314 Sermon Illustrations on Christ

One of the problems of the manufacturing world is the disposition of

waste materials. Modern industry, however, is finding out what an

earlier generation called rubbish is often very valuable. From the

waste of gold mines of a generation ago, fortunes have been made. In

the piles of crushed rock from other mines are being found rich

sources of uranium. From the streets of New York each year over one

million tons of wastepaper are recovered. From the coal tar that was

once one of the biggest nuisances in certain factories come the dyes

in all colors of the rainbow, sweets that challenge our sugar, flavors

that perfectly imitate natural flavors, and amazing medicinal

products. Jesus looked into the heart of a dissatisfied Jew whose

occupation did not satisfy him nor recommend him to others. He was

only social refuse. But Jesus saved him and he wrote the first

Gospel. A poor leper, on the rubbish heap of that day, was made whole

and happy, and changed from a hopeless liability into a useful

citizen. And still Christ is using the alchemy of salvation to

reclaim those lost and hopeless and make them splendid, noble

Christian men and women. ("Choice Illus." W.W. Clay pg. 32-33)

A man was once crossing a shoulder of one of the lower Alps. His

guidebook told him that he would arrive at a place where the main

trail would cease, but gave no further information. When he came to

where the path ended, he paused for a time seeking some sign of a

trial. Then he caught sight of what seemed to be a splash of blood

upon a rock. As he went toward it, he saw at some distance another

rock similarly marked. Each red mark he came to brought into view

another a little farther away. Then he understood that these red

paint marks were to be his guides across the trackless area. And the

blood signs of Christ's vicarious atonement mark the true way to God

and heaven. ("Choice Illus." W.W. Clay pg. 35-36)

Christ was asking His disciples to establish a memorial to Him.

Strangely enough, He asked for the most permanent memorial that could

be made. Had He asked for some monument to be erected, like the Great

Pyramid of Egypt, in time its real worth might be questioned. Had

Christ asked for some building of great beauty to be erected in His

memory, by now it might have been as the Church of the Nativity at

Bethlehem, a reminder only of another day. Instead He said:

"Frequently meet together. Eat a meal with the bread that will remind

you of My broken body, and the grape juice of My blood. Look into the

faces of one another, and love one another as I did when I was with

men, and while you remember My cross, remember that I am coming for

you. And wherever you thus meet, I shall meet with you." Monuments

might long since have crumbled but this simple memorial still is as

fresh and inspiring as when it was first given. ("Choice Illus." W.W.

Clay pg. 36-37)

J.R. Miller tells of man who stumbled into a swampy bog beside the

sea, when the tide was flowing out,and sank almost to his neck in the

salt mire. It was night, and there he lay, his head merely above the

surface, unable to extricate himself. For a time the waters continued

to flow away, but by and by they turned and began to flow toward him.

Weak, faint, bewildered, and unconcious, he lay there through the

darkness. Morning dawned and the tide was still rising. A workingman

hurrying on his way to some early duty, walking on a railroad trestle,

noticed the man's head in a bog, with the water up to his chin. He

hastened to the rescue, and with much difficulty succeeded in

extricating the man from his perilous position. Had not this help

come, the man would have perished in the salty swamp. He had no power

to fight the oncoming tides, with all the great sea behind them. Just

as helpless is a human life in the grip of sin and temptation, with

only its own strength to meet the enemy. Just as helpless was the

nation of Israel in the midst of its foes, without the help of the

Lord. Little wonder that Samuel "took a stone, and set it between

Mispeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto

hath the Lord helped us" (\reference{1 Sam. 7:12}{1 Samuel 7:12})

("Choice Illus." W.W.Clay pg. 37-38)

A young man went away to college. A few months later his mother

visited the campus. He showed her around the buildings and proudly

introduced her to some of his professors. Then she said, "I'd like to

see your room." He took her over to the dormitory and into his room.

As she looked around she saw some lewd pictures on the wall, but she

was wise enough not to say a word. But after she got home she sent him

two presents - one for himself and one for his room. When he opened

the package marked for his room, he found a beautiful picture of the

head of Christ. When she visited him in the spring, he again took her

into his room. All the obscene pictures had been taken down and the

picture of Christ had the central place in the room.

