Sermon Illustrations on Christian — page 2

Preventing Common from Becoming Commonplace

I know only one infallible way of preventing the common from becoming commonplace, of preventing the small from becoming trivial, of preventing the familiar from becoming contemptible, and it is to link it all to Jesus Christ, and to say, "For Thy sake, and unto Thee, I do this." Then, not only will the rough places become plain, and the crooked things straight, and not only will the mountain be brought low, but the valleys of the commonplace be exalted.

-Alexander Maclaren

A Christian's Measure

A river is measured by the water it brings to the sea, a fountain by its overflow, a Christian by his helpfulness to others.

-Isaac Edwardson

The Happiest Christian

The happiest and most useful Christians are those whose outflow is spontaneous and commensurate with their intake, whose giving in substance and service is proportionate to their receiving. They are channels of blessing. Having received the Holy Spirit in fullness, out from within them there flow rivers of living water. Every blessing received makes a new opportunity to pass a blessing on. Increased ability calls for larger service. As riches increase, the opportunity to help spread the gospel increases. As one's contacts with people multiply and become more intimate, the opportunities to influence them in right directions, to help them to better lives and above all to point them to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, multiply. He who socially, in the business world, or any way, moves in a larger orbit in life, has the wider opportunity to let the light God has given him shine upon other lives to their eternal good. Using life's opportunities enlarges life's orbit.

-Charles A. Cook The Larger Stewardship (Judson Press)

Paradoxes of Christian Life

Lord Bacon says, in his essays on the "Different Characters of the Christian":

"A Christian is one that believes things his reason cannot comprehend and hopes for things which neither he nor any man alive ever saw; he believes three to be one, and one to be three; a father not to be older than his son, and a son to be equal with his father. He believes himself to be precious in God's sight, and yet loathes himself in his own; he dares not justify himself even in those things wherein he can find no fault with himself, and yet believes that God accepts him in those services wherein he is able to find many faults. He is so ashamed as that he dares not open his mouth before God, and yet comes with boldness to God, and asks him anything he needs; he has within him both flesh and spirit, and yet he is not a double-minded man. He is often led captive by the law of sin, yet it never gets dominion over him; he cannot sin, yet can do nothing without sin. He is so humble as to acknowledge himself to deserve nothing but evil, and yet he believes that God means him all good, ..."

This whole essay is so remarkable that even some devout Christians could not comprehend it, and thought Bacon must have fallen into a sudden fit of skepticism or mental aberration.

Equality before Him

It has been said of the Duke of Wellington, that once, when he remained to take the sacrament at his parish church, a very poor old man went up the opposite aisle, and, reaching the communion table, knelt down close by the side of the Duke. Someone came and touched the poor man on the shoulder and whispered to him to move farther away, to rise and wait until the Duke had received the bread and wine. But the eagle eye and the quick ear of the great commander caught the meaning of that touch and that whisper. He clasped the old man's hand and held him to prevent his rising; and in a reverential undertone, but most distinctly, said, "Do not move: all are equal here."

The Beginning of A Gentleman

Some boys were playing ball in a shady street. Among their number was a little fellow, seemingly about twelve years old-a pale, sickly looking child, supported on two crutches, and who evidently found much difficulty in walking even with such assistance. The lame boy wished to join the game, for he did not seem to see how much his infirmity would be in his way, nor how much it would hinder the progress of such an active sport. "Why, Jimmie," said one, "you cannot run, you know." "Oh, hush!" said another, the tallest in the party, "Never mind, I will run for him"; and he took his place by Jimmie's side, preparing to act. "If you were lame like him," he said to the other boys, "you would not want to be told of it all the time." There was the beginning of a true gentleman.

