In Preaching Articles: "Story"

Does Your Building Speak Louder Than Your Preaching?

By Ron Geyer on May 28, 2021

Actors know that where a story is told can influence how or whether the story is heard. It's true whether your story comes from Shakespeare or Solomon.

Tags: Building, Preaching, Sound, room, Loud  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching For A Special Occasion? Here's Guidance

By Dr. Daniel Akin on Oct 23, 2021

Compromise of biblical truth is not an option, but doing one's best to extend Christ-honoring grace and goodwill should be at the front and center of our agenda.

Scripture: John 4:1-30, Luke 1:67-80

Tags: Exposition, Preaching, Biblical truth, Betray, good story, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

7 Popular Sermon Stories That Aren’t Actually True

By Trevin Wax on Feb 6, 2025

Pastors often repeat memorable illustrations that sound helpful but aren’t historically accurate. Here are seven common sermon legends worth retiring for the sake of truth.

Scripture: Mark 10:25

Tags: Preaching, Integrity, false teaching, urban legend, Illustrations, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

What? I Have To Preach The Christmas Story Again? 3 Fresh Reminders

By David Vroege on Dec 15, 2020

How do you go about breathing fresh meaning into a story everyone has already heard?

Tags: Christmas, New, Fresh, Preaching, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Death Is Dead, Christ Has Conquered

By Sam Allberry on May 23, 2024

Too many of us view the resurrection of Jesus as little more than a nice, happy conclusion to the gospel story. But the Easter story isn’t just “what happens next” to Jesus after his death. It doesn’t just wrap up the story; it fulfills it. In fact, there really is no story without it.

Scripture: Romans 4:25, 1 Corinthians 15:17

Tags: Resurrection, Gospel, Victory, Christ is Risen, gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Finishing (Your Sermon) Well

By Michael Voll on Dec 5, 2022

Come Sunday morning many times we preachers fill our sermons with funny stories, but forget to point to the ultimate story of Jesus Christ.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, illustration, application, pastoral leadership, sermon prep, preaching Christ, preaching the gospel, Sermon Prep, preaching, teaching, Sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

When People Make Up Stories About You: A Pastor’s Guide To Handling Labels

By Charles Stone on Jul 31, 2024

Pastors are often misunderstood and mischaracterized. Responding with wisdom, restraint, and Christlike character helps transform false stories into God-honoring ones.

Scripture: 1 Peter 2:12

Tags: Church Relationships

Looking At The "Insignificant” Parts Of The Text

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Sep 25, 2020

Great preachers preach both the unfamiliar as well as the familiar stories.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

A Novel Idea For Preaching Christmas

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Dec 8, 2025

We assume our congregations know the biblical story and doctrinal meaning of Christmas. So we avoid major texts and look for something new or novel to say about the old, old story.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-15

Tags: Christmas, Preaching, Birth of Jesus, storytelling, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Work Smarter, Not Harder

By Lance Witt on Jan 10, 2022

There is a story in the Bible about a very gifted and competent leader who wasn’t working smart.

Scripture: Exodus 18:1-27

Tags: priorities, advice, Leadership Listening, walking wisely

When Illustrations Become Sermon-Killers (And What To Do About Them)

By Joe Mckeever on Dec 5, 2025

The smart preacher never tells a story that clobbers his sermon and destroys the point he is trying to make.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

God Plans For The Unexpected And Inconvenient

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 2, 2022

What’s odd is that a story about a socially humiliating situation and a reluctant, irritated benefactor is supposed to encourage us to pray.

Scripture: Luke 11:2-4, Luke 11:5-8, John 15:5, Luke 11:9-13

Tags: Sacrifice, Lord's Prayer, Unexpected, inadequate

Ten (Christmas) Sermon-Starters From The Life Of Mary

By Ray Hollenbach on Dec 25, 2025

When you cover the familiar territory of the Christmas Story year after year, sometimes you have to try another angle.

Tags: Christmas, Jesus, Power, Preaching, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Chase Scene Of The Cross

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 15, 2024

Great preaching follows a line to its climax. Hal Seed points to the glory of the cross and resurrection as the climax of God's story with humanity.

Tags: Jesus, Easter, Preaching, Cross, Hal Seed, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

What A Rabbi Taught Me About Keeping Christ In Christmas

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 12, 2024

When people come to your church this Christmas season, they want to hear the story of Jesus. Give them what they came for.

Tags: Christmas, Culture, set apart, incarnation of Jesus, culture  (view more)  (view less)