446 Sermon Illustrations on Sin

A rather severe fight was in progress between two boys. One large

boy was fighting a smaller boy. The smaller was getting, at least for

the time being, the better of the fray. But as the struggle became

more and more serious, he was heard to call out, "Help! Help! Help!"

Someone came to his assistance and said, "Why, boy, why are you

calling for help? You are on top." "Yes," he replied, "I know I am;

but I feel him rising!" Suppression is a dangerous undertaking. God

says, "Crucify," "Put off the old man."

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

TESTIMONY

An undertaker related to me how he was shocked by an occurrence at

the funeral home. He related that a wicked woman died and, a short

time before the funeral was to be conducted, another worldly woman,

sister of the dead woman, came in and placed a set of dice in one hand

and a "pack" of cigarettes in the other hand of the corpse. She said

she thought her sister might want to "shoot" dice and smoke in the

other world. Well, she may desire to do those things, but that desire

will never be gratified. The Bible says, "The fruits that thy soul

lusted after are departed . . . . and thou shalt find them no more at

all" (\reference{Revelation 18:14}{Revelation 18:14}).

William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

“It’s just a choice,” the respected pastor said to me confidently when I told him that God had led me to minister to people struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction.

While I was surprised and saddened to hear this from an experienced pastor, it also reminded me of the great need among our churches to be informed about ways to minister effectively and redemptively to those who struggle with an attraction they neither chose nor understand.

“It’s just a choice.” Few statements are more frustrating and painful for those who live with the reality of unwanted same-sex attraction. Many of them sit in our pews every Sunday. Some long to be able to talk about their struggle, but remarks such as this make them reluctant to open up.

The comments can be damaging to their friends and family members, as well. They may hear this from a trusted leader, assume it is true, and pass it on to the struggler. They also are more inclined to keep their own pain private because they now believe their loved one has simply “chosen” to disregard their advice.

There are also few things that can more negatively affect our credibility with a watching world than these words.

Some readers may be irritated at this point. You may be thinking “Well, it is a choice. No one is forcing them to live that way.” And therein lies the confusion.

While sin is always a choice, our temptations are not.

I’ve never been seriously tempted by alcohol -- even as a student in my pre-Christian days -- and I’ve always been extremely grateful for that.

On the other hand, I can remember struggling with anger from my early years. I did not choose this particular battle. After becoming a Christian I occasionally talked to people I respected about it. The advice I got often amounted to, “The Bible says you shouldn’t get angry.”

Which made me angry.

Far too often, people who struggle with same-sex attraction have been given that kind of simplistic advice by well-meaning family and friends. As with me and my anger, they were never aware of how or why the attraction started.

Many of the same-sex strugglers I’ve met through the years were sexually abused as children. Early on, their view of sexuality as a precious gift from God was marred. Confusion, guilt or outright threats often kept them from telling anyone.

One man told of being molested as a young boy by leaders in the church where his father was pastor. He said he thought maybe there was a sign on him saying “molest me.” Threats and fear kept him from telling anyone.

I’ve talked to women who were sexually abused by trusted family members. Again, shame and guilt often kept them from going to their parents. Sadly, some did go to adults who either didn’t believe them or chose simply to ignore the situation.

Others have been victims of physical and verbal abuse. Young women who saw their mothers abused came to two conclusions: 1) It isn’t safe to be a woman, so femininity must be rejected, and, 2) men aren’t safe and can’t be trusted in an intimate relationship.

In one support group I led, there was a man who did not fit into any of these categories. He was a slender young man who was much more interested in the arts than he was in sports. Other students began to harass him and call him gay. He didn’t think of himself that way and had never had homosexual temptations. But he began to wonder if his abusers were right. Eventually he decided to seek friendship in a gay bar. At the time I met him, he was a committed follower of Christ who still struggled to overcome the doubts brought on by his childhood antagonists.

Many who go through childhood traumas will at some point be tempted to justify or explain wrong attitudes or actions because of those traumas. But over and over again, I’ve heard men and women say, “I didn’t choose this struggle, but I did choose to act on the temptation.” They are well aware that freedom requires them to honestly face their own guilt. But too often they first have to sort through the confusion brought about by well-meaning people who have told them, “It’s a choice.”

These courageous people deserve more from us than “It’s just a choice.”

They need and deserve understanding, conveyed by both words and body language. They need and deserve to experience the love of Jesus Christ through people who honestly face our own struggles in areas of temptation we did not choose. They need and deserve encouragement to look to and trust in Jesus, just like every Christ-follower.

Think about the thing that tempts you most. Did you make a conscious decision to be tempted by it? If you confided this temptation to someone, I don’t imagine you’d appreciate it if you were confidently dismissed with “It’s just a choice.”

It’s more complicated than that, isn’t it?

*

[Original illustration at this number was moved to HolwickID #16234]

A CROW in great want of food saw a Serpent asleep in a sunny nook,

and flying down, greedily seized him. The Serpent, turning about, bit

the Crow with a mortal wound. In the agony of death, the bird

exclaimed: "O unhappy me! who have found in that which I deemed a

happy windfall the source of my destruction."

Looks can be quite deceiving. Indeed, those who follow the false

pleasures of the world will soon discover its destructiveness!

A WAYFARING MAN, traveling in the desert, met a woman standing alone

and terribly dejected. He inquired of her, "Who art thou?" "My name

is Truth," she replied. "And for what cause," he asked, "have you

left the city to dwell alone here in the wilderness?" She made answer,

"Because in former times, falsehood was with few, but is now with all

men."

It is indeed sad that in this generation many follow Falsehood instead

of the Truth.

A shepherd had sought to bring back a stray sheep to his flock. He

whistled and sounded his horn in vain but the sheep paid no attention

to the summons. At last the shepherd got so angry that he threw down

his horn and ultimately broke it. When the shepherd realized that he

had broken his horn, he immediately begged the Goat not to tell his

master. The Goat replied, "Why, you silly fellow, the horn will speak

though I be silent."

Though we may attempt to cover or hide our sins, the day will come

when our Master in Heaven will expose everything!

THE GEESE and the Cranes were feeding in the same meadow, when a

birdcatcher came to ensnare them in his nets. The Cranes, being light

of wing, fled away at his approach; while the Geese, being slower of

flight and heavier in their bodies, were captured.

When people become consumed by the passions of the flesh, their souls

become so weighed down that they will not be able to escape the coming

Judgment.

ONCE UPON A TIME a Wolf resolved to disguise his appearance in order to secure food more easily. Encased in the skin of a sheep, he pastured with the flock deceiving the shepherd by his costume. In the evening he was shut up by the shepherd in the fold; the gate was closed, and the entrance made thoroughly secure. When the shepherd returned the next day to the fold, he discovered to his horror that many sheep had been slaughtered and eaten overnight.

We must beware of the deadly wolf who dresses in sheep clothing. Indeed, we must stay away from Satan who will always appear to be our friend. Yet, if we invite him into our lives, don’t be surprised if he should seek to destroy us. See reference Matthew 7:15-20

A Deer blind in one eye was accustomed to graze as near to the edge

of the cliff as he possibly could, in the hope of securing his greater

safety. He turned his sound eye towards the land that he might get

the earliest tidings of the approach of hunter or hound, and his

injured eye towards the sea, from whence he entertained no

anticipation of danger. Some boatmen sailing by saw her, and taking a

successful aim, mortally wounded him. Yielding up his last breath, he

gasped forth this lament: "O wretched creature that I am! to take

such precaution against the land, and after all to find this seashore,

to which I had come for safety, so much more perilous."

Christians need to keep on eye on the world and the other eye on Satan

lest they fall and experience spiritual death.

A SNAKE, having made his hole close to the porch of a cottage,

inflicted a mortal bite on the Cottager's infant son. Grieving over

his loss, the Father resolved to kill the Snake. The next day, when

it came out of its hole for food, he took up his axe, but by swinging

too hastily, missed its head and cut off only the end of its tail.

After some time the Cottager, afraid that the Snake would bite him

also, endeavored to make peace, and placed some bread and salt in the

hole. The Snake, slightly hissing, said: "There can henceforth be no

peace between us; for whenever I see you I shall remember the loss of

my tail, and whenever you see me you will be thinking of the death of

your son."

We must never attempt to make friends with Sin. Either Sin will

destroy us or we must destroy Sin.

THE WOODCUTTER cut down a Mountain Oak and split it in pieces, making wedges of its own branches for dividing the trunk. The Oak said with a sigh, "I do not care about the blows of the axe aimed at my roots, but I do grieve at being torn in pieces by these wedges made from my own branches."

Misfortunes springing from ourselves are the hardest to bear. Indeed, some Christians tend to blame God for their misfortunes and suffering when their sins and actions should really be blamed.

A WASP seated himself upon the head of a Snake and, striking him

unceasingly with his stings, wounded him to death. The Snake, being

in great torment and not knowing how to rid himself of his enemy, saw

a wagon heavily laden with wood, and went and purposely placed his

head under the wheels, saying, "At least my enemy and I shall perish

together."

Christians have no other choice but destroy sin before sin destroys

them.

A MAN, very much annoyed with a Flea, caught him at last, and said,

"Who are you who dare to feed on my limbs, and to cost me so much

trouble in catching you?' The Flea replied, "O my dear sir, pray

spare my life, and destroy me not, for I cannot possibly do you much

harm." The Man, laughing, replied, "Now you shall certainly die by

mine own hands, for no evil, whether it be small or large, ought to be

tolerated."

