Character – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Character Is The Calling

Change, Character, Humbled

Zacchaeus experienced Jesus’s love and then immediately turned to show the same love to his community. His changed character became his calling. He remained…

The Potter

Character, Fruits of the Spirit, Molding, Potter, shaping

This week’s passage portrays God as the great potter of world history (vv. 1–4). The Lord works sovereignly and providentially in the universe to…

Transformational Love

Character, Love, Relationships, transformational love, Unconditional Love

In Disney’s remake of Beauty and the Beast (directed by Bill Condon, Walt Disney Pictures, 2017), the cursed prince, the Beast, is slowly transformed by the…

Identity

actions of Christ, Character, groot, History, Identity, Personhood

In the Guardians of the Galaxy movie series (directed by James Gunn, Marvel Studios, 2014–23), Groot is a character of few words. In fact,…

Appearances

Appearance, Character, Clean, Heart, Hidden, Hypocrisy, Messy, Purity, Unclean

To illustrate the nature of hypocrisy, consider the following scenario: When you have special guests over to your home for dinner or a game…

True Virtue

Character, Kingdom Attitudes, Pure Heart, Righteousness, True Worship, Virtue

This list of kingdom attitudes is a completely different approach to righteousness, both for the Jews then and for us today. When it comes…

Happiness

Character, Comfort, Happiness, Joy

The animated movie Trolls describes the overly happy creatures called trolls and the overly negative creatures called Bergens (directed by Mike Mitchell and Walt…

Your Thoughts, Your Playlist

Character, Decisions, Focus, Life, Thoughts

Jon Acuff explains the importance of how our mind shapes what we focus on in our actions. He equates this to a type of…

Radical Change

Change, Character, Loving Others, Path of Life, Sanctification

The best stories have a character arc, in which a character changes throughout the events of the story. The movie Iron Man (directed by…

Reflection Of Christ

Character, Christian Life, Disciples, Following Jesus, The Church

If you look into a handheld mirror you will see your reflection. Your reflection is what the world sees (that’s why you look in…

Remember Who You Are

Character, Confusion, Identity, Identity in Christ

Not remembering who you are or whose you are can easily lead to things you see as good being turned for evil. In the…

Tip Of The Iceberg

Character, Identity, Integrity, Invisible, The Heart, Visibile

“The tip of the iceberg” refers to the reality that the majority of an iceberg lies below the surface. This is impressive when you…

Character Development

1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Peter 3:18, Change, Character, Development, Ephesians 4:22-24, Galatians 2:20, Growth, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:13, Salvation, Sanctification, Transformation

The best stories have character development. This is where a character changes throughout the events of the story. For example, the 2008 blockbuster movie Iron…

Recognition

1 Corinthians 11:1-2, 1 Peter 2:9, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Character, Christ's Example, Christian Life, Christlikeness, Ephesians 5:1, Faith, Fruit, Galatians 2:20, Identity, Recognition, Relationship with God, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 8:29

Do you have facial recognition on your phone? This technology allows you to unlock your phone based on the particulars of your face, in…

Competitive Nature

1 Peter 4:10, 1 Samuel 18:7-9, Character, Colossians 3:23, Comparison, Envy, Gifts, James 3:16, Jealousy, John 3:27, Matthew 25:14-30, Others, Perspective, Philippians 2:3, Proverbs 14:30, Proverbs 27:4, Sin, Stewardship, Talents

There are some crazy competitions out there, like pumpkin sailing and outhouse racing. See this article for more ridiculous competitions: https://www.si.com/more-sports/photos/2009/07/08-1most-ridiculous-competitions#21 . These competitions seem so…

Well Defined Character

Character, Control, Divine, Doctrine, Job 11:7-9, Job 14:5, Justice, Lordship, Matthew 10:29-31, Omnipotence, Providence, Psalm 139:16, Romans 8:28, Rule, Sovereignty

The words “sovereign” and “providence” are often used interchangeably. However, Paul Miller at The Gospel Coalition reminds us that they are different. He writes,…

The Holiness of God

1 Peter 1:16, Affection, Attribute, Awe, Character, God's Holiness, God's Love, Habakkuk 1:13, Isaiah 43:15, Isaiah 57:15, Isaiah 6:3, Meaning, Overlook, Overwhelming, Repetition

In an adapted excerpt from his book, Yawning at Tigers: You Can’t Tame God So Stop Trying, Drew Dyck writes, “The cruel irony of…

True Nobility

2 Corinthians 5:17, Change, Character, Death, Ephesians 4:24, Galatians 6:15, Growth, New Creation, New Life, Nobility, Renewal, Romans 6:4, Romans 7:6, Sin, Transformation

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” – Ernest Hemingway This…

Falling Into Trust

Character, Confidence, Control, Faith, Giving, God's Sovereignty, Isaiah 14:24, Jeremiah 32:27, Prayer, Proverbs 16:9, Psalm 135:6, Psalm 97:9, Surrender, Trust, Vulnerability

Trust falls are an important way to build confidence between two people. See this awkwardly humorous video about trust falls. While trust falls are…