"Where are the other pictures?", his mother asked him. Oh," he said,

"I took them down and destroyed them. I saw that they did not fit in

with Him." He had cast out he evil and had crowned Christ, giving Him

the first place. that's exactly what we ought to do. We should throw

out our lives and hearts all those things that would displease him and

we should crown Him as the Lord of our lives.

Like Paul did in the long ago, let us commit our all to him until that

blessed day when we see Him face to face. He is crowned King of kings

and Lord of lords.

Ford, Sinful Age, 20-21

A little boy was taken by his mother to an art gallery where he saw

for the first time the picture Holman Hunt's "Light of the World." As

the little fellow looked at it there was something he could not

understand. He saw that the face of the One standing at the door,

asking admittance was the face of a loving, patient person. He noted

the nail-pierced hand, the thorn-crowned brow. He knew that if

admitted he would do no harm, only good. After several moments of

silence he looked into his mother's face and asked, "Mother, why don't

they let him in?"

At the close of a service a stranger accosted the preacher. "I

don't like your preaching. I don't care for the cross. I think it

would be far better to preach Jesus the teacher and example."

"Would you be willing to follow him if I preach Christ as the

example?" the preacher asked.

When the stranger assured the preacher that his wish was to follow

in Christ's steps, the preacher suggested, 'Then, let us take the

first step. It says of Jesus that he 'did no sin.' Can you take this

step?"

The stranger looked confused. "No," he admitted, "I do sin. I

acknowledge it."

"Well, then," replied the preacher, "your first need of Christ is

not as an example but as a Savior."

A man sinking in quicksand and hearing a man on shore say, "Walk

like me. Follow my example and all will be well," would be helpless

to follow the patern advised. He needs first to be rescued. Then he

can walk like the example on shore.

In the end, the poem is not a thing we see; it is, rather, a light

by which we may see - and what we see is life.

- Robert Penn Warren

{Job Title}-underline{:} Messiah

\bold-italic-underline{Purpose}-underline{:}{ }To lead a

successful revolution against the Roman presence in Palestine and

restore the rightful government to the nation of Israel.

\bold-italic-underline{Qualifications}-underline{:} Must be a

forceful leader who is not easily intimidated. Must be a descendant

of Abraham and David. Should be able to seek and obtain God's help in

this noble purpose. Experience preferred.

- {Adult Bible Teacher, }11, April, 1993, p.26.

A man was lost in the Alps. The owner of the lodge where he had

been staying sent out his best rescue dog to look for him. The dog

found the man half-conscious, grabbed him, and started to shake him in

order to wake him up. On coming to his senses the man, seeing the dog

and thinking it was a wolf, stabbed the animal. The dog let go and

returned to the lodge, where it died shortly thereafter. The dog's

owner followed the trail of blood, came to the lost man, and saved

him. The dog had given his life so that another might live.

For many years in the marketplace of Rotterdam, Holland, stood an

old corner house known as "the house of a thousand terrors." In the

sixteenth century King Philip II of Spain ruled over Holland. In his

hatred of the Dutch, he torured, maimed, imprisoned, and exiled

thousands. When the people rose up in defiance, he sent a Spanish

army under the Duke of Alva to put down the rebellion.

The city of Rotterdam held out valiantly for some while, then

finally fell before the Spanish army. The victors went from house to

house, ferreting out the citizens, then slaying them wholesale in

their houses. In one house a group of men, women, and children

huddled together, a thousand terrors gripping their hearts as the

Spanish soldiers approached.

Suddenly a young man had an idea. Taking a young goat belonging to

the premises, he killed it, then with a broom swept its blood under

the door of the house. Then they waited breathlessly, as footsteps

approached. Soon the Spaniards were battering at the door. Then they

heard one of them say. "Look at eht blood running under the door.

Come away, men, the work here is already done!"

A little later the army withdrew, allowing a band of thankful

people to emerge, safe and sound. They lived because a goat had died.

Tell Jesus when the burden seems too great for you to bear;

Go, lay it at the feet of Christ, and know that He will care;

And tell Him all the little things that come to cloud your way,

The puzzles and perplexities that trouble you today.

Tell Jesus all there is to tell about you daily needs,

About the dim uncertainties through which your pathway leads;

About the cherished hopes that lie lifeless at your feet,

The golden dreams left unfulfilled, the labor uncomplete.