That is how Christians should view sin. We should not tolerate even

the least sin in our lives because it may ultimately destroy us.

AN ASS, being driven along a high road, suddenly started off and

bolted to the brink of a deep precipice. While he was in the act of

throwing himself over, his owner seized him by the tail, endeavoring

to pull him back. When the Ass persisted in his effort, the man let

him go and said, "Conquer, but conquer to your cost."

Although you may try to conquer sin through you own efforts, you will

fail miserably unless you have the Holy Spirit to assist you.

Charles IX of France rode roughshod over the laws of God; but when

he came to the end of his wicked career, he cried out, "What blood!

What murders! What evil counsel I have followed! I am lost; I see it

well."

In May 1987, Mario Andretti was doninating the Indianapolis 500

auto race as no one had in 50 years. He was ahead for 170 of 177

laps. He held a one-lap lead with only one lap to go. But then, the

47-year-old driver's quest for a second Indy victory ended when a

small part of the fuel system went out.

The little things in our lives can do great damage.

- Greg Potts

Somehow a little eagle go t in among the little chickens of a

farmer. He would stay to himself and would not eat the feed of the

chickens. When they were looking down, he was looking up. As he

grew, the difference between him and the chickens became more

distinct. He seemed out of place among them.

One day some eagles flew over. Their calling caught his

attention. He flew to the top of a tree to look the situation over a

bit further. He decided that he was one of the eagles and that he

belongs with them. He flew away to join them never to return to the

lowly barnyard.

A tall cowboy, ten gallon hat and all, was sauntering around a

large department store. A salesgirl asked him if she could be of any

assistance. "No, ma'am," he replied, "I reckon not; I ain't never

seen so many things I could do without."

There are many choices which sin offers, but we can do without them

all.

The Arabs have a fable that a camel once came to the door of a tent

and thrust in its nose. Not being resisted, he thrust in his feet;

and there being no resistence then, he came halfway in. After a while

he came all the way in.

The Arab in the tent then complained to the camel, "This tent is

too small for us two." "Then," said the camel, "you had better

leave."

The church bell was out of order and gave a shrill sound. The

church wrote to the firm that made the bell. A man was dispatched to

investigate. He found the trouble. A few drops of oil from the

bearings had dripped down and settled on the rim of the bell. This

was enough to raise the sound of the bell several degrees. The man

wiped the oil away, and the bell was all right.

A little wrong keeps us from performing as we should. But God who

made us can wipe away our sins so that we will be all right, too.

When I was about eight years old, I remember being lost in the busy

downtown metropolis of Houston, Texas. My mother had told me to stay

in the toy department of a store while she went down the street to

pick up a package she was having gift-wrapped. I continued to play

for a few minutes, but I soon lost interest. So I decided to leave

the store and walk down to where my mom had gone. Poor dicision. I

turned the wrong way, so I was going in the opposite direction, all

the time being absolutely sure it was the right way.

I must have walked four long blocks before I realized my mistake.

I thought, {Maybe it's across the street.} My heart began

beating faster as I trotted over to the other side, but I still

couldn't find the store. By then I had run four, five, six blocks . .

. still no sign of that familiar storefront.

By then I was crying. I didn't know whom to ask for help . . .

everybody seemed so unconcerned. My mind was seized with such fear

that I couldn't even remember the name of the store where she said she

was going {or even the store I had left twenty minutes

before.} I circled back toward the direction I began - or so I

thought - but in my bewildered state, I had made yet another

miscalculation, for nothing looked at all familiar now.

To this day I distinctly recall the awful sense of desparation and

confusion. Guilt assaulted me as I said to myself again and again,

{Why didn't I do as Mama told me? Why didn't I obey?}

The strange part of it all was that there were people all around me

- hundreds of them - and within a few feet there were cars moving in

both directions. There was also a policeman at each intersection, as

well as numerous employees and merchants inside every store I passed.

there I was darting here and there amongst all that humanity, but I

could not have felt more lost in the thick jungles along the Amazon!

Through the kindness of a total stranger who saw my plight and took

the time to escort me back to the original toy department, I was

rescued and reunited with my concerned, loving mother. Although I am

fifty years removed from that horrible episode, I vividly remember how

terrifying it was to be lost.

- Charles R. Swindoll, {Man to Man} (Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan Publishing House, 1996) 436-347

At the recent meeting of the Congress of Criminal Anthropology at

Geneva, Switzerland, Dr. Legrain, physician-in-chief of the asylum of

Ville-Evrard, gave the results of his investigations, which extended

over a period of years and showed how sin, like disease, is

transmitted from drunken father to appetite enslaved son; how in such

soil the seeds of crime and madness develop and ripen in the last

generation into sterile idiocy and the extinction of the race.

