20 of the Best Sources for Sermon Illustrations

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23 of the Best Sources for Sermon Illustrations

Much of Jesus’ preaching and teaching was showing his listeners his points rather than just saying them. He used sermon illustrations all the time. And we should too.

Often times, though, it can be a struggle to come up with good sermon illustrations. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

The Prerequisite for Finding Good Sermon Illustrations

There is a caveat to this, a prerequisite if you will. In order to find good sermon illustrations, we must be curious. Without an immense curiosity about life, we’ll continue to struggle to find sermon illustrations that are impactful. But with an immense curiosity, we’ll never run out of sermon illustration ideas.

If we develop our curiosity muscles, we’ll be able to properly leverage the following sources for sermon illustrations.

Let’s dive in.

20 of the Best Sources for Sermon Illustrations

1. Ministry Pass Illustrations

Need illustrations on specific topics? We’ve got you covered.

Ministry Pass - sermon illustrations

2. Illustrations.Bible

This is a site to bookmark. Like now. One new illustration idea, Monday – Friday.

Illustrations.Bible - sermon illustrations

3. Your Own Life

Nothing beats sharing a personal story that illustrates your point. Nothing.

Life - sermon illustrations

4. Books

Read more books and you’ll get more illustrations. Capture them and use them.

Books - sermon illustrations

5. Movies and TV Shows

If you watch movies or television shows, start looking for illustrations. They’re in there.

Movies and TV Shows - sermon illustrations

6. Children’s Books

These can be great sources for illustrations that are already set up for a point.

Children's Books - sermon illustrations

7. Music

Pay attention to the lyrics and you’ll notice that your favorite songs are full of usable illustrations.

Music - sermon illustrations

8. Ask Social Media

Ask your friends on social media questions. Start a poll. Ask them for an example of a time when they experienced ______. You can get creative and have a lot of fun with it.

Social Media - sermon illustrations

9. I Am Second

These are powerful stories of life change. I often weave one of these throughout an entire message as the modern day parable alongside the main text. Here’s an example.

I Am Second - sermon illustrations

10. Faith It

You’ll find an abundance of stories about life and faith here.

Faith It - sermon illustrations

11. Crosswalk

This is a Christian living website that has a ton of content. Many of their articles could be used as anecdotes.

Cross Walk - sermon illustrations

12. Pew Research

Research on the issues, attitudes, and trends shaping the world.

Pew Research - sermon illustrations

13. Christianity Today History

Stories about Christians throughout history.

Christianity Today History - sermon illustrations

14. Christ and Pop Culture

Pop culture illustrations galore!

Christ and Pop Culture - sermon illustrations

15. Sermon Central Illustrations

With over 50,000 illustrations, you’re bound to find some good ones here.

Sermon Central - sermon illustrations

16. Sermons.com Illustrations

Tons of illustrations on many different topics.

Sermons - sermon illustrations

17. Bible.org Illustrations

Lots of illustrations on topics A-Z.

Bible.org - sermon illustrations

18. Sermon Illustrator

Inspirational stories for your sermon.

Sermon Illustrator - sermon illustrations

19. Preaching Today Illustrations

Search by topic or book of the Bible.

Preaching Today - sermon illustrations

20. Voicings Sermon Illustrations

Over 16,000 illustrations sorted by topic.

Voicings - sermon illustrations

 

There you have it. Be curious. Look for illustrations everywhere. And go show while you tell.


Brandon Kelley is a pastor at The Crossing on the east side of Cincinnati. He is the managing editor of Ministry Pass, co-founder of RookiePreacher.com, and the author of Preaching Sticky Sermons. You can connect with him on Twitter @BrandonKelley_.

 

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