Sermon Illustrations from Peter Ackroyd’s “Dickens”

Posted on 2012/04/17 by Shawn Thomas

Preachers find illustrations for sermons from every sphere of life, including their own personal experiences and, of course, the hilarious things their children say.  Many pastors also glean sermon illustrations in the course of their reading as well.  I am currently reading Peter Ackroyd’s lengthy (1083 pages!) biography of Charles Dickens, entitled simply, Dickens.  Ackroyd asserts that he has read every extant piece of personal correspondence available from the pen of Charles Dickens, published and unpublished, and that is obvious from both the length and detail of information presented in book.  It is not dry or pedantic, however, but very insightful and even entertaining reading regarding the life of the beloved author some call the father of Christmas as we know it. 

As is my custom, while reading I have been highlighting and underlining various stories and comments which might be used to illustrate a point in a sermon or devotion.  I know that finding the perfect illustration for the message one is working on for Sunday can be one of the preachers most daunting tasks, so if you find something from my gleaning in Dickens which helps you in that task, I will be most pleased!

I will begin with a few illustrations and hope to add to them over time.  I am currently (4-17-12) still reading Dickens and am “only” on page 753! 😉

The first illustration might be of use to someone for an upcoming Fathers Day sermon: Continue reading →

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“… So Loved …” (John 3:16 series)

Posted on 2012/04/15 by Shawn Thomas

     This week I read an interesting article on what the author considered to be the greatest love stories in history and literature.  There were many familiar stories listed: Romeo and Juliet of course; Lancelot and Guinevere, Darcy & Elizabeth, Heloise & Abelard, etc.  But the greatest love story of all time is not found in books by Jane Austen or Shakespeare.  It is found in the book I hope you are holding in your hand: the Bible, which tells the story of the love that God has for us.   

     As we continue our study of John 3:16, we will look at the second couple of words in this great verse: “For God SO LOVED the world …”.  Previously we saw that the opening words, “For God”, refer to a specific God: the God of the Bible; the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  They indicate that it is all about Him, and that salvation originates from Him.  But now, what does the verse say that this God did?  It tells of the world’s greatest love story, and says “For God SO LOVED …”. Continue reading →

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“For God …” (John 3:16 series)

Posted on 2012/04/08 by Shawn Thomas

     In London, England there is a 70-foot high red granite obelisk called “Cleopatra’s Needle” that stands beside the Thames River.  In the 1870’s it was given to Britain by Egypt.  When it was moved to England, they put a “time vault” at the base of it, with all kinds of representative clothes, toys, etc. in it for future generations to uncover.  They also appointed a committee to place into the vault what they considered to be the single greatest verse of scripture.  The committee chose John 3:16, and put into the vault that verse, translated into the 215 known languages of that day. 

     On this week when people all over the world are celebrating the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, there is perhaps no greater passage of scripture for us to turn to than John 3:16.  We introduced this verse with a message last Sunday, and now today we are going to begin to go word by word, and phrase by phrase through this great verse for the next several Sunday mornings.  It proclaims the message of Jesus, as we saw last week, in a succinct and yet marvelous way.  And it begins with these important words: “For God …”.  Continue reading →

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Rigor Mortis: “The Stiffness of Death”

Posted on 2012/04/02 by Shawn Thomas

     I petted our dog Percy’s head for a few minutes, gave him what would become my final blessing to him – and left for a few moments to go to the store.  While there I received a tearful call from Cheryl: Percy had just passed away.  Minutes later I was back home, and we were preparing for his burial in the woods behind our house.  I don’t want to offend the sensibilities of my readers, but quite frankly I was surprised at how stiff Percy’s body had become already – just a few short minutes after his death.  That stiffness – “rigor mortis” is the term for it; it is Latin for “the stiffness of death” — is a sure sign of one’s demise.

      Later that evening, I thought some more about that “stiffness of death.”  Elasticity, flexibility, growth – these are signs of life.  When something is alive, it bends, grows, changes.  When there is total stiffness, inflexibility, there is no life; it is a sign of death.

