Sermon Illustrations

IMPROVING ON A GOOD DESIGN...OR NOT

Years ago I bought a Chevy Caprice at a used car lot. It was a thing of beauty. It was big and stylish and it purred as I drove it down the road. Well, it purred for the first few days. Then it began to cough and sputter and I had difficulty getting above 30 mph. Now I don't know much about cars, but I knew something was wrong.

The car was still under warranty so I took it back to the dealership. About an hour later, the mechanic came out of the shop and he has a small BB in his hand. "That was your problem" he said. Apparently the previous owner had been told that they placed that BB in the gas regulator they could improve the car's gas mileage.

"Why on earth would they do that? I asked it.

And he replied, "This engine is extremely efficient. It's as well designed as any car out there. But every once in awhile folks get to thinking they can improve the car's gas mileage, and so they'll do things like put this BB in the engine."

Now, the owner thought he was improving the engine's performance, when in reality he hurt it. It worked just fine...until he messed with it.

In the same way there are folks who believe they can improve on the design God set up for church. But they fail to realize that God designed His church the way He did for a reason.

(From a sermon by Jeff Strite, Restoration!, 5/9/2011)

Related Sermon Illustrations

Related Sermons

  • Leaving An Impression

    Contributed by Lloyd Grubbs on Sep 10, 2008
    based on 9 ratings
     | 29,165 views

    Every Christian is leaving their mark on society. Even after were gone our lives will still be making an impact.

  • A Spiritual House - The Building And Purpose

    Contributed by Duane Smith on Oct 27, 2008
    based on 4 ratings
     | 25,663 views

    The goal of this message is to help us understand that God dwells in us and that He has a purpose in the church being a living, vibrant community of believers.

  • Temple Without Walls Series

    Contributed by Peter Loughman on Jul 28, 2009
    based on 12 ratings
     | 21,068 views

    The holy place of Jesus Christ resides not in any building, cathedral, or historical site, the holy place of Jesus Christ resides in your heart.

  • The Church Series

    Contributed by Timothy Gardner on Nov 27, 2012
    based on 3 ratings
     | 18,209 views

    The word "Church" is so often used out of context. This sermon series helps the church (the people) identify how God defines church buy using seven different analogies found in the Bible. This is the introduction sermon to the series. There are eight serm

  • He's Coming Back Series

    Contributed by Connail Johnson on Oct 23, 2012
    based on 1 rating
     | 16,613 views

    Some of the most exciting periods of our lives are the times of anticipation. The times when we can't think of anything but what we are expecting to occur. When we are living with an attitude of expectancy our steps begin to quicken & our eyes brighten as