Righteousness – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Virtue Signalers

Activism, circumcision, flaunting, personal piety, Righteousness, Virtue, virtue signalers

In Paul’s day, for gentile Christians, circumcision became like a form of “virtue signaling.” It created a pretense, or an appearance, of righteousness that…

Standard Of Goodness

God's Standard, Goodness, Holiness, Perfect Jesus, Righteousness

For Jesus, goodness is defined by the nature and character of God; it’s measured by the standard that God alone sets. Jesus understands that,…

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…

Feeling Inadequate By Comparison

Comparison, God's Righteousness, Inadequacy, Relationships, Righteousness

In the sitcom The Good Place, Tahani Al-Jamil is beautiful, intelligent, a wonderful hostess, and a philanthropist with connections to many celebrities. However, she…

To Kill a Mockingbird

Good Works, Goodness, Integrity, Justice, Kindness, Righteousness, Strength

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is a lawyer in the American South who defends Tom Robinson, a Black man…

Style & Function

Behavior, Christian Life, genuine, Holiness, Motivation, Righteousness, Salvation, Surface, The Heart

Imagine yourself going to a computer store and asking to see the latest MacBook Pro. The salesman shows you the computer and points out…

Bragging Rights

Boastfulness, Boasting, Christ Alone, Pride, Righteousness, Unrighteousness

Imagine a child going to school boasting of his great house and his nice car and his luxurious vacations, leading his friends to believe…

Simon Says

Case for Christ, Cause, Cause of Christ, Game, Jim Bakker, Leaders, Leadership, Pastoring, Priorities, Righteousness, Role Model, Simon Says, Tammy Bakker

Nothing can tear down the cause of Christ more than when a minister is caught in some form of immorality. The late 1980s saw…

Man of Sorrows

1 Corinthians 15:31, Dying to Self, Faith, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:24, God's Will, John 12:24, Lamb of God, Luke 9:23, Mark 8:35, Matthew 10:38, Philippians 2:1-30, Righteousness, Romans 6:1-23, Sacrifice, Sin, Suffered, Surrender

Now Jesus, the perfect and final sacrifice, would die for the sins of all humanity in order to deliver all who believe from sin…

‘Hangry’ For Righteousness

1 Peter 2:2, Devotional, Hungry for God, John 4:13-14, John 6:33-35, John 6:35, John 7:37, Matthew 5:6, Psalm 42:2, Psalm 63:1, Quiet time, Relationship with God, Righteousness

Have you ever been so hungry you started snapping at people? There is a real-life behavior called “being hangry”—so hungry you begin to get…

Honoring One’s Duty

Avoidance, Christ's Death, Deuteronomy 5:33, Fulfillment, Honoring God, John 14:23, John 15:16, Jury Duty, Negative, Obedience, Positivity, Proverbs 10:17, Righteousness, Romans 12:2, Savior

Houston is getting more people to show up to jury duty by focusing on the positives, not the negatives. “The percentage of people who…

Credit Score

2 Corinthians 5:21, Bank, Christ's Death, Credit Score, Debt, Future, Imputed, Investment, Isaiah 46:13, Isaiah 56:1, Psalm 89:16, Replacement, Righteousness, Romans 3:21, Sacrifice

If you pay off a large debt you’ve accumulated from credit cards, it won’t necessarily erase all your problems. Your debt is paid, but…

Battling Bitterness

Battle, Bitterness, Captive, Colossians 3:13, Discipline, Ephesians 4:26, Ephesians 4:31, Growth, John 16:33, Psalm 51:10, Righteousness, Role, Thoughts, Vindication, Wisdom

Jen Wilkin outlines four ways to battle bitterness for an article in The Gospel Coalition. Her points are: A. God knows the real story…

Dependence on God

Dependence On God, Faith, God's Love, God's Sovereignty, Hebrews 12:28-29, Ministry, Obedience, Psalm 100, Revelation 14:7, Revelation 4:8-11, Righteousness, Romans 12:1-2, Sin, Wandering, Worship

Pastor Erik Raymond wrote a “Declaration of Dependence” for The Gospel Coalition. It reads: “As a believer I realize that I am depending on…

Misunderstood Works

Colossians 3:23-24, Ephesians 2:10, Faith, Galatians 6:9, Holy Spirit, James 2:18, Judgment, Matthew 5:16, Motive, Rejoice, Righteousness, Self-Righteousness, Spiritual Fruit, Thanksgiving, Worship

We know that our faith is not born of our righteousness and neither are our works. Megan Kruger writes about the difference between spiritual…