Jesus used the familiar landscapes, objects, and occurrences of everyday life to describe the profound truths of the Kingdom to his disciples and the crowds who would follow him.
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” leaven…a man sowing seed…or like a dragnet cast into the sea. Each of these ordinary objects and practices illustrated Christ’s messages to his audience and opened their eyes to new realities.
As preachers and teachers of the Gospel today, we have the incredible privilege of sharing this same message in our own, varying contexts. Using illustrations like Jesus did can help our audiences connect to the life of the text.
For example…
Breathing Fresh Life Into A Timeless Idea
A lesson on restoration can take on new meaning to your listeners when you borrow from the now popular and familiar ‘fixer-upper’ shows that show the restoration and transformation of a dilapidated house. When you see the broken-down houses at the beginning of the show, it’s hard to imagine that they will change into the dream homes they reveal at the end of each episode.
In a similar way, we see God take broken lives and hearts and make them new by His love and His power.
When we use illustrations, we take small stories and let them tell a bigger story.
Illustrating the Biggest Story
This Easter, our services will be focused on telling THE biggest story–the story of the resurrection of Christ. Use illustrations in your Easter message to connect your regular church attenders and first-time guests alike to the truth of the Gospel, the hope of Christ’s resurrection, the power of grace, and the enormity of God’s love.
These Easter illustrations from Illustrationideas.bible are available for you to use in your own sermon or as a spark of inspiration while you prepare a message for the special Easter weekend.
Another resource for you to check out is this Easter service planning guide. This guide lays out helpful tips and strategies for the time leading up to Easter and for the Easter Sunday service itself.
There is even a strategy for after Easter, making sure you don’t miss the opportunity to follow up with guests and to invite new believers to move past an initial decision to a life of discipleship.
The story of God is timeless and the themes from scripture are better than any storyline from any writer. Bring the words to life for those who may have already concluded what this year’s message will be about — delight and surprise them with a story that connects more deeply than Christ on the cross… help them connect with the truth that Christ died on the cross for them.
