This slide show is from a class I taught at the Liverpool Mission Academy 'Pastoral Pathway' course entitled 'Sermon Illustrations.' The session discusses sermon illustration theory and demonstrates the use and effectiveness of illustrations.

1. Liverpool Mission Academy
PP100
Illustrating Sermons
Clint Heacock
www.preachersforum.org

2. Learning Outcomes
1. Articulate the main types of learning
styles that sermon illustrations can help to
engage.
2. Evaluate the most effective processes
that are needed in order to use
illustrations in sermons intelligently.

3. What exactly is a ‘sermon illustration’?
Is it nothing more than a ‘brief anecdote that
accompanies a sermon’s propositional
statements of truths?’

4. “…illustrations are stories whose
details (whether explicitly told or
imaginatively elicited) allow listeners
to identify with an experience that
further elaborates, develops, and/or
discloses the explanation of scriptural
principles.”
Chappell, Christ-Centered Preaching, 176 (parenthesis his).

5. Is a sermon illustration the same as…
• citing a statistic
• giving a quotation from some ancient
authority (like a Church father)
• an explanation
• a figure of speech or
• an allusion to something else?

6. “With most quotations, allusions, and
examples, a speaker refers to an account,
whereas with an illustration, a preacher
invites a listener into the experience.
The lived-body details flesh out the
illustration in such a way that listeners can
vicariously enter the narrative world of the
illustration.”
Chappell, Christ-Centered Preaching, 176.

7. Sermon Illustration: Purpose
“Sermon illustrations are not an afterthought
that a preacher inserts in order to break up
an otherwise fairly dry didactic preaching
style.
Illustrations, used well, seek to aid the
audience to see in a more concrete
manner how concepts relate to a theme
that is being developed.”
PP100 Notes p. 117.

8. Proposition or Sermon Theme
(Abstract)
Illustration (Concrete)
The most effective illustrations ‘shed light’ or illuminate an abstract concept.

9. Steps in Expository Sermon Construction
Organizing that
Choosing a Interpreting that Explanation of
Explanation
Biblical Text Text that Text
(Sermon)
s
on
ati
str
Il lu
(From Bryan Chappell, Christ-Centered Preaching)

10. “Sermons typically begin with an introduction that
leads to a proposition that indicates what the
body of the sermon will discuss.
The body includes main points and subpoints that
form the skeletal outline of the sermon and
structure of the sermon’s explanation.
The explanatory materials, which support the main
and subpoint statements, as well as the sermon
illustrations and applications flesh out the
skeleton formed by the explanation’s points.
A conclusion follows the body of the message,
summarizing the information in the message and
usually containing the sermon’s most powerful
appeal.”
Chappell, Christ-Centered Preaching, 135.

11. Explanations Illustrations Applications
“Our minds need “Our hearts need “We need
explanations of the illustrations that application so that
what the Bible says so often touch our we have either the
so that we know emotions or fire our confidence that we
we have grasped imaginations to are acting in
the thoughts and convince us that accord with the will
standards of our God is not a cold of God or the
God.” collection of conviction that we
abstract ideas.” must adjust our
ways.”
Chappell, Christ-Centered Preaching, 93.

12. Do all illustrations have to be stories?
Illustrations, when used creatively, can
appeal to a variety of different learning
styles.

13. Sermon Illustration Theory: Learning Styles
Practical Learning Experiential Learning
Proposition or Sermon Theme
(Abstract)
Conceptual Learning Imaginal Learning

14. Tips for Effective Illustrations
• A good illustration enhances the
understanding of a key concept or
idea.
• A good illustration is normally most
effective if it illustrates one key point.
• Some of the best illustrations come
from telling Bible stories and letting
teachings and principles come out of
them.

15. • A good illustration makes difficult
abstract concepts easy to understand.
• In other words, a good illustration
‘sheds light’ on an abstract proposition
or principle derived from Scripture.
• A good illustration can act as the
finishing story that seeks to challenge
people to make a decision.
• Be careful, however, not to let the
closing illustration serve as an attempt
to manipulate people’s emotions by
means of a heart-wrenching story.

16. Potential Pitfalls of Illustrations
• Listeners may forget the abstract point the
preacher was trying to illustrate and will only
remember the illustration itself.
• In other words, the illustration can tend to
overshadow or overpower the abstract
proposition or principle the preacher is seeking
to illuminate.
• This illustrates the abiding power of narrative as
a communication tool.
• Thus sermons can easily degenerate into ‘mere
storytelling’ for the sake of entertaining the
listeners.

17. • Illustration theory may demonstrate that
many are still preaching idea-based,
explanatory propositional sermons.
• This type of monological preaching is
more at home in traditional churches, and
has increasingly less appeal to
postmodern audiences who are interested
in participatory dialogue.
• Thus before using an illustration to
illuminate an abstract principle, we should
ask in the first place: ‘What form is my
sermon taking? Monologic or dialogic?’

18. We know that the ‘listening context’ is changing for
churches and preachers, from a modern to a
postmodern context.
Therefore people today are looking for sermons
that are less monological, and more dialogical in
nature and congregational leadership that is less
hierarchical.
They do not desire to be passive recipients of the
message, but would rather see themselves as
active participants.
How can we proclaim the gospel in such a
context?

19. Preaching in a Postmodern Context
“Preaching becomes less about the
dissemination of ideas and more about
relating to listeners with stories and life
experiences…
…the relational aspect of preaching will be
reflected in a deeper sensitivity and
respect to the listeners. What preachers
perceive to be an issue of belief may well
end up being an issue of trust.

20. Before people ask, ‘What have you to say?’
they may ask, ‘Why should I even listen to
you?’
…The privilege of speaking God’s truth into
someone’s life will not be granted. It
should be earned.”
Graham, Preaching to a Postmodern World, 78, 79.
(Adapted from class notes written by Rev. Dan Yarnell & Rev Dr Andy Hardy, Springdale
College, England)