14 Sermon Illustrations on Fellowship With God

Have you ever heard anyone say, "Birds of a feather flock together"? Have you ever stopped and really asked yourself what it means? Let me tell you a story which will help you to understand. One spring a great many crows began to pull up a farmer's young corn. The farmer loaded his shotgun and went out to frighten them away. Bang! The farmer fired at the crows, and hurried out into the field to see how many he had hit. To his surprise he found that, besides killing three crows, he had wounded Polly, his pet parrot! You can imagine how excited his children were when he came home with Polly in his hands. "O Daddy," they cried, "who was so cruel as to hurt poor Polly! Where was she?" Before the farmer could explain, Polly began to say, "Bad Company! Bad Company!" "That is certainly the truth, Polly!" laughed the man. Then he explained to his children that Polly had evidently seen the crows in the field and had left the house (she was allowed out of her cage a great deal of the time) and had gone to join the other birds. She had been among the crows when the farmer fired on them. "You see, Polly was keeping bad company, children," the man said. "And bad company is always dangerous. In the Bible we read, 'Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men'" (Proverbs 4:13).

If you really know God as your loving heavenly Father, you consider companionship with Him your greatest treasure. I've heard of a father who had to be away from home about seven months. On his return he took his family to a shopping center. Handing some money to his little girl, he said, "Lydia, take this money and buy anything you want." The child's eyes filled with tears as she clung more tightly to his hand. "What's the matter, Honey?" he asked. "I don't want money, Daddy," she said. "I want you!" Not Good if Detached Man often loses much of his worth when he is detached from the world of persons and things about him. There are some forms of life that can live in relative isolation. A sponge, for instance, fastens itself to the bottom of the sea and completes its life cycle there. A lichen grows on the side of a rock and, while it spreads around slightly, never moves from its original location. But man isn't made to be like that. His power and usefulness come, not in isolation, but through union and cooperation with others. No life can be truly valuable in God's sight that isn't attached to Jesus Christ. We need Him, just as every member of our body needs to be attached to it, if it's going to be of any value. We also need fellowship with other believers who are attached to Christ. A soldier fighting a battle alone, or a single man working with pick and shovel trying to dig a Panama Canal, would scarcely be more effectual than a Christian trying to establish God's Kingdom all by himself. There are people in every community who are essentially Christian in spirit who have nothing to do with the Church. "Not good if detached" is the label we might put upon their lives.

"A man who is travelling in foreign lands is glad to meet with his own countrymen." This we know by experience. Sweet is the music of the English tongue when heard amid the clatter of foreign speech. We feel our heart warmed at the sight of a costume which we can recognise as covering a true Briton. Such are the feelings of a Christian when he falls in with a true believer, and by his speech and conduct knows him to be a citizen of heaven. He detects him at once as being, like himself, "a stranger in the land;" he seeks him out and cultivates his company, and in that company he finds a solace for his loneliness among the aliens around him. Those who dwell in warm-hearted churches, surrounded by Christian society, little know the value of a single godly friend to those who dwell among worldlings. To such, a man of God is more precious than the gold of Ophir. Think for a moment: if you had been condemned to dwell in a lions' den, what a relief it would have been to find a Daniel sitting among the ferocious creatures! Such is the consolation which a single holy companion may yield to a lonely soul compelled to sojourn among those who know not God. Lord, make me one whom thy saints may be glad to meet; and, on the other hand, when I pine because I am exiled from my heavenly home, permit me to hear the voice of a fellow-countryman, that I may be of good cheer.

"On Saturday, about ten o'clock," says the Rev. T. Charles, of North Wales, in a letter, "I set out from Bristol. Just as I came to the outside of the gate of the city, I met a dear friend, and one whom Jesus loves. I was exceedingly glad to see him; for I never expected to see him this side of eternity. He had been in a dangerous decline for this half year; but now, through mercy, he is wonderfully recovered. He has nothing to depend on but Providence; and the Lord put it into the heart of a rich merchant in the city to support and provide for him amply during the whole of his illness; so that, though possessing nothing, he had every thing to enjoy. He turned his horse back, with the intention of accompanying me a mile or two. We talked; and our horses carried us one mile after another, till we had ridden fifteen miles; and both ourselves and our horses wanted some refreshment. His conversation was exceedingly savory, and truly profitable, suited to one who had been, in his own apprehension, and that of others, on the borders of heaven. I cannot look on our meeting, but as a particular appointment and blessing from Providence. We stayed two hours together at the inn, and parted at last with much regret. You would have smiled to see our eyes fixed on each other, till distance obstructed our sight. Communion of saints is a blessing indeed. I would not, for any thing, have it expunged from our creed."

A friend of mine said he had a beautiful canary bird; he thought it was the sweetest singer they had ever had. Spring came on, and he felt it was a pity to keep the poor bird in the house, so he put it under a tree right in front of his house. He said before he knew it a lot of these little English sparrows got under that tree (and you know they cannot sing any more than I can, and I don’t know one note from another), and went, “Chirp, chirp, chirp.” Before he knew it, that little canary had lost all its sweet notes. It had got into bad company.

After he found out that he had made a mistake, he took the bird into the house, but it kept up that “Chirp, chirp, chirp.” He bought another bird, but the canary nearly ruined it. He said that bird never got back its sweet notes.

Now, don’t you know lots of Christian people who had a fine testimony several years ago, but they have lost their witness, and all they do now is talk, talk, talk, talk? Why? Because they are out of communion with God, and have lost their witness.

J. Stuart Holden was being shown through a large factory where hundreds of looms were spinning very fine linen thread. The manager of the mill said to Mr. Holden, “So delicate is this machinery that if a single thread of the entire 30,000, which at this moment are being woven, should break, all of these looms would instantly stop.” He stepped to one of the machines and broke a single thread. Suddenly every loom was still and remained so until the thread was rejoined, whereupon the machinery was again in motion.

The mechanical wonder exhibited in the factory that day clearly illustrates that which is spiritual. It is through one act of disobedience, one departure from the will and fear of God, that the blessings of our fellowship with Him are stopped. Not until that thread is rejoined will the joy of the Lord flow again in our hearts.

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Foster the essayist’s natural tendency to solitary meditation never showed itself more strikingly than in his last hours. Aware of the near approach of death, he requested to be left entirely alone, and was found, shortly after he had expired, in a contemplative attitude, as if he had thought his way to the mysteries of another world.