The Sermon Illustrator; A Database of Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching

An amazing thing happened in Southern California. A Christian woman (we'll call her Jane) was a member of a fine evangelical church. She was a young bride of less than a year who joyfully anticipated each new dawn. But on one particular morning, happiness did not await her.

A knock came at her apartment door. Because her husband had already left for work, Jane was a little uneasy about opening the door. But she did. Standing in front of her was a man she'd never seen before. He seemed nervous, and that increased her uneasiness. He inquired about the location of the manager's apartment. She quickly gave him the information he needed and shut the door. In only a few minutes, another knock came. Cautious, but not cautious enough to restrain her action, Jane opened the door again. The long blade of the same man's knife pushed her back into the room. He locked and bolted the door, closed the drapes, and told her to completely disrobe.

At that fearful moment, Jane looked into the face of the would-be attacker and, with remarkable calmness, said: "I am a Christian. The Lord Jesus Christ is watching over me right now, and He is not going to allow anything to happen to me He doesn't want to occur." The man stared at her blankly. He was absolutely dumbfounded. She continued: "Jesus Christ loves you. He wants to come into your life and become your Lord and Savior."

Then she asked rather pointedly, "Have you ever had the gospel explained to you in a way you could understand it?" He lowered the blade and replied simply, "No." "Then, please, sit down." He shoved the knife into his pocket and sank into a chair. For the next hour and a half, Jane and the stranger discussed the claims of Christ. She learned he was new in the area and had no friends, no money, and no purpose in life. He told her that an "inner voice" told him to do what he had done that morning.

The courageous woman fearlessly pressed the issue. "Just as I opened my door to you, not knowing fully what to expect on the other side, so you must do the same in your life. Jesus awaits your decision to let Him in. Can you think of any reason you shouldn't do that?" He couldn't. She asked him to bow his head, and in his own words to accept the gift God was offering him - His own dear Son. He did. Shortly thereafter he was gone, never to return. And he never laid a hand on her!

After the man left, Jane was suddenly seized by fierce panic. She was immediately overwhelmed with her narrow escape from danger. Never before had Jane experienced so vividly the truth of Psalm 27:1-3.

from Pastor Dale Johnsen (Ahtanum Pioneer Church, Yakima, WA)

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