Sermon Illustrations for Reformation Day (2012)
Illustration
Object:
Jeremiah 31:31-34
On Valentine's Day romantics old or young have the opportunity to declare their love. Remember those construction paper envelopes we decorated to hold our cards? Teacher, Mrs. Beauchamp, reminded the class to make sure everyone received a card. Now sixth grade is where hormones begin to stir and strong emotions are exhibited. Marci received a special Valentine that year. It wasn't a little card, but a huge one of a lion roaring "I love you!" Her eyes widened when she saw the signature of the handsomest boy in her class, Bruce Ellison. Her heart did a flip-flop as she read those words. The memory of that day was forever engraved upon her heart.
On this Reformation Day we recall Jeremiah's words that all people will know the Lord in their hearts. God's Valentine was his Son given to die for us upon a cross. There's no mushy message there, but sincere words of hope and promise.
Cynthia C.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Don't we really want that new contract! Then why are so many living under the old contract -- the contract we broke? Are we so proud that we can't admit that we have done wrong? We hate to admit we have sinned!
If we find we have made a small mistake, we think we can fix it ourselves. We are not as bad as "those other guys"! We hate charity! We were raised to be independent! How many are made to feel inferior and are humiliated when they lose their job and have to go on welfare to feed their family? But God's ways are not our ways. He is treating us as beloved family members. We are his wife and he wants to reconcile us. Do we want to come back humbly to the one who loves us so much? Kiss and make up! Sign the new contract!
Bob O.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
John was furious! "Jane, how could you have done this?" Jane was mortified. It had been so easy to use the credit card when she went to the casino and she was having such fun. Now, the reality came crashing down with the monthly statement: $1,500 in gambling with nothing to show for it. "That was to be Kim's down payment on tuition next year," John reminded her. Jane sobbed out her words, "I'm so sorry. I will never let that happen again. Can we forget it ever happened? Will you forgive me, John?" "I will forgive you, Jane, because I love you deeply. To be honest, I will not forget this happened; but, I promise to live with the memory graciously."
Mark M.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Alecia Beth Moore, whose stage name is Pink, wrote an essay on her admiration for the singing talent of Adele. Pink wrote, "There are few artists in my life who I can think back and remember where I was when I first heard them. When you're so utterly moved by something that you know you'll never be the same again. When I first heard Adele, I was on tour, alone in a hotel room in London, watching her sing from a rooftop on YouTube -- a song called 'Hometown Glory.' I thought, 'Who is this creature?' " Pink when on to write that Adele's success reaffirmed for her that the world still has good taste in music.
Application: God said to Jeremiah that of his words "I will write it on their hearts." When God enters your heart through acceptance by faith, you will always remember the time and place.
Ron L.
Romans 3:19-28
The heart of the Reformation message is that righteousness/salvation is not something we achieve by how we live. Martin Luther puts it this way: "And this is the meaning: The righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us..." (Luther's Works, Vol. 34, pp. 336-337).
God does not want to redeem us through our own, but through external righteousness... A true Christian must have no glory of his own and must to such an extent e stripped of everything he calls his own (Ibid., Vol. 25, pp. 136-137).
The Reformation and our lesson teach that we have been arrested. Stand before the judge. (We have done the crime and deserve the time.) But the Judge (God) still declares us not guilty. In the eyes of the (Divine) law we are (externally) innocent and righteous, but we did nothing to earn it -- are passive in our innocence. We (sinful) criminals sure do get a break from God!
Mark E.
Romans 3:19-28
Martin Luther was a troubled Augustinian monk trying to gain the assurance of his personal salvation. He had a kindly mentor, Dr. Johann von Staupitz, who suggested he pursue a doctor's degree and begin teaching the Bible at the university in Wittenberg. Luther set out to expound the scriptures, and he began to lecture on the book of Psalms in 1513. In the fall of 1515 he lectured on Paul's Letter to the Romans but he was frustrated by constantly coming across "the righteousness of God," which appalled him. He felt he could never match up to "the righteousness of God."
Then one day it happened. In his own words, Luther wrote: "Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the 'justice of God' had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love...."
Richard H.
John 8:31-36
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech to give spiritual substance to the civil rights movement. He borrowed words from the prophets and also the words of a familiar Negro spiritual that really had to do with the slave finding freedom from oppression in death. One verse reads as follows: "Way down yonder in the graveyard walk/I thank God I'm free at last/Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk/I thank God I'm free at last." King applied those words in his prophetic dream for American society in the here and now that freedom can be experienced as we live together as God's children.
