Sermon Illustrations
Costly Bad Advice
When a bank teller accidentally deposited $120,000 in the wrong account, the account’s owners went on a shopping spree. State police said a Montoursville, Pa., couple purchased an SUV, a race car, two four-wheelers, and a camper, as well as paying bills and giving $15,000 to friends.
Do they get to keep the money? Robert and Tiffany Williams’ bank contacted them after realizing the error and told them they had to return the money. But the Williamses didn’t have the money anymore, and the bank took them to court. Now they face felony theft charges. As they arrived at court on Monday, Robert Williams told a TV reporter, “All I’m going to say is we took some bad legal advice from some people, and it probably wasn’t the best thing in the end.”
Possible Preaching Angles: 1) Advice; Counsel; Guidance – Only following wise advice from godly friends will protect us from many costly mistakes; 2) Honesty; Integrity - While most of us will not be tempted by a large financial mistake by a bank, most of us must decide about the extra change we receive at the store or the mistaken refund by the IRS.