10 Sermon Illustrations on Emotion

10 illustrations

Emotion in Christian preaching highlights the heartfelt response to God's work and presence, reflecting the soul's engagement with faith and spiritual truth. Illustrations often use vivid images of music, human relationships, or nature to convey the intensity and sincerity of these feelings, aligning with passages like Psalm 34:18 and Romans 12:15 that acknowledge heartfelt joy and sorrow.

Emotion

Paganini's music powerfully expressed the depths of human emotion and psychological experience.

What made Paganini so exceptionally great was the portentous development, the strength and independence, of the emotional fountain within. The whole of life was to him nothing but so many successions of psychological heat and cold. Incidents immediately became clothed with a psychic atmosphere--perhaps the life of emotion was never so completely realized in itself, and for itself, as in the soul-isolation of Paganini. What the tempest had told him his violin would proclaim; what the summer night had whispered was stereotyped in his soul, and the midnight song of birds came forth from the Cremona depths at his bidding.--H. R. HAWEIS, “My Musical Memories.”

Emotion

A good employer cares for employees' welfare and rewards them generously for their work.

See FEELINGS A FOUNTAIN.

EMPLOYER, A GOOD

By his employees Mr. Geo. W. Childs was fairly idolized; yet he demanded of every man the full measure of his duty, but he paid the best of wages. His rule was that every man should receive more than enough for a living--receive a compensation enabling him to lay something by for a rainy day. He encouraged thrift and providence among all in his employ. He surrounded them with every comfort, introduced for their benefit every appliance conducive to health, and annually, at Christmas-time, every person in his employ was substantially remembered.--Washington _Craftsman_.

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself: What It Really Means

Mark 12:29

”Love your neighbor as yourself” has usually been misinterpreted. Most commentary focuses on the meaning of “neighbor” (neighbor, upright person, Israelite, fellow human being) and “like yourself” (one who resembles you, who are made in the image of God).

“Love” has wrongly been taken at face value. Root of word is usually used to describe man’s relationship with God, not interpersonal relationships. In 2 Chronicles 19:2 ahav is synonymous with “help.” To love really means to be useful or beneficial or helpful. Love is actions more than feelings.

A Heart That Is Sickened Over Sin

Charles M. Alexander was the songleader for R.A. Torrey. He wanted to see the New York City nightlife so he would be a more effective evangelist. He and Sam Hadley, director of a street mission, went to bars, houses of ill-repute, and so on. At 2 a.m. he was sickened and asked to leave. Hadley was also sickened and leaned against a lamppost, while crying, "Oh-h God! Oh-h God! The sin of this city is breaking my heart. Oh-h-h God!" Hadley's heart was filled with compassion for the lost.

Sermon: Get All Excited

John 2:17

Sermon in Acts series. Riot in Ephesus. Acts 19:23-32

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GET ALL EXCITED

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I. Religious enthusiasm.

II. Genuine Christianity brings about change.

A. Jesus motivates people to turn their lives around.

B. The mark of a spiritual church remains its impact on people.

III. Change can be disturbing.

A. Those who don't change, react.

B. An outside challenge can reveal our real motivations.

IV. The place of emotions.

A. Emotions are God's gift to us.

B. Emotions are an important part of faith.

C. It is a drawback to be too rational.

D. When God is at work, people get excited.

V. Ignorant zeal or excited faith?

A. Everyone wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

B. Emotions can be manipulated.

C. Be excited, but know what you believe.

Afraid of A Man Who Can't Cry

John 11:35

Many of you may recall the interview. It was one of these "Barbara Walters" Specials, and this particular program featured Norman Schwartzkopf-- one time commander of Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf.

During the interview, when asked about the war and especially the cost-- in terms of human life-- incurred during the war, the general began to cry. Not surprisingly, Walters rather bluntly inquired, "General, aren't you afraid to cry...?" To which the general replied, "Barbara, I'm afraid of a man who can't cry!"

I think it is significant that as you study Jesus Christ in the New Testament, you find that He, too, was a man, and yet a man on, at least three recorded occasions, shed tears. In fact, John 11:35 explicitly states, "Jesus wept."

Does this mean that Jesus was a sissy, or that He was emotionally weak? On the contrary, it means that He was tenderhearted and that He cared deeply for people.

If you're looking for a leader... of a nation, of an army, of a business, or of a family,... find a real man-- LIKE JESUS, who is unafraid to cry (Rom. 12:15; 1 Th. 4:13; Ecc. 7:3).

--FAMILY MATTERS, Cookeville, TN

Trusting Christ, Not Feeling

There is an old saying of Samuel Rutherford's: "Believe God's

love and power more than you believe your own feelings and

experiences. Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs

and flows, but you sea."

