THE KING’S BUSINESS
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deficient in detail necessary for effective impression. Master it. Practice it, repeat it so often that you can tell it without reference to your notes. Notes are fatal to the effec tiveness of an illustration. Repeat it often in private before you give it in public. Repeat it. Repetition is the mother of good story-telling. Do not be afraid of tell ing a good story many times. Even “twice- told tales” may be interesting. p. Be Sure You Have Something to Illustrate. Illustrations have been compared to the barbs that fix the arrow in the target. But we must remember that barbs alone are Them e: The Believer’s Walk. T ext : “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in ¿very good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inher itance of the saints in light.” Col. 1 :9-12. I ntroduction . I. The Nature of the Walk. 1. Worthy of the Lord (v. 10). 2. According to the revealed will of God (v. 9). II. The Motive of the Walk. 1. Unto the Lord, i. e,, the. Lord Him self (v. 1 0 ). III. The Means of the Walk. 1. Faith in Christ—the beginning (v. 4). 2. Prayer—continued by (v. 9). 3. The Word of God—source of knowledge of God’s will (v. 9).
useless. An archer would be poorly off indeed if he had nothing in his quiver but arrow heads and feathers. For an illus tration to be useful or effective, there must be something to illustrate. It is possible to make a sermon consist of all stories. The sermons of some evangelists bear ample witness to this fact, for if the stories were to be extracted from their sermons there would be nothing left on which one could make an intelligent and legitimate appeal. to. File Away Your Illustrations. Have a scrap-book or filing index so that you may file away your illustrations accord ing to the themes or subjects they throw light upon. Keep a record as to when and where you may have used them. 4. The indwelling Spirit of God (v. 4). IV. The Results of the Walk. 1. Well-pleasing to God (v. 10). 2. Fruitful in every good work (v. 10 ). 3. An increasing knowledge of God (v. 1 0 ). 4. Spiritual graces: patience, long-suf fering, joy, thankfulness (vv. 1 1 ,” 12). 5. An inheritance with the saints in light (v. 1 2 ). Conclusion. Theme. The N atural Sources of Retribu- tion. T ext : “We áre verily gutfty concern- ing our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress upon us.” Genesis 42:21. I ntroduction . No one text of Scripture contains such a complete survey of the inner sources of human penalty for sin. Nothing is said of any external accusation. Joseph’s brethren do not yet know that it is Joseph before whom they stand. No voice from heaven upbraids them; nor, outside their own company, do there appear to have been
SERMON OUTLINES
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