Browse Sermon Illustrations
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Rowan Williams on Attentive Stillness - Anglican (Psalm 46:10)
"Stillness is not emptiness but attention. 'Be still and know'—attend to reality, to God's presence woven through all things. In contemplative stillness, we see what busyness blinds us to: God present
T.D. Jakes on Tears Turned to Joy - Pentecostal (Revelation 21:4)
"God Himself will wipe YOUR tears! Not just any comfort—DIVINE comfort! No more death, no more crying, no more pain! The old is GONE; the new has COME! Whatever tears you've cried, whatever pain you'v
Charles Ryrie on Providence in God's Plan - Dispensational (Romans 8:28)
"Romans 8:28 assures believers that God is orchestrating history according to His eternal plan. In this church age especially, all things work toward the calling up of the Bride. Our sufferings are no
Oscar Romero on Stillness That Sustains Struggle - Liberation (Psalm 46:10)
"'Be still' is not call to passivity but to deep knowing—knowing God is on the side of justice, knowing the struggle is His. In stillness we are renewed for the fight. The activist who never rests bur
E. Stanley Jones on Cooperation with Providence - Wesleyan (Romans 8:28)
"God doesn't promise to exempt us from trouble; He promises to work within the trouble. And note: it says those who LOVE God. Our loving cooperation with God is part of how things work together. We ar
John Wesley on Holy Living - Wesleyan (Micah 6:8)
"Micah 6:8 is sanctification summarized: works of mercy (justice and kindness) flowing from works of piety (walking humbly with God). Personal holiness produces social holiness. These cannot be separa
Pope Benedict XVI on Love as God's Identity - Catholic (John 3:16)
"God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God. These words from the First Letter of John express with remarkable clarity the heart of the Christian faith: the Christian image of God and the re
Walter Brueggemann on God with the Vulnerable - Progressive (Deuteronomy 31:8)
"Moses speaks to Joshua entering dangerous territory—God goes before the vulnerable, the threatened, those facing powerful opposition. This is solidarity with the marginalized: God does not abandon Hi
Charles Stanley on Personal Passage - Baptist (Isaiah 43:2)
"When YOU pass through YOUR waters—whatever flood threatens YOUR life—God is with YOU. YOUR rivers won't overwhelm YOU. YOUR fires won't consume YOU. This is personal promise for YOUR trials. God know
N.T. Wright on Exodus Hope - Anglican (Isaiah 43:2)
"Isaiah recalls Exodus—Red Sea parted, pillar of fire led. God who brought Israel through will bring the exiles through. And ultimately, God who raised Jesus through death brings us through every floo
Pope Francis on Church as Light - Catholic (Matthew 5:14-16)
"The Church is city on a hill—visible witness to the Gospel. Through corporal and spiritual works of mercy, light shines. Through the saints, light blazes. The world should see in the Church what it c
John Wimber on Kingdom Power - Charismatic (Philippians 4:13)
"'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' includes signs and wonders, healing and deliverance. The same power that raised Christ from the dead works in you. This is kingdom power for ki
John Howard Yoder on Fearless Nonviolence - Anabaptist (1 John 4:18)
"Perfect love enables nonviolent witness—we fear no enemy because we love even enemies. Fear drives to violence; love drives to reconciliation. The early Anabaptists faced martyrdom without fear becau
John Piper on God as Supreme Delight - Reformed (Psalm 37:4)
"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. Delight in the Lord IS the goal—not merely the means to getting desires fulfilled. When God becomes our supreme treasure, our desires ch
T.D. Jakes on Supernatural Desires - Pentecostal (Psalm 37:4)
"When you DELIGHT in God—I mean really worship, really praise, really seek His presence—He puts desires in your heart you never knew you had! Supernatural dreams, divine purposes, kingdom visions! Del
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Christ as Delight - Christocentric (Psalm 37:4)
"To delight in the Lord is to delight in Christ—His person, His work, His presence. Jesus is the Yes to every desire of the human heart. In Him we find what we truly want. Delight in Christ, and you w
Howard Thurman on Joy Despite Circumstances - Black Church (Psalm 37:4)
"The enslaved found joy in the Lord despite every circumstance designed to crush joy. Delight in God was resistance—the master couldn't touch their inner joy. When we delight in the God of liberation,
Bill Johnson on Encounter and Desire - Charismatic (Psalm 37:4)
"When you encounter God—His PRESENCE, His GLORY, His POWER—your desires change! You can't delight in God and stay the same! Soaking in His presence, worshiping at His feet, experiencing His love—watch
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Hidden Providence - Lutheran (Romans 8:28)
"I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose He needs human beings who make the best use of everything. I believe that God will give us all
Lesslie Newbigin on Mission and Truth - Missional (John 14:6)
"The claim that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life is not arrogance but witness. Missionaries don't impose; they share what they have found to be true. We cannot offer Christ apologetically; He
John Piper on Jesus as Author and Perfecter - Reformed (Hebrews 12:1-2)
"Jesus is both author and perfecter of our faith—He begins it and He completes it. We persevere not because of our strength but because of His faithfulness. The race is run by looking to Him; eyes fix
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Christ as God's Good Purpose - Christocentric (Romans 8:28)
"What does 'good' mean in Romans 8:28? The next verse answers: to be conformed to the image of Christ. God's good purpose is not our comfort but our Christlikeness. Everything that happens serves this
David Bosch on Missionary Endurance - Missional (Hebrews 12:1-2)
"The missionary race requires endurance—opposition, setbacks, delayed fruit. But we run surrounded by missionary witnesses: the apostles, the martyrs, faithful laborers through centuries. And we look
Charles Spurgeon on Honest Hope - Traditional (John 16:33)
"Jesus is honest: in this world you WILL have trouble. No false promises of escape. But TAKE HEART: He has overcome the world! The trouble is real; the victory is more real. We face tribulation in a c