Sermon Illustrations for Christmas 2 (2015)
Illustration
Object:
Jeremiah 31:7-14
How many times has that been sung by the Israelites? We now know that there are members of the lost tribes all around the world. Even some who came to our country with the Conquistadors discovered that they were Jewish when they realized that they had traditions that were different. They could not eat pork or work on the sabbath. They had converted to Catholicism to save their lives during the Spanish Inquisition. I have learned of others in India and Asia who discovered their Israelite ancestry. So God is still calling the remnants of Israel from all over the world.
It seems that God is calling Israel as his "firstborn," and we see it today in the nation of Israel which was formed from Jews all over the world -- many who were being persecuted. God has not forgotten his promise to Israel.
God's people in Israel are still suffering, so it seems we have to reach out further to descendants of God's "firstborn." I like to think that that means Jesus. In the New Testament we find that Christians of whatever background have become children of Abraham through our faith in Christ.
The implication is that we are to be missionaries to bring in the lost so that God will adopt them as he promised. That is one of our most important jobs. Yes we may build beautiful temples to our God, but our primary job is to reach out to others.
One of the discoveries we make on the mission field is how often converts may claim that the good news of the gospel has always been in their hearts. When they hear it, they recognize it.
When I was teaching Apaches, their name for God was Usen. When the early Spanish arrived and the priests who came with them preached the gospel, they recognized that Usen was their God. The only thing that almost destroyed their faith is what the Conquistadors did to them. Even the priests objected, but it did no good. This is a lesson that we should be careful how we treat the new convert.
What are we teaching the Muslims when we take our revenge just like they do? We are often no better than them, to our shame. I would rather die trying to convert the Muslim than die in the process of killing them.
Let us share the joy of this season with all the world. One thing that will convert the lost is when they see our joy! Don't let it fade!
Bob O.
Jeremiah 31:7-14
The prophet Jeremiah tells the people of Israel that their mourning will be turned to gladness and give comfort and joy instead of sorrow. There are times when, like Israel, we feel that God has abandoned us, but he has not!
Travis Franklin, in the November-December 1996 issue of Preaching, relates a story of two American soldiers on a battlefield during WWII. Along with their companions they left their foxholes in a frontal attack on the enemy, but they were repelled and forced to scramble to back to their foxholes. Looking back on the scene they had just escaped from, they were horrified to see lifeless bodies and the dying screaming out for help and in pain scattered across the open field. One of the men turned to the other and asked, "Where in the hell is God?" as they continued to watch and listen to the popping of the guns and the blasts of the grenades. In a short while they saw two men running through the area with red crosses on their helmets and arms indicating they were medics. As they watched, the medics stopped and began to load a wounded soldier on their stretcher. Once loaded, the medics began to work their way to safety. As the scene unfolded before them, the other soldier boldly responded to the questioning soldier, "There is God! There is God!"
As the prophet Jeremiah tells the children of Israel that God has come to turn their mourning into gladness and to exchange sorrow for comfort and joy, so God's people of the twenty-first century need to know that God is here. He has not abandoned us. We need to know that on the heels of Christmas, the baby Jesus has come to save us from a world gone mad with all of its terrorism, hatred, and strife.
Derl K.
Ephesians 1:3-14
When a little girl's letter to Legos went viral asking why the company did not have a line of toys for girls that showcased them not in a gender role but in a professional occupation, the company responded by creating a new line for girls called Research Institute. It features three ladies at the research facility -- a paleontologist, an astronomer, and a chemist. Before the product could be placed in stores it was sold out on the Legos website in August 2014.
Application: Paul speaks of being adopted as the children of God. We all desire to be accepted.
Ron L.
Ephesians 1:3-14
Predestination: This is nothing more than saying that God's love is a little like that of a Father laying eyes on his son and daughter the first time at birth. The infant does nothing to earn the father's love. Yet it is love at first sight. Indeed, the love even began before the birth. And no matter what the infant does or becomes he remains the father's child. If human beings can love that way, should we expect any less from God? John Calvin spoke of how this love brings about unity: "Formed into one body, we are united to God, and closely connected with each other. Without Christ, on the other hand, the whole world is a shapeless chaos and frightful confusion. We are brought into actual unity by Christ alone" (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XXI/1, p. 205).
A lot of our false pride and the weight of thinking we must be the ones to make ourselves worthy of God are dispatched by this text and the teaching of Predestination. As Martin Luther said about these teachings: "This excludes all merit; so don't let it enter your mind that you can earn anything here or brag about your works or your wisdom or your merits. Here all glorying is taken away..." (Luther's Works, Vol. 51, p. 127).
Mark E.
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
John tells us that Jesus is the word who became flesh. He is God incarnate. He has been called Lord of lords and King of kings by the scriptures and musicians. Robert Shannon, a retired homiletics professor from Valle Crucis, North Carolina, wrote in Preaching magazine that Ethiopia's King Haile Selassie's body had been reburied. Selassie had claimed to be descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The Rastafarian sect believed he was a god. During his lifetime he was called "The King of Kings."
