Dave Shrein – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Can You Hear Me Now?

Hearing God, Knowing God, Prayer

Do you remember the Verizon guy who switched to Sprint , who was always asking the person on the other end of the phone,…

The Pervasiveness of Sin

Death, Sin, Sinful Nature, Temptation, The Heart, The mind

The power of sin shapes and colors everything. Author James B. Nelson links his alcoholism with the pervasiveness of sin. How he describes addiction and…

Practicing Patience

Loving Others, Patience, Practice, Selfishness, Selflessness, Spiritual Growth

Patience is hard work. Just consider your own driving practices—how it’s hard to wait for the slow person with their turn signal on to…

God Is With Us

Boldness, Courage, God's presence, God's Strength, Hebrews, Immanuel

Have you ever noticed that people have more boldness to do something when someone goes with them? A person is more willing to sign up…

The Spirit of Adoption

Abba, Adoption, Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit, Salvation

The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of adoption” in the Bible. Steve Weaver talks about the nature of adoption in the first century as…

System Failure

Death, Design, Romans, Sin, Temptation

Using the example of a computer virus, writer Will Timmins writes on Romans 7: “Like a computer virus, sin has entered inside the system (‘living…

True Confidence

Confidence, God's presence, Hebrews, High Priest, Mediator, Prayer

The way we walk projects to the world the confidence we do—or don’t—have within. This video coaches’ men on how to exhibit a more confident…

The True Mediator

Hebrews, High Priest, Humanity, Jesus, Mediator, The Gospel

Every culture has had a mediator with the divine. Whether it was shamans who would interact with ancestor spirits or priests who would offer incense…

What Love Looks Like

Generosity, Giving, Love, Sacrifice, Serving Others

What is one of the ultimate expressions of love? Sacrifice. We might think of the direst of examples, like laying down your life for…

Christ’s Example

Disciples, Discipleship, Example, Humility

The idea of one providing an example for another is very common in media. One of the greatest instances is Mr. Miyagi from The…

Eyes to See

Seeking God, Spiritual Insight

When one receives prescription glasses, they are only helpful if the prescription is correct. If not, their ability to see will be limited. In…

Freedom Redefined

Constraints, Disciplines, Freedom

Tim Keller writes in The Reason for God, “Freedom cannot be defined in strictly negative terms, as the absence of confinement and constraint. In fact, in…

The Habit of Rest

Good Soil, habits, Health, Sabbath

Good soil requires cultivation. A good way to cultivate the soul is learning to rest well. Tim Keller says, “All of us are haunted…

What Do You See?

Focus, Kingdom of God, Perspective, Seeing

Sometimes our inability to see the kingdom of God properly stems from an inability to look beyond the obvious. Once we get beyond the obvious,…

Prepare The Way

John The Baptist, Mark, Preparation, The Gospel of Mark, The Heart

“The idea of preparing the way of the LORD is a word picture because the real preparation must take place in our hearts. Building a…

Scripted

Ambition, God's Will, Idolatry, Trust

Have you written a script for God, indicating many of your life steps, thinking he’ll automatically read it, approve it, and sign off on it?…

No Fear In Love

Fear, Following Jesus, Grace

Love is the result of the grace we’ve been given in Christ—yet we’re often motivated by fear. In an article in Psychology Today, Robert…

Freedom In Love

Freedom, Love, Priorities, Treasure

Keller writes, “What is the environment that liberates us if we confine ourselves to it, like water liberates the fish? Love. Love is the most…

The Weight of the Gospel

Anchor, Gospel, Stability, Truth, Waves

A ballast for a boat keeps it from capsizing even in harsh waves. We can easily be tossed to and fro by our circumstances. But…

Join the Work

Evangelism, Parables, The Kingdom, The Kingdom of Heaven, Work

Farming takes a lot of work. Growing takes a lot of work. The kingdom of God is like a field where a farmer planted…