Christian Road Rage (Sermon Illustration)
The problem with Christians is not that we don’t know what we are supposed to do.
Our problem is that we know what to do, but don’t do it.
John Ortberg illustrates it this way:
A man is being tailgated by a woman who is in a hurry. He comes to an intersection, and when the light turns yellow, he hits the brakes. The woman behind him goes ballistic. She honks her horn at him; she yells her frustration in no uncertain terms; she rants and gestures.
While she is in mid-rant, someone taps on her window. She looks up and sees a policeman. He invites her out of her car and takes her to the station where she is searched and fingerprinted and put in a cell. After a couple of hours, she is released, and the arresting officer gives her her personal effects, saying, “I’m very sorry for the mistake, ma’am. I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, using bad gestures and bad language. I noticed the ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ bumper sticker, the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ window sign, the Christian fish emblem on your trunk, and I naturally assumed you had stolen the car.”
The world gets pretty tired of people who have Christian bumper stickers on their cars, Christian fish signs on their trunks, Christian books on their shelves, Christian stations on their radios, Christian jewelry around their necks, Christian videos for their kids, and Christian magazines for their coffee tables but don’t actually have the life of Jesus in their bones or the love of Jesus in their hearts.
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Find more sermon illustrations here.
I guess I can’t say I’m “bi-vocational clergy”, but I have been a pastor-at-large, which is a vain way of sayin’, in that regard, “I’m unemployed”!
(Actually my wife and I have been in the recovery ministry with resident programs for men in alcohol and drug addiction for over fifteen years; and we needed this semi. sabbatical: For the past six years I have been what is called a 911 Driver. It’s also referred to in the business, as a “Hot Shot Driver”, but to me that might sound like I’m showin’ off so I keep with the “911” moniker. I’ve been at this “on call” regimen for six years now, but last week was a challenge to be sure. Four delivery runs: One to Fl., 2 for Al., and the last in the farthest part of NW Arkansas you can get! 3434 miles in four days. With two short motel stays, and a flat front left tire waiting for me when I awoke, and was about to head home! “Oh happy day, as Jesus took my sins away!”, as the song goes. Thus I find your article is a sure tonic for me!
P.S. My wife and I just began attending a wonderful, growing, Assemblies of God Church six miles away in Murrayville, Ga., and Pastor John has asked me to teach Adult Sunday School. Praise the Lord Jesus, for this “…merry heart/ right on” article!
Pastor A.l., Curtis Taylor
Dahlonega (duh-lawn-ee-gah) Ga.