In Sermon Illustrations: "Forgive Self"

Remember The Duck

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. As he practiced in his Grandma’s backyard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse, he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile only to look up ...read more

Scripture: Mark 11:25

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Redemption And Restoration In Real Life

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Many years ago at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, there was a shooting of several people in the church parking lot and building that left three dead and three wounded. The young man, who had done the shooting, killed himself after being shot by a security guard. Earlier that day, he had ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 103:8-14

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Sin No Nym

Contributed by David Dunn on Sep 29, 2025

Sin No Nym Josie loved words. She liked to clap their sounds and spell them out. One day she wrote a big word on her paper: S I N N O N Y M She giggled. “Listen! It sounds like sin–no–name.” --- Word Play at Home Daddy peeked over. “That’s funny,” he said. “What do you think it ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9, Psalm 103:12

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

A Little Girl’s Prayer: A Little Girl Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Brian Mccutchen on Jan 26, 2001

A little girl’s Prayer: A little girl was being punished by eating alone in the corner of the dining room. The family paid no attention to her until they heard her pray: “I thank Thee, Lord, ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35, Matthew 5:16-18, Matthew 6:3-20, Psalm 145:8-21

Tags: Compassion, Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

For Many People Today The Spiritual Journey Is ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Peck on Feb 1, 2001

For many people today the spiritual journey is filled with crushing burdens. I think of the character Rodrigo from the 1986 academy award winning movie The Mission. Rodrigo, played by Robert DeNiro, portrays a slave trader who kills his brother in a fit of rage. He’s filled with such terrible ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:11-13, Ephesians 1:1

Tags: God's Forgiveness, Guilt, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Abe Lemmons Was Head Basketball Coach At The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 4, 2001

Abe Lemmons was head basketball coach at the University of Texas for years. Asked if he was bitter at Texas Athletic Director Deloss Dodds who fired him as the Longhorn’s basketball coach, he replied, "Not at all, but I plan to buy ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others, Anger

Someone Asked Luther, "Do You Feel That ...  PRO

Contributed by Evie Megginson on Apr 24, 2001

Someone asked Luther, “Do you feel that you have been forgiven?” He answered, “No!but I’m as sure as there’s a God in Heaven .” “For feeling come and feelings go, and feelings are ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Emotions, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Baptist

Going Down The Highway A Bumper Sticker Was ...  PRO

Contributed by Gary Merillat on Jun 4, 2001

Going down the highway a bumper sticker was observed that said, "I’m a Pearl Harbor survivor." The unique thing about this bumper sticker was that is was on the back of a Toyota truck. That driver ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Forgiveness General, Emotions

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Let Go Of The Rope  PRO

Contributed by David Yarbrough on Sep 17, 2001

LET GO OF THE ROPE Corrie ten Boom told of not being able to forget a wrong that had been done to her. She had forgiven the person, but she kept rehashing the incident and so couldn’t sleep. Finally Corrie cried out to God for help in putting the problem to rest. "His help came in the form of a ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others, Anger

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Wonderful Illustration Of How Our Lives Can Be ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Elmore on Nov 29, 2001

A wonderful illustration of how our lives can be transformed by God’s peace is found in the life of Archbishop of the Chicago diocese, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin’s. In his little book, The Gift of Peace, which he was working hard to complete just a year ago, there is a gripping and moving account of ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others, Compassion

Denomination: Methodist

It's A Powerful Idea, Grace. It Really Is," The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 16, 2001

"It’s a powerful idea, grace. It really is," the U2 lead singer Bono tells Launch.com. "And, you know, we hear so much of karma and so little of grace. Every religion teaches us about karma and, well, what you put out you will receive. And even Christianity, which is ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, God's Forgiveness, Grace

Lilies That Fester  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds. — ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Forgiveness General, Holiness

A Woman Testified To The Transformation In Her ...  PRO

Contributed by Darren Ethier on May 9, 2002

A woman testified to the transformation in her life that had resulted through her experience in conversion. She declared, "I’m so glad I got religion. I have an uncle I used to hate so much I vowed I’d never go to his funeral. But now, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

Tags: Anger, Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Pentecostal

A Waste Of Life  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 12, 2002

A WASTE OF LIFE You can’t waste a life hating people, because all they do is live their life, laughing, doing more evil." ALPHA ROBERTSON,whose daughter was one of four girls killed in the bombing of a Birmingham, Ala., church in ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others, Forgiveness General, Anger

The Book "Will Daylight Come?" By Richard ...  PRO

Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Apr 18, 2003

The book “Will Daylight Come?” by Richard Hoefler, illustrates the truth, that forgiveness frees and unforgiveness enslaves. A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to grandma’s back yard, he ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:1

Tags: Forgiveness, Forgiveness For Others, Grace, Sin

Denomination: Pentecostal

On The 4th Of July, My Family Went To A Drive In ...  PRO

Contributed by James Chandler on Jul 7, 2003

On the 4th of July, my family went to a drive in movie theater. We saw the movie "Finding Nemo". The movie was about a little fish named Nemo who swam too close to a boat. He was captured by a scuba diver and put in a fish tank in the office of a dentist. The whole movie was about Nemo’s ...read more

Scripture: John 8:36

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Forgiveness, Salvation

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Dragging My Sin  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 6, 2005

DRAGGING MY SIN In this award winning film called “The Mission,” Robert DeNiro plays a mercenary who has taken asylum in the local church after killing his brother in a fit of jealous rage. He eventually leaves the church and heads to a mission post located above the waterfalls in a South American ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 32:1-11, Psalm 32:1-11, Mark 5:1-19, Mark 5:1-19

Tags: Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others, Character

The Full Treatment! (09.21.05--Grace ...

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Sep 19, 2005

The Full Treatment! (09.21.05--Grace Walks!--Hebrews 10:14) Recently I had the old corvair restored. I had given the mechanic a list and was confident he would fix everything on it. Most of the items had to do with the structural integrity of the suspension and frame, so I was confident the car ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:14

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus, God's Forgiveness, Perseverance

Denomination: Lutheran

In His Book, The Yoke Of Christ, Elton Trueblood ...  PRO

Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Oct 13, 2004

In his book, The Yoke of Christ, Elton Trueblood quotes a letter from a school girl who probes the depth of her soul. She writes, "I’ve been thinking much this year about the importance of caring, of the passion of life. I’ve often realized that it takes courage to care. Caring is dangerous. It ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General, Emotions

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When I Was In Training As A Marine, I Remember ...  PRO

Contributed by Davon Huss on Mar 12, 2002

When I was in training as a Marine, I remember one particularly grueling exercise where we were deposited in the center of Dartmoor, England. We were told to make our way on foot to a certain point on the map more than fifty rugged miles away. As we had done a similar journey the previous day, ...read more

Tags: Compassion, God's Forgiveness

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