Sermon Illustrations Part 6: How to deliver illustrations

  1. Plan and prepare how much of the illustration you will quote verbatim, and how much you will paraphrase. It is easier to listen to if you only quote the most necessary bits, and fill in the gaps in your own words.

  2. Take the time to get the relevant facts straight. Figure out the name of the person who won Survivor. Get the date correct. Or whatever.

  3. Is it dense language or a complex story? Which parts do you need to slow down or repeat? Which bits need a brief explanatory aside?

  4. Figure out what it is about the illustration that attracted you to it, and make sure you make that bit come alive: is it the key word you need to memorise? The dramatic pause before the reveal? One particularly crisp turn of phrase?

  5. Perhaps ‘preach’ or ‘expound’ the illustration a little - unpack its power, weave it back into the point you are making in your sermon.

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