Luther's Conversion-Its Relation to His Work

It was at one time not unusual to consider that Luther, as a reformer, was born into life, so to speak, in connection with that outrageous business, the sale of indulgences through Germany, by the command of Leo X, with a view ostensibly to obtain money for the completion of St. Peter's in Rome. It was previous to this, however, that he made that memorable journey to the Papal City which was disclosed to him in the nearer view afforded, the enormous corruption of the Papacy, and in which, as he was painfully climbing the scala sancta in Rome, those words came to him with such power, "The just shall live by His faith." And it was still earlier than this that, in the library of the monastery at Erfert, he had taken in his hand for the first time a copy of the Bible, and there at its very source found the water of life. It was still earlier that, seeing a companion slain at his side by a stroke of lightning, he was roused to think of death and eternity, becoming from that hour an anxious seeker until he found peace in believing. Thus he was first a Christian before he was a reformer, and we do not reach the momentous lesson of his whole history if we fail to realize the fact that he was a reformer because he was a Christian.

A Double Life

A man who is attempting to live a Christian life on one side, and a worldly life on the other, is like a sick man who has made up his mind that what the doctor says is all folly, and that, since he does not like the medicine and regimen, he will do that which is most agreeable to him. When the nurse and physician are out, he steals into the pantry, and loads his stomach with things aggravating to his disease. He deceives everybody but Nature; Nature is never deceived. You may call food what you please, but if it is contrary to the law of digestion, when the stomach takes it, Nature knows it. You may call your course in life what you please, but when your conscience takes it, and its effects are evolved, its real character is disclosed.

My Place

God seeks to mold us by circumstances, and you must believe that God has put you down just where you are because your present position is the very best place in the universe to make you what He wants you to become. He could have made you a king or a bishop, a millionaire or a statesman; but He passed all these by, and has put you just where you are. You may be a stableman, a cook, or a housemaid; but God had the whole universe to choose from, and He wanted to do His best for you and He put your soul just where it is, because He knew that there you would be surrounded by the best conditions to make you what He wanted you to become.

-F. B. Meyer

Many Mansions

Christ had to prepare the disciples for parting with Him. He did this by the promise of reunion. It will not be in a strange land, but in His Father's house. There will be ample room-"many mansions." He has gone into that house-is there now, in His glory, and with His mediatorial power. In due time He will come and take us to be with Him, our spirits to be at home with the Lord, and in due time our bodies to be raised up and glorified. Oh, what a future is before the believer, though he be as poor and as despised by the world as the fishermen of Galilee!

Saved by Words

Proverbs 10:19

Have you been described as a person of many words?

On October 14, 1912, the life of outspoken and energetic presidential candidate, Theodore Roosevelt was saved by his many words.

Roosevelt had just served one term as president, and was reapplying for the job. As he left his hotel in Milwaukee on that day, he stuffed his thick, wordy campaign speech in his breast pocket. He was soon confronted by a gun-toting bartender. The angry assailant fired at Teddy, hoping that Roosevelt would suffer the same fate as his predecessor, President McKinley. The bullet did crack one of Roosevelt's ribs, but the thickness of his speech probably saved him from death.

While many words were life-saving in this one incident, generally the more words you spit out, the more trouble you bring to yourself. Jean Paul Sartre once said, "Words are loaded pistols." And, your Creator dispensed this sage perspective: "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise" (Proverbs 10:19 NIV. Words-choose them carefully. And make sure you err on the side of saying too little than too much. Your life might be at stake.

Remember: An "absent" word shows prudent "presence."

Reflections

No Laughing Matter

1 Peter 2:20

Are you one of those who believes that "pain is gain?"

At Massachusetts General Hospital, in October, 1846, Dr. William Morton employed ether for a surgical amputation and the science of anesthesiology officially began. Painless surgery quickly became the norm that it is today.

Actually, itinerant performers had been using nitrous oxide for years as a party gag. In 1842, Dr. Crawford Long of Jefferson, Georgia, attended an "ether party." He was very mystified at how participants stumbled around laughing, yet feeling no pain. Crawford convinced a friend to try it for the removal of a tumor. The procedure was a success, but Crawford didn't publish his findings ahead of Morton, thus losing the credit.

