In Sermon Illustrations: "Refusing Grace"

The Grace Gate

Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 17, 2011

THE GRACE GATE An active, dedicated, hard-working church member dreamed that he passed away after a long and satisfying life. As he approached the heavenly gate, he noticed a sign posted which read, "ENTRANCE REQUIREMENT: 1,000 POINTS." The man looked a bit worried. He walked up to the ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Grits And Grace

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 10, 2012

GRITS AND GRACE How blessed is the person whose sin God does not take into account. Even if you don’t deserve it; God provides for you. True story. Two pastors were on their way to Atlanta, Georgia for a large Christian men’s gathering. One of them had never been in the south before. After ...read more

Scripture: Acts 15:6-11

Tags: Grace

Justice And Grace

Contributed by Gene Gregory on Aug 27, 2012

A police officer stops you for speeding. Did you break the law? Yes. Is he just in giving you a ticket? Yes. Now, if He chooses to give you a break, does that mean that everyone else he stops doesn’t deserve a ticket? No. It means he showed you grace and ...read more

Tags: Grace, God's Justice, Apologetics General

Denomination: Baptist

Grace And Matthew

Contributed by Kevin Karhoff on Mar 12, 2013

GRACE AND MATTHEW These days people don't know Matthew as a failure and embarrassment who sold his soul to the Romans for a job. We know Matthew as a follower of Jesus who wrote the first book of the New Testament. It's important to understand that the grace of God doesn't simply invite us to ...read more

Scripture: Luke 5:27-31

Tags: Grace, Jesus Christ

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Grace At Christmas

Contributed by Joel Arndt on Jan 9, 2020

Early on in my ministry, I was called to the home of one of the people in the congregation who said they had a Christmas gift for me. Shortly after getting out of my vehicle I heard shouting coming from the house that I was called to. I gently knocked on the door and the woman of the house opened ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23

Tags: Christmas, Grace, Forgiveness, Gift

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

Definition Of Grace

Contributed by Tony Abram on Apr 21, 2008

DEFINITION OF GRACE In the Bible there are three distinctive meanings of grace: it means the mercy and active love of God; it means the winsome attractiveness of God; it means ...read more

Tags: Grace

Cheap Grace  PRO

Contributed by Tony Abram on Apr 21, 2008

CHEAP GRACE Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, ...read more

Tags: Grace

Finding Grace  PRO

Contributed by Johnathan Hester on Jun 15, 2008

FINDING GRACE If you want to learn the meaning of faith, get down to a child's level. "What could this possibly be?" I thought to myself. "Why would someone place that sign so low? No one could read it." You see them everywhere. Small signs promoting yard sales, cars, and business opportunities ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-2

Tags: Examples Of Faith

Denomination: Baptist

That's Grace

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

THAT’S GRACE Spurgeon illustrated grace with this story in his book, All of Grace. A man visited a woman he knew to be in great financial need. He visited with a generous gift to help her with her expenses. He knocked at the door. She heard the knock, panicked and hid so no one would know she was ...read more

Tags: Grace

Grace Or Permission?

Contributed by Norman Lawrence on Oct 12, 2008

Grace or Permission? You're worried about permissiveness—about the way the preaching of grace seems to say it's okay to do all kinds of terrible things as long as you just walk in afterward and take the free gift of God's forgiveness. While you and I may be worried about seeming to give ...read more

Tags: Grace

Denomination: Assembly Of God

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: Grace, Forgiveness

Moved By Grace

Contributed by Martin Spoelstra on Apr 20, 2023

The word itself... grace... has become trite and debased through misuse and overuse. It does not move us the way it moved our early Christian ancestors. In some European countries, certain high ecclesiastical officials are still called, Your Grace. Sportswriters spoke of Michael Jordan's easy ...read more

Scripture: Romans 1:17

Tags: Grace, Lacking In Grace, Scandal Of Grace

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

The Lesson Of Grace

Contributed by Jm Raja Lawrence on Sep 23, 2023

The Lesson of Grace In a serene, sunlit park nestled within a bustling city, an old man sat on a weathered bench, enjoying the simple pleasures of life. His wrinkled face bore the marks of wisdom, and his eyes held stories of countless yesterdays. