One of the largest free collections of sermon illustrations, organized by topic, scripture, and theological tradition.

Stay updated

New illustrations, features & occasional discounts

Browse

By Topic
By Scripture
By Tradition
By Emotion
By Source Type
Sermon Slides

Resources

Sample Illustrations
About
Premium
Contact Us
SermonWise AI
PewSearch
ChurchWiseAI

Support

Contact Us
+1 (888) 603-0316
support@churchwiseai.com
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
Refund Policy

HomeIllustrations

7,545 Illustrations

Browse Sermon Illustrations

Search, filter, and discover the perfect illustration for your sermon

All Stories & Illustrations Poetry & Verse Quotes Biblical Insights Historical Examples Movie Analogies Devotionals Tradition Perspectives All types →

Top Rated Newest Oldest|All Sources Biblical Illustrator Spurgeon Maclaren

Free to browse · Sign up free to unlock most illustrations · Premium ($9.95/mo) for the full library of 50,000+ illustrations

Sermon Illustration

A Hymn Written Among the Graves

In 1637, the Saxon town of Eilenburg was drowning. The Thirty Years' War had driven desperate refugees behind its walls, and then plague arrived. Bodies...

Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19Universal

236 words

PreviousPage 164 of 315Next

Sermon Illustration

Lessons from Digital Addiction & Freedom

In our fast-paced, digital age, many of us find ourselves entangled in the web of technology, grappling with the fine line between connectivity and distraction. Picture this: a young mother, Sarah, cradling her baby in one arm while scrolling through...

Proverbs 3:5-6Anglican

278 words

Sermon Illustration

The Baker at the Door

In the winter of 1844, George Müller sat at the head of a long table in his Bristol orphanage, surrounded by three hundred children and...

Genesis 14:18-20Universal

254 words

Sermon Illustration

Finding God in Education & Wisdom - Quote

As we navigate the complexities of education and wisdom in our modern world, we find ourselves in a landscape filled with both challenges and opportunities, much like the biblical characters who walked before us. Take, for instance, the story of...

Psalm 23:1-6Anglican

281 words

Sermon Illustration

The Power of Patience - Quote

There was once a young girl named Lily who lived in a small town. Her favorite spot was a serene lake, bordered by tall pine trees. Every summer, she would eagerly anticipate the moment her father would take her there...

Proverbs 3:5-6Arminian/Wesleyan

257 words

Sermon Illustration

Luther's Hymn in the Storm

In 1527, the plague swept through Wittenberg. Martin Luther refused to flee. Friends begged him to leave, but he stayed to minister to the sick...

Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9Universal

237 words

Sermon Illustration

The Cartographer's Forgotten Trails

In 1978, a young park ranger named David Muller arrived at Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah with a crisp topographic map and the confidence...

Psalm 25:1-10Universal

242 words

Sermon Illustration

The Power of Righteousness - Story

There was once a small village nestled in a valley, where the people lived simple lives, yet their hearts brimmed with a deep-seated joy. Every year, they celebrated a festival to honor their heritage, a gathering infused with laughter, music,...

Matthew 28:19-20Pentecostal

254 words

Sermon Illustration

The Stone They Almost Threw Away

In 2014, a contractor demolishing an old church in Portland, Oregon, pulled a massive granite block from the foundation rubble. It was irregular, cracked along...

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29Universal

251 words

Sermon Illustration

Nature Illustration: Sabbath Land and Jubilee

Imagine a once-abandoned field, overgrown with thorns and brambles, where hope seemed lost. But one day, a gardener stepped onto the land, armed with a vision. With each careful turn of the soil, he unearthed the remnants of what could...

Revelation 21:1-5Universal

236 words

Sermon Illustration

The Watchmaker's Daughter Who Could Not Stop Testifying

For thirty-three years after her release from Ravensbruck concentration camp, Corrie ten Boom traveled the world telling one story: God had done something that defied...

Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40Universal

246 words

Sermon Illustration

Dorothy Day and the Bread Line on Mott Street

During the Great Depression, Dorothy Day stood on Mott Street in Lower Manhattan, ladling soup to a line that stretched around the block. She had...

Isaiah 58:1-12Universal

219 words

Sermon Illustration

The Tree That Refused to Die

On April 19, 1995, a truck bomb tore through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. The blast shattered glass...

Genesis 9:8-17Universal

229 words

Sermon Illustration

The Network That Heals Itself

When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, cell towers collapsed and traditional communication networks went dark. But a small team deployed something remarkable: goTenna...

Universalcommunity

237 words

Sermon Illustration

When Irony Meets Real Life

In our fast-paced, interconnected world, we often find ourselves swimming in a sea of irony—where our intentions clash with reality, and our faith is put to the test. Picture this: a devoted couple, deeply committed to serving their community, decides...

James 2:14-26Reformed

316 words

Sermon Illustration

Priming the Pump

In rural Appalachia, old homesteads still have cast-iron hand pumps standing over deep wells. Anyone who has used one knows the frustrating secret: you cannot...

Malachi 3:10Universal

259 words

Sermon Illustration

Lessons from Patience - Contemporary Example

Sarah had always dreamed of being an artist, but life had other plans. She poured her heart into her work, sketching and painting in the evenings after her long days at a corporate job. Yet, despite her passion, her art...

2 Timothy 1:7Anglican

259 words

Sermon Illustration

The Morning Marcus Found His Voice

On a Tuesday in March 2023, seven-year-old Marcus Rivera of San Antonio stood in front of his second-grade class and read a full sentence out...

Psalm 98:1-4Universal

233 words

Sermon Illustration

When Kindness - Contemporary Example

Last winter, my neighbor Martha faced one of the toughest seasons of her life. After her husband passed away, she found herself enveloped in a shadow of grief, struggling to get out of bed each morning. The coldness of her...

Psalm 23:1-6Anglican

249 words

Sermon Illustration

One Millimeter at a Time

In the 1950s, a Soviet orthopedic surgeon named Gavriil Ilizarov made a remarkable discovery in Siberia: shattered bones could be regrown. His device — a...

Universalpatience

224 words

Sermon Illustration

Lessons from Women and Church Leadership

In our world today, the conversation about women in church leadership often stirs deep emotions and challenges long-held beliefs. Let me share with you the inspiring journey of Sarah, a spirited young woman who felt an undeniable call to ministry....

Romans 8:19-22Arminian/Wesleyan

300 words

Sermon Illustration

The Hand She Never Expected to Hold

In 1947, Corrie ten Boom stood in a church basement in Munich, having just spoken about God's forgiveness to a crowd of defeated, hollow-eyed Germans....

Isaiah 43:16-21Universal

252 words

Sermon Illustration

Harriet Tubman and the Paths She Could Not See

In the winter of 1851, Harriet Tubman stood at the edge of a frozen Maryland marsh, leading eleven fugitives north toward freedom. She had no...

Psalm 25:1-10Universal

246 words

Sermon Illustration

The Prophet Next Door

In 2015, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician in Flint, Michigan, stood before city officials and announced what nobody wanted to hear: the water was poisoning...

Luke 4:21-30Universal

224 words