First Generation

He traced the course of four generations of drinkers in 215

families. One hundred and sixty-eight families showed unmistakable

symptoms of degeneracy; 63 cases of mild insanity; 88 were mentally

unsound; 45 at times dangerously insane; many of the children were

weaklings and died at an early age, 6 out of 8 in one case, 10 out of

16 in another. These 6 latter who remained, were all feeble-minded and

had epileptic fits and a prey to evil instincts. Thirty-nine families

found convulsions; epilepsy in 52; hysteria in 16; meningitis in 5;

108 families out of the 215 counted one out of every two individuals

victims of periodical alcoholic delirium; 106 families of the 215,

insanity had developed.

Second Generation

Ninety-eight observations gave the following: 54 families had one

or more members who were imbeciles or idiots 23 families there were

those who were morally irresponsible, untimely births, extraordinary

mortality and hereditary diseases caused the children to die in

appalling numbers. At this stage fathers and mothers had become common

drunkards with but eight exceptions. In 42 families he found chronic

cases of convulsions, and epilepsy in 40. In 23 families insanity

exists.

Third Generation

Seven observations, or families, gave him a total of 17 children;

all were mentally unsound and physically stunted; 2 were insane, 4

subject to convulsions, 2 epilepsy, 2 hysteria, 1 meningitis, 3

scrofula.

Summing up the 814 cases found in the 215 families, he found 42.2

percent. were alcoholics, 60.9 percent are degenerates, 13.9 percent

morally irresponsible, 22.7 percent have convulsions, 19 percent are

incurably insane; 174 disappeared from this world before or almost

before having drawn their first breath; 93 cases of tuberculosis,

which bring the total of those who died from hereditary alcoholism up

to one-third.

There is no fifth generation, for the last line is a microcephalous

idiot. Thus Moses was right, as proven by science, when he said, "God

visits the iniquities of the parents unto the third and fourth

generation of them that hate him." There is no fifth.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

I remember in my school days, a loch that fed a mill down in the

valley, which was kept back by a sluice; and that sluice was just a

torment to the young Scotch boys on their way home from school;

because there was a board that threatened that, if they touched the

sluice, they would be prosecuted with the utmost rigor of the law.

That was enough to make the fingers of those school boys itch to touch

the sluice. One day two of us took a look round, and not seeing anyone

we went over and touched it. Oh, how easily the screw umounted to the

top; but there it stuck, and we could not get it down again. That is

just like sin. We got the sluice up, and the water began to roll

through the opening, which we were unable to close. What is to he

done? Bolt! And down the road these two boy's showed their heels. I

will ask of you what arrested us before we got down the valley. The

road ran alongside the burn, and the water rushed down the stream,

keeping pace with us, and we could not get away from it. Oh, if the

road had only taken another track, but there, as if with the hiss of

sarcasm, it kept up with us. -- John Robertson.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

I had the opportunity a little while ago of riding over the famous

Vanderbilt estate, Biltmore, at Asheville, North Carolina. Fifty miles

of perfect driveway stretch out before the vista, and hundreds and

hundreds of acres in a perfect state of cultivation are on every side

of you. The house in which Mr. Vanderbilt lives is a palace, and

everything about the house or stables or landscape is a thing of

beauty. But just in the center of the famous estate is a little plot

of ground of nine acres which is owned by an old black man. He could

not give a clear title to his claim, and therefore could not sell it.

Lying as it does just in the heart of the property he can compel Mr.

Vanderbilt, according to law, to give him the right of way across the

estate to his little home and while other people, even of renown, must

ask permission to pass through the gates this old black man goes

with perfect liberty.

Is there any spot in your heart which is not yielded to God. If so,

it is Satan's property, and while it may be as small in comparison as

the nine acres to the many hundreds, yet it gives Satan the right of

way through your heart and life, and this is the secret of your

failure. -- J. W. C.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."

Some time ago there was a young fellow, a minister's son, found

with a revolver beside him in a Lancashire town. He started life with

all the prospects that you, young fellow, have just now, and he

thought he would sin. He listened to the voice of the tempter, and the

more he sinned the more intense the pain became. The comparison

between his state then and his past innocence and happiness was

unsupportable, and he shot himself, and went to the place where there

is no hope. A letter was found on him and read thus: "This has nothing

to do with my brother officers. I ask them to forgive me for

disgracing the regiment; but I was worn out with vice after I joined.

God alone knows the life I have led for the last ten years. A loathing

of myself; manhood and honor gone, and other priceless gifts lost that

will never come back, and I am now in a fathomless hell without a ray

of hope." Oh, pain; expect pain, if you are going to sin. If you are

going to sin, hear it from Almighty God, you are laying up for your

poor heart and soul inexpressible pain, that is the beginning of the

woe of hell. -- Christian Scotsman.

By J. Wilbur Chapan, "Present Day Parables."