Failure – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Lack of Power

Consequences, Failure, ineptitude, lack of power, Power, schemes

Following those who don’t know what they’re doing can have frustrating consequences. In the Austin Powers movies, Dr. Evil is built up as the big…

Power of Trust

Confidence, Failure, Faith, Help, hesitant, Trust

Young children often seem to be fearless. They jump off couches or out of trees without hesitation. They believe they can run faster than…

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Failure, foundations, solidified, Tower of Pisa, unsolid ground

The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa is an architectural marvel. The building has stood for over 800 years on unsolid ground. While most buildings…

The Purpose in Failure

Failure, greater purpose, Purpose, star wars

Near the end of Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith (directed by George Lucas, 20th Century Fox, 2005, 1:56:26–1:56:53), we see the exile of Yoda…

Messing Up

Failure, Forgiveness, Healing, Hope, Sin

On his podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, Mike Cosper interviewed Joshua Harris about Harris’s path from evangelical golden boy to leaving…

Tires Out of Balance

Failure, Imago Dei, Loving God, Loving Others, Pharisees, The Church

When our theology doesn’t extend to loving action, we look a lot like the Pharisees. We see this in the high-profile exodus of folks…

Our Collective Calling

Calling, Church, Failure, Purpose of the Church, The Church

The church is a place where grace must abound if we want to live in true unity. It should be a place where people…

Christians Fail

Failure, Leaders, Sin, Sinful Nature

Christians fail! The news is littered with the checkered track record. From the 1988 PTL (Praise the Lord) downfall of Jim Bakker to the…

The Importance of Honesty

Failure, Honesty, Perseverance, Struggle, Transparency

It’s important for Christians to realize and express with humility both their failures and their perseverance to grow as believers. It is easy to…

Confronting Failure

Change, Conformed, Confrontation, Failure

The Holy Spirit guides us and changes us. But we must be willing to be conformed to the image of Christ. Sometimes the Holy…

Failure Precedes Success

Christian Life, Failure, Sin, Success

For every successful person we admire, there is failure preceding the success. In a famous Nike commercial, Michael Jordan stated, “I’ve missed more than…

Agents of Change

1 Corinthians 16:13, 2 Timothy 1:7, Bold, Brave, Courageous, Deuteronomy 31:8, Failure, Fear, God's Kingdom, Jeremiah 29:11, Joshua 1:9, Kingdom of God, Purpose

Often, when we decide to be an agent of change for God, fear will rise up against us. Throughout the Scriptures, God encourages his…

Hope Is Powerful

1 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 1 Timothy 1:1, 1 Timothy 4:10, 1 Timothy 6:17, Colossians 1:23, Comfort, Failure, God's Love, Grace, Hebrews 6:19, Hope, Hopeful, Peace, Purpose, Titus 1:2, Titus 3:7, Unfailing Love

Hope is powerful. In this clip from the film To End All Wars, prisoners of war tell us just how important hope is to…