Tony Evans is a master of building

an illustration which he

“swings around” into an

application for his message.

 

Tony Evans says this about illustrating a point within a message.

 

H.B. Charles, Jr.: You’re also known for very powerful illustrations — are –. what is that — and at this point. The first book I’m checking — if I need an illustration or something — is your book of illustrations are is that.

Dr. Tony Evans: It is that heavy crafting?  are you — over the years — on your feet . . . . illustrating — What is your philosophy of sermon illustration?

Well, it’s  — you use a great word and that was the word “philosophy” — because I assume something —  and the assumption is — everything is an illustration.

Because I operate with that assumption — it’s kind of hard — sometimes I do it’s when I’m with preachers — I tell them — point to point out something in the room and they’ll just point out anything you know immediately turn into an illustration.  And maybe some of that is personality —  but it’s also philosophy because I assume that everything created has been created by God or is in opposition to God and therefore has a spiritual theological framework — it can illustrate something in the spiritual realm and because I’ve operated that way I see illustrations all the time.   So I have some planned and some come on the spot —  events happen while I’m —  while I’m preaching — something happens then it becomes an illustration at the moment but the practice of that turns it into a mental orientation that flows out because the more you do it the better you get at it.

Here is yet another example by Tony Evans (August 16, 2006) where he illustrates what we have called the illustrative technique of . . . .

“Choosing & Using.”

God not only has overseen your creation, He has overseen the length of your life and every day that makes it up. Now what this simply means, brothers and sisters, is . . .

• there is no luck
• there is no chance
• there is no fate
• there are no mistakes

God has crafted you before there was a you.  There is  — good enough — to know God has crafted you but if He’s so good he can craft you and know you when there is no you that means that you are custom made. One of the reasons that so much attention often exists between people in they want to make somebody else them or they want to be like somebody else but once you begin the process you messing with your custom design.

In my closet I have two kinds of shirts.  I have off the rack shirts that’s where I go to a store and I just pick– ah — a shirt I like the — color — I like how it’s made and it’s off the rack  —  off the rack shirts usually have the same shirt in my size and the same shirt in a lot of other folks size because they’re off the rack.

but I have a second kind of shirt in my closet — it’s a custom-made shirt — the custom made shirt has taken my uniquenesses in mind.  I am measured for a custom-made shirt so that it fits me to the tee and there is no confusion about a custom-made shirt —  there can be confusion about an off the rack shirt but there is no confusion about a custom-made shirt because of a monogram — on a custom made. So if you call this shirt your shirt.  I’s going to disagree with you unless your initials are TE  or ATE  cause that’s what’s on my shirt cause it’s custom for me.

God did not make you an off the rack Christian.   You’re not just hanging there with everybody else He made you with your initials on you.  You are a custom-made saint. Therefore to want to be anything other than God wants you to be is to want to be the wrong thing. You are you uniquely crafted, designed  — to service the purposes of God. You’re not like anybody else and God has a unique purpose for you.

 

Notice how Tony Evans sets up keywords ( highlighted in bold) that he is going to “pull down” into the “application” of his “custom-made shirt” allusion.  You almost know where he is going as he continues to repeatedly hit these words.  The point is becoming obvious and the listener is waiting for the application, which he well anticipates is just ahead.

God not only has overseen your creation, He has overseen the length of your life and every day that makes it up. Now what this simply means, brothers and sisters, is

• there is no luck
• there is no chance
• there is no fate
• there are no mistakes

God has crafted you before there was a you.  There is — good enough — to know God has crafted you but if  — He’s so good He can craft you and know you when there is no you that means that you are custom made. One of the reasons that so much attention often exists between people in they want to make somebody else them or they want to be like somebody else but once you begin the process you messing with your custom design.

In my closet I have two kinds of shirts.  I have off the rack shirts that’s where I go to a store and I just pick — ah — a shirt I like the — color —  I like how it’s made and it’s off the rack  — off the rack shirts usually have the same shirt in my size and the same shirt in a lot of other folks size because they’re off the rack.

but I have a second kind of shirt in my closet — it’s a custom-made shirt — the custom-made shirt has taken my uniquenesses in mind.  I am measured for a custom-made shirt so that it fits me to the tee and there is no confusion about a custom-made shirt —  there can be confusion about an off the rack shirt but there is no confusion about a custom-made shirt because — a monogram — on a custom-made.  So if you call this shirt,  your shirt.  I’m going to disagree with you unless your initials are TE  or ATE  cause that’s what’s on my shirt cause it’s custom-made for me.

God did not make you an off the rack Christian.   You’re not just hanging there with everybody else He made you with your initials on you.  You are a custom-made saint. Therefore to want to be anything other than God wants you to be — is to want to be the wrong thing.  You are you uniquely crafted, designed  — to service the purposes of God. You’re not like anybody else and God has a unique purpose for you.

 — Tony Evans

 

Tony Evans is a master at this and

turns the listener’s ears into eyes!