10 Tips for Effective Sermon Illustrations
Tucked away in the book of Ecclesiastes are these words:
“Not only was the Teacher wise, but he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails – given by one Shepherd.” Ecclesiastes 12:9-11
There is so much in this text for a preacher to take to heart. For example, note the verbs, “pondered” and “searched.” They seem to speak of serious study, don’t they?
And then the phrase, “set in order.” That would seem to allude to a careful sermonic process.
Then there’s the phrase “just the right words,” which speaks of thoughtful creativity. “Goads” certainly expresses the importance of application.
But I’d especially like you to notice the phrase, “like firmly embedded nails.” See that? In his great wisdom, Solomon realized how easily people forget the instruction given to them. He saw that it needs to be nailed into their thinking. And it’s here where illustrations take on value.
Regarding this, Chuck Swindoll writes,
“The longer I study Jesus’ method of communicating, the more convinced I am that His genius rested in His ability to simplify and clarify issues others had complicated. He used words anyone could understand, not just the initiated. He said just enough to inspire and motivate people to think on their own, to be inquisitive, to search further. And He punctuated His teaching with familiar, earthy, even humorous illustrations that riveted mental handles to abstract truth.”
(Jesus) punctuated His teaching with familiar, earthy, even humorous illustrations that riveted mental handles to abstract truth. – Chuck Swindoll
What Solomon saw as nails, Swindoll referred to as rivets. In both cases, the point is that the truth stuck!
Think about it for a minute. When you think back over the most memorable sermons you’ve ever heard, what is it about them that stands out? Most likely it’s the stories.
This shouldn’t surprise us. According to clinical psychologists, our brains are wired to respond more quickly to stories rather than logical arguments.
Our brains are wired to respond more quickly to stories rather than logical arguments.
Dr. Pamela Rutledge, writing in Psychology Today adds, “Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life.”
So let me offer you 10 tips to keep in mind as you look to illustrate your next sermon.
1. Use illustrations for the right reason.
Remember that illustrations are tools to shed light on the exposition, not a substitute for the exposition. The preacher who constructs a sermon around an illustration rather than a text inevitably drifts from pastor to showman.
I’ve faced this temptation. In hearing a “killer story” my thinking degenerated from “Where could I use this?” to “How can I use this?” And there’s a big difference.
Sermon illustrations are tools to shed light on the exposition, not a substitute for the exposition.
2. Keep in mind that more is not better.
Messages overloaded with illustrations damage the credibility rather than enhance it. The hearers conclude, “All the guy can do is tell stories.” Once you discover how good illustrations can elicit audience response, the temptation will be almost irresistible to use more of them.
If one is good, two must be better…and with three, I’m off the charts. Preachers who overuse illustrations run into the law of diminishing returns where people lose interest because of the commonness of the pleasure.
There is no ironclad standard for the number or placement of illustrations, but by a common-sense assessment of how and where they will best shed light on the truths you’re trying to proclaim.
3. Make sure the illustration fits the point you’re making.
A good illustration out of context…no matter how good it is… is a bad illustration. I’ve been in settings, as you probably have, where the speaker used an illustration and I thought, “What in the world does that have to do with anything?!?”
If you have to explain an illustration to make it apply, you’ve stretched the point. It ought to be readily relatable or else you didn’t shed any light after all.
If you have to explain a sermon illustration to make it apply, you’ve stretched the point.
4. Get the facts straight.
Adept handling of facts instills listener confidence in a preacher. Careless errors kill it. References to “the great quarterback Tom Grady,” or “the founder of Microsoft – Steve Jobs,” or “Churchill’s words: ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself’ can torpedo your credibility.
By the way, the Internet has proven to be a double-edged sword as it relates to originality. On the one hand, stories and anecdotes are easy to find.
On the other, those same stories get passed on and on and on. Be careful using that which every guy and his brother have already seen.
5. Be honest.
Resist the temptation to tell an account as though it were true if it is not. Don’t say it happened to you if it didn’t. And don’t embellish the story for effect. You have lost much when you lose credibility due to a lack of integrity.
Be honest in your sermon illustrations. Don’t say it happened to you if it didn’t. And don’t embellish the story for effect.
6. Cite your sources specifically and directly.
When you use a quote, anecdote, or statistic keep in mind that who is being quoted is easily as important as what they say. It’s not nearly as persuasive to say, “A famous man once said…” as it is to say, “Former President Barak Obama said this week in a fund-raising rally…” OR, “In a recent poll, George Gallop discovered…”
7. Do not carelessly expose, disclose, or embarrass.
Use the experiences of other people with discretion. Either ask permission to tell their story or veil the story with enough anonymity to protect their identity.
Here’s a great rule of thumb: Get insights from your counseling and visitation, not illustrations.
One more thing. Be especially sensitive using family stories that might embarrass or draw unwanted attention to them. In fact, I would actually get my wife's or kids’ approval before telling a story that involved them.
Use the experiences of other people as sermon illustrations with discretion and with their specific permission.
8. Share the spotlight.
While a personal story can be very powerful, be judicious in your use of them. Don’t let yourself (your kids, your hobby, your dog, your illness, your military service, your sports career, etc.) be the focus of too many of your illustrations.
And be careful about how often you’re the hero in your illustrations. People may admire your strengths, but they resonate with your weaknesses.
Be careful about how often you’re the hero in your sermon illustrations. People may admire your strengths, but they resonate with your weaknesses.
9. Demonstrate good taste and respect sensibilities.
Birthing, blood and gore, bedrooms, and bathrooms do not merit graphic description from the pulpit. Where such descriptions are needed, speak matter-of-factly and move on.
Be sensitive to your audience. An illustration that might work well on a Men’s Retreat could be out of place in the pulpit.
10. Make sure they are transferable.
Impressing everyone with the prayer life of E.M. Bounds or the faith of George Mueller may make for good drama, but they often promote a spirituality that is out of reach for the average person.
You will have to calibrate the inspiration they might provide with the frustration they might trigger.
So there you have it. My 10 tips for effective sermon illustrations. Use them as a filter for your next message and, I believe, it will stick better and endure longer.
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