If you could know how tenderly He makes our cares His own,

You would not stand apart again and bear this pain alone;

You would not miss the joy and peace of walking at His side,

Of finding tempest changed for calm and sorrow sanctified.

I tell Him all the story now, no other friend can be,

In morning light or evening shade, what Jesus is to me;

His human heart is still the same today as yesterday,

And in His love I find my rest, and in His strength my stay.

-- Edith Hickman Divall

Surgery has five classifications of wounds, according to a Detroit

physician.

Jesus was wounded in all five of these ways: \bold{Contused

wounds} when they smote him and buffeted him;

\bold{Lacerated wounds, }when they scourged him;

\bold{Penetrating wounds, }from the crown of sharp thorns;

\bold{Perforating wounds} when they crucified him;

\bold{Incised wounds, }from the spear thrust in his side.

- {Pulpit Helps, }March 1996, p. 26

Light looked down and saw darkness, "there will I go," said light

Life looked down and saw death, "there will I go," said life

Love looked down and saw despair, "there will I go," said love

So came light and shown truth, so came life and conquered death

so came love and gave hope, and "the WORD became flesh and dwelt

among us"

- Daniel L. Akin, {The Southern Seminary Magizine} Winter

1997, 8.

A story from the folklore of the Orient tells of a man who had

built a large and prosperous business through honest toil and

unselfish cooperation of his fellow workers. As he grew older he

became more and more concerned about the future interest of his

enterprise. His only relatives were three nephews.

One day he called these three into his office and said to them,

"One of you shall be my successor, but before I determine which one I

have a task for you to perform." He then handed each youth a coin

with these instructions: "Go and buy something with this coin that

will fill this large room asw full as possible. Spend no more than I

gave you and return at sunset."

All day long the youths scouted around the marketplace. When

the shadows lengthened they made their way back to their uncle.

The first one dragged a huge bale of straw into the room which,

after he had untied it, hid two walls of the room. The others

complimented him and helped to clear it away.

The second youth brought in two bags of thistledown which, when

releases, filled half the room. Again the others cheered.

The third youth looked somewhat forlorn. "I gave my coin to a

hungry child," he explained, "and most of what I had left I gave to

the church. Then with a farthing that was left I bought a flint and

candle." He then struck the flint and lit the candle which in turn

filled every corner of the room with its light. The old man blessed

the lad and declared him his successor.

- {Pulpit Digest}

H.P. Barker gives a graphic illustration that points up the need for both knowing and applying the Bible's truths.

As I looked out into the garden one day, I saw three things. First, I saw a butterfly. The butterfly was beautiful, and it would alight on a flower and then it would flutter to another flower and then to another, and only for a second or two it would sit and it would move on. It would touch as many lovely blossoms as it could, but derived absolutely no benefit from it. Then I watched a little longer out my window and there came a botanist. And the botanist had a big notebook under his arm and a great big magnifying glass. The botanist would lean over a certain flower and he would look for a long time and then he would write notes in his notebook. He was there for hours writing notes, closed them, stuck them under his arm, tucked his magnifying glass in his pocket and walked away. The third thing I noticed was a bee, just a little bee. But the bee would light on a flower and it would sink down deep into the flower and it would extract all the nectar and pollen that it could carry. It went in empty every time and came out full.

_______________

A. Naismith, 1200 Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes (Chicago: Moody, 1962), p. 15.

See: Joshua 1:8; Psalms 1:1-3; Psalms 119:99; Colossians 3:16

It is said that Tennyson was walking one day in a beautiful flower garden when a friend said to him, "Mr. Tennyson, you speak so often of Jesus Christ. Will you tell me what Christ really means to your life?"

Tennyson stooped and pointing to a beautiful yellow flower said, "What the sun is to the flower, Jesus Christ is to my soul."

A servant whose master and mistress were away was uncertain when they would return. A friend visited her and feeling rather tired went in to rest. When she got up she saw that the servant had gone to all kinds of trouble to lay the table for tea as if her master and mistress were coming home that hour. She questioned the servant whether the master and mistress were coming home that day, but her friend answered, "I have not heard, but as the time is uncertain, I always have everything ready each day." What a lesson this is for the Christian-to have everything ready every day and every hour of the day.

The Lord wants us to live all the time as if today would be our last.

I believe it was John Wesley who was asked at one time, "What would you do if you knew that tonight you would die?" That great preacher of years gone by said, "I would do exactly what I have scheduled to do."

