Sermon Central
-
At The Heart Of Judgment Is Blame And At The ...
Contributed by Chris Surber on Jul 7, 2008 (message contributor)
At the heart of judgment is blame and at the heart of blame is a denial of grace. The heart which is filled with judgment says, “I am not worthy of grace and neither are you!” Our ability to forgive others is closely linked to our ability to forgive ourselves because both stem from our understanding of the work of God’s grace in our lives. Judgment is a denial of grace. This denial of grace is a disease which, to varying degrees, we are born into. From the earliest days of childhood we compare ourselves with others and make judgments as to who is better or worse. We seem to be born with a bent toward judgment which is like a deeply embedded tick which is not easily loosed.
I do not like bugs. Were I to make a list of the bugs which I admire the least, I would no doubt place the tick very near the top of that list. When I was a child growing up in Northern California my family traveled extensively throughout the West Coast as a result of my step-father’s love of the game of softball. We took wonderful trips to the coastal mountains of Oregon, Lake Tahoe, and cities all over the West Coast. I remember one trip to Santa Cruz. My mother had told me and some of my weekend travel league softball kid friends that we were not to venture far from the softball field area. The park was nestled beautifully in the coastal mountains and we were not likely to listen to her instructions!
When we got a chance to sneak away, we went for a hike in the mountains for what turned into a very long time as we got lost on the trails. Eventually we made our way back to where were supposed to be and no one seemed to be the wiser of our adventure through the woods. After we arrived back near the softball field, however, I felt something on my neck that I thought must have been a leaf or small piece of mud or something to that effect. Very much to my disliking, my travel companion realized that it was a large black tick! No knowing the proper way to remove a tick and also not wanting to alert our parents, we commenced to use every means within our power to remove the tick; including, but not limited to, a picket knife, a borrowed lighter, and eventually a rather sharp stick!
A tick is not easy to remove. This is especially true when you do not have the right tools or knowledge for the job. A heart filled with judgment is just as difficult to correct when we do not have the right tools or the appropriate knowledge to affect the change which we desire. We go through our lives longing for forgiveness as we carry our alabaster box around with us, not knowing where to turn for the freedom of forgiveness which we seek. We carry our alabaster boxes around with inside of us longing for someone to accept us for who we are, longing for freedom from our addictions to judging others and judging ourselves. The woman who anointed Jesus feet and the Pharisees were not nearly as far apart as both would have assumed and both have preferred to think.
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
Psa 91 – Engineer Unit (1943-45)their Chaplain ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Dugal on Jul 20, 2003
Psa 91 – engineer unit (1943-45)Their chaplain encouraged them to carry a copy of this Psalm with them as they went into battle. During two years and over 20 intense battles, the unit expereinced no deaths. During Operation ...read more
-
In The West During The Torrential Spring Rains, ...
Contributed by Tim Zingale on Oct 10, 2005
"In the west during the torrential spring rains, the rivers frequently rise and flood the lowlands. There was a little girl who lived In the valley of one of these mighty rivers and one weekend "he was going with her parents to visit friends. As she was packing, she placed her dearest possession in ...read more
-
2. Cal And Rose Samra Share This Story From Holy ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 8, 2005
2. Cal and Rose Samra share this story from Holy Hilarity: From Rev. John L. Wallace. Christmas: It wasn’t long ago that a psychologists started telling us that the ‘holidays’ are not a source of joy for everyone. Like the drunk I encountered on the subway on Christmas Eve, they’ve been told the ...read more
-
How Much Do You Want Knowledge? PRO
Contributed by Donnie Martin on Aug 2, 2002
HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT KNOWLEDGE? There’s a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, “O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.” Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man ...read more
-
Charles Swindoll Says That Competitive ...
Contributed by Richard Wafford on Nov 24, 2004
Charles Swindoll says that competitive excellence requires one hundred percent all of the time. If you doubt that, try maintaining excellence by setting your standards at 92 percent. Or even 95 percent. People figure they’re doing fine so long as they get somewhat near it. Excellence gets reduced ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Forgive Or Not To Forgive
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Feb 28, 2012
Forgiveness is the way the Lord releases us from guilt and sets us free to continue loving God and others.
-
Core Values - Compassion
Contributed by Paul Cull on Apr 18, 2007
Compassion is a core value in our church - why?
-
What To Do, After Easter
Contributed by Harold Laubach Jr on Apr 13, 2013
Sermon on Following up with our life, after Easter is over. Acts 2 gives us the road map on what to do and when to expect those signs and miracles from God.
-
A Real Man
Contributed by Rodney V Johnson on Jun 16, 2012
This messages focuses on why society's notion of a real man hinders fathers from developing strong relationships with their children.
-
Paradise Lost
Contributed by Kerry Haynes on Mar 5, 2017
Like our first parents, each of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. The story of the Fall tells us much about God's giving heart, Satan's destructive lies, and humanity's need for a Savior, of which God provided from the beginning.