Shannon continues that the Shah of Iran was deposed in a revolution and shortly afterward died from cancer. His full title was Shah N Shah, which means "The King of Kings."
A statue of King Ozymandias of Egypt is said to be the largest statue ever found in Egypt prior to 2001. Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a poem about that ruined stature and its inscription: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works ye mighty and despair." Shannon commented, "And that is all we know of Ozymandias!"
There is only one King of kings... there is only one God... there is only one Jesus who has come to save us. Let us bow down and worship him.
Derl K.
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
The word was Jesus. He was with God in the beginning and he was God. There is only one God. I am only one person, yet to some I am pastor, to some I am husband, to some I am father. My parents are gone or I would also be son, yet I am one. We may also say that God is different to each of us. He may be judge to some, and to others he is defense attorney. He is both Father and brother (through Jesus).
Jesus' life was light. Darkness is not a separate element. You can turn on a light and see everything clearly, but if you are in a lighted room you can't switch on something to make it dark. In darkness we don't see things and we stumble over them. If we are in darkness we don't see sin. We can't see the evil we do. Without the light of Christ we can stagger along in our sinful ways, but if someone turns on the light we are horrified at what we see. We have two choices: 1) Turn off the light and try to forget what we have seen and go on with our sad life, or 2) We can feel sorry for our sins and seek forgiveness, and also ask for the light to remain and the strength to stay in the light and avoid doing wrong.
God most often sends someone ahead of him to open minds and hearts to receive him. That is the job of a missionary and pastor, though it could be the job of a parent or a friend. God may call anyone of us to prepare the way for him to come to others who have not met him.
When the people came to hear John, there was something in them that recognized the truth. All a missionary has to do is tell the story we have been given and we can see a light dawn in the people to whom we are speaking. When I was on the Apache reservation they recognized that the God that the priest were telling them about was Usen, the god they had been worshiping. Many languages had different names for God, but you would recognize the God who had made you. God's Spirit is planted in everyone so that when the light of the gospel is turned on, those who recognize him will become his children. As the scripture assures us so often, we have been adopted because of our faith.
Our whole lives need to reflect our faith, though we have to be careful. One child coming out of church turned to the pastor and said, "Are you God?" We must, like John, say that the one God sent in the flesh of Jesus is the only God.
Don't let the joy of our Lord's coming to us fade away as the lights of Christmas do when we take down the tree. Keep Jesus in your heart fresh every day, and let Sundays keep reminding us so that the light never fades away in our lives.
Bob O.
How many times has that been sung by the Israelites? We now know that there are members of the lost tribes all around the world. Even some who came to our country with the Conquistadors discovered that they were Jewish when they realized that they had traditions that were different. They could not eat pork or work on the sabbath. They had converted to Catholicism to save their lives during the Spanish Inquisition. I have learned of others in India and Asia who discovered their Israelite ancestry. So God is still calling the remnants of Israel from all over the world.
It seems that God is calling Israel as his "firstborn," and we see it today in the nation of Israel which was formed from Jews all over the world -- many who were being persecuted. God has not forgotten his promise to Israel.
God's people in Israel are still suffering, so it seems we have to reach out further to descendants of God's "firstborn." I like to think that that means Jesus. In the New Testament we find that Christians of whatever background have become children of Abraham through our faith in Christ.
The implication is that we are to be missionaries to bring in the lost so that God will adopt them as he promised. That is one of our most important jobs. Yes we may build beautiful temples to our God, but our primary job is to reach out to others.
One of the discoveries we make on the mission field is how often converts may claim that the good news of the gospel has always been in their hearts. When they hear it, they recognize it.
When I was teaching Apaches, their name for God was Usen. When the early Spanish arrived and the priests who came with them preached the gospel, they recognized that Usen was their God. The only thing that almost destroyed their faith is what the Conquistadors did to them. Even the priests objected, but it did no good. This is a lesson that we should be careful how we treat the new convert.
What are we teaching the Muslims when we take our revenge just like they do? We are often no better than them, to our shame. I would rather die trying to convert the Muslim than die in the process of killing them.
Let us share the joy of this season with all the world. One thing that will convert the lost is when they see our joy! Don't let it fade!
Bob O.
Jeremiah 31:7-14
The prophet Jeremiah tells the people of Israel that their mourning will be turned to gladness and give comfort and joy instead of sorrow. There are times when, like Israel, we feel that God has abandoned us, but he has not!
Travis Franklin, in the November-December 1996 issue of Preaching, relates a story of two American soldiers on a battlefield during WWII. Along with their companions they left their foxholes in a frontal attack on the enemy, but they were repelled and forced to scramble to back to their foxholes. Looking back on the scene they had just escaped from, they were horrified to see lifeless bodies and the dying screaming out for help and in pain scattered across the open field. One of the men turned to the other and asked, "Where in the hell is God?" as they continued to watch and listen to the popping of the guns and the blasts of the grenades. In a short while they saw two men running through the area with red crosses on their helmets and arms indicating they were medics. As they watched, the medics stopped and began to load a wounded soldier on their stretcher. Once loaded, the medics began to work their way to safety. As the scene unfolded before them, the other soldier boldly responded to the questioning soldier, "There is God! There is God!"