Could you say that?

In a great cathedral there is a statue of Christ. As one enters the cathedral and stands before that statue, he is appalled at the ugliness and repulsiveness of the sculptor's representation of Christ.

He wonders whether that is what Christ really looked like. He is keenly disappointed. But then, as he comes closer to the statue, he can see an inscription on it which reads: "Kneel down and look up." He kneels down and looks up, and lo everything about it is different. The repulsiveness is replaced by a wonderful attractiveness. The face of Christ is not ugly any more. What makes the difference? It is the position of the observer. If he stands up and looks at the statue, there is no beauty to it, but if he kneels down and looks up, he sees the face of the gentle, loving Savior.

One man used to play tennis quite a lot. He wasn't very good, but he was always open to anything that could help him. One day he was watching a match on TV, and saw a commercial advertising the Wilson T-2000 metal racquet. It showed Jimmy Connors making a lot of fancy shots while a hidden narrator said, "If the Wilson T-2000 could win Wimbledon and Forest Hills, it could certainly handle my little matches."

So he played with one all that summer. And he lost all summer. That racquet didn't do anything for him. The truth is, the Wilson T-2000 didn't win Wimbledon or Forest Hills. Jimmy Connors did-using the Wilson T-2000. When the fans walked away from the match that day, they didn't talk about what a great racquet the Wilson T-2000 was; they talked about what a great player Jimmy Connors was. And the prize check was made out to Jimmy Connors and not to you-know-what.

Now in tennis, a racquet is essential-but it isn't the racquet that wins. It's the champion who wins, using the racquet. In the doing of works and greater works, Jesus is the champion and we are the racquet in His hands.

A young nobleman had been absent for such a long time from his extensive estate and numerous tenants that he was a stranger to them.

Having returned home, he was out hunting and wandered from his party.

Lost and thoroughly drenched by the rain, he sought shelter and relief in the cottages of some of his tenants, but they did not recognize him as the lord of the manor and shut their doors in his face. Knocking at the cottage of a poor widow, he heard the invitation, "Come in, thou blessed of the Lord." She gave him a suit of dry, though coarse, clothing and spread before him the best food she could provide. He went away promising to return for his own clothes. The next day he appeared with his retinue and stopped before the poor widow's door.

She discovered in the young lord her unknown guest. He thanked her for her kindness shown to a stranger. She gave as a reason for her hospitality the fact that her own boy was away at sea and might be in need of shelter. When Christ came, He was surrounded by the world He had made. Yet Christ had nowhere to lay His head, for "He came unto his own, and his own received him not."

Evangelist Gypsy Smith said that once, when a group of gypsies were forced to cross a swollen stream, a great number of men were drowned.

One young man made a desperate attempt to save his mother who kept clinging to him. Several times he pushed her away, saying, "Let go, Mother, and I can save you." But she would not heed him and was lost.

At the funeral, the son stood by his mother's grave and said over and over, "How hard I tried to save you, Mother, but you wouldn't let me!" These are the tragic words that we shall hear Jesus Christ say to many in eternity one day, "How hard I tried to save you, but you wouldn't let me. Your will was the great hindrance."

As George Matheson said, "Christ has illuminated the world, not by what He did, but by what He was; His life is the Light of Men. We speak of a man's life-work; the work of Jesus was His life itself....

It is good to be told that the pure in heart shall see God, but the vision of heaven in a pure man's face outweighs it all. They tell us that the Easter morning has revealed His glory; rather would I say that His glory has revealed the Easter morning. It is not resurrection that has made Christ; it is Christ that has made resurrection. To those who have seen His beauty, even Olivet can add no certainty; the light of immortality is as bright on His Cross as on His Crown. 'I am the resurrection' are His own words about Himself-not 'I teach,' not 'I cause,' not 'I predict,' but 'I am.'"

A general may defeat all his enemies on the battlefield yet be unable to defeat his critics at home. He may be able to control the men under him and yet be unable to control himself. He may be victor in the eyes of men, yet defeated in the estimation of God. And he may congratulate himself that no one has been able to stand up against him, yet he will go down at last before man's final enemy, death.

Thus, all men's victories are partial in this life. Even the victory over sin and evil that the regenerated believer has in Christ is at best incomplete. Only one Man has ever conquered sin and death completely and defeated all His enemies.