300 Illustrations for Preachers

by Jim L. Wilson

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2015

Sermon Illustrations

Whether it’s a story or a statistic, a well-chosen illustration will help biblical truths stick in the minds of a congregation. However, not all pastors have the time or resources to read and select fresh illustrations week after week.

In this book you’ll find 300 of the best illustrations Jim L. Wilson has contributed to Sermons.Logos.com. A veteran pastor and homiletics professor, Wilson knows how to connect with a congregation in a fresh way. With the help of these illustrations, you can too.

The illustrations in this book are edited for maximum storytelling effect and tagged with preaching themes and Scripture references, making them easy to find in Logos. With 300 Illustrations for Preachers, you’ll no longer need to comb through multiple books looking for an appropriate illustration. Each illustration is tagged with multiple topics, making it easier than ever to find the right words.

Key Features

• Includes 300 illustrations ready to use in your sermon or message
• Illustrations are categorized by themes and affiliated Scriptures, making it easy to find just what you need for any occasion
• For illustrations that refer to news stories, links to the stories are provided, enabling you to do further background research

Contents

Top Highlights

“Naples, Italy, is a city on the verge of bankruptcy. There are problems with organized crime and an underfunded police department. So what are they spending money on? They have begun to DNA test dog feces so that they can prosecute residents who do not pick up after their dogs. In a city with so many problems, especially financial ones, it is strange to spend money on dog droppings. Tommaso Sodano, the vice mayor, says, ‘I know some people find it funny that with all the problems the city has, we would focus on dog poop.’” (source)

“Fear can make us act irrationally. We have fears that keep us from effectively serving the Lord, and the messes these fears get us into are often worse than what we were afraid of in the first place. ‘Fear not,’ God says. ‘I am with you.’” (source)

“After determining the meaning of the text, preachers are not finished with their task of sermon preparation. They must then devote themselves to finding fresh, relevant ways to help people understand and apply their message.” (source)

“Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel says, ‘The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference.’” (source)

“During a surprise audit, the U.S. Postal Service discovered that some local managers had temporarily stashed unprocessed mail in parked trailers so that supervisors wouldn’t notice it as delayed. Auditors found millions of pieces of undelivered mail, including 2.3 million bulk-business letters, some of which were delayed nine days, and 800,000 first-class letters, which had been held for three days.” (source)

Product Details

• Title: 300 Illustrations for Preachers
• Author: Jim L. Wilson
• Editor: Elliot Ritzema
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Publication Date: 2013

About Jim L. Wilson

Jim L. Wilson started preaching when he was 17 and became a pastor when he was 18. He is the director of the Doctor of Ministry Program and an associate professor of leadership formation at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, where he teaches leadership and preaching seminars to DMin candidates.

Wilson is an award-winning writer with hundreds of pieces in print in 60+ publications, including some published by Christianity Today International, Focus on the Family, and Lifeway Christian Resources. He is author, contributor, or co-author of more than a dozen books, including Future Church and Soul Shaping.