Sermon Illustrations

If you tune the second string of your guitar, the A string, to 440 hertz, then pluck it, the E string at 330 hertz will begin to vibrate also, because they share an overtone of 1320 hertz. It is called sympathetic vibrations. As you read this paragraph, Jesus is plucking the A string of mercy; does your heart vibrate with it? Do we sense in our souls that God showed us mercy ill-deserved? When Jesus says to give to everyone who begs, is our only thought, “I will lose all of my money”? Is there any resonance in the depth of your being with the fact that you are a beggar of God’s grace? Mercy is not first pity toward others’ needs; it is first an experience of God’s favor.

Thus Robert Murray M’Cheyne pleaded with those in his congregation: “There are many hearing me who now know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart.”

Jesus is not asking if there are any who deserve our help; he wants to know if any of us have God’s heart.

Related Sermon Illustrations

  • A Man Named Jacob Had Hit A Low Point In His ...  PRO

    Contributed by David Elvery on Nov 14, 2004
    based on 3 ratings
     | 6,794 views

    A man named Jacob had hit a low point in his life. He had thought about killing himself but he was too poor and too tired to secure the means to do it. He found a park bench and just lay down to die. He did not eat, because there was nothing to eat. All he thought about was his death. A ...read more

  • Singing Him

    Contributed by Brad Bailey on Aug 6, 2004
    based on 1 rating
     | 4,828 views

    SINGING HIM There was an elderly woman who was a true saint of God in her long life of devotion. She knew much of the Bible by heart and would repeat long passages from memory. But as the years went by, the strength went and with it the memory gradually went too. Finally, there came the time ...read more

  • Today We Seek To Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ...

    Contributed by Bruce Landry on Jan 15, 2007
    based on 2 ratings
     | 3,222 views

    Today we seek to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and we will start with a portion of Dr. King’s "I have a dream speech". …And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this ...read more

  • One Course I Had In College Was In Adolescent ...

    Contributed by David Henderson on Jan 3, 2007
    based on 2 ratings
     | 2,942 views

    One course I had in college was in adolescent psychology. Difficult class but the professor would let us bring a note card with as much information as we could get on it. That was a great help. Steve Winger writes about a final exam he took in a logic class at the university he attended. The ...read more

  • A Lot Of People Think That Being Saved Is A ...  PRO

    Contributed by Jeff Simms on May 23, 2004
    based on 3 ratings
     | 2,549 views

    A lot of people think that being saved is a matter of works. But, here it says that you are God’s workmanship. It says you were created (kitzo) for good works. The word created means that refers to the work of God in creating you for a purpose. Think of it this way, if you have a apple tree in ...read more

Related Sermons