Sermon Central
-
Holy Images
Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2012 (message contributor)
HOLY IMAGES
There are three true stories about holy images: A few years ago a woman in New Mexico was frying tortillas. One of the tortillas burned and the result was an image that looked like a face; she thought it looked like Jesus. She took the tortilla to her priest and he agreed it looked like Jesus, so he blessed it. The woman and her husband took the blessed tortilla back home and placed it in a box surrounded by cotton to make it appear as if it was floating on air. They built an altar around it and started praying there. Word began to spread about the holy tortilla and soon thousands of people visited their home to pray before the holy tortilla. People are desperate to catch a glimpse of Jesus.
A few years ago in Poland, a man discovered a tree with a strange shape in its bark. He thought it looked like the face of the Virgin Mary. He claimed he was healed there. Sixty miles away another similar tree was found, and it, too, had the face of Mary in its bark. Soon people from all over Poland began buying train tickets to visit these two trees. Thousands of worshippers have knelt before the two trees and have left money and other offerings there. People desperately want to be able to see and feel the power of God.
A few years ago, a lady in Arkansas turned on the kitchen light in her mobile home. The reflection of the light on the mobile home beside her looked like a man's face. She turned the light off and the image disappeared. When she turned the light back on, the image reappeared. She was certain it was a miracle--she could see the face of Jesus! News soon spread and hundreds of people were visiting her trailer to walk into her kitchen and flip on the light. Because of the crowds, she started charging a dollar a person. A local television station interviewed one of the men who had paid his dollar to see the image. He was pretty skeptical. He said, "I want my dollar back, it looked more like Willie Nelson to me."
Do you want to see Jesus? Don't go to a tortilla, a tree, or a trailer--go to the Word of God. Go home and read Revelation 1 and you will see what Jesus looks like now.
(From a sermon by Fred Markes, Mt. of Transfiguration, 8/30/2011)
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
One Of The Most Popular Aquarium Fish Is The ... PRO
Contributed by Joel Santos on Jan 4, 2005
One of the most popular aquarium fish is the shark. If you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium. Sharks can be six inches long yet fully matured. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet. That can also ...read more
-
H. L. Gee Somewhere Tells Of A Tramp Who Came ... PRO
Contributed by Lou Nicholes on May 25, 2005
H. L. Gee somewhere tells of a tramp who came begging to a good woman’s door. She went to get something to give him and found that she had no change in the house. She went to him and said, “I have not a penny of small change. I need a loaf of bread. Here is a pound note. Go and buy the loaf and ...read more
-
Max Lucado, In One Of His Books, Tells A Story ...
Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 5, 2005
MAX LUCADO, in one of his books, tells a story that he read about a newlywed couple that had a honeymoon disaster. They arrived at the hotel in the wee hours with high hopes. They had reserved a large room with romantic amenities. That;s not what they found. Seems the room was pretty skimpy no ...read more
-
Bill Bright Tells The Story Of "A Man Who ...
Contributed by Joel Santos on Jan 4, 2005
Bill Bright tells the story of “a man who traveled to a certain city one cold morning. As he arrived at his hotel, he noticed that the clerks, the guests—everyone—were barefoot. In the coffee shop, he noticed a fellow at a nearby table and asked, ‘Why aren’t you wearing shoes? Don’t you know about ...read more
-
Pastoring Is Like Being On The Weather Channel. ...
Contributed by Guy Mcgraw on Apr 5, 2005
Pastoring is like being on the weather channel. When I definitely want to hear the weather I turn there. When dangerous weather occurs the weather bulletins are on multiple channels. It is too important of news to limit to one station. God didn’t limit the gospel to one station, people should ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Stuck Between Two Altars: The Problem Of Indecision
Contributed by Randy Bataanon on Sep 30, 2017
The people of Israel are standing between two altars during the time of Elijah. We are also facing the same choices today. Different forms but the same spirit. Like the Jews, are you still stuck in the middle?
-
We Become Like We Worship
Contributed by Ken Pell on Jul 11, 2010
An underlying premise of The Revelation is that all humankind has a devotion to one God or another and we become like that which we worship.
-
My Gay Neighbor Series
Contributed by John Sears on Nov 6, 2013
There are few issues more polarizing than homosexuality. How should the church respond to criticism lobbied by the LGBT community. How do we approach our gay neighbor?
-
Stubbornness Is As Iniquity And Idolatry
Contributed by Steve Klein on May 18, 2015
While no serious Christian would overtly condone idolatry, we do something just as bad by allowing stubbornness to rule our hearts or the hearts of others.
-
Idolatry Is The Issue Series
Contributed by David Owens on Oct 15, 2018
In this introduction to the series, we discuss what idolatry is and how it is still a problem in our modern times.
