Illustrations

Subject: Independence Day

Redeeming or Rotting?

On July 4, 1776, the American Colonists’ Declaration of Independence from Britain was adopted. It had been 442 days since the first shots of their revolution were fired. It would be another seven years and 65 days before the Treaty of Paris would be signed, formally acknowledging the United States of America as a nation. Talk about no respect!

Of all the signers of that venerable document, only one was a preacher—John Witherspoon, a representative from New Jersey. When John Adams brought up the idea of a declaration, Witherspoon shouted, “New Jersey is plump for independence!”

In no mood for a protracted fight, New York’s John Aslop complacently interrupted, “Oratory is fine, but we are not ripe for it.” The quick-witted Witherspoon retorted, “We are more than ripe for it. Some of us are in danger of rotting for want of it!”

Witherspoon was probably motivated by an ingrained verse he had so often used in his sermons, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). “In the course of human events” it was necessary for these patriots to seize the moment.

In the spiritual battle of the ages, are you waiting for some more opportune moment to go to battle, or even just enlist in the Lord’s army? The longer you put it off, the more difficult it becomes to seize the moment for God.

J. Kenneth Bassett
Timeless Signatures

Subject: God and Country

In God We Trust

The familiar motto, “In God We Trust,” which appears on America’s currency, has a somewhat odd and interesting history.

Its appearance is due directly to a Maryland farmer who, in November 1861, wrote to then-Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, stating that since the country claimed to be a God-fearing, Christian people, they might make at least some recognition of the Lord on their coinage.

Chase referred the letter to James Pollock, director of the U.S. Mint, for
serious consideration. Pollock enthusiastically endorsed the suggestion and immediately proposed two mottoes, “Our Country, Our God”, and “God Our Trust”.

Chase had the matter presented to the Congress at their next session, which was in 1862, but nothing was done about it. Again the following year it was brought up, but still nothing was done.

The country, at that time, was wracked by civil war. The national spirit was slowly ebbing, and nearing a crisis. Realizing this, Chase made one last appeal in 1864. He offered the motto “God Our Trust” as his chief argument.

“It is taken from our national hymn, ‘The Star Spangled Banner’,” he said, “and is a sentiment familiar to every citizen of our country; it has thrilled millions of American freemen. The time is propitious. Now in this time of national peril, our strength and salvation must be of God.”

Secretary Chase won his plea. The Congress authorized the coining of a two-cent piece upon which was to be stamped the motto “In God We Trust” in place of the old “E Pluribus Unum” (both mottos are now included). The following year, on March 3, 1865, the Director of the Mint was further authorized to place the new motto on all gold and silver coins, thus fulfilling the words of Francis Scott Key in his poem:

“Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto, ‘In God is our trust.’”

via Knight’s 3,000 Illustrations

Subject: Blessing in Trials

Bubbles

A visitor to a famous pottery establishment was puzzled by an operation that seemed aimless. In one room, there was a mass of clay beside a workman. Every now and then, he took up a large mallet and struck several hard blows on the surface of the lump.

Curiosity led the visitor to ask, “Why do you do that?”

“Wait a bit, sir, and watch it,” came the potter’s answer. The visitor obeyed, and soon the top of the mass began to heave and swell. Bubbles formed on the surface of the lump.

“Now, sir, you see,” said the potter with a smile, “I could never shape the clay into a vase if these air bubbles were in it. Therefore, I gradually beat them out.”

Is not the discipline of life just a beating out of the bubbles of pride and self-will so that the Master may form a vessel of the earth to hold heavenly treasures?

            via 1,000 New Illustrations

Subject: Priorities

Doing the Best Things

Sometimes our days are filled with a lot of good things, yet we often neglect to do the best things.

Filmmaker Walt Disney was ruthless in cutting any material from his movies that got in the way of a story’s pacing. Ward Kimball, one of the animators for Snow White, recalls working for 240 days on a 4 ½ minute sequence in which the dwarves made soup for snow white and almost destroyed the kitchen in the process. Disney thought it was funny, but he decided that the scene stopped the flow of the picture, so out it went.

The Lord has a plan for his glory through our lives. While the things we attempt to fill up our time with may be good in and of themselves, God often has to “cut scenes” from our lives in order that we won’t be distracted from His purpose.

adapted from Leadership Ministries Worldwide
Practical Illustrations—Galatians-Colossians

Subject: Humility

Out of Step

As the local National Guard unit marched in the small town parade, one of the marchers’ mothers stood in the crowd, watching her son with joy and pride. As the troop marched by, however, her son was out of step with the rest of the soldiers. She remarked to those standing nearby, “Look, every one of them is out of step except for my son.”

There are many like this mother—everyone is wrong except for them. They are quick to see the mistakes of others, but not their own. What keeps us from seeing our mistakes? It is most often a lack of humility and a lack of dedication to God. Unless one is humble, they will blame their faults and failures on others, not seeing their own mistakes. With humility, however, the Holy Spirit reminds us that we are no better than others and leads us to confess our own sins before confronting others about theirs (Matt. 7:5).

Croft M. Pentz

Subject: Preaching

Without a Message

There was a young preacher, fresh from college, who went to the front during the First World War He announced to the soldiers that he would let them choose as to whether he would preach or just tell them some funny stories.

A tall, blunt-speaking fellow arose and said, “If you have come three thousand miles to talk to a bunch of soldiers, some of whom are going into eternity within three days, and you don’t know whether or not to preach to them or tell some funny stories, I suspect you had just better go ahead and tell a joke.”

What a terrible condemnation for a minister of the Gospel. Preach the Word, because every sermon may be someone’s last chance to hear God’s call!

via Knight’s 3,000 Illustrations

Subject: Christ’s Power

Humility and Glory

Wherever in our Lord’s earthly life any incident indicates more emphatically than usual the lowliness of His humiliation, there, side by side of it, you get something that indicates the majesty of His glory.

For instance, He is born a weak infant, but angels herald His birth; He lies in a manger, but a star hangs trembling above it, and leads sages from afar with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. He sits weary on the stone wall of a well, and asks for water from a peasant woman, but He gives her the water of life. He lies down to sleep from pure exhaustion in the stern of the little fishing boat, but He wakes to command the storm, and it is still. He weeps beside the grave of Lazarus, but He flings His voice into its inmost recesses, and the sheeted dead come forth.

Alexander MacLaren
MacLaren’s 1,024 Best illustrations

Pulpit Helps Magazine, a ministry of AMG International, is the pastor’s one-stop-shop for tools to effectively serve a congregation. Founded in 1975 by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, Pulpit Helps is dedicated to the mission of equipping our readers with a greater understanding of the words of Scripture so that they can adequately fulfill their calling as Christ’s ambassadors. It is to that end that we provide sermon starters, bulletin inserts, illustrations and quality articles on preaching, counseling, Christian living, and more.