Sermon In A Shoebox LUKE 15: 22

Transcription

1 Sermon In A Shoebox LUKE 15: But the father said to his servants, Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. INTRODUCTION Without a doubt, Jesus was the Greatest Teacher who ever lived. And perhaps the thing that made Jesus teaching so effective was his ability to use common, everyday items to communicate important spiritual truths. For example... *He used VARIOUS types of SOIL to illustrate the nature of man s heart. *He used BIRDS OF THE AIR and FLOWERS OF THE FIELD to teach a valuable lesson about trusting GOD instead of worrying. *He used A TINY MUSTARD SEED to illustrate how FAITH grows in the lives of those who truly trust GOD. *He used A PRICELESS PEARL and A BURIED TREASURE to teach an important truth about the priceless value of SALVATION. By using these...and many other common, everyday objects, Jesus was able to impress lasting spiritual truths upon the minds and hearts of his listeners.

2 Tonight...I want to borrow JESUS method of teaching and share with you a simple sermon I pray will make a lasting impression on all of us. I call this my: SERMON IN A SHOEBOX Shoes are mentioned on several occasions in the scriptures....here in our text from LUKE 15: 22, new SHOES were one of the three gifts the Father presented to his Prodigal Son when he returned from the Far Country of Sin....Remember in EXODUS 3: 5 when Moses drew near the Burning Bush on Mount Horeb? What did God command Moses to do? He told him to take off his SHOES or his SANDALS because he was standing on Holy ground....in MATTHEW 3:11 when Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, John said I am not worthy to untie the shoes of Jesus let alone baptize him....and in MATTHEW 10:10 when Jesus sent his disciples out to preach from town to town, one of the things Jesus told his disciples to leave at home was their SHOES. (PAUSE)

3 Well...as we open up THE SHOEBOX, let s see what valuable SPIRITUAL TRUTHS you and I can learn from a pair of shoes. ******************** The first lesson we learn is... I. EVERY SHOE HAS A MAKER 1. Just like PEOPLE, shoes come in all shapes, sizes and colors. -Some are SHORT and WIDE...others are LONG and NARROW. -Just like people, SHOES come in RED or YELLOW, BLACK and WHITE...as well as in a variety of other colors in between. 2. But one thing that is true of all shoes is that they all have A Maker. Shoes don t just come together by accident. Behind every pair of shoes there is a DESIGNER, one who gave careful attention to every detail in the creation of that shoe. The Maker may be FLORSHEIM...or...BASS...or ROCKPORT or NEW BALANCE or THOM MCANN or any one of a hundred other shoe companies. But all shoes have A MAKER.

4 3. Likewise, you and I didn t just come together by accident. We have a MAKER...a MASTER DESIGNER... who created each one of us. (Turn to scriptures ) GENESIS 1: 27 PSALM 139: 14 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. You see...just like every pair of shoes, you and I were made with the greatest of care and attention to detail. None of us is exactly alike...yet all of us came from the HANDS of the same MAKER. A Second Truth We Learn is that... II. EVERY SHOE IS MADE FOR A UNIQUE PURPOSE 1. (Pick up my shoes) These are dress shoes. Just the name itself indicates that these shoes have a UNIQUE PURPOSE. They are meant to be worn with a SUIT or with a SPORTS COAT and nice pair of slacks. Now had I worn my STEEL CLEATED FOOTJOY GOLF SHOES here tonight I would have been totally out of place. For one thing, I would have sounded like A HORSE COMING DOWN A BRICK STREET when I walked across that marble tile floor in the foyer.

5 2. Imagine wearing COMBAT BOOTS for your daily two-mile walk. Imagine wearing FLIP FLOPS in six inches of snow. Imagine wearing HIGH HEELS for a casual stroll on the beach. Imagine showing up for CHURCH next SUNDAY MORNING in a pair of WHITE RUBBER CRABBIN BOOTS. 3. Just as EVERY SHOE is created for a UNIQUE PURPOSE, so were YOU and I. Turn to...ephesians 2: 10 For we are God s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Turn to...i CORINTHIANS 12: Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

6 God created some to be Preachers...some to be teachers...some to be missionaries...some to be Christian nurses...some to be Christian Factory workers...some to be Christian secretaries...and Christian Supervisors... and Christian hairdressers...and Christian School Teachers. 5. Just like EVERY SHOE is created with a UNIQUE PURPOSE...GOD created EVERY ONE of us for a UNIQUE PURPOSE in life III. EVERY SHOE HAS A SOLE 1. If you re like me, when you buy a pair of shoes you look at four things: (1) How they look (2) How they feel (3) How much they cost and (4) How good the soles are. 2. What good is a shoe if the SOLES cannot endure the rigors of day to day walking. 3. The Sole of the Shoe is meant to give protection and support to the foot. 4. Perhaps you have owned some shoes that you liked so much you had them RE-SOLED when the old soles wore out.

