19 Sermon Illustrations on Admonition

D. L. Moody said that his “greatest mistake” occurred October 8, 1871. On that night his message was based on Pilate’s question, “What shall I do then with Jesus?” (Matthew 27:22) As he concluded, he said, “I wish you would seriously consider this subject, for next Sunday we will speak about the cross, and at that time I’ll inquire, ‘What will you do with Jesus?’” Ira Sankey then sang the closing hymn, which included the lines,

Today the Saviour calls;

For refuge fly;

The storm of justice falls,

And death is nigh.

Little did anyone know that these words would be the last ever heard in that huge hall. Even as they were being sung, the soloist’s voice was nearly drowned out by the sound of clanging bells in the street. That was the night of the great Chicago fire which almost destroyed the entire city. Among the hundreds who died were some who earlier had been in Moody’s audience. The evangelist was greatly distressed by this and lamented his tragic error in not asking men and women to receive the Lord that evening.

“Now, whenever I preach,” he said later, “I press for a definite decision. I would rather lose my right hand than give people even a day to decide for Christ, for I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again.” The gospel invitation is a “today only” offer!

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Paul Lee Tan, “Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations.”

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Another version from the Frederickburg Collection:

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 sound on the street on their way to their first contact with the great Chicago fire in which Moody's hall was laid in ashes, and in which it is estimated that over a thousand persons lost their lives. Moody never saw that congregation again, and some of those to whom he spoke on that night doubtlessly died.

1. Fight the good fight with all thy might!

Christ is thy strength and Christ thy right;

Lay hold on life and it shall be

Thy joy and crown eternally.

2. Run the straight race through God's good grace,

Lift up thine eyes and seek His face;

Life with its way before us lies,

Christ is the path and Christ the prize.

3. Cast care aside, lean on thy Guide,

His boundless mercy will provide;

Trust and thy trusting soul shall prove

Christ is its life and Christ its love.

4. Faint not nor fear, for He is near,

He changeth not and thou art dear;

Only believe, and thou shalt see

That Christ is all in all to thee.

[Tune “Pentecost”]

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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!

Have you ever been caught in a revolving door? It just keeps on going around and you cannot get out. Some people are like that, they have no direction as to where they are going. You may ask someone, "Where are you going?" The person will answer, "I don't know." Then how will you know when you get there? Besides its common use as the entrance to a house or building, this word is used metaphorically as the entrance to anything. Jesus said that He is the door, the entrance, into the kingdom (John 10:7-9). The door of faith is the opportunity of belief offered to the Gentiles in Acts 14:27. Elsewhere it means opportunity.

Paul refers to a great door opening to him in 2 Corinthians 2:13. Revelation 4:1 says, "I looked and a door was opened." Do we have the ability to see the open doors, and if so, do we go in and avail ourselves of the opportunities that await us? Jude talks about people who have no direction, driven about by winds first one way then another. This accomplishes nothing.

(Ephesians 4) speaks of being carried about by every wind, again depicting no direction.

Some brethren show no more direction after being a Christian for thirty or forty years than they did when they first obeyed. This is the door that goes nowhere. They have gone through the door but stopped, so in essence it has taken them nowhere. Paul relates to this when he says, "By reason of time you ought to be teachers, you have that need that someone teach you again what be the first principles" (Hebrews 5:12).

"My boy," said a father to his son, "treat everybody with politeness, even those who are rude to you; remember, you show courtesy to others, not because they are gentlemen, but because you are one."

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.

1. Remorse over yesterday's failure.

2. Anxiety over today's problems.

3. Worry over tomorrow's uncertainty.

4. Procrastination with one's present duty.

5. Resentment of another's success.

6. Criticism of a neighbor's imperfections.

7. Impatience with youth's imperfection.

8. Skepticism of our nation's future.

9. Unbelief in God's providence.

Do you have a list of goals that you are working on at this moment? If you do, congratulations, because it places you in a small group of achievers. If you do not have goals for your life, let me share some basic reasons why you need to set goals.

1. Goals will give your life purpose. They help you to specifically know where you are going. They provide a clear target for your life.

2. Goals will help you develop a plan of action for reaching your goals.

3. Goals are exciting because they keep you active. Work is a sure way to success and happiness.

4. Goals are biblical. Paul said, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).

5. Goals produce results. They are not just exercises in futilities.

6. Goals help keep you young and interested in life. There is hope and expectation in the future.

7. When you work on your goals you help to encourage others to do the same.

8. Good goals help you know where you are at each month. You have planned your journey in life. You have a map to check each action by.

9. When you set meaningful goals you are following the pattern of all great leaders who have gone before. They work.

10. Goals are essential if you are going to accomplish things in life. Whether on the job, in the home, or in the church, goals are vital to success.

11. Goals get us involved in the present. The steps to accomplishment must be taken today.

12. Goals provide a procedure for doing things decently and in order. It eliminates the "hit-and-miss" approach to life.

13. Goals provide a framework for evaluating our progress.

14. Nothing will happen until you set some goals for your life. This is the major advantage of failure: you do not have to do anything to achieve it.

A young lady, a member of the church who felt very responsive in regard to her Christian life, found herself frequently in the society of a young man who was not a Christian. One evening she went with him to a service where great religious interest was being manifested. On the way home he remarked:

"After all, I don't know but that you and I are as well off as these church people."

"But I am one of the church people myself," she stammered.

The young man made a polite attempt at an apology, but the arrow had hit the mark. A private Christian life is an essential thing, but the one who has no public life is not likely to have a private one that is worth taking account of.

A boy was dressing to go out for the evening. He called to his mother who was in the adjoining room. "Mom, is this shirt dirty?" Without so much as looking she replied, "Yes, it's dirty. Get a clean one."

When he had dressed he entered his mother's room and inquired how she knew the shirt was dirty when she had not even looked at it. "If it had been clean," she replied, "you would have known it and would not have asked me. Remember son, if it's doubtful, it's dirty."

In this little incident there is a sermon. It applies to all of us who flirt with temptation and seek approval of others for the things we desire to do. In many cases in our Christian living, if it looks doubtful, you better leave it alone.