Sermon Illustrations for Lent 5 (2012)
Illustration
Jeremiah 31:31-34
The United States has seen three distinct instances of religious revival in its history, known as Great Awakenings. Each of these revivals, the first one in the northeast United States prior to the American Revolution, the second beginning in the Kentucky and New York regions, and the third starting in New York and Illinois, all had one thing in common: all saw massive conversions to Christianity and an increased desire to spread the gospel. Even now, many churches are praying for another revival to sweep through this nation in the twenty-first century, with multitudes coming back to God.
Those who pray for revival often look to scriptures like this one for inspiration: "And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (v. 34).
Craig K.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Jonathan Edwards once wrote: "There must be light in the understanding as well as fervency of heart, for if a heart has heat without light, there can be nothing divine or heavenly in that heat. On the other hand, where there is light without heat, such as a head stored with notions and speculations but having a cold and unaffected heart, there can be nothing divine in that light either."
Debra K. Farrington asks which of the following we would choose if we had a big decision to make?
Would we make a list of pros and cons of taking or rejecting a particular path?
Would we look inward and wait for some sign of God's will for us?
Farrington does not feel there is one correct answer. She states: "In discernment, we need to use logic and reason and feeling and intuition in balance with each other. We must have what Jonathan Edwards calls 'light in the understanding and fervency of heart.' "
Richard H.
Hebrews 5:5-10
Anyone who has dedicated his or her life to the service of the Lord is a priest who has emulated the ministry of Jesus. Those who have committed their lives to the service and glory of the Lord have the assurance of salvation and God's continued and unending presence.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, served the Lord his entire adult life. At times he was criticized, often he was persecuted, but he continued to proclaim the message of salvation. On March 2, 1791, he died in his home on City Road. His last words were, "The best of all is, God is with us!"
Ron L.
John 12:20-33
In a couple of months, the world's eyes will look to a lit cauldron atop a massive stadium in the city of London as they host the summer Olympics. This will bring athletes and spectators from around the world together to celebrate athletic excellence and good sportsmanship. Millions more worldwide will be drawn to London to partake of this event through television and the internet. When that torch is lifted up to the cauldron, literally millions of eyes will be drawn to it.
How much more did Jesus being raised on the cross have such drawing power? Billions upon billions throughout history have all been drawn, not to a brightly lit cauldron, but to a blood-soaked piece of wood, and for good reason: the death on that cross brought life to the world. "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (v. 32).
Craig K.
John 12:20-33
Fyodor Dostoevsky in his novel, The Brothers Karamazov, has Father Zossima preach a sermon on our scripture passage saying among other things: "God took seeds from other worlds and sowed them on this earth and made his garden grow, and everything that could come up came up, but whatever grows is alive and lives only through the feeling of its contact with other mysterious worlds: if that feeling grows weak or is destroyed in you then what has grown up in you will also die. Then you will become indifferent to life and even grow to hate it."
Our task as followers of Jesus is to plant seeds, let them die, and then wait for the resurrection. How much Dostoevsky was influenced by Jesus and his gospel is attested to by the epigraph he attached to The Brothers Karamazov: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24 KJV).
Richard H.
The United States has seen three distinct instances of religious revival in its history, known as Great Awakenings. Each of these revivals, the first one in the northeast United States prior to the American Revolution, the second beginning in the Kentucky and New York regions, and the third starting in New York and Illinois, all had one thing in common: all saw massive conversions to Christianity and an increased desire to spread the gospel. Even now, many churches are praying for another revival to sweep through this nation in the twenty-first century, with multitudes coming back to God.
Those who pray for revival often look to scriptures like this one for inspiration: "And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more" (v. 34).
Craig K.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Jonathan Edwards once wrote: "There must be light in the understanding as well as fervency of heart, for if a heart has heat without light, there can be nothing divine or heavenly in that heat. On the other hand, where there is light without heat, such as a head stored with notions and speculations but having a cold and unaffected heart, there can be nothing divine in that light either."
Debra K. Farrington asks which of the following we would choose if we had a big decision to make?
Would we make a list of pros and cons of taking or rejecting a particular path?
Would we look inward and wait for some sign of God's will for us?
Farrington does not feel there is one correct answer. She states: "In discernment, we need to use logic and reason and feeling and intuition in balance with each other. We must have what Jonathan Edwards calls 'light in the understanding and fervency of heart.' "
Richard H.
Hebrews 5:5-10
Anyone who has dedicated his or her life to the service of the Lord is a priest who has emulated the ministry of Jesus. Those who have committed their lives to the service and glory of the Lord have the assurance of salvation and God's continued and unending presence.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, served the Lord his entire adult life. At times he was criticized, often he was persecuted, but he continued to proclaim the message of salvation. On March 2, 1791, he died in his home on City Road. His last words were, "The best of all is, God is with us!"
Ron L.
John 12:20-33
In a couple of months, the world's eyes will look to a lit cauldron atop a massive stadium in the city of London as they host the summer Olympics. This will bring athletes and spectators from around the world together to celebrate athletic excellence and good sportsmanship. Millions more worldwide will be drawn to London to partake of this event through television and the internet. When that torch is lifted up to the cauldron, literally millions of eyes will be drawn to it.
How much more did Jesus being raised on the cross have such drawing power? Billions upon billions throughout history have all been drawn, not to a brightly lit cauldron, but to a blood-soaked piece of wood, and for good reason: the death on that cross brought life to the world. "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (v. 32).
Craig K.
John 12:20-33
Fyodor Dostoevsky in his novel, The Brothers Karamazov, has Father Zossima preach a sermon on our scripture passage saying among other things: "God took seeds from other worlds and sowed them on this earth and made his garden grow, and everything that could come up came up, but whatever grows is alive and lives only through the feeling of its contact with other mysterious worlds: if that feeling grows weak or is destroyed in you then what has grown up in you will also die. Then you will become indifferent to life and even grow to hate it."
Our task as followers of Jesus is to plant seeds, let them die, and then wait for the resurrection. How much Dostoevsky was influenced by Jesus and his gospel is attested to by the epigraph he attached to The Brothers Karamazov: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24 KJV).
Richard H.
