This Week's Sermon Illustrations
The Agitator
Contributor: Glenn Newton
Does anyone know what that piece in the middle of the washer is called? The part in the middle that moves back and forth and shakes the clothes back and forth? What is that called? I'm going to call it an Agitator… What is the purpose of the Agitator? As far as I can tell, it sole purpose is to cause havoc for the dirty clothes…it's there to shake and separate the clothes from all the dirt and grime and money that may be in or on the clothes, right? As soon as we are saved, the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts, but He doesn't have our heart to himself…there's still a lot of things in there… the main one being our own selfish desires…even though we have been saved from our past sins, there still remains some things of the world that we are still fond of… these things of the world have a way of attaching themselves to us like dirt on clothes. They can stain us, they seemingly won't come out. The Holy Spirit's nature doesn't allow Him to live in a dirty environment, so gently and lovingly, He begins to agitate, to shake, to convict us of the things that need to leave our heart. You see God wants us to be filled with His Spirit, and only when we come to a place in our lives where we are willing to remove all the dirt can we truly be filled with His Spirit. Until then, many times our spiritual life fills like we are in a washing machine, with the Holy Spirit constantly, constantly agitating us, convicting us of the things that need to be removed from our lives, because He loves us. It is God's will for all to be filled with the Spirit, but it's your choice—it's up to you—if you willing to surrender every area of your life, every area, past, present, future, habits, control, finances, family—everything that means something to you. Total surrender.
God Will Find a Way
Contributor: Kevin Shelton
There was an elderly woman, who resided next to an affirmed atheist, in an older suburb. This woman received a meager social security survivor's benefit. Although, her finances only afforded her not even the most basic meal plans, daily she would open her windows to give thanks & prayer unto God.
Finally one day, the middle of the month arrived and she had not received her check. Instead of complaining, she opened her windows, fell on her knees and began to thank God and pray. The neighbor was sitting on his porch and overheard her praying "Lord although I don't have any food in my home, I know you will provide!" The neighbor thought to himself, this is a great opportunity to prove to her there is no god.
So he hurriedly went to the store and purchased a carload of groceries. Upon arriving home, he placed them on her porch, rang her doorbell and hid in the bushes to spring his surprise. Finally, the elderly woman made her way to the door. She opened the door, saw all the groceries and rejoiced in the Lord! About that time the neighbor jumped out from behind the bushes and exclaimed. God is not real, I bought those groceries there. To this the old woman exclaimed, "I knew my God would supply my needs, but I didn't know he would make the devil pay for them!"
You Really Can't Take It With You
Source: Randy Rowland, Sins We Love, p. 125-126
Contributor: Matthew Rogers
An elderly man was desperately ill. Knowing the time for his departure was near, he called for his closest friends to come see him one last time. Attending him were his doctor, his pastor and his business manager. The old man said, "I know you can't take it with you, but who knows for sure? What if the experts are mistaken? I want to account for all possibilities. So I'm giving you each an envelope containing $100,000. When I die, I want you each to slip the envelope in my jacket pocket at the funeral service. Then, if I do need money in the life to come, I'll be ready. And I'm giving the envelopes to you, because you are my most trusted friends."
Shortly thereafter, the man did die. Each of his three friends was seen slipping something into the deceased's coat pocket as he walked up to the casket to pay his final respects. Following the service, while these friends were visiting with each other, the doctor, with a sheepish look on his face, said, "Guys, I have a confession to make. You know with the cost of medicine today; I don't make that much money. The hospital is desperate for funds. We can't even replace the CAT scan machine that's broken down. So, I took $20,000 for the new CAT scan and put the rest in the coffin."
The minister cleared his throat and looked down at his shoes. He said, "I, too, have a confession to make. As you know, our church is seriously overburdened by the needs of the homeless. I couldn't just see burying that money. So, in hopes of helping the homeless, I took $50,000 out of the envelope and put the rest in his pocket."
Looking sternly at the doctor and the minister, the businessman exclaimed, "I can't believe what I'm hearing. I am astonished and deeply disappointed that you would treat a solemn trust so casually. He was our friend. I want you to know that I placed in his casket my personal check for the full $100,000."
Never Enough
Contributor: Dan Cormie
The story is told of two old friends who bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to you, my old friend?" The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars." "That's a lot of money." "But, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear." "Sounds like you've been blessed…" "You don't understand!" he interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million." Now he was really confused. "Then, why do you look so glum?" His friend cried, "This week—nothing!"
Not Bad for a Dollar
Contributor: Jason Cole
I like the old story about the guy who came to church with his family. As they were driving home afterwards he was complaining about everything. He said, "The music was too loud. The sermon was too long. The announcements were unclear. The building was hot. The people were unfriendly." He went on and on, complaining about virtually everything. Finally, his very observant son said, "Dad, you've got to admit, it wasn't a bad show for just a dollar."
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