《Sermon Illustrations (D~F)》(a compilation) table of contents
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- EXAGGERATION
- EXAMINATION
- EXAMPLE
EXACTNESSAlexander Woollcott: In matters of speech, it's not elegance that interest me but exactness. Precision. Surgical precision. Let me give an illustration--in the pattern of the old story about Noah Webster, the man who wrote the dictionary. Of him it used to be told that his wife once caught him in the pantry in the act of kissing the cook. "Why, Mr. Webster," she said, "I'm surprised." "No, my dear," he replied. "I'm surprised' you're amazed." Howard Teichmann, Smart Aleck. 
On Jan 25, 1990, Avianca Flight 52 from Colombia crashed just 15 miles short of New York's Kennedy International Airport, killing 73 passengers. Reason: The plane just ran out of gas. Under international regulations, an airliner must carry enough fuel to reach its destination as well as its assigned alternate, plus enough extra to handle at least 45 minutes of delays. Due to low fuel condition, the Avianca pilots had requested "priority" (not "emergency") landing. Because the exact word "emergency" was not used, and due to heavy traffic and bad weather conditions, the ill-fated plane was placed on a holding pattern...until it simply ran out of gas. Source Unknown. EXAGGERATIONNo illustrations yet.
Humor"It was so cold where we were," said the Arctic explorer, "that the candle froze and we couldn't blow it out." "That's nothing," said his rival. "Where we were, the words came out of our mouths in pieces of ice and we had to fry them to hear what we were talking about." EXAMINATIONNo illustrations yet.
HumorAnd it came to pass, Early in the morning toward the last day of the semester There arose a great multitude smiting the books and wailing, And there was much weeping and gnashing of teeth For the day of judgment was at hand. And they were sore afraid for they had left undone Those things which they ought to have done. And they had done those things which they ought not to have done And there was no help for it. And there were many abiding in the dorm Who had kept watch over their books by night, But it availed them naught. But some were who rose peacefully, For they had prepared themselves the way And made straight paths of knowledge. And these were known as wise burners of the midnight oil. And to others they were known as "curve-raisers." And the multitude arose and ate a hearty breakfast. And they came unto the appointed place And their hearts were heavy within them. And they had come to pass, but some to pass out. And some of them repented of their riotous living And bemoaned their fate. But they had not a prayer. And at the last hour there came among them One known as the instructor; And they feared exceedingly. He passed papers among them and went his way. And many and varied were the answers that were given, For some of his teachings had fallen among fertile minds, While other had fallen flat. And some they were who wrote for one hour, Others for two; But some turned away sorrowfully, and many of these Offered up a little bull in hope of pacifying the instructor. Source Unknown. EXAMPLEFew things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. Mark Twain.
One Sunday morning in 1865, a black man entered a fashionable church in Richmond, Virginia. When Communion was served, he walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A rustle of resentment swept the congregation. How dare he! After all, believers in that church used the common cup. Suddenly a distinguished layman stood up, stepped forward to the altar, and knelt beside the black man. With Robert E. Lee setting the example, the rest of the congregation soon followed his lead. Today in the Word, September, 1991, p. 15.
During the Nazi occupation of his country in WWII, King Christian X of Denmark noticed a Nazi flag flying over a Danish public building. He immediately called the German commandant, demanding that the flag be taken down at once. The commandant refused. "Then a soldier will go and take it down." said the king. "He will be shot," threatened the commandant. "I think not," replied the king, "for I shall be the soldier." Within minutes the flag was taken down. Today in the Word, MBI, August, 1991, p. 13.
A man's life is always more forcible than his speech. When men take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If his life and doctrine disagree the mass of onlookers accept his practice and reject his preaching. C.H. Spurgeon.
For many years Monterey, a California coast town, was a pelican's paradise. As the fishermen cleaned their fish, they flung the offal to the pelicans. The birds grew fat, lazy, and contented. Eventually, however the offal was utilized, and there were no longer snacks for the pelicans. When the change came the pelicans made no effort to fish for themselves. They waited around and grew gaunt and thin. Many starved to death. They had forgotten how to fish for themselves. The problem was solved by importing new pelicans from the south, birds accustomed to foraging for themselves. They were placed among their starving cousins, and the newcomers immediately started catching fish. Before long, the hungry pelicans followed suit, and the famine was ended. Bits & Pieces, June 23, 1994, p. 17.
