Sermons on Biblical Metaphors:

Righting The Religious Rut Series

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Oct 8, 2005

4th in 5 part series on overcoming the obstacles and difficulties of life using five different Psalms. We used a "journey" or "road" metaphor in terms of the bumps of success, fear, guilt, the religious rut and grief, etc.

RIGHTING THE RELIGIOUS RUT Navigating the Bumps of Life - Week 5 PSALM 63:1-8 INTRODUCTION: (Faith Story - Beth Rampleberg) Thank-you Beth. Did you catch the words and phrases in Beth’s faith story? “Obligation,” “knowledge in my head but not my heart,” “something was missing,” “emptiness,” ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 63:1-8

Denomination: Christian Church

Soldiers For Christ

Contributed by Chuck Sligh on Nov 9, 2014

A Veteran's Day sermon. The Bible often uses warfare as a metaphor for the Christian life. This sermon examines how Paul likens the Christian life to warfare and what this teaches us about how to win the battle in the Christian life.

Soldiers for Christ Veteran’s Day Sermon November 9, 2014 TEXT: Please turn in your Bibles to 2 Timothy 2:3-4 INTRODUCTION Illus. – For a long time I didn’t understand my father-in-law, Sydney Robertson. He was the quietist man I ever met; almost unnervingly so. Having ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:3-4

Denomination: Baptist

Bond Slave Of Christ

Contributed by John Gaston on Dec 4, 2017

The more deeply a person surrenders to Christ and becomes dependent on Him daily, the more likely they are to finish the spiritual race in victory. Early Christians described it with the metaphor "bond-slave." It's what we're supposed to be!

BOND SLAVE OF CHRIST 1 Cor. 6:19-20 INTRODUCTION A. HUMOR: A SURE-FIRE SOLUTION 1. "I could sure do with your help, Steve," Isaac said to his best friend. “All right, so what's your problem?" replied Steve. 2. "Whenever I talk to my wife," replied Isaac, "she never seems to be interested in ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Pentecostal Fire Or Hell Fire

Contributed by Ernie Arnold on May 20, 2015

The Bible shares with us two different fires - the Fire of the Holy Spirit and the Fire of Hell. This sermon shares four different ways they are both similar and yet vastly different. It is a way to use the metaphor of fire in a sermon on Pentecost.

Scripture: Acts 1:1-13 and Luke 16:19-31 Theme: Pentecostal Fire or Hell Fire? INTRO: Good morning! A few years ago, the story goes that a certain pastor asked his congregation as rather particular question on Pentecost Sunday. He asked all those sitting in the sanctuary, “How ...read more

Scripture: Acts 1:1-13

Denomination: Nazarene

Splash Of Colour -A Night To Remember Christmas Eve...2

Contributed by John Gullick on Dec 23, 2015

2nd sermon of this title by me ten years apart. This one is for Christmas 2015 - uses a metaphor that Christmas eve is a splash of colour on a black backdrop of history. I will probably do a painting as I preach it.

Christmas eve. A night to remember LK 2:8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:8-20

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Revival Through The Whisper Of Water SermonCentral

Contributed by SermonCentral on Sep 10, 2023

A sermon inspired by the metaphorical language of Job 14:7-9, illustrating how a seemingly dead tree can spring back to life at the mere 'whisper of water'. God calls us to be carriers of this life-giving water.

Today, I want to share a message inspired by the poetic language found in Job 14:7-9. In this passage, Job speaks of a tree that appears dead and without hope, but miraculously comes back to life at the "scent of water." This imagery reminds us that God wants us to be like water carriers, bringing ...read more

Scripture: Job 14:7-9

Topics: Encouragement, Hope, Revival

Sermon On A Journey To The Light

Contributed by William Meakin on Aug 31, 2025

A "journey to the light" has multi-faceted definitions which describe a metaphorical, spiritual, or personal process of growth, healing, and transformation, moving from a state of darkness, ignorance, or despair towards knowledge, hope, and enlightenment.

Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher and writer once remarked: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". John 8:12 reminds us: Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” A ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:5-7, Ephesians 5:8, Psalm 119:105, 2 Corinthians 4:6

How To Grow A Healthy Church

Contributed by R. Darrel Davis on Oct 18, 2000

Main Idea: Healthy churches are those that fulfill their biblical purpose.

Main Idea: Healthy churches are those that fulfill their biblical purpose. Introduction: (Duct tape illustration using a roll of tape) Many of you here are very familiar with this product. You have probably used it many times for many different purposes. Years ago, thousands of dollars went into ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 22:36-40

Denomination: Baptist

How Can The Lord Help Us Maintain A High Standard Of Ethics In A Compromising Culture?

Contributed by Paul Fritz on Oct 18, 2000

What are some of the Biblical guidelines for sound ethical practices? 1.

What are some of the Biblical guidelines for sound ethical practices? 1. Remember to follow the basic principles of solid ethical standards taught by Moses. "Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another." (Lev. 19: 11) 2. Let the Spirit of God help you develop a mature sense of ethics in ...read more

Scripture: Leviticus 19:11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Bearing In Mind

Contributed by Rob Ross on Jan 14, 2001

What are some biblical characteristics that our church should emulate?

Verse: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Topic: Church Probing Question: What is church? Key Word: characteristics Subject: characteristics of church Aim: To encourage the congregation to identify desirable church characteristics. Title: Bearing In Mind Introduction Illustration: (Name Brand ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Denomination: Baptist

Roles Of The Pastor-Teacher & Local Church

Contributed by Frank Gallagher on Jan 26, 2001

This lesson looks at the Biblical role of the pastor-teacher and the local church.

Roles Of The Pastor-Teacher And Local Church (1 Cor. 4:1) (HTML formatted version of this sermon is located at http://members.aol.com/abidingitw/pastorchurch.html] PRAYER PREPARATION: Jesus Himself tells us in John 8:31-32: 31 "... If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:1

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Part - Time Love

Contributed by Gregory Thomas on Apr 27, 2001

A BIBLICAL APPROACH TO A GROWING PROBLEM WITH BELIEVERS OF ALL WALKS AND DENOMINATIONS.

PART - TIME LOVE I CORINTHIANS 13:4 - 8 INTRODUCTION To understand the applicable text and it’s significance we must first clarify the correct nature of love and its definition. What is love? Love Is defined as: (A) An intense affectionate concern for ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:26-32, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When Is It Right To Fight?

Contributed by William Noel on Apr 6, 2003

Biblical criteria for engaging the enemy (the devil) in spiritual warfare.

“When Is It Right To Fight?” Ephesians 6:12 Introduction · Sometimes when we hear bad news we think things can’t get any worse, until we hear the cure. · ILL: A woman took her husband to the doctor’s office. After his checkup, the doctor said, "Your husband is suffering from a very serious ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-12

Denomination: Baptist

How To Deal With Negative Emotions

Contributed by William Brown on May 16, 2002

BIBLICAL STEPS ON HOW TO DEAL WITH ANGER AND OTHER NEGATIVE EMOTIONS.

HOW TO DEAL WITH NEGATIVE EMOTION How many feel if we are prayed up and walking with the lord and just had our devotions that we wouldn’t get angry? If a person is where they need to be spiritually will they be getting angry? Is it wrong to be angry? Did Jesus ever get angry? To ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:26-31

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Four Faces Of Love

Contributed by Gary Kins on Feb 7, 2003

A sermon describing the charcateristics of biblical love in contrast to worldly love.

The Four Faces of Love Introduction: Valentine - an amatory or sentimental card, token or gift sent by one person to another on St. Valentine’s Day; a sweetheart chosen on St. Valentine’s Day; the object of one’s affection. St. Valentine - Valentinus -- Christian martyr, c270 A.D. -- ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, Romans 5:1-11, 1 John 3:1-3

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