77 Sermon Illustrations on Of God

In {Gold By Moonlight} Amy Carmichael wrote: "It is not the

sense of His presence, it is the fact of His presence that is our

strength and stay."

- Charles Stanley, {In Touch Magizine}

1. It blesses the heart by making it receptive to God's will.

2. It blesses the life by lifting it to a higher plane of grace.

3. It blesses the hands by making them willing to do God's work.

4. It blesses the mind by giving it the satisfaction of doing the right thing.

5. It blesses the nine-tenths that remains because God has been honored.

6. It blesses the individual by giving him a part in God's worldwide program of work.

7. It blesses the church by enabling it to carry out a greater ministry.

See: 2 Corinthians 9:10-15

Gladys Talbot tells the story of three little trees who wanted to be something in life. The first tree wanted to be a pretty cradle when it grew up. One day some people came to the forest and cut the tree down. The tree was hewn into rough pieces and carelessly put together to form a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. The little tree was disappointed because it was shoved into a dark cave with no one to see it but some cattle. One day however, God laid there His own Babe -- the Son of God. the manger quivered with delight. "Oh, this is wonderful! In all my dreams I never thought to hold a Baby like this. This is better than all my planning. Why, I am part of a miracle!"

Years passed by, and men came to the forest to cut down the second tree. This tree aspired to be a great ship when it grew up. But the little tree did not do great things. It was not made into a great vessel, but instead it became a tiny fishing boat, owned by a simple Galilean fisherman named Peter. The little boat was most unhappy. One day it stood by the shores of the Sea of Galilee dejected and disappointed. A crowd had gathered by the shore and because of the multitude, a Man, called Jesus, stepped into the little boat and taught the people from it. "This is wonderful!" it whispered. "In all my dreams and planning I never thought I would be used as part of a miracle."

After some months, men came to the forest to cut down the third tree. This tree just wanted to remain on the hillside and point to God. But men did not leave the little tree alone. They tore away its branches; they cut into its bark, and deeper, into its very heart. They hewed it apart and put it together again, in the form of a crude cross. The little tree quivered through all its being.

"This is terrible!" it whispered. "They are going to hang someone. Oh, I never wanted this to happen to me -- I only wanted to point to God! This is awful!"

One day, outside of Jerusalem, a great crowd gathered. In the midst of the crowd was Jesus and beside Him was the cross. After nailing Him to the cross, the little tree heard words of forgiveness and peace that were offered to the whole world. Then Christ completed His work of redemption and "gave up the ghost."

And the cross began to understand! "This is wonderful!" it whispered. "In all my dreams I never thought to point to God in this way. I am part of a miracle. This is better than all my planning."

-- Talbot, G.M., Stories I Love to Tell, (Chicago: Moody Press).

See: Proverbs 16:9; Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 46:10

When I was six years old my parents took me to Lake Michigan for our

annual family picnic and swim. I had just received a brand new

plastic hot dog to inflate and ride on in the water. Since I couldn't

swim yet, my dad said, "Don't take that hot dog into the deep water!"

Well, undaunted, I walked to the end of the dock, peered over the

edge into the deepest water a six year old had ever encountered. I

decided to put the hotdog into the water and replicate the famous

running rear mount that I had seen my hero, the Lone Ranger, do so

often on Silver. I backed up, ran the length of the dock, leaped into

the air, began my descent, and ... missed! Splash, right NEXT to the

hot dog.

I remember sinking and floundering about. I hit the surface and

yelled, "HELP!" I went down a second time. I surfaced. Again I

yelled, "HELP!" Going down for the third time I remembered the saying

that goes three times down then out, so I knew I was a goner. My

whole life flashed before my eyes. (It didn't take long; I was only

6!) Just before I blacked out I felt something grab me.

When I came to on the dock, I was laying on my back looking into the

eyes of my father. At that moment I knew I was alive! He spoke, "Why

did you disobey me?" Then I knew that I was dead! After some loving

discipline we all agreed that swimming lessons at the "Y" were in

order.

This incident perfectly illustrates salvation as described in

\reference{Colossians 1:13}{Colossians 1:13}, "He has delivered us

from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the

Son of his love."

I could not save myself. I was helpless and hopeless. Only someone

stronger than me who had mastered the water could rescue me. The word

"DELIVERED" means "to rescue from great danger." "TRANSLATED" means to

transfer from one place to another." My dad delivered me from the

danger of the waves and transferred me to saftey on the dock.

What was my part in the that affair? Only that I was in trouble

because I had sinned! AND that I realized the only reasonable course

of action was to cry "HELP!" Had I called out "I GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL"

or "I READ MY BIBLE," no one would had come to my aid, and I would

have died in my sin.

Sinners today need to stop trying to impress God. Instead they must

cry out as men did in Bible times, "I have sinned"! And God promises

that "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved!"

The day will come when, after harnessing space, the winds, the

tides and gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love.

And on that day, for the second time in history of the world, we shall

have discovered fire.

- Trelhard de Chardin

Nansen, the Norwegian explorer, tried to measure an extremely

deep part of the Arctic Ocean. The first day, he used his longest

measuring line but couldn't reach bottom. He wrote in his log book,

"The ocean is deeper than that!" The next day, he added more line but

still could not measure the depth, and so again in his record book he

wrote, "Deeper than that!" After several days of adding more and more

pieces of rope and cord to his line, he had to leave that part of the

ocean without learning its actual depth. All he knew was that it was

beyond his ability to measure. So too, we cannot plumb the depths of

God's love, because our human measuring line is too short.

One day C. H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside

with a friend. As they strolled along, the

evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At

the top of the vane were these words: GOD IS LOVE. Spurgeon

remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather

inappropriate place for such a message. "Weather vanes are

changeable," he said, "but God's love is constant." "I don't

agree with you about those words, Charles," replied his friend.

"You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a

truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love."

A minister one day sat in the vestry of his church to meet

anyone who might have spiritual difficulties. Only one came.

"What is your difficulty?" asked the minister. The man

answered, "My difficulty is the ninth chapter of Romans, where

it says, 'Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated,'" "Yes,"

said the minister, "there is great difficulty in that verse; but

which part of the verse is difficult for you?" The latter part,

of course," said the man. "I cannot understand why God should

hate Esau." The minister replied, "That verse has often been

difficult, but my difficulty has always been with the first part

of the verse. I never could understand how God could love that

wily, deceitful, supplanting scoundrel Jacob."

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me." "Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him." "There's something you should know," the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us." "I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live." "No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us." "Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden to us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come on home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own." At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg. The parents in this story are not unlike many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are. (See \reference{Luke 15:11-32}{Luke 15:11-32}) Thankfully, there's One who won't treat us that way. He loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into His forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

A young lady once laid down a book she'd just finished, with the

remark that it was the dullest story she had ever read.

In the course of time she became engaged to a young man, and one

night she said to him, "I have a book in my library whose author's

name, and even initials, are precisely the same as yours. Isn't that

a singular coincidence?"

"I do not think so," he replied.

"Why not?" she asked.

"For the simple reason that I wrote the book," he answered.

That night, the young lady sat up until two o'clock reading the

book again. And this time it seemed the most interesting story she'd

ever read. the once-dull book was now fairly fascinating, because she

knew and loved the author.

So, a child of God finds the Bible interesting because he knows and

loves the Author! It is his Father's message, addressed to him.

- Sparks, "Illustrations," {Pulpit Helps, }(March 1997) p. 8

One day a pastor visited a farmer who was a member of his congregation. As the pastor climbed out of his car he noticed a windmill on the barn which carried an in scription. Squinting his eyes, the pastor could just make out the words: GOD IS FAITHFUL. "Do you mean," asked the pastor, "that God's faithfulness depends on the direction the wind is blowing?" "No!" said the farmer. "The words mean that, regardless of which way the wind blows, God is faithful."

What if,

God couldn't take the time to bless us today,

because we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?

What if,

God decided to stop leading us tomorrow,

because we didn't follow Him today?

What if,

we never saw another flower bloom,

because we grumbled when God sent the rain?

What if,

God didn't walk with us today,

because we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if,

God took away the Bible tomorrow,

because we would not read it today?

What if,

God took away His message,

because we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if,

God didn't send His only begotten Son,

because He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin.

What if,

the door of the church was closed because,

we did not open the door of our heart?

What if,

God stopped loving and caring for us,

because we failed to love and care for others?

What if,

God would not hear us today,

because we would not listen to Him yesterday?

What if,

God answered our prayers,

the way we answer His call to service?

What if,

God met our needs,

the way we give Him our lives???

What if,

We failed to send this message on???

--unknown

There are three things that all of us have to do:

1.) You have to be born, you cannot be unborn

2.) You have to die, (unless Jesus comes soon)

3.) And you have to stand before God and be Judged.

- Billy Graham

Fifty-four-year-old Elisworth Donald Griffith told a Des Moines,

Iowa judge that he was too old to go to prison, and asked instead for

a public stoning for his convition for terrorizing his former

employer. His one condition was that only those without sin be

allowed to cast stones. The judge sentenced him to five years in

prison.

- {World Almanac} (New York: Scripps Howard Co, 1987) 925

\reference{John 8:7}{John 8:7}