Browse Sermon Illustrations
816 illustrations available
Bill Johnson on Love That Wins - Charismatic (Romans 8:38-39)
"Nothing! Not demons, not sickness, not circumstances, not your worst day! God's love WINS! You are more than a conqueror because the Love that conquered death lives in you! Declare it: NO WEAPON form
Pope Francis on Wisdom Through Discernment - Catholic (James 1:5)
"Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit—we ask, and the Spirit illumines. Through prayer, through the Examen, through spiritual direction, wisdom grows. The Church provides frameworks for discernment; Go
Bill Johnson on Accessing Higher Thoughts - Charismatic (Isaiah 55:8-9)
"God's thoughts are HIGHER—but He wants to SHARE them! Through the Spirit, through prophecy, through revelation, we access HEAVEN'S perspective! Don't stay limited to natural thinking—press into the S
Charles Spurgeon on Living by Faith - Baptist (Galatians 2:20)
"The life I now live in the flesh I live BY FAITH in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Faith is the breath of this new life. Not by feeling, not by sight, but by faith. Faith grasp
John Piper on Covenant Faithfulness - Reformed (Lamentations 3:22-23)
"'His mercies never cease'—this is covenant faithfulness. God binds Himself by promise; His character guarantees continuity. Morning by morning, new mercies—not because we deserve them but because He
St. Maximus the Confessor on Divine Wisdom - Orthodox (James 1:5)
"Wisdom is participation in divine life—theosis includes the mind. As we grow in union with God, wisdom increases. Prayer for wisdom is prayer for deeper participation in the Logos. God gives generous
Tim Keller on Work as Mission Field - Missional (Colossians 3:23-24)
"Your workplace IS your mission field. Working as unto the Lord means excellence that witnesses, integrity that intrigues, service that points to Christ. Every job is full-time ministry when done for
Menno Simons on Strength for Suffering - Anabaptist (Philippians 4:13)
"The true Christian can endure all things—persecution, loss, suffering—through Christ who strengthens. This is not strength for worldly success but strength for faithful suffering. Paul wrote this fro
Gustavo Gutiérrez on Mercy for the Devastated - Liberation (Lamentations 3:22-23)
"Lamentations speaks from rubble—Jerusalem destroyed, people crushed. This is the cry of refugees, slum-dwellers, victims of violence. Yet FROM this devastation comes: 'His mercies never cease.' God i
John Calvin on God's Sovereign Limitation - Reformed (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"God sovereignly limits temptation—He sets the boundaries. Satan cannot tempt beyond what God permits. The way of escape is divinely provided, not humanly manufactured. Our victory comes from God's fa
Pope John Paul II on Human Work - Catholic (Colossians 3:23-24)
"Work is participation in God's creative activity. Through labor, we image God the Worker. 'As unto the Lord'—work offered to God shares in Christ's redemptive work. The dignity of work flows from the
N.T. Wright on Contextual Reading - Anglican (Philippians 4:13)
"Read Philippians 4:13 in context: Paul is talking about being content in any circumstance—having plenty or going hungry. The 'all things' aren't personal achievements but challenging circumstances. C
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Christ as Escape - Christocentric (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"Christ Himself is the way of escape. He was tempted in every way yet without sin—He knows temptation from the inside. We flee TO Him, not just FROM sin. In union with Christ, His victory becomes ours
Charles Stanley on Personal Providence - Baptist (Romans 8:28)
"God is too good to be unkind and too wise to be mistaken. When you cannot trace His hand, you can always trust His heart. Romans 8:28 is God's personal promise to YOU: in YOUR situation, for YOUR goo
Gustavo Gutiérrez on Temptation of the Powerful - Liberation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"The powerful face temptations the poor do not: the temptation to oppress, to exploit, to ignore suffering. The poor face temptations too: despair, violence, collaboration with injustice. God is faith
Stanley Hauerwas on Fearless Discipleship - Anabaptist (2 Timothy 1:7)
"The early Anabaptists faced drowning, burning, imprisonment—and testified that God gave them Spirit not of fear but of power. Fearless discipleship requires supernatural courage. The community embold
Lesslie Newbigin on Word for the Way - Missional (Psalm 119:105)
"The missionary walks into cultural darkness needing light. God's Word illumines not just personal morality but missional direction: where to go, what to say, how to witness. Scripture guides the sent
Pope John Paul II on Be Not Afraid - Catholic (Deuteronomy 31:8)
"'Be not afraid!'—the promise Moses gives Joshua echoes through salvation history. God goes before His Church in every age. Through Mary, through the saints, through the sacraments, His presence accom
R.C. Sproul on Scripture's Authority - Reformed (Psalm 119:105)
"The Word is lamp and light because it is GOD'S Word—authoritative, inspired, sufficient. Human wisdom gropes in darkness; divine revelation illumines. Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone provides sure li
John Calvin on Christ Alone as Access - Reformed (John 14:6)
"We are not to imagine that there is any other way of access to the Father, for all intercourse between God and humanity has been cut off. Christ alone opens the door and is Himself the door. All who
Bill Johnson on Word of Wisdom - Charismatic (James 1:5)
"God gives wisdom through the gifts of the Spirit—word of wisdom, word of knowledge! When you need breakthrough wisdom, ask and EXPECT supernatural download! The Spirit will give you insight you could
Menno Simons on New Birth - Anabaptist (Psalm 51:10)
"The new birth creates a clean heart—truly regenerate, truly changed. This is not external reform but internal transformation. The new creation lives differently: peaceably, simply, in community. A cl
Charles Spurgeon on Divine Preservation - Traditional (Isaiah 43:2)
"Not IF you pass through waters, but WHEN. Trials are certain; drowning is not. Not IF you walk through fire, but WHEN. Suffering is promised; destruction is prevented. God does not promise to keep us
John Wimber on Exchanged Life - Charismatic (Galatians 2:20)
"It's not about trying harder; it's about dying. When I stop living my own life and let Christ live through me, His power flows. The exchanged life is the miracle life—not my ability but His life IN m