Sermon Illustrations

While Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave many memorable quotations about freedom, civil rights, humankind and other critical issues, as a Christian pastor, some of his most notable quotes were on matters of faith.

1. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

2. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

3. "The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.

4. "Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude."

5. "It is cheerful to God when you rejoice or laugh from the bottom of your heart."

6. "The end of life is not to be happy, nor to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, but to do the will of God, come what may."

7. "When I took up the cross I recognized its meaning. The cross is something that you bear, and ultimately, that you die on."

8. "The gospel at its best deals with the whole man, not only his soul but his body, not only his spiritual well-being, but his material well-being as well."

9. "The early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the Church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society."

Below are just some of the many words Dr. King spoke during his public career both as a man of God and as a leader in the Civil Rights Movement.

1. Light Driving Out Darkness

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

2. A Dream

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

3. When Lives End

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

4. Measure of a Man

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

5. Remembering Silence

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

6. Moral Universe

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."

7. The Mountaintop

"I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land."

8. Rediscovering Lost Values

"The first principle of value that we need to rediscover is this: that all reality hinges on moral foundations. In other words, that this is a moral universe, and that there are moral laws of the universe just as abiding as the physical laws."

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