In Sermon Illustrations: "Jesus Forgives"

A Pardon Must Be Accepted  PRO

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Dec 31, 2008

A PARDON MUST BE ACCEPTED About the year 1830, a man named George Wilson killed a government employee who caught him in the act of robbing the mails. He was tried and sentenced to be hanged. However, President Andrew Jackson sent him a pardon. But Wilson did a strange thing. He refused to accept ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Unlock Your Antlers

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2008

UNLOCK YOUR ANTLERS In an old monastery in Germany, I'm told you can see two racks of ancient deer antlers permanently interlocked. Apparently the animals had been fighting fiercely, and their horns became so tangled that they could not be disengaged. As a result, both of them died of hunger. ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Twin Brothers And A Dollar

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 11, 2009

TWIN BROTHERS AND A DOLLAR In his book, The Preaching Event, John Claypool tells a poignant story about identical twin brothers who never married because they enjoyed each other’s company so much. When their father died, they took over his store and ran it together in a joyful collaboration. But ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Fix It!

Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Feb 13, 2009

"FIX IT!" The Catholic archbishop and novelist, Andrew Greeley, brilliantly describes God’s redemptive work and holy clean-up as "God’s big crayon making crooked lines straight," but this only addresses the result, not the process. It reminds me of when, as a young boy, my mother and I would color ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness General

Denomination: *other

Redemptive Love Changes People

Contributed by Tim Smith on Mar 9, 2009

REDEMPTIVE LOVE CHANGES PEOPLE John Ed Mathison, former pastor of Frazier Memorial UMC, tells the story of Tommy Waite, an African-American man serving time in jail and converted through Frazier’s Prison Ministry. They didn’t stop there though. They discipled him and even helped him to get his ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Methodist

Prisoner 4664 Nelson Mandela

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Oct 15, 2021

46664… PRISONER 46664… 1 Corinthians 4:12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: There are times it seems our hurt and wounds are our testing zones and we are put on display for others to mock. It is like the spectacle at the end ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:12

Tags: Forgive, Wounded

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Two Angry Brothers?

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 20, 2022

ACCIDENTLY, COINCIDENCE OR ON PURPOSE? There were two precious brothers. They loved each other. Their parents owned a huge farm. The brothers worked in harmony alongside their mom and dad for years. Suddenly and unexpectedly the father and mother died. One brother went to a lawyer about the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 10:29

Tags: Anger, Forgive

Denomination: Assembly Of God

The Cod And The Cat Fish

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jul 9, 2022

TELL THE STORY OF THE COD… There was a favorite fish along the east coast. It is the COD. The cod was so tasty and it was a favorite dish along the coast. So the market expanded but something was lost in the shipping. The frozen cod was mushy and tasteless. So they began shipping the cod alive in ...read more

Scripture: Genesis 42:5, Genesis 41:41

Tags: Forgive, Enemy

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Praying For Enemies

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

I once invited a guest lecturer to speak to a counseling class I was teaching and asked him to specifically discuss the topic of forgiveness. He told a powerful story from his own life that day to illustrate his point that we should forgive. His brother had many struggles, and one day there was a ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 5:43-45

Tags: Death, 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

The Concept Of Grace

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 31, 2022

There is a great article that illustrates the concept of grace written by Charles Stanley. It reads: One of my more memorable seminary professors had a practical way of illustrating to his students the concept of grace. At the end of his evangelism course, he would distribute the exam with the ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9

Tags: Forgiveness, Grace

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: Forgiveness, Grace

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

Through The Valley Of Death  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 14, 2003

THROUGH THE VALLEY OF DEATH Philip Crosby, in his book "March Till They Die," gives an account of a forced march that American and European soldiers who had been captured had to endure in Korea. It was November of 1950, and the North Koreans were being pushed north. As they went, they forced the ...read more

Scripture: Luke 23:34

Tags: Jesus Teachings, Jesus Christ, People In Acts

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: Emotions, Forgiveness For Others, Forgiveness General

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: Anger, Forgiveness General, Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational