Sacrifice Archives - Sermon Illustration Ideas

Love in Action

Love, Power, Sacrifice, Self-Sacrifice

Although she doesn’t die in the movie, Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise [Buena Vista Pictures,…

Father Damien

God's Will, Obedience, Sacrifice, Submission, Submit to God

Father Damien was a Belgian priest who went to serve in what was considered a godforsaken place—the island of Molokai, where Hawaiians with Hansen’s…

Sacrificial Love

Faithfulness, Love, Redemption, Restoration, Sacrifice

A great illustration of sacrificial love for the Trinity and the Son of God is in Avengers: Endgame. At the end of the movie,…

Refused Forgiveness

Christ's Sacrifice, Forgiveness, Lent, Sacrifice, Sin

In the film Les Misérables (directed by Tom Hooper [Universal Pictures, 2012]), Jean Valjean’s choice to let Javert live brings the police officer to…

Career Changes

Calling, God's Will, Purpose, Sacrifice, Surrender

Find someone in the congregation who has made difficult career changes based on what God has asked them to do. Other than those who…

Farmers Helping Farmers

Community, Helping others, Outlook, Sacrifice, Working Together

Farmers are notorious for helping each other when times get tough. One North Dakota community of farmers helped one of their own after he…

A Season Of Preparation

Easter, Fasting, Lent, Sacrifice, The Heart

In the Christian tradition of Lent we are asked to give up something, but in the spring and after Easter, we can look forward…

Charles Spurgeon’s ‘The Carrot and the Horse’

Generosity, Humility, Motivations, Sacrifice, The Heart

There is a story attributed to Charles Spurgeon. It goes like this: a gardener presents his king with the greatest carrot he has ever…

Behind The Music

Meaning, Sacrifice, Song, Surrender, Switchfoot

Jon Foreman is a singer–songwriter best known for his work with the band Switchfoot. On a series of solo albums entitled Seasons, Foreman penned a…

John Harper’s Last Convert

Evangelism, Sacrifice, Salvation

Sometimes trusting in our spiritual flotation device means ridding ourselves of a physical one. Scottish evangelist John Harper boarded the Titanic in April 1912. Those…

Brothers And Sisters In Arms

Christian Unity, Love, Sacrifice, The Body of Christ, Unity

Similar to joining the military, when you become a Christian and join the church, you immediately find yourself among brothers and sisters in the…

The Homecoming

Bride of Christ, Children of God, Christmas, Father, Gifts, God Our Father, Love, Sacrifice

Earl Hamner’s novel about one Christmas from his childhood, The Homecoming, is a perfect illustration of God’s love for his bride. At the height…

No Pain, No Gain

Growth, Pain, Resistance, Sacrifice, Struggle

“No pain, no gain!” Have you heard this as you were working out? The phrase stresses the idea that growth comes about painfully, through…

Sacrificial Love

Disciplines, Love, Loving Others, Sacrifice, Technology

No doubt, most of us, if given the choice, would gladly give up things to help our best friend. If he or she was…

On The Incarnation

Christ, Incarnation, Love, Sacrifice, The Gospel

In a radio address, C. S. Lewis illustrated the incarnation and Jesus’s sacrifice for us this way: “Lying at your feet is your dog….

Our “Stand-In”

Atonement, Forgiveness, Jesus, Propitiation, Sacrifice, Salvation, Sin

Glenn Duhigg, a stand-in actor for Tom Cruise on the set of the movie Mission Impossible 2, explains, “It sounds very glamorous saying you’re…

What Love Looks Like

Generosity, Giving, Love, Sacrifice, Serving Others

What is one of the ultimate expressions of love? Sacrifice. We might think of the direst of examples, like laying down your life for…

What We Deserve

Discipleship, Examination, Lent, Repentance, Sacrifice, Suffering

We do not live in a culture that elevates self-denial. Most often we are told we “deserve” to indulge, to be happy, to put…

The Blue Marble

Generosity, Giving Your Life, Parable, Sacrifice, Salvation, Story, Submission

“[In an article for Decision magazine], Samuel Kamaleson illustrates [the difficulty of submission] through a Christian folk story from South India. … It opens…