Bill Hybels related a story of integrity in Leadership Magazine. It illustrates proper humility in a leader. One evening I stopped by the church just to encourage those who were there rehearsing for the spring musical. I didn't intent to stay long, so I parked my car next to the entrance. After a few minutes, I ran back to my car and drove home. The next morning I found a note in my office mailbox. It read: A small thing, but Tuesday night when you came to rehearsal, you parked in the "No Parking" area. A reaction from one of my crew (who did not recognize you after you got out of your car) was, "There's another jerk in the 'No Parking' area!" We try hard not to allow people -- even workers -- to park anywhere other than the parking lots. I would appreciate your cooperation, too. It was signed by a member of our maintenance staff. (This man's) stock went up in my book because he had the courage to write to me about what could have been a slippage in my character. And he was right on the mark. As I drove up that night, I had thought, I shouldn't park here, but after all, I am the pastor. That translates: "I'm an exception to the rules." But that employee wouldn't allow me to sneak down the road labeled "I'm an exception." I'm not the exception to church rules or any of God's rules. Exemplary conduct means encouraging others to imitate us, even in the small matters. Paul Borthwick, Leading the Way, Navpress, 1989, pp. 57-58.
I'm not much of a gardener. Once I took a seed catalog and started out the door. "Where are you going with that?" my wife asked. "I'm going to show it to my tomatoes," I explained. Source Unknown.
A brief, simple, but expressive eulogy was pronounce by Martin Luther upon a pastor at Zwickau in 1522 named Nicholas Haussmann. "What we preach, he lived," said the great reformer. Martin Luther.
I would not give much for your religion unless it can be seen. Lamps do not talk, but they do shine. Source Unknown.
When Gen. George C. Marshall took command of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, GA, he found the post in a generally run-down condition. Rather than issue orders for specific improvements, he simply got out his own paintbrushes, lawn equipment, etc., and went to work on his personal quarters. The other officers and men, first on his block, then throughout the post, did the same thing, and Fort Benning was brightened up. Leadership by example. Source Unknown.
To have unquestioned reliance upon a pastor or other spiritual leader can lead to embarrassment and even bitter disillusionment. I was reminded of this recently when I came across an interesting item about President Coolidge. Once he invited some friends from Vermont to dine at the White House. They were worried about their table manners, so they decided to do everything their host did. All went well until coffee was served. Coolidge poured his into the saucer. The guests did the same. The President added sugar and cream. So did the visitors. Then Coolidge leaned over and placed his saucer on the floor for the cat. Source Unknown.
Years ago the communist government in China commissioned an author to write a biography of Hudson Taylor with the purpose of distorting the facts and presenting him in a bad light. They wanted to discredit the name of this consecrated missionary of the gospel. As the author was doing his research, he was increasingly impressed by Taylor's saintly character and godly life, and he found it extremely difficult to carry out his assigned task with a clear conscience. Eventually, at the risk of losing his life, he laid aside his pen, renounced his atheism, and received Jesus as his personal Savior. Whether we realize it or not, our example leaves an impression on others. Source Unknown.
When I was a small boy, I attended church every Sunday at a big Gothic Presbyterian bastion in Chicago. The preaching was powerful and the music was great. But for me, the most awesome moment in the morning service was the offertory, when twelve solemn, frock-coated ushers marched in lock-step down the main aisle to receive the brass plates for collecting the offering. These men, so serious about their business of serving the Lord in this magnificent house of worship, were the business and professional leaders of Chicago. One of the twelve ushers was a man named Frank Loesch. He was not a very imposing looking man, but in Chicago he was a living legend, for he was the man who had stood up to Al Capone. In the prohibition years, Capone's rule was absolute. The local and state police and even the Federal Bureau of Investigation were afraid to oppose him. But single handedly, Frank Loesch, as a Christina layman and without any government support, organized the Chicago Crime Commission, a group of citizens who were determined to take Mr. Capone to court and put him away. During the months that the Crime Commission met, Frank Loesch's life was in constant danger. There were threats on the lives of his family and friends. But he never wavered. Ultimately he won the case against Capone and was the instrument for removing this blight from the city of Chicago. Frank Loesch had risked his life to live out his faith. Each Sunday at this point of the service, my father, a Chicago businessman himself, never failed to poke me and silently point to Frank Loesch with pride. Sometime I'd catch a tear in my father's eye. For my dad and for all of us this was and is what authentic living is all about. Bruce Larson, in Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p.124-5.
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