Today there are more sophisticated anesthetic methods to eliminate the pain. But when it comes to emotional pain, there's no relief. In fact, suffering that is incurred as the result of following Christ is essential. God inspired: "If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God" (1 Peter 2:20 NIV. God's Son, Jesus Christ, endured enormous pain to pave our way back to God. We should be willing to do no less.

Remember: Christian wanna-bees should know this: "no pain, no reign."

Reflections

Brick Streets

1 Corinthians 3:11

"Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Do you like brick streets? If you live in Liberal, Kansas, or my home town in Oklahoma, I hope the answer is yes, but it may not be. Many people do not like the noise of driving down brick streets. In this country we do not know how to keep them up. A few years ago I went to Holland to visit my brother and what did I see? The green country and the great old buildings and the roads. Some of the streets dated back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The streets were all brick.

A brick is just a small and unimpressive thing. But when bricks are put side by side they make a street or a great structure that can last for a long time. A Christian is like a brick, in that a Christian by one's self is not very impressive and sometimes may be used in a destructive way. Bricks, however, that are put together in a good and proper way, can and will last for generations. In Holland we visited a building site of a town where a street was being built. The people working made sure the ground or foundation for the brick was strong and right before the first brick came into hand. Today, we as Christians can last but we need to be on the foundation that is Christ Jesus.

-J. F. Carter

A Virtue That Needs Reviving

It is a simple command: "Practice hospitality." The great English Bible translator William Tyndale said that Christians should have a "harborous" disposition, a willingness to share house and heart with others.

But we live in a time of isolation. Houses are islands where their residents frantically emerge to shop, conduct their business, and work and then impatiently return home. It is an age when we do not know our neighbors or anyone else outside our own family. Unfortunately, this spirit has infiltrated the ranks of God's people.

The church exists as a counterculture to the prevailing mood. In a society that can be brutally individualistic, followers of Jesus should cut across the grain and become community oriented. In an ocean full of little islands of families, we should open our homes and hearts to other families. We need to connect.

Here are some suggestions for encouraging hospitality:

Invite one new family into your home every month.

Play games, talk, study the Bible, or pray. We need to widen our horizons and make new friends. If we do not do this, we are, by neglect, implementing loneliness.

Plan Sunday dinner at your house once a quarter with a new family.

This is an old custom worth reviving. Few things draw people together better than a shared meal around a common table.

Visit a neighbor.

Neighborhoods aren't neighborhoods anymore. They are just collections of houses where people move in and out. Reach out and introduce yourself to a neighbor with a platter of cookies or other sign of good will.

A home can never be happy if it is selfish. Let's learn to open our door to the stranger. Chances are, that stranger is lonely.

-Paul Woodhouse Family Newsletter

Wanted...

Luke 2:51

MOTHERS like Hannah: "As long as he (her son) liveth he shall be lent to the LORD" (1 Samuel 1:28).

BOYS like Jesus: He returned with His parents to Nazareth and "was subject unto them" (Luke 2:51).

GIRLS like the little maid who told her mistress that God could heal Naaman's leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-3).

BROTHERS like Nehemiah and Hanani, who served God together (Nehemiah 7:1, Nehemiah 7:2).

SISTERS like Mary and Martha, who received Jesus into their home and lives (Luke 10:38, Luke 10:39).

PREACHERS like Paul, who "in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (1 Corinthians 2:3) presented the truth in the power of the Spirit.

SERVANTS OF GOD like Barnabas: "He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith" (Acts 11:24).

LOVERS OF THE BIBLE like the Bereans: "They received the word (message) with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily" (Acts 17:11).

