Browse Sermon Illustrations
816 illustrations available
St. John Chrysostom on Paschal Victory - Orthodox (John 16:33)
"Christ is risen—this is the victory! Death is trampled; hades is conquered; the world is overcome. 'Let no one fear death, for the death of our Savior has set us free.' Trouble in this world is tempo
Martin Luther on Daily Bread - Lutheran (Matthew 6:25-27)
"'Give us this day our daily bread'—God provides day by day, not year by year. Worry grasps for tomorrow; faith receives today. The same God who gave His Son will give all else. What can we lack when
St. Theophan the Recluse on Inner Stillness - Orthodox (Matthew 6:25-27)
"Anxiety disturbs the soul's stillness—hesychia. 'Do not worry' is the path to inner peace. Through the Jesus Prayer, through trusting the Father's providence, we quiet the anxious mind. The birds and
John Calvin on Total Renewal - Reformed (Psalm 51:10)
"The heart is utterly corrupted; nothing less than creation will do. David asks God to do what only God can do: make new. This is not repair but recreation, not modification but transformation. Our de
Warren Wiersbe on New Covenant Hearts - Dispensational (Psalm 51:10)
"David prayed under the old covenant for what the new covenant provides: new hearts. Ezekiel promised it; Jeremiah foretold it; Christ accomplished it. In this dispensation of grace, the Spirit writes
Karl Barth on Gift in Christ - Christocentric (Romans 6:23)
"The gift is eternal life IN CHRIST JESUS our Lord. Not life apart from Him but life in Him. Christ is the gift; receiving Him is receiving life. The wages were paid at the cross; the gift was won at
Jon Sobrino on Life for the Crucified - Liberation (Romans 6:23)
"Sin's wages are paid most heavily by the poor—death from poverty, violence, neglect. But God's gift is life—especially for the crucified peoples. Eternal life begins with abundant life now: justice,
Lesslie Newbigin on Missionary Fruitfulness - Missional (John 15:5)
"Missionary fruit comes from abiding in Christ. Programs without presence produce nothing lasting; strategies without spirituality bear no fruit. The sent church must be the abiding church. Apart from
Pope Francis on Ecclesial Vine - Catholic (John 15:5)
"Christ the Vine nourishes through His Body, the Church. We abide in Him through the sacraments: Eucharist is the life-sap flowing; confession removes what blocks the flow. The branches are connected
Stanley Hauerwas on Community Through Affliction - Anabaptist (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
"We are renewed together—community sustains us when bodies waste. The martyrs knew this: visible suffering, invisible renewal. Eyes fixed on the unseen kingdom, the church endures. Light affliction, e
Billy Graham on Personal Endurance - Baptist (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
"Don't lose heart—YOU are being renewed. YOUR troubles are light; YOUR glory will be eternal. Fix YOUR eyes on what YOU cannot see but CAN trust. YOUR body may weaken; YOUR spirit grows stronger. This
Charles Spurgeon on Abundant Life - Traditional (John 10:10)
"The thief steals, kills, destroys—this is the enemy's agenda. But Jesus came that we might have LIFE, and have it ABUNDANTLY! Not mere existence but overflowing life. Eternal life begins now; full li
John Wesley on Full Salvation - Wesleyan (John 10:10)
"Life abundant is full salvation—not just forgiveness but transformation, not just heaven later but holiness now. Jesus gives life that overflows in love for God and neighbor. Sanctification IS abunda
Bill Johnson on Glory Life - Charismatic (John 10:10)
"ABUNDANT life is SUPERNATURAL life! Jesus didn't come to give you religion—He came to give you GLORY! POWER! PRESENCE! The thief steals through fear and doubt; Jesus gives through FAITH and encounter
N.T. Wright on New Creation Life - Anglican (John 10:10)
"Abundant life is resurrection life now—new creation breaking in. Jesus brings not escape from creation but its renewal. Life to the full includes body and spirit, individual and social, present and f
Lesslie Newbigin on Inviting to Taste - Missional (Psalm 34:8)
"Mission is invitation: taste and see! We don't argue people into the kingdom; we invite them to experience. The church's life should be so good, so full, so attractive that others want to taste. Our
T.D. Jakes on Experiencing God - Pentecostal (Psalm 34:8)
"Don't just know ABOUT God—TASTE Him! EXPERIENCE Him! Feel His presence! See His power! The Lord is GOOD—not just doctrinally but EXPERIENTIALLY! When you ENCOUNTER God, you KNOW He's good! Stop readi
Charles Spurgeon on Divine Transcendence - Traditional (Isaiah 55:8-9)
"God's thoughts are not our thoughts—higher, deeper, wider, greater. As the heavens are above the earth, so His ways transcend ours. This humbles pride and comforts confusion. When we cannot understan
St. Thomas Aquinas on Divine Simplicity - Catholic (Isaiah 55:8-9)
"God's thoughts transcend ours because He IS thought itself—pure act, infinite intellect. We reason discursively; He knows all in one eternal now. The distance between creature and Creator is infinite
Martin Luther on Hidden God - Lutheran (Isaiah 55:8-9)
"God hides Himself; His ways are not ours. He works through opposites: strength through weakness, life through death, wisdom through foolishness. Human reason cannot comprehend the cross. We cling to
Karl Barth on Christ's Final Victory - Christocentric (Revelation 21:4)
"Christ wipes tears—He who wept at Lazarus' tomb, who sweat drops of blood, who cried on the cross. He knows tears; He ends them. His resurrection is the beginning of this new world; His return comple
Stanley Hauerwas on Community Beyond Imagination - Anabaptist (Ephesians 3:20-21)
"The church imagines peace; God creates reconciled community exceeding our dreams. We ask for faithfulness; He gives witness beyond our courage. The power at work among us together exceeds what any in
Howard Thurman on Hope Exceeding - Black Church (Ephesians 3:20-21)
"The disinherited imagine survival; God gives flourishing. We ask for endurance; He gives victory. The oppressed cannot imagine full liberation; God does immeasurably more. The power at work has broug
St. Maximus the Confessor on Theotic Transformation - Orthodox (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
"The inner person is being deified—this is daily theosis. While the body participates in Christ's death, the soul participates in His resurrection. The eternal weight of glory is full union with God.