Purpose – Page 2 – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Embracing God-Given Zeal

Apathy, Loving God, Loving Others, Passion, Purpose, Zeal

The book Nothing to See Here (Kevin Wilson [New York: Ecco, 2019]) is a story about two children who have a tendency to spontaneously burst into…

Hidden Characters

Purpose, Story, The Gospels, Women, Women In The Bible

There’s a scene in The Empire Strikes Back that shows Han and Leia arguing in the tunnel (the clip starts at 6:00): https://io9.gizmodo.com/a-look-inside-empire-strikes-backs-anniversary-antholog-1845487070. You’ll hardly notice it,…

The Product Of Struggle

Fruit, Purpose, Struggles, Suffering

Wine makers state that the best wines come from grapes that struggle and experience stress. “If you take a grapevine and make its physical…

Knowing In Part

God's Plan, God's Will, Knowing God, Purpose, Understanding God

The book of Job makes clear this matter of human limitedness. We don’t have the knowledge or the language to understand God fully. “Now…

The Creation Story

Creation, Genesis, Home, Origin, Purpose

Rather than getting bogged down in minute details, the author of Genesis focuses on telling its first readers how the world is meant to…

A Life of Meaning

Calling, Purpose, Relationship with God, Vocation

The idea that we need to live a life that matters can be overwhelming, especially when we’re in our late teens and early twenties….

Waiting For Job Charming

Calling, Gifts, Purpose, Vocation, Work

There’s a danger in trying to make a calling—and the exercise of the gifts associated with it—something more exciting, or just sensationalizing it. But…

Like There’s No Tomorrow

Christ's Return, Ephesians 5:16, Hope, Purpose, Urgency

In the 1993 film Groundhog Day, the main character (played by Bill Murray) is stuck in a time loop, doomed to experience the same…

Soul Mate

God, gods, Idolatry, Love, Marriage, Purpose, Relationship with God, Soul mate

The online dating company eHarmony markets the idea of a soul mate, in commercials like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qRPH-fa2tE. But sometimes the soul mate idea…

Hardwired

Creation, Design, Following God, Generosity, Giving, Happiness, Joy, Purpose

It is amazing how God has hardwired our brains and bodies to even function in ways that reward us following him. While it is…

Use The Tools

Application, Overcoming, Power, Purpose, Salvation, Sanctification, Transformation, Victory

Imagine going to the tech store and inquiring about the latest smartphone. The tech guy begins to explain all of its many features, and…

“They Began To Laugh”

Chinese, Comedian, Cultures, Francis Chan, God's Perspective, Laugh, Persecution, Purpose, Purpose of the Church, The Church, They Began To Laugh

Persecution is in the eye of the beholder. In this Francis Chan interview, he shares the different Christian cultures of American and Chinese Christianity….

Wherever You Go

Change, God's Purpose, Interruptions, Kindness, Love, Ministry, Purpose, Thomas a Kempis, Wherever You Go

You don’t need to make a huge move or change in order to begin living in the purpose that God has for you right…

Everyday Purpose

C.S. Lewis, everyday purpose, God's Purpose, God's Work, Interruption, Purpose

C.S. Lewis wrote,“The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one’s ‘own,’ or ‘real’ life….

Hope Under Construction

Construction, God's Promises, Inconvenience, Kingdom of God, Present, Purpose, Traffic, Waitinng

It’s hard to not be annoyed by heavy construction in the city or on the roads. Construction, detours, and potholes make travel to our…

Every Part Matters

1 Corinthians 12, Community, Cooperation, Function, Part, Purpose, Serving Others, The Body, The Church, Unity

Have you ever had a car break down? A car has many parts that make it run effectively—like an engine, transmission, brakes, and electrical…

God’s Stonemason

2 Timothy 2:21, Believers, Ephesians 2:10, Evangelism, Galatians 2:20, God's Plan, John 14:12, Matthew 5:14-16, Mission, Partnering, Philippians 2:12-13, Purpose, Purpose of the Church

N. T. Wright describes partnering between believers and God through describing a stonemason working on part of a great cathedral. This particular worker is…

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…

God’s Stonemason

2 Timothy 2:21, Believers, Ephesians 2:10, Evangelism, Galatians 2:20, God's Plan, John 14:12, Matthew 5:14-16, Mission, Partnering, Philippians 2:12-13, Purpose, Purpose of the Church

N. T. Wright describes partnering between believers and God through describing a stonemason working on part of a great cathedral. This particular worker is…

Sourdough Origins

1 Peter 5:10, Bacteria, Challenges, Difficulty, Hardship, James 1:12, Origin, Produce, Purpose, Romans 12:12, Romans 5:3-4, Romans 8:18, Safe, Trials, Useful

“A lot of foods we eat have interesting origins. For example, the bacteria responsible for sourdough bread originally came from rodent feces. Any sourdough…