Browse Sermon Illustrations
967 illustrations available
Mystic River: Only God Can Create Clean (Psalm 51:10)
In Mystic River, three childhood friends are bound together by a kidnapping that scarred them all. Dave, the victim, grows up haunted, his heart never fully clean. Jimmy and Sean grow up differently d
Dallas Buyers Club: Calling Sinners, Not the Righteous (Mark 2:17)
In Dallas Buyers Club, Ron Woodroof—a rodeo cowboy dying of AIDS—becomes an unlikely advocate for HIV patients. Homophobic and self-destructive, Ron initially wants only to save himself. But smuggling
What Dreams May Come: Wiping Away Every Tear (Revelation 21:4)
In What Dreams May Come, Chris Nielsen dies and enters a heaven painted from his wife's artwork. But when his wife commits suicide and goes to hell, he descends to rescue her. "He will wipe away every
First Man: Whom Shall I Send? (Isaiah 6:8)
In First Man, Neil Armstrong volunteers for the impossible: walking on the moon. The mission kills friends, strains his marriage, asks everything. When asked why, Armstrong can barely articulate it. S
Gladiator: Strength and Honor (Philippians 4:8)
"Strength and honor"—the greeting shared between Maximus and his loyal soldiers. Two words that defined their brotherhood and their code. Paul gives the church a similar code: "Whatever is true, whate
The Pursuit of Happyness: He Will Direct Your Paths (Proverbs 3:5-6)
In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner invests his last $250 in a bone density scanner—a gamble that leaves him homeless with his son. Everyone thinks he's foolish. But he sees a path no one else
The Blind Side: Go and Do Likewise (Luke 10:25-37)
In The Blind Side, Leigh Anne Tuohy sees a large Black teenager walking alone in the rain. She could drive past—most would. Instead, she stops. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?" Michael Oher beco
50/50: Seeing Mercy Through Mortality (Lamentations 3:22-23)
In 50/50, Adam Lerner—a healthy 27-year-old—learns he has spinal cancer. His world collapses. But each morning he wakes up, and each morning is both terrifying and merciful. His therapist, his best fr
Titanic: Laying Down His Life for Love (John 15:13)
In Titanic, as the ship sinks, many reveal their true character. The band plays on. The captain goes down with the ship. Rose finds a floating door but Jack stays in the freezing water, ensuring she s
Frozen: Perfect Love Casts Out Fear (1 John 4:18)
In Frozen, Elsa lives in terror of her own power. She isolates herself, hides her gift, nearly destroys her kingdom with fear-driven ice. Only Anna's sacrificial love—dying to save her sister—breaks t
The Secret Garden: Washing of Rebirth and Renewal (Titus 3:5)
In The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox arrives at Misselthwaite Manor bitter, unloved, and unloving. She discovers a hidden garden, dead from neglect. As she tends it back to life, she herself is transform
127 Hours: Pity Anyone Who Falls Alone (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
In 127 Hours, Aron Ralston is trapped alone in a canyon, arm pinned by a boulder. For five days he faces death in isolation. The film flashes to memories of community he took for granted—family, frien
Rudy: Run and Not Grow Weary (Isaiah 40:31)
In Rudy, Daniel Ruettiger has no athletic gifts—too small, too slow, not smart enough for Notre Dame. But he has something else: he refuses to quit. After years of rejection, he dresses for one game,
Forrest Gump: Running the Race Set Before Us (Hebrews 12:1-2)
"Run, Forrest, run!" Jenny's cry saves Forrest from bullies—and becomes the pattern of his life. He runs through childhood braces, through Vietnam, across America. When asked why he ran, he says simpl
Jerry Maguire: The Mission Statement of the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
In Jerry Maguire, sports agent Jerry writes a mission statement at 1 AM: "Fewer clients. Less money. More attention to the people we serve." It costs him his job, his fiancée, most of his life. But he
Mad Max Fury Road: Panting for Living Water (Psalm 42:1-2)
In Mad Max: Fury Road, water is controlled by a tyrant. The thirsty masses beg for drops while Immortan Joe hoards abundance. Furiosa steals his wives and his water truck, seeking a mythical Green Pla
War of the Worlds: God Our Refuge in Trouble (Psalm 46:1-3)
In War of the Worlds, Ray Ferrier tries to protect his children from alien invasion. Everything fails—cars, phones, the military. Civilization collapses in hours. But Ray keeps his children alive thro
The Intern: Whatever You Do, Do It Well (Colossians 3:23)
In The Intern, 70-year-old Ben Whittaker becomes an intern at an online fashion company. He could rest on retirement, but he wants to contribute. He brings old-school work ethic to a startup culture—i
The Princess Bride: The Full Armor (Ephesians 6:10-18)
In The Princess Bride, Westley faces multiple trials: The Cliffs of Insanity, the swordsman Inigo, the giant Fezzik, the fire swamp. Each requires different equipment—climbing skills, sword mastery, w
The Avengers: Many Members, One Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)
In The Avengers, a god, a super-soldier, a genius billionaire, a rage monster, and two spies must work together—or the world ends. Each has unique gifts; none can succeed alone. "The eye cannot say to
Avatar: The Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1:15-20)
In Avatar, Jake Sully connects to his Na'vi body through neural link—seeing through different eyes, feeling with different skin. The invisible becomes visible; the foreign becomes intimate. Christ is
The Bourne Identity: The Old Has Gone (2 Corinthians 5:17)
In The Bourne Identity, Jason Bourne wakes with no memory of who he was—only skills and instincts. As his past resurfaces, he must choose: become the assassin he was, or become someone new. He chooses
Patch Adams: I Came for the Sick (Mark 2:17)
In Patch Adams, Hunter Adams rejects sterile, detached medicine. He clowns in children's cancer wards, learns patients' names, treats people instead of diseases. The medical establishment calls him un
300: The Shield Wall of Faith (Ephesians 6:10-18)
In 300, King Leonidas and his Spartans face impossible odds against Xerxes' million-man army. They have no numerical advantage—only superior training, unbreakable formation, and shields that protect t