Sermon Illustrations

The philosophy for dog obedience training has changed quite a bit in the last few decades. It used to be that many dog obedience schools operated by teaching the dog, “you better obey me, because I’m your master. And if you don’t obey me, bad things will happen.” And plenty of dogs were trained this way, and trained well. They obeyed, but they obeyed out of fear. But now there has been a shift in the thinking of many trainers, though some still do it the old way. If the old way was punishing disobedience, the new way could be characterized as rewarding obedience. In this new way of training, you don’t strike the dog, you don’t yell at him any more than a firm “no!” But whenever you catch him doing something good, he gets praise and rewards. The thinking here is that the dog is going to want to do the things that make you happy, because positive things happen to him when you are happy.

Both obedience philosophies get results, but they produce very different dogs. The old way produces a dog that is terrified to do the wrong thing. The new way produces a dog that is eager to do the right thing. And these two schools of thought work not just for dogs, but maybe you’ve seen children raised by these two ways. And this should be nothing new for us, since basically we are talking about the difference between Law motivation and Gospel motivation. In our lives, sometimes we do things, like hitting the brakes when you see a cop car, that would be obeying out of Law motivation. It is the fear of punishment that motivates you to slow down. But now let’s say that you are driving your children in the car with you. You are so happy for the gift of a family that God has given you, that you want to drive as carefully as...

Continue reading this sermon illustration (Free with PRO)

Related Sermon Illustrations

Related Sermons

  • Honor One Another Series

    Contributed by David Owens on Sep 28, 2009
    based on 4 ratings
     | 33,779 views

    We discover in this sermon that to honor one another above ourselves, we must learn to be humble.

  • Living In Love Or Death Series

    Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Jan 14, 2013
    based on 15 ratings
     | 28,363 views

    We are taught here in John that we know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. Love of the brethren is a proof of sonship. People with a heart for God have a heart for people.

  • "True Success”

    Contributed by Alan Hughes on Apr 23, 2006
    based on 6 ratings
     | 22,566 views

    What is success? What does it mean to you this morning to live a successful life? If you asked 10 people you would most likely get 10 different answers.

  • The Primacy Of Love Series

    Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Oct 29, 2012
    based on 9 ratings
     | 17,914 views

    This paragraph again describes the Christian's responsibility toward all men. Our relationship to others can be summarized in one word, namely Love. Love one another is the basic principle of the Christian life.

  • Power

    Contributed by Michael Stark on Jun 2, 2007
    based on 5 ratings
     | 12,408 views

    The one necessary ingredient for effective service before the Lord is power. This is what few contemporary Christians have, perhaps because they are uncertain what they should look for.

Browse All Media

Related Media


Disciples
SermonCentral
Preaching Slide
Not Dead But Alive
Tim Kressin
Video Illustration