- {From the South Sea Evangelical Mission}

(untitled)

One night a family watched a video about a boy who searches for the

perfect parents, only to discover that his own really do love him. It

seemed like a good opportunity to ask their sweet, but often

uncommunicative, teenager if she ever wanted to find another set of

parents. "No, Mom," she answered. "You and Dad are so moody it's like

having a different set of parents every day!"

We've Got to Acknowledge and Handle Them

Emotion...For neatness and convenience Western philosophers have divided our conscious power into two categories—thought and emotion. This can lead us to valuable insights. But like any division it almost immediately sets us in the arena of value judgments. In this particular comparison, thought has most often emerged as the most valued. Clean, unambiguous, filled with insight, thought charms the intellectual. On the other side of the ring stomps hairy emotion, slightly tinged with the animal, uncontrolled and irrational. Up with thought, the shining, clear champion. Down with the emotions, those terrifying reminders of the real stew of our lives. And yet thought, most useful in logic and the grand analysis of existence, is only part of conscious confrontation with life. In fact, the emotion—fear, anxiety, affection, and so on—all these may be more important to our daily lives. We’ve go to get a grip on them if we are to have any hope of happiness. A lot of us hide our emotions, and in extreme cases we can even deny their existence. We’ve got to bring them out of the cave and look at them. We’ve got to learn to acknowledge them and handle them. Otherwise they become demons and control us.—Edward J. Lavin: Life Meditations

Moved of the Holy Spirit

Mark 12:30

At times we get e-mail asking what our doctrinal position is, or what we think about a certain work or ministry…

I have tried to steer clear of these questions for several reasons…

I believe that with regard to a ministry, spoken or written, the most important thing is the sense of inspiration, authority and quickening of the Spirit of God which is transmitted to the hearer. Our problem is… to what extent is the hearer able to discern these things? Is our questioning motivated by a spiritual impulse or by the desire to be able to categorize that to which we have been exposed? Do our answers really bring light, or will they be taken as siding with one or another faction within the church? We all judge the new by the knowledge which we already possess and sadly, in our churches today, • Emotion has been confused with unction,

• Ability to communicate has been confused with Revelation,

• And man’s projects have taken the place of God-given vision.

Today these things run the church!

Years ago I came across the phrase, “The set will of the weak.” At first this seems contradictory — how can the weak person have a set will? The answer is, I believe, that the weak person is afraid to let go of his beliefs — because he has nothing to replace them with!

This is where the nominal church stands at the end of the twentieth century. As we ask our questions I am afraid that there are answers which we want [or must] hear. If we don’t get the answers which confirm our hopes, then what have we left? If our emotions, mechanics of communication, and our projects were taken away we would find on our lips the cry of Micah [Judges 18:24] “Ye have taken away my gods which I made… and what have I more (left)?”

We all accept the fact that human relationships are formed on the basis of a meeting of minds — a communication — a subjective response. No one falls in love with a cold description of height, weight, hair color, etc. … one falls in love with a person. The problem with our Christianity, is that we have exchanged the Person, and the living contact with Him for explanations… interpretations… extrapolations. The spiritual substance has been replaced with our Christian projects and our Christian personalities. The scaffolding has become the building. We have leaned on these crutches until we are unable to walk without them.

Let me ask you… does God need made-over artists from the world? It is a sad day when singers with worldly charisma become “Spirit anointed” singers in the church, when a good scholar becomes a teacher with “gifts of spiritual insight”. Who are we kidding? — We are kidding ourselves. We have many floating around the periphery of God’s working in these days who have never really tasted its life.

God desires a people to whom He can show His Glory! God’s word to us is still, “Look up to Me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth.”

It is not a looking to our pastors and leaders as the source of our life, faith, and revelation, but a faith that God himself cares… and speaks… and meets us as individuals.

At the beginning God said to His newborn creation, “Let there be Light”… now is the time for us to say over the darkened creation of our lives and churches, “Let God be my Light.”

Now is the time to hallow His Name — that is, to set Him apart from all else… to look to Him alone… to find Him to be as He has promised,

• Salvation to the ends of the earth.

• Salvation to the farthest reaches of geography.

• Salvation to the farthest reaches of need.

• Salvation to the farthest reaches of darkness and despair.

• Salvation to the utmost heights of union with Him.

God desires to take us beyond our human definitions, God desires to take us beyond our human loyalties — He would have us know Him through the revelation of His Spirit within… finding in Him fullness of Light and fullness of Life.

These illustrations have been gathered from many sources over many years and are offered to preachers as a study aid. Each is credited wherever the source is known, and we have made every effort to respect the rights of authors and publishers.

If you hold the rights to anything here and would like it credited differently or removed, please write to us and we will act promptly.