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HomeIllustrations

50,739 Illustrations

Browse Sermon Illustrations

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Top Rated Newest Oldest|All Sources Biblical Illustrator Spurgeon Maclaren

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Sermon Illustration

The Night a Nation Held Its Breath and Then Roared

On October 13, 2010, a steel rescue capsule broke through two thousand feet of Chilean rock and delivered the first of thirty-three trapped miners back...

Psalm 98Universal

221 words

PreviousPage 1112 of 2115Next

Lens Perspective

The River Beneath the Ice

In deep winter, a river does not cease flowing simply because ice has sealed its surface. Beneath the frozen crust, water moves — dark, unseen,...

Romans 5:3-5Charismaticsuffering

232 words

Movie Analogy

Selma: Casting Cares in Community - Progressive (1 Peter 5:7)

Imagine a crowded church basement in Selma, a place steeped in history, where the air is thick with a mix of fear and hope. Here, in this sanctuary of shared burdens, folks gather for a prayer meeting, their voices rising...

1 Peter 5:7Universal

297 words

Sermon Illustration

From the Grocery Aisle to the Greatest Show on Turf

In 1994, Kurt Warner went undrafted out of the University of Northern Iowa. No NFL team wanted him. To support his family, he stocked shelves...

Universaltransformation

242 words

Historical

The Grocer's Last Words

On March 9, 1892, a white mob dragged Thomas Moss from the Shelby County jail in Memphis, Tennessee, and murdered him alongside his business partners...

Micah 6:8Universalcouragetruth

253 words

Contemporary

The Race John Lewis Refused to Quit

On March 7, 1965, twenty-five-year-old John Lewis stood at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. As chairman of the Student Nonviolent...

Hebrews 12:1-2Universalsacrificecourage

257 words

Sermon Illustration

The Coach Who Never Cut Anyone

In 2019, Jim White coached cross-country at McFarland High School in California's Central Valley. His program had one rule that baffled other coaches across the...

John 6:37-40Universal

260 words

Movie Analogy

The Dark Knight Rises: Descent and Exaltation - Christocentric (Philippians 2)

In *The Dark Knight Rises*, we witness Bruce Wayne's harrowing journey as he descends into the depths of "the pit." Picture this dimly lit prison, with rough stone walls that seem to close in, the air thick with despair, and...

Philippians 2:5-11Universal

319 words

Biblical Insight

Biblical Truth: Peace - Commentary

Imagine a skilled potter at work, shaping a lump of clay into a vessel of purpose. Each twist of the wheel, every contour formed by gentle hands, showcases the potter's intimate knowledge of the clay and his vision for its...

Romans 8:28Progressive/Social Justice

249 words

Sermon Illustration

The Woman Who Wouldn't Leave the Road

In April 1967, twenty-year-old Kathrine Switzer pinned bib number 261 to her sweatshirt and lined up at the start of the Boston Marathon. No woman...

Universalfreedom

257 words

Sermon Illustration

Finding Women and Church Leadership in Everyday Moments

In a small town, where the steeple of the traditional church dominated the skyline, lived a young woman named Sarah. From an early age, Sarah felt a stirring in her soul, a calling to ministry that she couldn't shake. With...

Luke 6:20-21Lutheran

302 words

Commentary

Traditional Lens Commentary: Revelation 21:1-8

We read Revelation 21:1-8 as the consummation of God's redemptive plan, where the new heaven and new earth are established, echoing the restoration promised throughout Scripture. This passage affirms the ultimate defeat of sin and death through Christ, as God dwells with His people, fulfilling the c

Revelation 21:1-8Traditionaleschatology: bodily return of Christsoteriology: substitutionary atonement

pastor

343 words

Movie Analogy

The Letters: Mother Teresa as Light of Calcutta - Catholic (Matthew 5:13-16)

In the heart of Calcutta, where the streets are alive with the vibrant chaos of life, Mother Teresa walked as if she were a living embodiment of Matthew 5:13-16. Picture this: the sun rises over the city, casting a warm...

Matthew 5:13-16Roman Catholicworks of mercyvisible Church

adults

295 words

Devotional

Morning Meditation: Dismantling Tyrannical Leadership

Lord of the least and the lost, the hungry and the imprisoned, This morning I bring before You every place where power has curdled into cruelty — the boardroom where one voice silences all others, the household where love has...

Matthew 25:31-46Roman Catholic

294 words

Sermon Illustration

The Gardener Who Came Back to Monticello

When Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, his beloved gardens at Monticello fell into ruin. The terraced vegetable beds that once held 330 varieties of vegetables...

Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19Universal

249 words

Commentary

Reformed (Presbyterian) Lens Commentary: 1 John 2:1-6

We read 1 John 2:1-6 as a profound exposition of our advocate, Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us before the Father. This passage underscores the assurance of our salvation, rooted not in our own righteousness, but in the atoning work of Christ, who is the propitiation for our sins. The call to kee

1 John 2:1-6ReformedPerseverance of the saintsDefinite atonement

pastor

399 words

Movie Analogy

The Passion of the Christ: Christ Who Worked as Carpenter - Christocentric (Colossians 3:23-24)

Imagine a small, sun-drenched village in Nazareth, where the scent of freshly cut wood mingles with the sound of children playing in the streets. In a modest workshop, surrounded by fragrant cedar and sturdy oak, we find a young man...

Colossians 3:23-24ChristocentricChrist the carpenterincarnation

adults

313 words

Movie Analogy

Into Great Silence: Liturgical Transformation - Orthodox (Romans 12:1-2)

In the breathtaking documentary *Into Great Silence*, we are invited into the austere world of the Carthusian monks, who live lives that exemplify the concept of a “living sacrifice” as described in Romans 12:1-2. Picture the rugged Alps, where silence...

Romans 12:1-2Universal

315 words

Sermon Illustration

A Contemporary Clobbering the Clobber Texts Story

Imagine a bustling kitchen on a Sunday afternoon, the kind of haven where the aroma of freshly baked bread fills the air, and laughter dances as freely as the flour floating in the sunlight. In this kitchen, a mother is...

John 13:12-17Black Church

259 words

Sermon Illustration

The Father Who Carried His Son

In 1977, Dick Hoyt pushed his son Rick — born with cerebral palsy, unable to walk or speak without assistance — across the finish line...

Universallove

242 words

Sermon Illustration

The Blueprint on the Kitchen Table

Elena Vasquez spread her business plan across the kitchen table at 5:00 a.m., the way she had every morning for three weeks. The numbers never...

Proverbs 16:3Universal

252 words

Sermon Illustration

Finding Humility in Everyday Moments

In our bustling lives, where success and recognition often feel like the ultimate goals, humility can seem like a quiet whisper overshadowed by the louder calls for achievement. Yet, even in the midst of our ambitious pursuits, we are beckoned...

Micah 6:8Christocentric

377 words

Contemporary

The Price of a Renewed Mind

On April 28, 1967, Muhammad Ali stood inside the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station in Houston, Texas, and did the most costly thing a...

Romans 12:2Universalconvictioncourage

250 words

Devotional

Evening Prayer: Joy - Story

As the sun dips below the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange and purple, I can't help but think of the joy that fills our hearts when we embrace the profound truth found in John 3:16. For God...

John 3:16Missional

243 words