Browse Sermon Illustrations
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John Piper on Definitive New Creation - Reformed (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"'If anyone is in Christ—new creation!' This is definitive, not progressive. The moment you are united to Christ by faith, you ARE a new creation. Sanctification follows, but the fundamental reality i
R.C. Sproul on Trust in God's Wisdom - Reformed (Proverbs 3:5-6)
"'Lean not on your own understanding'—because your understanding is fallen, finite, and fallible. God's wisdom is infinite and perfect. Trust in Him means submitting our limited reason to His comprehe
David Bosch on Anxiety-Free Mission - Missional (1 Peter 5:7)
"Mission weighed down by anxiety is ineffective mission. We must cast our cares—financial worries, fear of failure, concern about results—on the God who sends us. He cares for the mission and the miss
James Cone on Transformation and Liberation - Black Church (Romans 12:1-2)
"'Do not be conformed to this world'—the world of white supremacy, of unjust systems, of oppressive patterns. The renewed mind sees through lies and imagines freedom. Transformation is liberation: min
Martin Luther on Trust Over Worry - Lutheran (Matthew 6:33)
"Worry is practical atheism—living as if God will not provide. 'Seek first' means trust first. The kingdom is God's gracious rule; His righteousness is Christ's righteousness given to us. Trust the Fa
Karl Barth on Christ as God's Thought - Christocentric (Isaiah 55:8-9)
"God's thoughts are revealed in Christ—the Word made flesh IS God's thinking toward us. In Jesus we see the higher ways: grace not judgment, mercy not wrath, cross not throne. Christ IS the bridge bet
Bill Johnson on Glory Outweighing Affliction - Charismatic (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)
"The GLORY coming is so MASSIVE it makes affliction look LIGHT! You're being RENEWED by the Spirit DAILY! Fix your eyes on the SUPERNATURAL realm—that's where reality is! The WEIGHT of GLORY is breaki
John Calvin on Vocation and Glory - Reformed (Colossians 3:23-24)
"Every lawful calling is sacred—God assigns vocations for His glory. The cobbler and the bishop both serve God in their callings. Work 'as unto the Lord' acknowledges that Christ is Lord of all sphere
Warren Wiersbe on Faithfulness Across Ages - Dispensational (Lamentations 3:22-23)
"From Jeremiah's day to ours, God's faithfulness spans millennia. Through judgment and restoration, exile and return, church age and tribulation—His mercies never cease. Whatever dispensation, whateve
John Stott on Integrated Faith and Work - Anglican (Colossians 3:23-24)
"Faith and work must integrate—Sunday worship and Monday labor cannot be compartmentalized. 'As unto the Lord' applies to boardroom and factory floor alike. The inheritance we serve for is coming king
Bill Johnson on Living as New Creations - Charismatic (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"You ARE a new creation—now live like it! The old is GONE; stop letting it define you. Your past sins, failures, identity—gone! Walk in the new. The Spirit empowers you to live the new creation realit
Walter Brueggemann on Communal Temptation - Progressive (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"Temptation is not merely individual moral failure but includes systemic seductions—idolatry of empire, worship of wealth, complicity with injustice. The 'way of escape' may be prophetic resistance, c
Charles Spurgeon on Divine Faithfulness in Temptation - Traditional (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"God is FAITHFUL—there is your anchor. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. He knows your limits better than you do. And He provides the way of escape—not always around the temptat
N.T. Wright on Inaugurated New Creation - Anglican (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"New creation has begun! In Christ's resurrection, the future has broken into the present. We who are 'in Christ' are already living in the new age while the old age continues. New creation is not pie
Howard Thurman on Dignity in Work - Black Church (Colossians 3:23-24)
"The enslaved worked for human masters while knowing their true Master was Christ. This transformed degrading labor into dignified service. Whatever you do—however menial the world considers it—do it
Warren Wiersbe on Faithfulness Through Ages - Dispensational (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"Paul warns using Israel's failures as examples—the same temptations that tested them test us. But God's faithfulness spans dispensations: He provided escape for Israel, He provides for the church. In
Billy Graham on Personal Abundant Life - Baptist (John 10:10)
"Jesus came that YOU might have life—and have it ABUNDANTLY. Not just existence but REAL life. Not just surviving but THRIVING. This is personal: Jesus offers abundant life to YOU. The thief wants YOU
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Concrete Obedience - Lutheran (Micah 6:8)
"God's requirement is concrete, not abstract: DO justice (not just think about it), LOVE mercy (not just approve of it), WALK humbly (not just nod at humility). Discipleship is lived in the world—ethi
Bill Johnson on Kingdom Living - Charismatic (Micah 6:8)
"Micah 6:8 is KINGDOM lifestyle! Justice—bringing heaven's righteousness! Mercy—releasing heaven's compassion! Humble walk—staying connected to the King! This isn't religious duty; it's supernatural l
Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Suffering With - Lutheran (Isaiah 43:2)
"God does not explain the waters; He enters them with us. The cross is God passing through fire. We are not alone in suffering because God has suffered. 'I will be with you'—this is incarnational prom
T.D. Jakes on Supernatural Light - Pentecostal (Matthew 5:14-16)
"You ARE the light—not dim and flickering but BRIGHT and BLAZING! The Holy Spirit ignites you! Don't hide—SHINE! Let your good works demonstrate God's POWER! Signs and wonders follow those who believe
Bill Johnson on Presence Power - Charismatic (Isaiah 43:2)
"The PRESENCE of God changes everything! Waters that should drown—part! Fires that should consume—cool! This isn't just survival; it's VICTORY! God doesn't just get us through; He makes us TRIUMPHANT
Rowan Williams on Love and Fear - Anglican (1 John 4:18)
"Fear involves punishment—but in Christ, punishment is past. Perfect love is matured in us as we grasp the depths of grace. We move from servile fear to filial trust, from cowering to confidence. This
Barbara Brown Taylor on Love Against Fear Systems - Progressive (1 John 4:18)
"Fear is a tool of empire—fear of the other, fear of scarcity, fear of change. Perfect love dismantles fear's power. Love creates welcome, not walls; abundance, not hoarding; solidarity, not suspicion