Sermon Illustrations
Posted by Douglas on Jul 27, 2006

The world is a scary place.

Several years ago I took a business trip to Israel. While I was there, I stayed in Beersheba, which is known for Abraham's Well. Some of us decided one evening we wanted to see this little piece of Biblical history, so we asked the hotel clerk how to get to it.

He told us to go out of the hotel, down the street, turn in at the bus station, walk through and out the other side of the station, then turn down that street, and the well was at the end.

So that's what we did. Abraham's Well was not really all that exciting -- a hole in the ground with a grate over it to keep people from throwing things in (or falling in, I suppose) and a fence all the way around it.

So we turned around and came back to the hotel, retracing our steps, going back through the bus station, and down the street as before.

And I didn't think anything about it until about four days later. I was back home, and I got a call from Matt, who was with me on that trip. "Doug, have you seen a newspaper this morning?"

"No."

"Go get one."

So I went and picked up a newspaper. On the front page was a picture of a building that had been utterly demolished. The caption read: "Terrorist bomb destroys bus station in Beersheba."

YIKES! I was in that bus station four days earlier!

The world really is a scary place. But this story makes me think of two verses in the Bible. One is John 16:33 in which Jesus says: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." Isn't that good to know? There is nothing in this world which takes God by surprise. He knows it all. Yes, the world is scary. Yes, we will have troubles. But He is bigger than all our troubles.

The other verse I think of is 1 Corinthians 15:30. This verse is right in the midst of Paul's discussion on the resurrection, and Paul says that he is "in danger every hour." How can you live with such trouble and tribulation? Because what happens to this mortal body is only temporary, because for the believer, there is something far greater waiting for us.

Popular tags
Christian life, Jesus, character, love, integrity, trouble, hiking, mountains, children, 1 Peter 2:4, foundation, heart, perseverance, sermon on the mount, 1 Peter 2:1, Philippians 4:8, music, faithfulness, heaven, contentment, the church, gifts, scripture, God's will, spiritual discipline, 2 Corinthians 3:18, renewal, art, salvation, human nature, hope, faith, Christmas, humility, devotion, sin, Romans 12:2, blessings, Psalms 103:13, 2 Peter 1:5, self-control, envy, creation, beauty, Matthew 6:26, light, Philippians 2:3, excellence, servanthood, strength, age groups, stability, Hebrews 12:2, teaching, 1 John 5:3, Titus 2:11, obedience, commandments, the gospel, generosity, death, selfishness, deceit, Colossians 4:6, listening, behavior, interpretation, responsibility, justice, Galatians 6:1, Philippians 4:11, materialism, John 8:34, Psalms 40:8, Luke 14:12, 2 Timothy 4:3, James 2:10, family, Romans 14:6, Titus 3:5, Ecclesiastes 4:9, power, Philippians 4:1, honor, meekness, Matthew 5:36, Isaiah 60:1, diligence, Psalms 17:8, Isaiah 40:4, grace, judgment, regeneration, fellowship, Ephesians 2:19, Philippians 3:20, 1 Peter 2:11, John 13:15, John 1:4, attention, John 1:23, 1 Peter 2:22, Galatians 6:5, Psalms 66:18, sojourners, 1 Corinthians 13:7, Hebrews 10:24, preaching, 1 Peter 2:6, Matthew 15:11, Matthew 28:19, John 14:3, comparisons, Romans 8:24, Matthew 11:30, Deuteronomy 32:4, prayer, John 10:1, Matthew 6:25, 1 Peter 2:2, disappointment, Matthew 10:5, Christ's return, Psalms 1:1, patience, Genesis 2:7, Matthew 15:18, Ecclesiastes 11:1, Jeremiah 17:9, voice, Matthew 6:34, Proverbs 25:8, John 11:35, discipleship, Revelation 22:20, counsel, Ecclesiastes 1:4, Ecclesiastes 7:2, John 6:38, the good shepherd, John 14:21, James 1:19, Psalms 95:8, public speaking, peace, resurrection, Luke 12:34, cooperation, 1 Corinthians 15:1, delayed gratification, 1 Peter 3:3, Ecclesiastes 11:4, math, 1 Peter 1:7, Hebrews 12:15, Matthew 18:3, Proverbs 3:5, grief, Luke 12:32, 2 Corinthians 5:20, Micah 6:8, Galatians 3:19, logic, suffering, work, anger, Titus 2:13, John 16:33, Psalms 51:7, trust, treasure, 1 Corinthians 12:22, John 14:24, James 5:5, the law, Psalms 50:10, 1 Peter 1:6, bitterness, 1 Corinthians 15:30, Titus 3:4, John 14:6, priorities, body of Christ, Isaiah 35:4, John 5:36, Deuteronomy 6:5, 2 Corinthians 9:7, Matthew 7:12, Colossians 1:15, 1 John 4:19, danger, Colossians 1:16, Philippians 2:12, Matthew 20:26, ambassadors, James 1:23, Romans 3:23, Philippians 4:9, golden rule, John 10:10, 1 Peter 2:19, cleansing, truth, Philippians 1:6, unity, Philippians 2:1, walking the talk, James 1:5, Revelation 5:2, imitating, context, 1 Peter 1:18, 1 Peter 2:21, Psalms 95:7, Leviticus 19:32, Proverbs 25:13, Matthew 5:37, 2 Corinthians 9:6, James 1:17, Philippians 2:9, Colossians 3:12, wisdom, mind, Psalms 8:3, kindness, 1 Peter 1:17, Luke 2:10, Psalms 29:3, respect, culture, James 1:2, Matthew 22:37, Genesis 9:6, Proverbs 25:16, Psalms 73:18, 1 Peter 1:23, Incarnation, Psalms 29:9, John 4:34, Numbers 32:23, 1 Peter 2:12, gentleness, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalms 84:10, Proverbs 25:17, Psalms 73:2, Galatians 6:2, Epiphany, glory