Browse Sermon Illustrations
816 illustrations available
John Wesley on Following the Shepherd - Wesleyan (Psalm 23)
"He leads me—but I must follow. The Shepherd goes before, but the sheep must walk. Grace leads; we respond. He restores my soul—but I must allow the restoration, cooperating with the Shepherd's work.
Oscar Romero on Rest for the Oppressed - Liberation (Matthew 11:28-30)
"Jesus speaks to the 'heavy laden'—the campesinos crushed by unjust labor, the poor burdened by systems that exploit. His rest is not opiate but strength: rest to continue the fight, rest that declare
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on Divine Economy - Orthodox (Jeremiah 29:11)
"God's 'plan' in Orthodox theology is the divine oikonomia—the household management of salvation. The future God promises is theosis, participation in divine life. Jeremiah 29:11 points beyond restora
David Bosch on New Creation and Mission - Missional (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"The new creation has already begun in Christ, and we are its ambassadors. Mission is announcing and embodying this new reality. We don't just tell people how to go to heaven; we demonstrate that heav
Bill Johnson on Prophetic Declaration - Charismatic (Jeremiah 29:11)
"Jeremiah 29:11 is a prophetic word to declare over your life! God's plans are for your GOOD. Speak it! Believe it! 'I have a hope and a future!' When the enemy whispers despair, declare God's promise
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on Hesychastic Stillness - Orthodox (Psalm 46:10)
"'Be still'—this is hesychia, the sacred stillness of the heart. In hesychasm, through the Jesus Prayer, we descend from the mind into the heart and there encounter the living God. 'Know that I am God
Jon Sobrino on Love for the Crucified - Liberation (Romans 8:38-39)
"The crucified peoples know that powers and principalities TRY to separate—through violence, poverty, exclusion. But they cannot succeed! God's love in Christ—the crucified God—reaches the crucified p
Karl Barth on Christ as Perfect Love - Christocentric (1 John 4:18)
"Christ IS perfect love incarnate. He cast out fear by entering our fear—fear of death, fear of abandonment. 'It is finished'—in Christ, fear's grounds are removed. We fear no judgment because He bore
Oscar Romero on God with the Persecuted - Liberation (Deuteronomy 31:8)
"God goes before those who march toward liberation—He knows the danger, He faces the opposition. He is with the persecuted church, the threatened community. He will never forsake His suffering people.
Martin Luther on Vocational Light - Lutheran (Matthew 5:14-16)
"Good works shine in ordinary places—the kitchen, the field, the workshop. The mother caring for children, the farmer tilling soil, the craftsman at work—these ARE lights shining. Vocation is lampstan
N.T. Wright on Jesus' Joy - Anglican (Hebrews 12:1-2)
"For the JOY set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. What was that joy? The joy of redemption accomplished, new creation begun, His people gathered. We run toward that same joy—the renewal of all thi
John Calvin on Providence and Peace - Reformed (Matthew 6:25-27)
"God's providence extends to sparrows and lilies—how much more to His covenant children! Worry doubts providence; trust honors it. The God who numbers your days and hairs will not abandon you. Rest in
James Cone on Systemic Death - Progressive (Romans 6:23)
"Sin pays wages—and systemic sin pays systemic death. Racism kills; poverty kills; empire kills. These are the wages of structural sin. But God's gift is life—abundant, liberated, restored. The gift c
Charles Spurgeon on Running with Endurance - Traditional (Hebrews 12:1-2)
"The Christian life is a race—not a sprint but a marathon requiring endurance. We are surrounded by witnesses, encouraged by their example. We lay aside every weight—not just sins but anything that sl
Joyce Meyer on Spirit Revelation - Pentecostal (Isaiah 55:8-9)
"God's thoughts are HIGHER—but the Holy Spirit REVEALS them! We can't figure God out with our natural mind, but the Spirit shows us His ways! SUPERNATURAL revelation bridges the gap! Stay hungry; stay
Tim Keller on Missionary Courage - Missional (John 16:33)
"Missionaries face trouble: rejection, persecution, cultural resistance. Jesus doesn't promise easy mission; He promises victory. Take heart—the world that opposes the gospel is already overcome. We p
John Wesley on Continuous Abiding - Wesleyan (John 15:5)
"'Abide in Me'—this requires our participation. We choose to stay connected; we discipline ourselves to remain. Grace flows through the connection, but we must maintain it. The branch that stops abidi
Pope John Paul II on Common Priesthood - Catholic (1 Peter 2:9)
"The baptized share in Christ's priesthood—the common priesthood of the faithful. Distinct from the ministerial priesthood yet truly priestly. Through baptism, you offer your life as spiritual sacrifi
Charles Spurgeon on Exceeding Abundance - Traditional (Ephesians 3:20-21)
"More than we ask—our prayers are too small! More than we imagine—our dreams are too limited! Immeasurably more—God exceeds all measurement! His power works in us; His glory fills the church. Dream bi
John Wesley on Grace Exceeding - Wesleyan (Ephesians 3:20-21)
"Grace does immeasurably more! Whatever sanctification we imagine, God's grace exceeds. Whatever transformation we dream, His power achieves more. The power at work within us—prevenient, justifying, s
John Howard Yoder on Word and Community - Anabaptist (Psalm 119:105)
"The lamp shines brightest in community—we read Scripture together, discerning together what it illumines. The path lit is often the path of discipleship: nonviolence, simplicity, community. The Word
Gustavo Gutiérrez on Word for the Poor - Liberation (Psalm 119:105)
"Scripture illumines the path of liberation—the Exodus story, the prophets' cries, Jesus' mission to the poor. The Word lights the way toward justice. For the oppressed, Scripture is survival light in
St. John Climacus on Spiritual Warfare - Orthodox (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"Temptation tests but also purifies—it is part of the spiritual ladder. God allows temptation measured to our strength, always with escape. Through nepsis (watchfulness) and the Jesus Prayer, we find
Howard Thurman on Temptation and Survival - Black Church (1 Corinthians 10:13)
"The disinherited face unique temptations: the temptation to hate, to fear, to deceive for survival. God is faithful—He provides escape even here. The way out may be love that refuses to hate, courage