As the prophet Jeremiah tells the children of Israel that God has come to turn their mourning into gladness and to exchange sorrow for comfort and joy, so God's people of the twenty-first century need to know that God is here. He has not abandoned us. We need to know that on the heels of Christmas, the baby Jesus has come to save us from a world gone mad with all of its terrorism, hatred, and strife.
Derl K.
Ephesians 1:3-14
When a little girl's letter to Legos went viral asking why the company did not have a line of toys for girls that showcased them not in a gender role but in a professional occupation, the company responded by creating a new line for girls called Research Institute. It features three ladies at the research facility -- a paleontologist, an astronomer, and a chemist. Before the product could be placed in stores it was sold out on the Legos website in August 2014.
Application: Paul speaks of being adopted as the children of God. We all desire to be accepted.
Ron L.
Ephesians 1:3-14
Predestination: This is nothing more than saying that God's love is a little like that of a Father laying eyes on his son and daughter the first time at birth. The infant does nothing to earn the father's love. Yet it is love at first sight. Indeed, the love even began before the birth. And no matter what the infant does or becomes he remains the father's child. If human beings can love that way, should we expect any less from God? John Calvin spoke of how this love brings about unity: "Formed into one body, we are united to God, and closely connected with each other. Without Christ, on the other hand, the whole world is a shapeless chaos and frightful confusion. We are brought into actual unity by Christ alone" (Calvin's Commentaries, Vol. XXI/1, p. 205).
A lot of our false pride and the weight of thinking we must be the ones to make ourselves worthy of God are dispatched by this text and the teaching of Predestination. As Martin Luther said about these teachings: "This excludes all merit; so don't let it enter your mind that you can earn anything here or brag about your works or your wisdom or your merits. Here all glorying is taken away..." (Luther's Works, Vol. 51, p. 127).
Mark E.
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
John tells us that Jesus is the word who became flesh. He is God incarnate. He has been called Lord of lords and King of kings by the scriptures and musicians. Robert Shannon, a retired homiletics professor from Valle Crucis, North Carolina, wrote in Preaching magazine that Ethiopia's King Haile Selassie's body had been reburied. Selassie had claimed to be descended from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. The Rastafarian sect believed he was a god. During his lifetime he was called "The King of Kings."
Shannon continues that the Shah of Iran was deposed in a revolution and shortly afterward died from cancer. His full title was Shah N Shah, which means "The King of Kings."
A statue of King Ozymandias of Egypt is said to be the largest statue ever found in Egypt prior to 2001. Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a poem about that ruined stature and its inscription: "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings. Look on my works ye mighty and despair." Shannon commented, "And that is all we know of Ozymandias!"
There is only one King of kings... there is only one God... there is only one Jesus who has come to save us. Let us bow down and worship him.
Derl K.
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
The word was Jesus. He was with God in the beginning and he was God. There is only one God. I am only one person, yet to some I am pastor, to some I am husband, to some I am father. My parents are gone or I would also be son, yet I am one. We may also say that God is different to each of us. He may be judge to some, and to others he is defense attorney. He is both Father and brother (through Jesus).
Jesus' life was light. Darkness is not a separate element. You can turn on a light and see everything clearly, but if you are in a lighted room you can't switch on something to make it dark. In darkness we don't see things and we stumble over them. If we are in darkness we don't see sin. We can't see the evil we do. Without the light of Christ we can stagger along in our sinful ways, but if someone turns on the light we are horrified at what we see. We have two choices: 1) Turn off the light and try to forget what we have seen and go on with our sad life, or 2) We can feel sorry for our sins and seek forgiveness, and also ask for the light to remain and the strength to stay in the light and avoid doing wrong.
God most often sends someone ahead of him to open minds and hearts to receive him. That is the job of a missionary and pastor, though it could be the job of a parent or a friend. God may call anyone of us to prepare the way for him to come to others who have not met him.
When the people came to hear John, there was something in them that recognized the truth. All a missionary has to do is tell the story we have been given and we can see a light dawn in the people to whom we are speaking. When I was on the Apache reservation they recognized that the God that the priest were telling them about was Usen, the god they had been worshiping. Many languages had different names for God, but you would recognize the God who had made you. God's Spirit is planted in everyone so that when the light of the gospel is turned on, those who recognize him will become his children. As the scripture assures us so often, we have been adopted because of our faith.
Our whole lives need to reflect our faith, though we have to be careful. One child coming out of church turned to the pastor and said, "Are you God?" We must, like John, say that the one God sent in the flesh of Jesus is the only God.
Don't let the joy of our Lord's coming to us fade away as the lights of Christmas do when we take down the tree. Keep Jesus in your heart fresh every day, and let Sundays keep reminding us so that the light never fades away in our lives.
Bob O.
