Servant
School
November 30, 2003
From Illustration to Message
When you come across good stories, it’s important to make sure they fit
your lesson.
Biblical Illustrations
What could the following Biblical stories illustrate (From Exodus):
Moses arguing with God over his calling at the burning bush (Ex. 3)
(Exo 3:11
KJV) And Moses said unto God, Who am I,
that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel
out of Egypt?
Moses asking Pharaoh to let the people go, but instead their labor gets
harder. (Ex. 5)
(Exo 5:9 KJV) Let there more
work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not
regard vain words.
Moses and Israel
at the Red Sea (Exodus 14)
At the waters of Marah (bitterness) (Ex. 15)
(Exo 15:25
KJV) And he cried unto the LORD; and the
LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were
made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he
proved them,
The feeding of the people with manna each morning (Ex. 16)
(Exo 16:4 KJV) Then said the
LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people
shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether
they will walk in my law, or no.
Personal Stories
Did you have anything happen to you this week that might make for a good
illustration?
Stories
What could these stories illustrate?
Illustration
The mighty Niagara River plummets some 180 feet at
the American and Horseshoe Falls. Before the falls,
there are violent, turbulent rapids. Farther upstream, however, where the
river’s current flows more gently, boats are able to navigate. Just before the Welland
River empties into the Niagara,
a pedestrian walkway spans the river. Posted on this bridge’s pylons is a
warning sign for all boaters: “Do you have an anchor?” followed by, “Do you
know how to use it?”
(from 2Sam. 11 – Anatomy of a Temptation)
Illustration
Columnist Herb Caen wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Every morning in
Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster
than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It
knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t
matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you’d better
be running.”
(from 2Sam. 11 – Anatomy of a Temptation)
Illustration
Two Monks
Two monks on a pilgrimage came to the ford of a river. There they saw a
girl dressed in all her finery, obviously not knowing what to do since the
river was high and she did not want to spoil her clothes. Without more ado, one
of the monks took her on his back, carried her across and put her down on dry
ground on the other side.
Then the monks continued on their way. But the other monk after an hour
started complaining, “Surely it is not right to touch a woman; it is against
the commandments to have close contact with women. How could you go against the
rules for monks?”
The monk who had carried the girl walked along silently, but finally he
remarked, “I set her down by the river an hour ago, why are you still carrying
her?”
(from 2Sam. 11 – Anatomy of a Temptation)
Illustration
A Second Wife
One Father writes, “When our second child was on the way, my wife and I
attended a pre-birth class aimed at couples who had already had at least one
child. The instructor raised the issue of breaking the news to the older child.
It went like this: “Some parents,” she said, “tell the older child, ‘We love
you so much we decided to bring another child into this family.’ But think
about that. Ladies, what if your husband came home one day and said, ‘Honey, I
love you so much I decided to bring home another wife.’” One of the women spoke
up immediately. “Does she cook???””
(from 2Sam. 11 – Anatomy of a Temptation)
Final Homework assignment:
1. Outline John 10
2. Zero in on one idea from John 10 and do O-I-A;
a. State your point
b. Support your point with another Bible verse
c. Illustrate your point
Be prepared to share your assignment with the class.