The Riches of Christian Faith

This week I had my faith much strengthened in visiting a sick woman. I would fain change places with her. Glad enough should I be to lie upon that sick bed and die in her room; for though she has been long on the borders of the grave, and knows it-knows that each hour may probably be the last-her joy is so great, her bliss is so abundant, that you have only to speak with her and her joy overflows. She said to me, "I prayed that if God would spare me, he would give me one soul, and he has given me five converts while I have been on this bed"; and I did not wonder at it, as I saw the five dear friends sitting in the room; I did not wonder at it-it was enough to make one a Christian to see her joy and her peace, and hear her talk so confidently about the time when she should see her Lord and be in his embrace forever. "Ah!" says the devil to the Christian, "I will give you so much if you sin." Our reply is, "What could you give me compared with my inheritance? O fiend, you bring me counterfeit riches, but I can count down ten thousand times as much in real solid gold! You offer me your paste gems, but here are diamonds and pearls of the first water and of the rarest value!"

True to His Conscience

I know a man whose master had tried to make him go against his conscience; but he said, "No, sir." And the master thought, "Well, he is a very valuable servant; but I will beat him, if I can." So he threatened that if he did not do as he wished he would turn him away. The man was dependent on his master, and he knew not what he should do for his daily bread. So he said to his master honestly at once, "Sir, I don't know of any other situation; I should be very sorry to leave you, for I have been very comfortable, but if it comes to that, sir, I would sooner starve than submit my conscience to anyone." The man left, and the master had to go after him to bring him back again. And so it will be in every case. If Christians are but faithful, they must win the day.

The Rooted Christian

I saw one day a number of beech trees which had formed a wood; they had all fallen to the ground through a storm. The fact was they leaned upon one another to a great extent, and the thickness of the wood prevented each tree from getting a firm hold of the soil. They kept each other up and also constrained each other to grow up tall and thin, to the neglect of root growth. When the tempest forced down the first few trees, the others readily followed, one after the other. Close to that same spot I saw another tree in the open, bravely defying the blast, in solitary strength. The hurricane had beaten upon it but it had endured all its force unsheltered. That lone, brave tree seemed to be better rooted than before the storm. I thought, "Is it not so with professors?" They often hold together, and help each other to grow up, but if they have not firm personal roothold, when a storm arises they fall in rows. A minister dies, or certain leaders are taken away, and over go the members by departure from the faith and from holiness. I would have you be self-contained, growing each man into Christ for himself, rooted and grounded in love and faith and every holy grace. Then when the worst storm that ever blew on mortal man shall come, it will be said of your faith, "It could not shake it."

To Be A Christian Without Being Religious

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

I walked into a Religious Education classroom in a public school in Australia and with tongue-in-cheek wrote in large letters across the blackboard:

“I hate religion.”

“Man, in this class, you’ll get shot,” gasped one student in amazement.

“But I’m sold on real Christianity,” I responded.

“Well, what’s the difference?” several chorused.

“Let me explain,” I replied.

FIRST: GOD’S PURPOSE True, Christianity is a religion, but people can be religious without being Christians. Christ condemned the religious Pharisees of his day because they hid their real selves behind a facade of religion and external morality.

It may sound odd, but God isn’t into religion or external morality. He’s into relationships and reality. That is, he wants us not only to have a right relationship with him, but also with each other and with ourselves. And he wants us to be real – to see and admit what we truly are so he can help us.

Neither is it God’s goal to make us good. It’s to make us whole, for only to the degree that we are made whole will our actions, lifestyle, and relationships be wholesome!

Religion tends to want to fix us from the outside in. God wants to fix us from the inside out. The first can become an impossible burden. The latter is what brings freedom.

Christianity is not a set of rules and regulations. It is experiencing divine love, divine acceptance and divine forgiveness.

It helps to realize that God isn’t out to zap us for the wrongs we’ve done. In fact, no matter what we have ever done or have failed to do (while he hates our sin because that destroys that which he loves — us), he loves us with an everlasting love and has a wonderful purpose for our lives - for this life as well as the next! As Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And again, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness” (John 10:10, TLB).

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you loved me so much that you gave your Son, Jesus, to die in my place so I could be given a full and free pardon for all my sins and receive the gift of eternal life. Help me to be sure that I have received your forgiveness and am a real Christian.

Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

~~~~~ Part 2 ~~~~~

”For all have sinned and fallen short of the standard of God” (Romans 3:23).

MAN’S PROBLEM On the outside we may look like we are doing very well, but on the inside everyone of us has a major issue. Seneca, the ancient Roman philosopher, put it bluntly when he said, “We have all sinned. Some more. Some less.” God’s Word, the Bible agrees. It reads, “We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s standard” (Romans 3:23). Sin, however, is not only doing harmful acts. It is anything that falls short of the standard of perfection that God envisioned for us. This includes nursing grudges and other negative emotions, pride, jealousy, mixed motives, etc. Most of us, too, are guilty of sins of omission; that is, not doing what we know we should and could do (see James 4:17).

Another misconception about God is that he is out to get us or to punish us for our sins. We bring sin’s punishment on ourselves because sin has its own natural consequences. If we try to break the universal law of gravity, for instance, we can’t. It will break us. Neither can we break God’s universal moral law. When we do, it breaks us, and besides its painful effects in this life – suffering, sorrow, sickness and spiritual death – its ultimate and tragic consequence is eternal death or separation from God (Romans 6:23).

Being spiritually dead, we are like a burned out or “dead” electric light bulb that cannot respond to its power source. Because of this, we cannot respond to God’s love and power without his first “fixing” us. Furthermore, because of our spiritual deadness, it is impossible for anyone to save him or herself. Only God can do this. This is why all the “good works” in the world cannot make us alive to God. Only when we see and admit this, is God able to “fix” us!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, if there is one thing that I desire it is that you will give me the courage to be open and honest with you and to help me see the truth about you and myself so I can come to you and find your forgiveness and healing of my inner self. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

What is A Christian?

John 1:12

Can You Tell Me … What is a Christian?

Have you ever tried to explain to a person how to get to heaven? Going to church, being baptized, reading the Bible, praying, joining a church, giving money––all these are things a Christian does––but they are not means of getting to heaven.

And Indian is not an Indian because he rides a horse or sleeps in a teepee or lives on an Indian reservation; he is an Indian because he was born into an Indian family. A Christian is the same way; he is a Christian because he has been born into the family of Christ. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3)*

A person is married when he receives another person as his marriage partner; the acceptance and commitment of “I do” binds them together into a mutual union. In the same way a person is a Christian when he receives Jesus Christ, accepting with an “I do” what He offers. “Yet to all who receive Him, to those who believe in His Name, He gave the right to become the children of God” (John 1:12). His Name is Jesus “because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

When you understand what a Christian is, you must face three important questions. The first is “Why does a person need to become a Christian?” Have you ever felt inward guilt over doing what you knew was wrong? Everyone has! It is that inner wrongness that offends the excellent rightness, the glory of God. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God has promised to judge sin with separation from His presence, which the Bible calls “death.” “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). We need to become Christians because sin separates us from God and we need to be rescued from His judgment of death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The second question is, “How does becoming a Christian help?” Since sin is the problem we need to get rid of it. Most people think they can just start being good and do the right thing-but if we are honest with ourselves we know that even when we really try to be good we still do things that we know are wrong. The problem is too big for us, so God has helped us by sending His Son to die as our substitute. God Himself put on a human body and Jesus-who was sinless because He was God in the flesh-suffered on the cross in our place for our sins. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. … But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

The third question is “When can I become a Christian?” The answer is right now! If you understand what you need and what God has done for you through Jesus Christ, then now you can become a Christian. Just as a person becomes married by saying “I do” to his partner, so you can become a Christian the moment you say, “I do” to Jesus Christ. Do you believe and trust in God’s promise to forgive the sin of those who accept Jesus as their substitute? The Bible says: “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. . . for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:9-10, 13). Your “I do” can make you a child of God. Will you accept God’s offer of His free gift of eternal life-right now? This is the only way to go to heaven.

