is a kind of crystal called Labrador Spar. At first sight, it is dull and without luster; but if it is turned round and round, it will suddenly come into a position where the light strikes it in a certain way, and it will sparkle with flashing beauty. People are like that. They may seem to be unlovely, but that is because we do not know the whole person. Everyone has something good in him or her.

Did you hear about the boy who failed all his college work? He wired his mother: “Failed everything; Prepare Papa.” His mother wired back, “Papa prepared; Prepare yourself.” This is the message a lot of us need in view of the coming judgment. God is prepared. We need to prepare ourselves!

Ruth E. Knowlton tells this on herself: “Years ago I lived in an apartment building in a large city. The building next door was only a few feet away from mine, and I could look across the alley into the apartment on the same floor as mine. There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her as she sat by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading. “After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her windows were dirty. Everything was indistinct through her smudged windows. I would say to myself, ‘I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her windows? They look dreadful!’ “One bright morning I decided to do my spring housecleaning and thoroughly cleaned my apartment, including washing the windows on the inside. “Late in the afternoon when I was finished, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible. Her windows were clean! “Then it dawned on me. I have been cr...

A certain preacher had a method of dealing with those people who were critical of others. He kept a complaint book in his desk. When a church member would come to tell him of another’s faults he would say, “Well, here is my complaint book. I’ll write down what you say, and you can sign your name to it. Then I’ll go and take it up with our brother.” Invariably the critic would stammer, backtrack, and insist that nothing be written or signed. In his 40-year ministry that preacher opened his complaint book hundreds of times—but never made a single entry. How about it? Are you willing to write out and sign the ugly things you have said about others? If not, perhaps it would be best to leave judgment where it belongs—with God.

The following anecdote is by J. Wilbur Chapman: “I was once a pastor at Schuylerville, New York, where on the Burgoyne surrender grounds stands a celebrated monument. It is beautiful to look upon. On one side of it in a niche is General Schuyler, and on the other side, if I remember correctly, General Gates; on the third, in the same sort of a niche, another distinguished general is to be seen, but on the fourth the niche is vacant. When I asked the reason I was told that ‘It is the niche which might have been filled by Benedict Arnold had he not been a traitor.’” —J. Wilbur Chapman

There are no more melancholy words in the language than these. Too late! I have heard them uttered by a brother, as he hurried home to see a dying father, he arrived only to be told that he had breathed his last; and not soon shall I forget the agony they then expressed. Too late! I have known them uttered by a skillful surgeon, when he was summoned to the bedside of a dying man, and I have marked the sadness to which they have given birth. Too late! I have heard them uttered by an anxious crowd, as they stood gazing on a burning building and sadly saw the failure of those who sought to save the inmates from destruction. Too late! I have known them uttered by the noble crew of the lifeboat, when, as they put out to the sinking ship, they beheld her go down before their eyes, and “the frightened souls within her.” But, oh! none of these circumstances are half so heart-rending as those in which the sinner who has despised his day must find himself when the terrible discovery is made that...

To refrain from gossip when others about you delight in it. To stand up for the absent person who is being abused. To live honestly within your means and not dishonestly on the means of others. To be a real man, a true woman, by holding fast to your ideals when it causes you to be looked upon as strange and peculiar. To be talked about and remain silent when a word would justify you in the eyes of others, but which you cannot speak without injury to another. To refuse to do a thing which is wrong, though others do it. To live according to your own convictions. To dress according to your income and to deny yourself what you cannot afford to buy. The Fountain

An evangelist had held a service, at the close of which a little girl presented a bouquet of flowers, the first spring had brought forth. He asked, “Why do you give me these flowers?” She answered, “Because I love you.” “Do you bring the Lord Jesus such gifts of your love at times?” he inquired. “Oh,” said the little one, with an angelic smile, “I give myself to him!” That surely is the highest kind of giving, and without it, all other giving is in vain. To so give takes love, and without love every sacrifice is profitless according to 1 Cor. 13:3.