The Apostles Loved a Good Sermon Illustration
We have an implicit biblical justification for this in the New Testament, where the authors continually pulled illustrations from the 2000 years spanning Abraham and Jesus. Paul told the story of Abraham in Romans and Galatians to explain justification by grace through faith. The writer of Hebrews 11 attempted a rollcall of the heroes of faith until he ran out of space to list them all. The apostles felt the stories of the Old Testament should be repeated and remembered, even by Gentile believers who had little knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Christianity didn’t just poof into existence in our day. It has followed a 2000-year trail of blood, tears, danger, and glory. People should know about that.
And in America? Historians are trying to expunge the influence of the Bible, even as other groups are suing the government to be included in the nation’s textbooks. If we don’t tell the story of the role of the Bible in American history, who will?
One way of doing this? Intermittently use a scene from American history as a sermon illustration. For example:
The way Psalm 107 kept the Pilgrims encouraged amid the sufferings of the Mayflower
The moment the Continental Congress bounced back from discouragement after listening to Psalm 35.
The speech that caused the Constitutional Convention to offer the Lord’s Prayer, and how that helped resolve their differences.
The Bible verse that launched the technology revolution, back in 1844.
The bolt of lightning that answered the prayers and saved the lives of Union POWs at Andersonville.
The final words of President William McKinley as he placed himself wholeheartedly into the hands of God’s perfect will.
The parallel conversions of the leader of the Japanese bombers at Pearl Harbor and the initial American bomber who struck Japan.
The spiritual hunger of Dwight D. Eisenhower that brought him to faith in Christ.
All these stories—and many more—should be woven into our sense of heritage, because if we’re disconnected from our past we’ll be disconcerted about our future.
I’ve found that an occasional story from history—accurate and well-told—catches the interest of my audiences. You’ll uncover some of these stories in my book, 100 Bible Verses that Made America. American history is a treasure trove of anecdotes that inform, illumine, and inspire, and American Christians badly need to know the rich contributions their Bible has made to our nation.
