{"id":743367,"date":"2021-05-05T02:00:54","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T07:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=743367"},"modified":"2021-05-05T20:36:58","modified_gmt":"2021-05-06T01:36:58","slug":"why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Pastors Should Use More Historical Illustrations in Sermons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I once attempted to use an example from accounting in my sermon. No one understood me, and the accountants in the church said I mixed up my terms. Apparently, debits and credits are not as straightforward as I thought, which is why\u2014I guess\u2014accountants have jobs.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sermon illustrations are tricky. You try to be funny, but it falls flat. You try to be inspirational, but you\u2019re cheesy. You try to be serious, and you have a booger in your nose. Sermon illustrations are the flavoring to the meat of the text. Without them, you\u2019re bland. But too much, and you\u2019re overbearing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of us preachers tend to use real-life examples, current news, pop culture, or biblical examples more than historical illustrations. Likely, you need more historical illustrations in your sermons, not less. Here\u2019s why:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>People are not as familiar with the past<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Frankly, we don\u2019t know our history like we once did\u2014biblical history, family history, and our nation\u2019s history. Preaching always has elements of teaching. Good teaching should include regular doses of history.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>History connects generations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. When Millennials understand the attack on Pearl Harbor, they can better relate to the remaining members of the Builder generation. When Builders get to know Millennials, they can help put the 9\/11 attack into perspective. When used properly, history is a bridge, not a wall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>History repeats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The adage is true. Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. The entire Old Testament is a case in point. Over and over again, the people in the Old Testament repeated the same offenses because they would not learn from historical sins. By the end of the Old Testament, you\u2019re exhausted from reading it and ready for a solution. Thankfully, He is introduced in Matthew\u2019s gospel.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The Bible is historical<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Why care about history? The Bible <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> history!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>History has roots<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Personal examples in sermons are great ways to connect with people. However, they can be fleeting, if not shallow. Everyone laughed at the story of my son and the half-eaten cupcake, but\u2014like the cupcake\u2014it wasn\u2019t sustaining. With historical examples, you tell an enduring story, one that has stood the test of generations and has been validated by time.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>People need to know historical theology<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Historical illustrations shine light on the reasons why we believe certain doctrines.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>People need to know church history<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. What\u2019s with the white cloth at the Lord\u2019s Supper? Why does the preacher stand down front at the end of every service? Why do people wear crucifixes? How come we always need motions and seconds at business meetings? Why do the ushers pass a plate for the offering? History gives meaning to traditions. History gives purpose to church practices. Otherwise, you\u2019re just going through the motions mindlessly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re a preacher, then you\u2019re a teacher. One lesson the church needs often is history.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I once attempted to use an example from accounting in my sermon. No one understood me, and the accountants in the church said I mixed up my terms. Apparently, debits and credits are not as straightforward as I thought, which is why\u2014I guess\u2014accountants have jobs.\u00a0 Sermon illustrations are tricky. You try to be funny, but&#8230;","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":743369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"publish_to_discourse":"0","publish_post_category":"1","wpdc_auto_publish_overridden":"","wpdc_topic_tags":"","wpdc_pin_topic":"","wpdc_pin_until":"","discourse_post_id":"","discourse_permalink":"","wpdc_publishing_response":"","wpdc_publishing_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,183,175,194,185],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-743367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church-answers","category-communications","category-grow","category-preaching","category-worship"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Pastors Should Use More Historical Illustrations in Sermons | Church Answers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sermon illustrations are tricky. You try to be funny, but it falls flat. You try to be inspirational, but you\u2019re cheesy. You try to be serious, and you have a booger in your nose. Sermon illustrations are the flavoring to the meat of the text. Without them, you\u2019re bland. But too much, and you\u2019re overbearing. Most of us preachers tend to use real-life examples, current news, pop culture, or biblical examples more than historical illustrations. Likely, you need more historical illustrations in your sermons, not less.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Pastors Should Use More Historical Illustrations in Sermons | Church Answers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sermon illustrations are tricky. You try to be funny, but it falls flat. You try to be inspirational, but you\u2019re cheesy. You try to be serious, and you have a booger in your nose. Sermon illustrations are the flavoring to the meat of the text. Without them, you\u2019re bland. But too much, and you\u2019re overbearing. 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Likely, you need more historical illustrations in your sermons, not less.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Church Answers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-05-05T07:00:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-06T01:36:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Article-Picture-37.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sam Rainer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sam Rainer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sam Rainer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2f0912bee8a19725429a51e837b0b4bd\"},\"headline\":\"Why Pastors Should Use More Historical Illustrations in Sermons\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-05T07:00:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-06T01:36:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/\"},\"wordCount\":499,\"commentCount\":14,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Article-Picture-37.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Church Answers\",\"Communications\",\"Grow\",\"Preaching\",\"Worship\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/\",\"name\":\"Why Pastors Should Use More Historical Illustrations in Sermons | Church Answers\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/why-pastors-should-use-more-historical-illustrations-in-sermons\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Blog-Article-Picture-37.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-05T07:00:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-06T01:36:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2f0912bee8a19725429a51e837b0b4bd\"},\"description\":\"Sermon illustrations are tricky. 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