Browse Sermon Illustrations
816 illustrations available
Warren Wiersbe on Eternal Abundant Life - Dispensational (John 10:10)
"Abundant life spans both ages—eternal life begins now and continues forever. The thief is Satan who ruled this present age; Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leads to the age to come. We taste abundance
Howard Thurman on Tasting Despite Bitterness - Black Church (Psalm 34:8)
"Those who have tasted life's bitterness—oppression, rejection, suffering—know God's goodness is sweeter still. The disinherited taste the Lord and find Him good even when circumstances are bitter. Th
N.T. Wright on New Exodus People - Anglican (1 Peter 2:9)
"Peter echoes Exodus: you are what Israel was called to be—a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. The new exodus has created a new people. This identity shapes vocation: declaring God's mighty acts, dem
Pope Francis on Church's Abundance - Catholic (Ephesians 3:20-21)
"To Him be glory in the CHURCH—the Body of Christ is where God's abundance flows. Through sacraments, through community, through service, God does immeasurably more. The Church is not limitation but l
St. Gregory Palamas on Essence and Energies - Orthodox (Isaiah 55:8-9)
"God's essence remains forever beyond—unknowable, transcendent, inaccessible. Yet His energies reach us; in them we truly know God while His thoughts remain infinitely higher. We experience divine ene
Charles Spurgeon on Divine Heart Surgery - Traditional (Psalm 51:10)
"'Create'—only God creates. The heart cannot cleanse itself; we need divine surgery. David asks not for improvement but new creation. Sin has corrupted the core; only the Creator can make it new. This
St. Bernard of Clairvaux on Eucharistic Tasting - Catholic (Psalm 34:8)
"Taste and see—supremely in the Eucharist! We literally taste the Lord's goodness; His Body and Blood nourish body and soul. The Mass is the invitation: come, taste, see that the Lord is good. Sacrame
St. Maximus the Confessor on Theotic Union - Orthodox (John 15:5)
"The branch participates in the life of the Vine—this is theosis. Divine energies flow from Christ to those united with Him. Abiding is communion with the divine nature. Through liturgy, through praye
J. Vernon McGee on Fruit Until He Comes - Dispensational (John 15:5)
"The church abides in Christ, bearing fruit until He returns. Israel was the vine that failed; Christ is the true Vine that never fails. In this age, Gentile branches are grafted in; we bear fruit unt
Charles Spurgeon on Divine Precedence - Traditional (Deuteronomy 31:8)
"The Lord goes BEFORE you—He scouts the terrain, prepares the way, faces the enemy first. He is WITH you—present companion on the journey. He will never leave nor forsake—permanent promise, unbreakabl
Gustavo Gutiérrez on Strength for the Struggle - Liberation (Isaiah 40:31)
"The oppressed grow weary in the long struggle. But those who wait on the God of liberation receive strength to continue. This is not passive waiting but revolutionary hope—strength renewed for justic
Tim Keller on Rest That Sends - Missional (Matthew 11:28-30)
"Jesus offers rest—and then a yoke. Rest is not retirement but reorientation. The unburdened soul is now free to serve. We come exhausted; we leave yoked to Christ for mission. Rest precedes sending;
John Calvin on Rest in God's Sovereignty - Reformed (Matthew 11:28-30)
"True rest comes when we cease striving to save ourselves and trust in God's sovereign grace. The weary soul laboring under the impossible weight of self-righteousness finds rest in Christ alone. His
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Christ as Rest - Christocentric (Matthew 11:28-30)
"'Come to ME.' Jesus does not point to rest; He IS rest. The destination is not a state but a Person. We don't find rest and then Jesus; we find Jesus and discover He is rest. Everything is located in
Martin Luther on Rest from Works-Righteousness - Lutheran (Matthew 11:28-30)
"The heavy burden is the law we cannot keep, the righteousness we cannot achieve. Christ says: Stop. Rest. Receive. His yoke is easy because it is the yoke of grace, not works. We rest when we stop tr
Stanley Hauerwas on Learning from Jesus - Anabaptist (Matthew 11:28-30)
"'Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.' Rest comes through apprenticeship to Jesus—learning His way of nonviolence, His pattern of service, His posture of humility. The yoke is shared d
St. Isaac of Nineveh on Divine Rest - Orthodox (Matthew 11:28-30)
"The soul finds rest in communion with God—this is hesychia, sacred stillness. As we draw near to Christ in prayer, our inner turbulence calms. The yoke becomes light when we are joined to Him who car
Charles Stanley on Wholehearted Trust - Traditional (Proverbs 3:5-6)
"Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart—not partial trust, not backup plans, not safety nets, but complete, wholehearted reliance. When you trust completely and lean not on your own understanding, God
E. Stanley Jones on Active Trust - Wesleyan (Proverbs 3:5-6)
"Trust is not passive. 'In all your ways acknowledge Him'—this is active partnership. We bring our plans; He redirects. We make choices; He guides. Trust is relational, dynamic, a conversation between
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Christ as the Way - Christocentric (Proverbs 3:5-6)
"Trust in the Lord—and the Lord has a face: Jesus Christ. To trust God is to follow Christ. He makes our paths straight by being the path. 'I am the way,' He said. In Christ, guidance and destination
Martin Luther King Jr. on Trust and the Moral Arc - Black Church (Proverbs 3:5-6)
"We cannot always see the path clearly—but we trust the God who makes paths straight. The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Trust God's direction even when the path winds
Lesslie Newbigin on Missionary Transformation - Missional (Romans 12:1-2)
"The renewed mind sees with missionary eyes: discerning God's will for this context, this culture, this moment. We do not conform to the patterns of our mission field, nor impose our own patterns. We
Stanley Hauerwas on Community Non-Conformity - Anabaptist (Romans 12:1-2)
"'Do not be conformed' requires an alternative community. We cannot resist the world's patterns alone. The church is the non-conformed community where minds are renewed together, where different value
Charles Spurgeon on Divine Command and Presence - Traditional (Joshua 1:9)
"Be strong and courageous—this is command coupled with promise. We are not told to manufacture courage but to receive it from God's presence. 'The Lord your God is WITH you'—this is the ground of cour