7 5. Just like EVERY SHOE has A SOLE...Every one of us has a SOUL. Turn with me to: MATTHEW 16: 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? EZEKIEL 18: 4a For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son---both alike belong to me. 6. Our Soul is the most precious part of our being to God. Our Soul is that part of us GOD wants to endure forever and ever. 7. Yes, just like EVERY SHOE has a sole, so do we IV. EVERY SHOE IS PROVIDED BY A SACRIFICE 1. We are living in a day and time when a lot of shoes are made of synthetic materials. But the very best shoes one can buy are those that are made of genuine leather. Illustration------When I was in Pigeon Forge, several years ago, I went to a Boot Outlet. Toward the front of the store there were the cheaper boots...the ones made of synthetic materials.

8 But as I ventured toward the back of the store, I started seeing western boots made of Genuine Cowhide...and boots made of ALLIGATOR hide...and boots made of Rattlesnake hide... and Ostrich hide...and...even Armadillo hide. These boots were selling for prices ranging from around $200 on up to about $500. The thing that made these boots so valuable was the SACRIFICE that was made to provide that boot. Those BOOTS were on the store shelves because some COW...some ALLIGATOR...some OSTRICH some RATTLESNAKE...and some ARMADILLO had given their lives. 2. Just like SHOES or BOOTS that are provided because of a SACRIFICE...You and I have received our great VALUE because of the SACRIFICE of GOD S ONE AND ONLY SON. Turn with me to: ROMANS 8: 16, 17 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirt that we are God s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-----heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. JOHN 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

9 3. Just like a good pair of shoes gets its value from the SACRIFICE that was made to provide them...you and I have received our VALUE because of the GREAT SACRIFICE GOD made in order to SAVE US But there is one more lesson we can learn from the shoes in this shoebox and that is... V. EVERY SHOE EVENTUALLY WEARS OUT 1. Even the best pair of shoes don t last forever. When they are NEW they are clean and shiney and look good for a long time...but eventually they start getting scuffed up...and lose their luster... and perhaps the soles wear smoothe...and the stitches start falling apart. There comes a time when the OLD SHOES have to be laid to rest in a trash can...or...in the bottom of a dumpster. 2. Just like EVERY SHOE eventually wears out...so do each of us. HEBREWS 9: 27 For it is appointed unto man once to die, and then to face the judgement. II CORINTHIANS 4: 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

10 3. At one time in life, you and I were like NEW PAIR OF SHOES...we were YOUNG, and VIBRANT and RESILIANT. We didn t have any wrinkles or gray hair or age spots. But like an OLD PAIR OF SHOES...Eventually all of us start wearing out and showing signs of aging. 4. But of course the one difference between us and an old worn out pair of shoes is that we don t eventually wind up in a trash can...but rather we are returned to the dust of the earth from which we came in order that our body might be transformed for that wonderful resurrection morning CONCLUSION Tonight we have learned some valuable truths about LIFE from the SHOES in this SHOEBOX....Just as EVERY SHOE has a MAKER, you and I were fearfully and wonderfully made by the hands of God....Just as EVERY SHOE is made for a UNIQUE PURPOSE, God made each of us for a UNIQUE PURPOSE in life....just as EVERY SHOE has a SOLE, you and I have SOLE that is extremely precious to GOD.

11 ...Just as EVERY GOOD SHOE is PROVIDED BY A SACRIFICE, you and I have received our VALUE because of the LOVING SACRIFICE of JESUS CHRIST on the Cross of Calvary....And just as EVERY SHOE eventually wears out... Each of us will eventually WEAR OUT and KEEP OUR APPOINTMENT with death, until we RESURRECT with our new glorious bodies. But there is ONE FINAL thought I want to leave you with as we CLOSE this shoe box, and that is this: You and I should consider ourselves extremely blessed to be living in a part of the world where we have shoes. All of us are blessed to have more than one pair of shoes. Some of us are blessed with numerous pairs of shoes. In other parts of the WORLD, there are literally millions of people who don t own a SINGLE PAIR of shoes. They have NO PROTECTION for their feet, other than the hardened soles of their feet. In many ways the DISCREPANCY between those WHO HAVE SHOES and those WHO DON T...Is a reflection of THE GOSPEL. We are a land that has been blessed with more shoes than any of us could possibly ever wear in a lifetime. Likewise we have been blessed to hear the gospel more than any other nation on earth.

12 But think about those lands in the world where the people are without SHOES. Chances are they are also WITHOUT the GOSPEL. They are poor physically and spiritually! And so each month when we have our Missions Meeting, as we consider the needs of those close to home, may we not neglect the physical and spiritual needs of those who live in the LANDS WITHOUT SHOES. And that is my Message In A Shoebox!