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On Preaching with H.B. Charles Jr.

#151 | 25 Tips for Using Sermon Illustrations Effectively

On Preaching with H.B. Charles Jr.

H.B. Charles, Jr.

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.9 • 578 Ratings

🗓️ 7 February 2024

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome to The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. 

The three basic elements of a sermon are explanation, application, and illustration. In this episode, H.B. gives 25 tips for using sermon illustrations effectively. 

  1. Purposeful illustrations.
  2. Strategic Illustrations. 
  3. Personal illustrations. 
  4. Transparent illustrations.
  5. Discreet illustrations. 
  6. Historical illustrations. 
  7. Biblical illustrations. 
  8. Contemporary illustrations. 
  9. Pastoral illustrations. 
  10. Relatable illustrations. 
  11. Visual illustrations. 
  12. Real-world illustrations. 
  13. Factual illustrations. 
  14. Credited illustrations. 
  15. Interesting illustrations. 
  16. Diverse illustrations. 
  17. Detailed illustrations. 
  18. Brief illustrations. 
  19. Simple illustrations. 
  20. Creative illustrations. 
  21. Humorous illustrations. 
  22. Appropriate illustrations. 
  23. Practical illustrations. 
  24. Authorized illustrations. 
  25. Prepared illustrations. 

For contact, information, or resources, visit hbcharlesjr.com. 

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is the on preaching podcast with H.B. Charles Jr.

0:13.1

The podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better.

0:27.6

Good day and thanks for listening to the podcast.

0:35.1

In this episode, I'm going to give you 25 tips for using sermon illustrations effectively.

0:44.1

In your sermons, there should be three elements woven throughout the message. Those three elements are explanation, application, illustration. The purpose of explanation is so that the hearer may know the truth and so inevitably

1:03.2

good preaching sound preaching faithful preaching will involve an instruction element, a teaching element.

1:13.6

The goal in that regards of preaching is so that your people will hear with understanding

1:21.2

the truth so that they will know the truth and that they may believe it.

1:29.8

But then there's also application.

1:36.8

And while explanation is about knowing the truth,

1:40.2

application is about doing the truth.

1:51.4

You explain so that they may know. You apply so that they may do. The Bible says James 122 that we're to be doers of the word, not hearers only lest we deceive ourselves. Big warning.

2:02.5

And so we explain that they may know.

2:07.1

We apply so that they may do.

2:10.7

But we illustrate so that they may see.

2:16.3

The purpose of illustration is to shed light on.

2:22.1

It is to illuminate both the truth that we explain and the application that we exhort.

2:32.8

If the sermon is a house, then the applications are the windows so that they may see how

2:44.8

this truth works in the world around them.

2:49.3

And so in that regard, illustrations are effective tools in our preaching arsenal.

2:59.1

They are effective tools, but you must use them effectively.

3:06.8

And the question I want to raise is how do you use sermon illustrations effectively?

...

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