     This is true mentally and spiritually as well as physically.  When a person is SO rigid and inflexible that they have ceased in their ability to grow, there are in a very real sense dead – or at least dying – in that area of their life. 

     This is good reminder – especially for those of us who are creatures of habit – that we must make continual efforts to grow: Continue reading →

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“Introduction to John 3:16”

Posted on 2012/04/01 by Shawn Thomas

     Last January, Focus on the Family produced a commercial, featuring a group of children quoting “John 3:16″.  The commercial ends with a little girl saying, “Wow!”  I literally laughed out loud for joy when I watched that for the first time – John 3:16 really IS a “wow!”  It is surely the greatest message in all the world! 

     For many of us, John 3:16 is not only the greatest message in all the world, it is also a most familiar message.  Many of us can quote it from memory.  And yet as sometimes happens when something is familiar to us, it is easy to take its truths for granted. 

     That is why in this season in which we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, I wanted to begin a series today on John 3:16.  Beginning next Sunday, we will look word-by-word and phrase by phrase through this verse.  Many of us “know” this verse – but have you really thought about what it means?  Today I want us to look at it just by way of introduction: WHY would we do a several week study on just ONE verse?  Why is this so important?  For several reasons: Continue reading →

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“Our Incarnate God” (Philippians 2:5-11)

Posted on 2012/03/25 by Shawn Thomas

     Just after the Civil War, Mark Twain embarked on a voyage to the Holy Land, which he chronicled in his book, The Innocents Abroad.  The work was largely humorous and ascerbic – typical Twain – but he did occasionally wax philosophical, and in the Holy Land itself particularly:

“It seems curious enough to us to be standing on ground that was once actually pressed by the feet of the Savior … I cannot comprehend yet that I am sitting where a god has stood, and looking upon the brook and the mountains which that god looked upon, and am surrounded by dusky men and women whose ancestors saw Him, and even talked with Him, face to face, and carelessly, just as they would have done with any other stranger.  I cannot comprehend this; the gods of my understanding have been always hidden in clouds and very far away.”  (Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad)

     Twain’s feeling about God is how many picture Him yet: “hidden in clouds and very far away.”  And indeed, in some sense, He is.  Jeremiah 23:23 asks: “Am I a God who is near … and not a God far off?”  He is, as we have seen, everywhere.  And yet Isaiah says, “Your iniquities have caused a separation between you and your God.”  (Isaiah 59:1)  God who made us to know Him has, in a sense, been “far away” from us.  But as we saw last week, He is gracious to us, and loves us, and wants to have a close relationship with us.  That is why He came, as God the Son, to this world to save us.   

     This morning, as we conclude the series, “Our Great God”, we want to see one more fact about God.  We have seen that He is Triune (three in one), holy, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, just, and gracious.  The fact is, we could go on and on forever and never encompass all His attributes.  Do not be surprised if there are things you do not understand about God.  Someone has well said, If you could fully comprehend God, then you would be greater than He is!  You are NOT greater than He is, and you will NOT be able to fully understand the infinite God with your very finite mind.  Do not be surprised at this.  We will spend all eternity and not exhaust His glories.  But we will end this series for now by looking at one more quality of God: He is also “Our Incarnate God.”  Philippians 2:5-11 tells the story: Continue reading →

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“Ministering to the Multitude” (Mark 6:34-44)

Posted on 2012/03/18 by Shawn Thomas

     Last Sunday night we looked at how when Jesus and His disciples were trying to get away from everyone, the crowd in ran ahead of Him to meet Him.  Then :34 says that when He saw the large crowd, “He felt compassion for them” – and we asked the question: “Do you love the multitude?” like Jesus did. 

     I think it would be appropriate for us to follow up that message this evening by going on to the next verses in Mark 6, and see what Jesus and His disciples did after that, because we find there are some things that are instructive to us as we would seek to “love the multitude” and minister to people in Jesus’ name. 