Mark M.
John 8:31-36
"Please give me your attention," the flight attendant announced. "We ask you to fasten your seatbelt. For your safety please keep it on and do not remove it until the seatbelt light goes out. Then you are free to move around the cabin."
The polite thing to do is look up giving the stewardess your full attention. Or you can choose to just plain ignore the person transmitting life-saving information. If your reaction is to keep your nose in a book, you are being rude. How many times have you heard this spiel? Frequent fliers feel they can recite the message by heart.
On the last leg of a flight, the plane's small cabin was hot and stuffy. The stewardess was tired so when the passengers ignored her, she blew up.
"Listen up! If an emergency did happen, would you remember the steps I am sharing with you? They might just save your life. Listening to these truths enable us to avoid hurtful consequences in an emergency.
Cynthia C.
John 8:31-36
Abraham was not perfect. He had his ups and downs! He was given his wife's hand maid since Sarah didn't produce any offspring and they were impatient. That mistake (sin) cost him trouble that we and they are still paying for today! Both of Abraham's descendants have been in captivity on and off almost since they came into the world. Just one sin caused all that. Did they forget the slavery they suffered in Egypt?
Yes we have all been slaves to sin, but we can be freed and be part of Jesus' family because of his promise and his sacrifice. Don't count on your ancestry! Depend only on our Lord and Savior. Even some Christian denominations feel that they must beat sin before they will be accepted into God's family. They don't realize that they have already been adopted. The adoption papers are written in the Bible.
Bob O.
John 8:31-36
Hans Rosling, 63, is trained in statistics and medicine. He combines these two disciplines to show how our human actions affect world health across space and time. His findings particularly tell the story of the socioeconomic development of Third World nations. With this understanding, which at times can seem very dire, he plans for a new and healthier future. Rosling says of his work, "I am not an optimist. I'm a very serious possibilist."
Application: Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." Jesus knew the problems of society would continue despite our best efforts, but he was a "possibilist" so that we could make a difference.
Ron L.
On Valentine's Day romantics old or young have the opportunity to declare their love. Remember those construction paper envelopes we decorated to hold our cards? Teacher, Mrs. Beauchamp, reminded the class to make sure everyone received a card. Now sixth grade is where hormones begin to stir and strong emotions are exhibited. Marci received a special Valentine that year. It wasn't a little card, but a huge one of a lion roaring "I love you!" Her eyes widened when she saw the signature of the handsomest boy in her class, Bruce Ellison. Her heart did a flip-flop as she read those words. The memory of that day was forever engraved upon her heart.
On this Reformation Day we recall Jeremiah's words that all people will know the Lord in their hearts. God's Valentine was his Son given to die for us upon a cross. There's no mushy message there, but sincere words of hope and promise.
Cynthia C.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Don't we really want that new contract! Then why are so many living under the old contract -- the contract we broke? Are we so proud that we can't admit that we have done wrong? We hate to admit we have sinned!
If we find we have made a small mistake, we think we can fix it ourselves. We are not as bad as "those other guys"! We hate charity! We were raised to be independent! How many are made to feel inferior and are humiliated when they lose their job and have to go on welfare to feed their family? But God's ways are not our ways. He is treating us as beloved family members. We are his wife and he wants to reconcile us. Do we want to come back humbly to the one who loves us so much? Kiss and make up! Sign the new contract!
Bob O.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
John was furious! "Jane, how could you have done this?" Jane was mortified. It had been so easy to use the credit card when she went to the casino and she was having such fun. Now, the reality came crashing down with the monthly statement: $1,500 in gambling with nothing to show for it. "That was to be Kim's down payment on tuition next year," John reminded her. Jane sobbed out her words, "I'm so sorry. I will never let that happen again. Can we forget it ever happened? Will you forgive me, John?" "I will forgive you, Jane, because I love you deeply. To be honest, I will not forget this happened; but, I promise to live with the memory graciously."