Can A Christian Lose Salvation?

John 3:16

Question: “Can a Christian lose salvation?”

Answer: Before this question is answered, the term “Christian” must be defined. A “Christian” is not a person who has said a prayer, or walked down an aisle, or been raised in a Christian family. While each of these things can be a part of the Christian experience, they are not what “makes” a Christian. A Christian is a person who has, by faith, received and fully trusted in Jesus Christ as the only Savior (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).

So, with this definition in mind, can a Christian lose salvation? Perhaps the best way to answer this crucially important question is to examine what the Bible says occurs at salvation, and to study what losing salvation would therefore entail. Here are a few examples:

A Christian is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse speaks of a person becoming an entirely new creature as a result of being “in Christ.” For a Christian to lose salvation, the new creation would have to be canceled and reversed.

A Christian is redeemed. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The word “redeemed” refers to a purchase being made, a price being paid. For a Christian to lose salvation, God Himself would have to revoke His purchase that He paid for with the precious blood of Christ.

A Christian is justified. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). To “justify” means to “declare righteous.” All those who receive Jesus as Savior are “declared righteous” by God. For a Christian to lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and “un-declare” what He had previously declared.

A Christian is promised eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life is a promise of eternity (forever) in heaven with God. God promises, “Believe and you will have eternal life.” For a Christian to lose salvation, eternal life would have to be taken away. If a Christian is promised to live forever, how then can God break this promise by taking away eternal life?

A Christian is guaranteed glorification. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). As we learned in Romans 5:1, justification is declared at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification is guaranteed for all those whom God justifies. Glorification refers to a Christian receiving a perfect resurrection body in heaven. If a Christian can lose salvation, then Romans 8:30 is in error, because God could not guarantee glorification for all those whom He predestines, calls, and justifies.

Many more illustrations of what occurs at salvation could be shared. Even these few make it abundantly clear that a Christian cannot lose salvation. Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation cannot be reversed. A Christian cannot be un-newly created. Redemption cannot be undone. Eternal life cannot be lost and still be considered eternal. If a Christian can lose salvation, God would have to go back on His Word and change His mind — two things that Scripture tells us God never does.

The most frequent objections to the belief that a Christian cannot lose salvation are 1) What about those who are Christians and continually live an immoral lifestyle? 2) What about those who are Christians but later reject the faith and deny Christ? The problem with these two objections is the phrase “who are Christians.” The Bible declares that a true Christian will not live a continually immoral lifestyle (1 John 3:6). The Bible declares that anyone who departs the faith is demonstrating that he never truly was a Christian (1 John 2:19). Therefore, neither objection is valid. Christians do not continually live immoral lifestyles, nor do they reject the faith and deny Christ. Such actions are proof that they were never redeemed.

No, a Christian cannot lose salvation. Nothing can separate a Christian from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28-29). God is both willing and able to guarantee and maintain the salvation He has given us. Jude 24-25, “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

(untitled)

A popular book of a few years ago, {Jonathan Livingston Seagull, }extolled the "virtues" of independence and individuality at any price. The seagull is a popular subject for photography, and many people who vaction at the shore end up with some kind of souvenir bearing the picture of a seagull. It is easy to see why people like this figure. A seagull exults in freedom. When flying alone, he thrusts his wings back with powerful strokes, climbs higher and higher, and then swoops down in majesstic loops and circles.

In a flock, though, the seagull is a different bird. His majesty dissolves into in-fights and cruelty. Comcepts of sharing and manners do not seem to exist among gulls. They are so fiercely competitive and jealous that if you tie a ribbon around the leg of a gull, making him stand out from the rest, you sentence him to death. The others in his flock will furiously attack him with claws and beaks, hammering through feathers and flesh to draw blood. They'll continue until he is a bloody heap.

