The Heart – Sermon Illustration Ideas

Soul Cultivation

Growth, Preparation, Spiritual Life, The Heart, The Soul

A great deal of effort is needed to properly prepare a plot of land to become a cultivated garden. This PDF explains the steps…

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…

It Comes From Within

Depravity, Desires, Salvation, Sin, The Fall, The Heart

M. Night Shyamalan’s 2004 movie, The Village, described the struggle to create a “perfect” community in a fallen world (The Village, directed by M. Night…

The Mirror of the Spirit

Spiritual Life, The Heart, The Holy Spirit, The Spirit

One of the Spirit’s main roles is to transform us more into the likeness of Christ. He does this by showing us the reality…

Inside Out

Change, Fruit, Sanctification, The Heart, Transformation

Everyone knows that you don’t eat bananas until they turn yellow. The internal transformation of the fruit inside the peel is what causes the…

Treasure Hunters

Eternal Perspective, Eternity, Priorities, The Heart, Treasure

In June of 2020, the news broke that buried treasure had been found in the Rocky Mountains. The story as it unfolded was almost impossible…

Our Life Is A Song

Life, Praise, Song, The Heart, Worship

Our lives were meant to be concerts of sorts. We were meant to sing of God’s mercy, grace, compassion, and presence. We don’t sing…

Love Defined

Affections, Love, Loving God, The Heart

Love is a difficult concept to define and understand. Think of all the ways people use it in society: they love food, they love…

True Health

Fitness, Health, Priorities, Relationship with God, The Gospel, The Heart

We spend a lot of money on fitness and well-being—$828 billion globally in 2018. Being mindful of our physical wellness is important. The Mayo…

Mistaken Identity

Honesty, Identity, Identity in Christ, The Heart, Transparency

Operating under mistaken identity can lead to poor decisions. In the “Alone” episode of House (season 4, episode 1, directed by Deran Serafian, aired…

The Lost Sea Lion

Complacency, habits, Sin, The Heart

The challenge of recognizing our sin comes in the fact that we normalize it. It becomes a habit. In his book The Journey of…

Spiritual Renovation

Renovation, Restoration, Salvation, The Heart, Transformation

“Bruce Campbell lives in an airplane. Yes, an actual jet. The Portland-based aeronautics enthusiast makes his home in a converted Boeing 727 that was…

Well Wrapped

Christian Life, Faith, Hypocracy, Spiritual Life, The Heart

“One year at Christmastime, my wife wanted some wrapped boxes to use for decoration. She took eight empty boxes and had them wrapped to…

Inward Health

Growth, Spiritual Health, Spiritual Life, The Heart

Inward health is a natural byproduct of a healthy diet. As this funny commercial from the American Heart Association illustrates, superficially attaching something does…

Changing The Fruit

Fruit, Fruit of the Spirit, Sin, Tempation, The Heart, The Spirit

You can’t change an apple tree into a banana tree by plucking all the apples off, and hoping bananas grow instead. To replace the…

A Matter Of The Heart

Loving God, Martha, Mary, Motivation, Serving God, The Heart

Brennan Manning illustrates this point in his work The Ragamuffin Gospel. In it, he writes, “A married woman in Atlanta with two small children…

Satisfied In Christ

Desires, Luke 9, Miracles, Satisfied, Satisfied In Christ, The Heart

Not only can God supply our every need, but he can do so in a way that leaves us satisfied. Luke 9 gives an…

The Pervasiveness of Sin

Death, Sin, Sinful Nature, Temptation, The Heart, The mind

The power of sin shapes and colors everything. Author James B. Nelson links his alcoholism with the pervasiveness of sin. How he describes addiction and…

Prepare The Way

John The Baptist, Mark, Preparation, The Gospel of Mark, The Heart

“The idea of preparing the way of the LORD is a word picture because the real preparation must take place in our hearts. Building a…