Mark M.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Alecia Beth Moore, whose stage name is Pink, wrote an essay on her admiration for the singing talent of Adele. Pink wrote, "There are few artists in my life who I can think back and remember where I was when I first heard them. When you're so utterly moved by something that you know you'll never be the same again. When I first heard Adele, I was on tour, alone in a hotel room in London, watching her sing from a rooftop on YouTube -- a song called 'Hometown Glory.' I thought, 'Who is this creature?' " Pink when on to write that Adele's success reaffirmed for her that the world still has good taste in music.
Application: God said to Jeremiah that of his words "I will write it on their hearts." When God enters your heart through acceptance by faith, you will always remember the time and place.
Ron L.
Romans 3:19-28
The heart of the Reformation message is that righteousness/salvation is not something we achieve by how we live. Martin Luther puts it this way: "And this is the meaning: The righteousness of God is revealed by the gospel, namely the passive righteousness with which merciful God justifies us..." (Luther's Works, Vol. 34, pp. 336-337).
God does not want to redeem us through our own, but through external righteousness... A true Christian must have no glory of his own and must to such an extent e stripped of everything he calls his own (Ibid., Vol. 25, pp. 136-137).
The Reformation and our lesson teach that we have been arrested. Stand before the judge. (We have done the crime and deserve the time.) But the Judge (God) still declares us not guilty. In the eyes of the (Divine) law we are (externally) innocent and righteous, but we did nothing to earn it -- are passive in our innocence. We (sinful) criminals sure do get a break from God!
Mark E.
Romans 3:19-28
Martin Luther was a troubled Augustinian monk trying to gain the assurance of his personal salvation. He had a kindly mentor, Dr. Johann von Staupitz, who suggested he pursue a doctor's degree and begin teaching the Bible at the university in Wittenberg. Luther set out to expound the scriptures, and he began to lecture on the book of Psalms in 1513. In the fall of 1515 he lectured on Paul's Letter to the Romans but he was frustrated by constantly coming across "the righteousness of God," which appalled him. He felt he could never match up to "the righteousness of God."
Then one day it happened. In his own words, Luther wrote: "Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the 'justice of God' had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love...."
Richard H.
John 8:31-36
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech to give spiritual substance to the civil rights movement. He borrowed words from the prophets and also the words of a familiar Negro spiritual that really had to do with the slave finding freedom from oppression in death. One verse reads as follows: "Way down yonder in the graveyard walk/I thank God I'm free at last/Me and my Jesus going to meet and talk/I thank God I'm free at last." King applied those words in his prophetic dream for American society in the here and now that freedom can be experienced as we live together as God's children.
Mark M.
John 8:31-36
"Please give me your attention," the flight attendant announced. "We ask you to fasten your seatbelt. For your safety please keep it on and do not remove it until the seatbelt light goes out. Then you are free to move around the cabin."
The polite thing to do is look up giving the stewardess your full attention. Or you can choose to just plain ignore the person transmitting life-saving information. If your reaction is to keep your nose in a book, you are being rude. How many times have you heard this spiel? Frequent fliers feel they can recite the message by heart.
On the last leg of a flight, the plane's small cabin was hot and stuffy. The stewardess was tired so when the passengers ignored her, she blew up.
"Listen up! If an emergency did happen, would you remember the steps I am sharing with you? They might just save your life. Listening to these truths enable us to avoid hurtful consequences in an emergency.
Cynthia C.
John 8:31-36
Abraham was not perfect. He had his ups and downs! He was given his wife's hand maid since Sarah didn't produce any offspring and they were impatient. That mistake (sin) cost him trouble that we and they are still paying for today! Both of Abraham's descendants have been in captivity on and off almost since they came into the world. Just one sin caused all that. Did they forget the slavery they suffered in Egypt?
Yes we have all been slaves to sin, but we can be freed and be part of Jesus' family because of his promise and his sacrifice. Don't count on your ancestry! Depend only on our Lord and Savior. Even some Christian denominations feel that they must beat sin before they will be accepted into God's family. They don't realize that they have already been adopted. The adoption papers are written in the Bible.
Bob O.
John 8:31-36
Hans Rosling, 63, is trained in statistics and medicine. He combines these two disciplines to show how our human actions affect world health across space and time. His findings particularly tell the story of the socioeconomic development of Third World nations. With this understanding, which at times can seem very dire, he plans for a new and healthier future. Rosling says of his work, "I am not an optimist. I'm a very serious possibilist."
Application: Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." Jesus knew the problems of society would continue despite our best efforts, but he was a "possibilist" so that we could make a difference.
Ron L.
