In Sermon Illustrations: "Grace"

A Prerequisite To Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A pastor finished his message early one Sunday and he wanted to check his congregation’s understanding. So he asked, “Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness of sin?” There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up, “You have to ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:32-35

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Childlike Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A few months ago, I was in El Paso holding an evangelistic meeting, and the young people were serving dinner to the mothers being that it was Mother’s Day. I was seating in a chair watching what was going on, and right in front, a four-year-old girl pushed a two-year-old boy, who fell on the floor ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:12

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Amazing Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A policeman recounted an incident when he and other officers shot an eighteen-year-old boy and burned the body. Eight years later the policeman returned to the same house and seized the boy's father. The wife was forced to watch as policemen bound her husband on a woodpile, poured gasoline over ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 65:3

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Overwhelming Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

A wonderful example of how to practice the lifestyle of grace comes from an incident in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on October 2, 2006, when a man entered an Amish schoolhouse and murdered 5 girls while wounding 5 others before killing himself. As horrific as this was, the greater story was the ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 65:3

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Corrie Ten Boom On Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Corrie Ten Boom had her entire family killed in a Nazi concentration camp for hiding Jews in their home. In her book, “The Hiding Place” she writes: It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, a former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:13

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

I Give Up!

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

Many years ago, executives of the Time-Life publishing organization discovered that the company’s profit margin had shrunk to an alarmingly low level. To cut costs, they decided to eliminate hundreds of works to be replaced with machines. The name of each subscriber was put on a separate little ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

Simple Confession, Profound Forgiveness

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

In 1818 one out of six women who had children died of something called “childbirth fever.” A doctor’s daily routine back then started in the dissecting room, where he performed autopsies, and from there he made his rounds to examine expectant mothers. No one even thought to wash his hands...at ...read more

Scripture: 1 John 1:9

Tags: Grace, Forgiveness

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: Forgiveness, Grace

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Moses' Fan

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 14, 2025

The man goes to heaven and sees thousands of clocks. Curious, he asks Peter what they represent. Peter smiles: “Each person on earth has a clock. Every time someone sins, the hand moves forward.” The man asks, “Where’s ...read more

Scripture: James 1:14-15, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Tags: Grace, Sin

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Newton's Story

Contributed by David Dunn on Nov 21, 2025

The story of John Newton and the hymn Amazing Grace. Newton’s hymn has grown so familiar to us that we sometimes forget the depth of the testimony behind it. Those lines were not crafted by a saint who lived an unblemished life. They were written by a man who walked through the same spiritual ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 33:12, Ephesians 2:8

Tags: Grace, Redemption

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Our Poor Choices--His Good Grace!" Genesis 16: ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Nov 27, 2004

“Our Poor Choices--His Good Grace!” Genesis 16: 1-15 Key verse(s): 3: “So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.’” Do you ever pray for discernment? People tend to pray for things that they ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 16:1-15

Tags: God The Father, God's Forgiveness, Commitment, Belief

Denomination: Lutheran

Late Bloomers! (09.22.05--Grace Walks!--Psalm ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Sep 20, 2005

Late Bloomers! (09.22.05--Grace Walks!--Psalm 93:5) Fairness is a doctrine that we have gone hog-wild with. We seem as a people possessed by a sense of “all things being equal.” Unfortunately, we are so captivated by a sense of justice at all costs, we often lose sight of the fact that a doctrine ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 93:5

Tags: Beauty, Holiness, God's Omniscience, Walk, Righteousness  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Lutheran

Ang Biyaya Ng Diyos

Contributed by James Dina on Oct 25, 2020

ANG BIYAYA NG DIYOS "Datapuwa't sa pamamagitan ng biyaya ng Dios ako ang aking pagkatao: at ang kaniyang biyaya na [ipinagkaloob] sa akin ay walang kabuluhan; subalit mas masagana akong gumawa kaysa sa kanilang lahat: gayon ma'y hindi ako, kundi ang biyaya ng Dios na kasama ko." ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:10

Tags: Grace, Grace Of God, Unmerited Favor

Denomination: Pentecostal

That's Why I Think It Is Very Important In ...  PRO

Contributed by Timothy Smith on Jan 8, 2005

That’s why I think it is very important in understanding God’s grace to comprehend the difference between three words- used in Scripture. Justice - Mercy & Grace. Justice is deserved punishment. Mercy is exemption from punishment, Grace is favor when punishment is deserved. (Repeat) Let me ...read more

Tags: God's Provision, Grace

Denomination: Christian Church

Saving Private Ryan Tells Us About Our Need For Grace

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Oct 24, 2022

Saving Private Ryan is one of my favorite World War II movies. Three out of four brothers are killed in action, and then a search is launched to find the fourth, Private James Ryan, so that he is not killed, leaving his mother childless. Eight men are sent out to find Private Ryan, who is missing ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Death, Grace, Fear, Salvation, Legalism, Works  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Unworthy

Contributed by Dr. Ronald Shultz on Dec 17, 2020

I am not worthy to be called a child of God/man of God or even to call His name. His grace, love and shed blood makes me those things ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:15

Tags: Grace, Love, Blood

Denomination: Baptist

I Used The Famous Gene Kelly Scene From Singing ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 24, 2001

I used the famous Gene Kelly scene from Singing in the Rain as an illustration of Romans 5:17. The Sermon title was Singing in the Reign. Kelly’s dance was full of the child-like love we can feel and experience in knowing that God has freely given us His abundance of grace and the free gift of ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-8, Romans 5:17, Psalm 51:1-21, Galatians 2:15-21, Psalm 51:1-10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Faith Vs. Works, Grace

Charlie "Tremendous” Jones Has Come ...  PRO

Contributed by James May on Apr 12, 2001

Charlie “Tremendous” Jones has come up with a way to tell his entire life history in 15 seconds or less. He says, “I am not what I used to be, I am not what I shall be, but, by the Grace of God and ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Tags: Grace, Peace, Discipleship

Denomination: Independent/Bible