In Sermon Illustrations: "Helping Others"

Pastor, I Have A Besetting Sin, And I Want Your ...  PRO

Contributed by Clark Frailey on May 3, 2002

Pastor, I have a besetting sin, and I want your help. I come to church on Sunday and can’t help thinking I’m the prettiest girl in the congregation. I know I ought not think that, but I can’t help it. I want you to help me with it." The pastor replied, ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:3-5

Tags: Temptation Pride, Humility, Help

Denomination: Baptist

Bono On The Poor

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 8, 2013

Bono, lead singer of U2, said this: "Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who God is or if God exists--most will agree that God has a special place ...read more

Scripture: Romans 15:26

Tags: Poverty, Poor, Helping Poor

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

I Read A Story The Other Day. Once, A Boy And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

I read a story the other day. Once, a boy and his sister were spending a week with their grandparents on their farm. And grandpa gave the boy a slingshot to play with out in the woods. One day the boy saw Grandpa’s pet duck. And just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, and hit the duck square ...read more

Tags: Giving General

In L880, James Garfield Was Elected President Of ...

Contributed by Dave Mcfadden on Nov 16, 2004

In l880, James Garfield was elected president of the United States, but after only six months in office, he was shot in the back with a revolver. He never lost consciousness. At the hospital, the doctor probed the wound with his little finger to seek the bullet. He couldn’t find it, so he tried a ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Baptist

Phan Thi Kim Phuc  PRO

Contributed by John Harvey on Feb 12, 2004

Phan Thi Kim Phuc (Illustration from Still More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks” Wayne Rice. Printed by Youth Specialties) On June 8, 1972, a nine-year-old Vietnamese girl, her clothes flaming from gasoline bombs, fled the American-led assault on her village of Trang Bang. With her eyes ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Baptist

Healing The Wounds Of War: The Kim Phuc Story

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 4, 2010

HEALING THE WOUNDS OF WAR: THE KIM PHUC STORY Probably one of the most well-known pictures to come out of the Vietnam War was Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photo (show picture) of Phan Thi Kim Phuc (pronounced "fuke"). On June 8, 1972, a napalm bomb was dropped on her village, and Kim, who was ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

When Shannon Ethridge Was Just 16 Years Old, An ...

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on May 11, 2010

When Shannon Ethridge was just 16 years old, an act of forgiveness and love changed her life forever. While driving to her high school one day, Ethridge ran over Marjorie Jarstfar, a woman who was riding her bicycle along a country road. Marjorie died as a result, and Ethridge, who was found ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Father Forgive Them

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 11, 2008

FATHER FORGIVE THEM There was once a man who was born in a little town back east. He grew up and took on the family business. The only earthly father he had ever known died sometime in his teen years and as the oldest son he took on the responsibility of caring for his mother. He had a good ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Unsung Heroes: Ebed-Melech, A Man Who Helped Jeremiah The Prophet

Contributed by Jonathan Spurlock on Sep 9, 2021

Introduction: The Old Testament prophets sometimes faced severe persecution. Jeremiah certainly had his share of troubles and in this instance, he had preached God’s message but was thrown into a cistern! Most likely he was going to be left there to die, but an unsung hero helped rescue Jeremiah. ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 38:7-13, Jeremiah 39:15-18

Tags: Jeremiah, Persecution, Ebedmelech

Denomination: Baptist

The Other Day I Stumbled Across A Website Called ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

The other day I stumbled across a website called myheritage.com. The site is a genealogical database designed to help people reconstruct their family history. That in and of itself is nothing new, but this one is different because it uses face recognition software to do so. The idea is for people ...read more

Tags: Creation

Loving Your Enemies In Rwanda  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 8, 2010

Loving Your Enemies in Rwanda Rwanda is a tiny country in Central Africa, a bit bigger than Northern Ireland, with a population of over 8 million people, and thousands of hills. Rwanda is a beautiful country of hills, mountains, forests, lakes, laughing children, markets full of busy people, ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

I Couldn't 'not' Forgive Him  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

I COULDN’T ’NOT’ FORGIVE HIM Chris Carrier has one of the best testimonies of Christian forgiveness I have ever seen. Chris grew up in Coral Gables, Florida. He was abducted when he was just 10 years old. Chris’ kidnapper was angry with the boy’s family. He burned him with cigarettes, stabbed him ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-49

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Bill Hybels: Difficult Forgiveness  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Mar 22, 2010

BILL HYBELS: DIFFICULT FORGIVENESS Everything we have seen about how to deal with difficult people when put to action will bring glory to God. We find this in an illustration from Bill Hybels: "A couple of years ago, a member of my church’s vocal team and I were invited by a Christian leader ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

The Debbie Haters' Club

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 19, 2011

THE DEBBIE HATERS' CLUB Bill White, of Paramount, California, talks about his friend, Greg, who recently put together a mini high school reunion when he went back home to Indiana to visit his parents. He hadn't seen many of his classmates in over 17 years; but when they got together, they had a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:21-26

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Burying Karla Faye Tucker  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 15, 2002

BURYING KARLA FAYE TUCKER In February 1998, the State of Texas prepared to execute Karla Faye Tucker, for her participation in the murder of Jerry Lynn Dean and Deborah Thornton with a pick ax in 1983. What brought this story to the News agencies was Karla’s request for a stay from execution. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 18:9-14

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Love Your Enemies: Forgiveness In Rwanda

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 10, 2009

Love Your Enemies: Forgiveness in Rwanda Bishop John Rucyahana, a Tutsi Rwandan, found Christ while growing up as an exile from his native Rwanda. I like the way he describes His conversion: "I did not accept Jesus. Jesus graciously met me and accepted me." This is a man who understands how we ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:38-48

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

The Other Side Of The Road!" Luke 17: 1-4 Key ...  PRO

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Jan 18, 2005

“The Other Side of The Road!” Luke 17: 1-4 Key verse(s): 3:“So watch yourselves. ‘If you brother sin, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.’” There but by the grace of god go I! From youth on I was taught the valuable resource of this adage. Along with “Don’t pout or your face will stay ...read more

Scripture: Luke 17:1-4

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Lutheran

Corrie Ten Boom And Her Family Secretly Housed ...  PRO

Contributed by A. Todd Coget on Oct 31, 2003

Corrie Ten Boom and her family secretly housed Jews in their home during WW II. Their "illegal" activity was discovered, and Corrie and her sister Bessie were sent to the German death camp, Ravensbruck. There Corrie would watch many, including her sister, die. After the war she returned to Germany ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Purpose Of Human Life Is To Serve, And To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

The Purpose Of Human Life Is To Serve, And To ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and ...read more

Tags: Friendship New Friends