 I.  The Lesson of Personal Responsibility Continue reading →

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“Our Gracious God” (Exodus 34:6-8)

Posted on 2012/03/18 by Shawn Thomas

     They should have been consumed by fire, every last one of them.  With their own eyes the people of Israel had just watched the Red Sea split in two, and had seen God gloriously save them from the Egyptian army in the greatest act of deliverance history had yet seen.  Moses, the man of God, had left them to go up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.  And while he was gone – but for a short time – the people “sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” in immorality; they forsook the God who saved them, and began to worship the Golden Calf.  God should have destroyed the people for their iniquity, but He did not.  Moses interceded, and God allowed the people to live.  In fact, He promised that He would go with them to the Promised Land.  He was gracious to them, and treated them much better than they deserved. 

     When all of the dust from that incident had settled, Moses again stood before God, and he made this request in 33:18, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”  And God said that He would pass before him, but that no man could see His face and live, so He would put him in “the cleft of the rock” and from there see the back of His glory.  As chapter 34 begins, the Bible tells us that Moses went back up on Mount Sinai, and stood in that place in the rock.  And in verses 6-8 describes what happened:  

“And the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.’  And Moses made haste to bow low towards the earth and worship.” 

 I.  The Doctrine of Our Gracious God Continue reading →

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“Do You Love The Multitude?” (Mark 6:34)

Posted on 2012/03/12 by Shawn Thomas

Several years ago, there was a missionary mom who had told her child repeatedly that they were there in that foreign country to reach “the people God loves”.  But we can get so busy, that we forget what is really important.  One day when they had moved onto the mission field, that mom was trying to get all the household chores done, while she was taking care of the kids — and she was baking a cake at the same time!  Just then, some of the native people came up to their house and knocked on the door, and it was JUST the wrong time, and the mom said she went to the door in a huff, and was really going to let them have it, but just before she got there, her son, running beside her, said, “Who is it, Mom? Who’s come to see us? Is it the people God loves?!” Needless to say, she said she answered the door with a different attitude than she was going to have.  Most of us have times like that when we forget that what Jesus has called us to do – more than anything else – is to love His people.

In Mark 6, it was “not a good time” for Jesus – just like it wasn’t for that missionary mom that day. Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist, had just been put to death. His twelve disciples had just returned from their first mission trip after He had commissioned them and sent them out. They needed debriefing and rest. Verse 31 says that Jesus commanded them to get away to a secluded place and rest for a while. But when they went away in the boat, :33 says the people saw them going, and ran on foot ahead of them to meet Him. How would you feel, if you were in Jesus’ shoes? What would your response be? Like the frustrated mother who can’t get away from her kids for 5 minutes to have her prayer time? “Can’t I have a few minutes just to myself?” That kind of response would have been understandable. But that is not how Jesus reacted. Verse 34 says that when Jesus went ashore, “He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them …”. We can just stop right there for now. Even in that busy, “needing to get away” context that Jesus found Himself in, when He saw the multitude, He still felt compassion – He loved the multitude.

I have to tell you, when I read this the other day, it challenged me with the question: “Do you love the multitude?” Maybe some of you here tonight need this same challenge. I want us to think of 4 different arenas in which we can apply this question, and then I hope you’ll be challenged by a special, closing exhortation: Continue reading →

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“Our Just God” (Genesis 18:25)

Posted on 2012/03/11 by Shawn Thomas

     Some months ago, a woman wrote to the editor of a New Orleans area newspaper, upset that someone had suggested that homosexuality is forbidden in the Bible.  “My God,” she wrote, “is a God of love, and not a God of judgment.”  That is a very common sentiment these days. 

     A couple of months ago, when we began this series, “Our Great God”, I mentioned that many people today serve a God of their own imagination, not relying upon the truths God revealed to us about Himself in His word.  There is perhaps no concept that people understand least about God today than the concept of His justice.  People think that God is just a God of love.  And He IS a God of love.  But they overlook the vital fact that He is also a God of justice, and they overlook it to their own detriment.   It is an integral part of who He is.  In Genesis 18, Abraham said, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”  The answer to that question is, “YES!”  He is “Our Just God.” Continue reading →

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