If we must have a bird as a model for our society, there is certainly a better choice. Consider the wild goose. The V-formation they use in flying enables them to fly with more ease and speed. The point position is the most difficult because of wind resistence, so the geese rotate this position every few minutes. The easiest flight is experienced in the two rear sections of the formation, and the stronger geese permit the young, weak, and older birds to occupy these positions. It is also probable that the constant honking encourages the weaker geese.

The seagull teaches us to break loose and fly alone, but the wild goose teaches us to fly in a "family." We can fly further with our Christian family than we could ever fly alone - and, as we fly, our efforts constantly help others in our family.

A Truth Encounter

Acts 5:3

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15).

Another common misconception of the spiritual world is that demonic influence is only evident in extreme or violent behavior and gross sin. Most Christians suffering from demonic activity lead relatively normal lives while experiencing serious personal and interpersonal problems for which no cause or solution has been found. Since they relegate satanic involvement only to mass murderers or violent sex criminals, these ordinary problem-plagued individuals wonder what’s wrong with them and why they can’t just “do better.”

Satan’s first and foremost strategy is deception. It is not the few raving demoniacs who are causing the church to be ineffective, but Satan’s subtle deception and intrusion into the lives of “normal” believers. One Christian psychotherapist who attended my conference on spiritual conflicts and counseling said, “I discovered that two-thirds of my clients were having problems because they were being deceived by Satan — and so was I!”

A final misconception that must be dispelled is that freedom from spiritual bondage is the result of a power encounter with demonic forces. Freedom from spiritual conflicts and bondage is not a power encounter; it’s a truth encounter. Satan is a deceiver, and he will work undercover at all costs. But the truth of God’s Word exposes him and his lie. His demons are like cockroaches that scurry for the shadows when the light comes on. Satan’s power is in the lie, and when his lie is exposed by the truth, his plans are foiled.

When God first disciplined the early church in Acts 5, He did so in a dramatic way. Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira: “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” (verse 3). God wanted the church to know that Satan the deceiver can ruin us if he can get us to believe and live a lie. If I could infiltrate a church, a committee, or a person undetected, and deceive them into believing a lie, I could control their lives! That’s exactly what Satan is doing, and his lie is the focus of the battle.

Lord, enable me to stay alert to the enemy’s wiles and arm myself with Your truth.

A Truth Encounter

Acts 5:3

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15).

Another common misconception of the spiritual world is that demonic influence is only evident in extreme or violent behavior and gross sin. Most Christians suffering from demonic activity lead relatively normal lives while experiencing serious personal and interpersonal problems for which no cause or solution has been found. Since they relegate satanic involvement only to mass murderers or violent sex criminals, these ordinary problem-plagued individuals wonder what’s wrong with them and why they can’t just “do better.”

Satan’s first and foremost strategy is deception. It is not the few raving demoniacs who are causing the church to be ineffective, but Satan’s subtle deception and intrusion into the lives of “normal” believers. One Christian psychotherapist who attended my conference on spiritual conflicts and counseling said, “I discovered that two-thirds of my clients were having problems because they were being deceived by Satan — and so was I!”

A final misconception that must be dispelled is that freedom from spiritual bondage is the result of a power encounter with demonic forces. Freedom from spiritual conflicts and bondage is not a power encounter; it’s a truth encounter. Satan is a deceiver, and he will work undercover at all costs. But the truth of God’s Word exposes him and his lie. His demons are like cockroaches that scurry for the shadows when the light comes on. Satan’s power is in the lie, and when his lie is exposed by the truth, his plans are foiled.

When God first disciplined the early church in Acts 5, He did so in a dramatic way. Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira: “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?” (verse 3). God wanted the church to know that Satan the deceiver can ruin us if he can get us to believe and live a lie. If I could infiltrate a church, a committee, or a person undetected, and deceive them into believing a lie, I could control their lives! That’s exactly what Satan is doing, and his lie is the focus of the battle.

Lord, enable me to stay alert to the enemy’s wiles and arm myself with Your truth.

74 Sermon Illustrations on Christian