Three Little Pigs -- Jesus' Version
Preaching
Lions And Cows Dining Together
And 111 Other Sermon Ideas
Object:
Purpose Statement: Sometimes we have to preach the obvious such as: we need a strong faith foundation when trials come.
Jesus was right, you know. There was only need for two little pigs; the third one is redundant. One little pig built a house of straw and another built a house of twigs, but the fate was the same for both: the bad wolf blew both houses down. A third pig built with bricks and survived. Jesus only has two little pigs. One builds on a strong foundation, the rock. The other builds on a weak foundation, the sand. The bad wolf came and blew the house built on sand down with the help of flood waters (Matthew 7:24-27). The message of this subject is an example of the universal sermon. As one homiletics professor put it, "We only have one sermon to preach, we just change the title and a few illustrations." Obvious as it is, the truth is still vital and needs an outing every so often. There seem to be three elements to the three (or two) little pigs story.
a. One wise and one foolish little pig. God did a dangerous thing by turning us loose on our own in a world full of bad wolves. We have been given a brain and God is counting on our using it like a wise little pig and not like a foolish little pig. Analogous to Eve and Adam, we are given free will to make critical choices. We are on our own. The decisions we make will determine much of our fate.
b. One good and one bad foundation. This is an example where we probably know what to do, but for some reason we don't do it. We know eating junk food, and lots of it, is detrimental to our health, yet we persist. Likewise, we believe Jesus knows best for us, but like the rebellious teenager we are determined to do our own thing. When given a choice of building a strong faith that answers life's critical questions, gives us a moral compass and enriches our life and all our relationships; or the alternative of sand castles, we choose the latter. The good foundation is the teachings of Jesus. The bad foundation is our own devices, as we think we can go it alone without God. We have a home, insurance, a job, retirement, (perhaps even a gun) and so forth. What else could we possibly need?
c. The bad wolf. Our problem may be that we don't believe in the bad wolf. Those trials and tribulations that we read about in the papers can't happen to us. We are special. Surely God wouldn't permit those accidents and calamities to happen to us. Yet, Jesus predicted that his followers would suffer, and the Bible makes it very clear that bad things do happen to good people. Once the bad wolf comes knocking, it may be far too late to start your construction. Selection of a good foundation must come early in the process. You cannot purchase bad wolf insurance when she is sitting in your living room sharpening her teeth.
Jesus was right, you know. There was only need for two little pigs; the third one is redundant. One little pig built a house of straw and another built a house of twigs, but the fate was the same for both: the bad wolf blew both houses down. A third pig built with bricks and survived. Jesus only has two little pigs. One builds on a strong foundation, the rock. The other builds on a weak foundation, the sand. The bad wolf came and blew the house built on sand down with the help of flood waters (Matthew 7:24-27). The message of this subject is an example of the universal sermon. As one homiletics professor put it, "We only have one sermon to preach, we just change the title and a few illustrations." Obvious as it is, the truth is still vital and needs an outing every so often. There seem to be three elements to the three (or two) little pigs story.
a. One wise and one foolish little pig. God did a dangerous thing by turning us loose on our own in a world full of bad wolves. We have been given a brain and God is counting on our using it like a wise little pig and not like a foolish little pig. Analogous to Eve and Adam, we are given free will to make critical choices. We are on our own. The decisions we make will determine much of our fate.
b. One good and one bad foundation. This is an example where we probably know what to do, but for some reason we don't do it. We know eating junk food, and lots of it, is detrimental to our health, yet we persist. Likewise, we believe Jesus knows best for us, but like the rebellious teenager we are determined to do our own thing. When given a choice of building a strong faith that answers life's critical questions, gives us a moral compass and enriches our life and all our relationships; or the alternative of sand castles, we choose the latter. The good foundation is the teachings of Jesus. The bad foundation is our own devices, as we think we can go it alone without God. We have a home, insurance, a job, retirement, (perhaps even a gun) and so forth. What else could we possibly need?
c. The bad wolf. Our problem may be that we don't believe in the bad wolf. Those trials and tribulations that we read about in the papers can't happen to us. We are special. Surely God wouldn't permit those accidents and calamities to happen to us. Yet, Jesus predicted that his followers would suffer, and the Bible makes it very clear that bad things do happen to good people. Once the bad wolf comes knocking, it may be far too late to start your construction. Selection of a good foundation must come early in the process. You cannot purchase bad wolf insurance when she is sitting in your living room sharpening her teeth.
