Following Jesus – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Following God’s Call

Following Jesus, Local Church, Sacrifice

Richard Stearns, author of The Hole in Our Gospel, was CEO of multiple large companies. He felt God calling him to serve others and…

Rejection

Acceptance, Costs, Following Jesus, Rejection, Relationships

Has following Jesus ever left you feeling like an outcast from your friends, family, or those you interact with in your community? There are…

Unshakable Faith

Difficult Times, Following Jesus, Persecution, Suffering, Take Up Your Cross

Have you ever made a commitment—or recommitment—to follow God and put him first in your life, only to find that life gets harder, not…

Doing Something With Nothing

Calling, Following Jesus, God's power, Good Works, Kingdom of God, Sharing the Gospel, Vessels

In the 1980s, there was a popular TV show called MacGyver. The title character was a genius who could seemingly do anything with nothing…

Jesus Doesn’t Require A Proposal

Counting the Cost, Desire, Following Jesus, Preparation

The US federal government is required to use a bid process for contracts. A company that wants a federal contract must go through a…

The Holy Spirit Came Over Him

Calling, Following Jesus, Holy Spirit, John The Baptist, Scripture

Before 1930, Joseph Babalola was a young road builder in Nigeria. Then the Holy Spirit came over him. He found himself unable to sleep…

The Cross Has Made You “Flawless”

Change, Following Jesus, God's Saving Grace, New Creation, Sharing the Gospel, The Cross

The music video for MercyMe’s song, “Flawless”, does a good job of showing visually how changed we are by God’s grace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjLlLPZderk. God’s good…

Follow Him And Go Anyway

Fear, Following Jesus, Jonah, Sharing Faith, Sharing the Gospel, Uncomfortable

Sometimes, our fear or hatred of someone can get in the way of sharing the gospel and obeying Jesus. In the season 1 finale…

We Choose

Choices, Death, Following Jesus, Life, The World

In the Middle-Earth stories The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, we encounter the story of Gollum. Gollum started out looking and acting…

Choosing The Right Type Of Clay

Disciples, Following Jesus, God's Plan, Purpose, Spiritual Life

Artists choose the type of clay for a project based on the end product, cost, kiln type, skill level, and construction methods to be…

Joining the Parade

Following Jesus, Jesus, Praise, Worship

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade started as a simple idea from the store’s leaders. The parade participants only took up two blocks when it…

Babies in the Olympics

Discipline, Following Jesus, Growing, Perseverance

This funny clip of babies acting like they are in the Olympics provides an opportunity to talk about how important training is for great…

Set Apart

Christian Life, Different, Following Jesus, Light, Purpose, Set Apart

In the Harry Potter series, Harry struggles with being the one set apart and considered special. He wishes he were just normal, like everyone…

Inside And Out

Ambassadors, Christian Life, Following Jesus, genuine, Integrity, The Church

In the movie The Dark Knight (directed by Christopher Nolan [Warner Bros., 2008]), the Joker and his goons overtake a police honor guard, tying them up…

Freedom

Christian Freedom, Following Jesus, Freedom, Relationship with Christ

However, freedom for a Christian does not mean the absence of rules or laws to live by. Christian “rules” for living are summed up in…

Trained For Godliness

Following Jesus, Godliness, Sanctification, Transformation

We want to be changed to follow God’s way of living. That transformation comes through being trained (discipled) in his ways. If you’ve ever…

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…

Build-A-Faith

Belief, Christianity, Faith, Following Jesus, genuine

Have you ever had been to a Build-A-Bear store? At these attractions throughout the United States, you can customize a teddy bear or other…

Who’s On First

Commandments, Context, Following Jesus, Knowing God, Ten Commandments

In the classic skit “Who’s on First?” Abbot and Costello create a humorous situation between a peanut vendor and a baseball manager. The players…

Christ-Like Empathy

Christlikeness, Empathy, Following Jesus, Loving Others, Loving Our Neighbor

Empathy is not impossible, but it is an exercise. Jesus expects us to be empathetic because he is empathetic. However, we have to learn…