-
Making It! (10.28.05--Making It!--Jeremiah ... PRO
Contributed by Mark Brunner on Oct 26, 2005 (message contributor)
Making It! (10.28.05--Making It!--Jeremiah 52:34)
He had a job most people despised. In fact, his job most often elicited laughs than it did applause. He lived alone since his wife died. There were times that he would go on long fasts, sitting in front of his humble home, drawing stares from his neighbors. He didn’t seem to have much in the way of money or material goods at all. Even his friends were few. Those friends he had confessed that they really didn’t understand or identify with him either. He did his job faithfully but the more he put into it, the less he seemed to get little from it. He was a teacher by trade but his school lacked many students. The message he taught was not popular. Yet, this didn’t seem to dissuade him in the least. To most people he was a complete failure, a crackpot, a real loser. When people met him in the streets they were most likely to pass on the other side of the road shaking their heads. “What a waste of a life.”
Who was this sad and lonely man? Believe it or not, he was one of the most influential men of all time; right up there on the top ten list of great teachers of any age. His name? The prophet Jeremiah. During his lifetime he had little or no following that acclaimed his great abilities or confessed as their belief his teachings. For the most part, he was despised and ridiculed by the very people God had sent him to teach. By temporal measures, he was a complete failure; living an ignominious life, divorced from fame, popularity and fortune. Successful? Not at least by these measures.
Former Senator Mark Hatfield tells of touring Calcutta with Mother Teresa and visiting the so-called “House of Dying,” where sick children are cared for in their last days, and the dispensary, where the poor line up by the hundreds to receive medical attention. Watching Mother Teresa minister to these people, feeding and nursing those left by others to die, Hatfield was overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the suffering she and her co-workers face daily. “How can you bear the load without being crushed by it?” he asked. Mother Teresa replied,...
Continue reading this sermon illustration (Free with PRO)Related Sermon Illustrations
-
The Church Is Like Noah's Ark: The Stench Inside ... PRO
Contributed by Lynn Floyd on Jul 29, 2003
“The church is like Noah’s ark: The stench inside would be unbearable if it weren’t for the storm outside. It’s true—sometimes we stink and the world is stormy. But as imperfect as we are on this side of heaven, the miracle is that God in fact chooses to ...read more
-
In 1829 A Man Named George Wilson Was Arrested ...
Contributed by Bruce Willis on Dec 29, 2006
In 1829 a man named George Wilson was arrested for robbery and murder in a US mail heist. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. Some friends intervened on his behalf and were able to obtain his pardon from President Andrew Jackson. But when told of this, Wilson refused it ...read more
-
In His Book Dare To Believe, Dan Baumann Shared ...
Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Nov 1, 2004
In his book Dare To Believe, Dan Baumann shared some thoughts about crucifixion that should deepen our gratitude for what the Savior did for us. He wrote, "The twentieth century has forgotten how cruel and hideous crucifixion really was. We have perhaps unwisely and sometimes unconsciously ...read more
-
Like Bill Hybels, I Believe That There Is Nothing ... PRO
Contributed by Jim Kane on May 25, 2004
Like Bill Hybels, I believe that there is nothing like the local church when it is working right. In addition, I agree with what he says after that sentence: “Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the ...read more
-
I Like What Jesse Duplantis Says About It, He ... PRO
Contributed by Kent Lenard on Jun 26, 2002
I like what Jesse Duplantis says about it, he says that we were all made of dirt, that there’s white dirt, red dirt, yellow dirt, brown dirt, and black dirt, so we all came from the same place, we’re dirt. We would think that it crazy if we saw one clump of dirt telling another clump of dirt"I’m ...read more
Related Sermons
-
How To Win The Battles Of Life Series
Contributed by Tom Shepard on Feb 18, 2016
This sermon looks at seven principles to win the battles of life. 1. Identify Your ENEMY 2. Don’t Be Driven By EMOTION 3. Take Your Problems To The LORD 4. Admit You Need HELP 5. Rely On God’s POWER 6. Relax In FAITH 7. Thank God In ADVANCE
-
"How God Tests Our Faith?” (Paano Pinatatatag Ang Ating Pananampalataya?) Part_1 Series
Contributed by Ritchie Guerrero on Oct 15, 2020
James 1:3-4 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
-
God Of All Possibilities
Contributed by John Newbaker on Mar 15, 2020
I come today bringing good news. In a world full of bad news, could you use some good news?
-
Doors: Open Or Closed
Contributed by Barry O Johnson on Aug 24, 2017
The majority of the body of Christ believes that God opens doors (a "yes" answer to prayer) and closes doors (a "no" answer to prayer) in their lives. Does scripture support such a belief?
-
Faith In Every Season Of Life Series
Contributed by Dean Courtier on Jul 8, 2017
The natural seasons are winter, spring, summer and autumn; there are also spiritual seasons in our lives. What spiritual season are you experiencing now? Are you trusting God to help you in the season you are in?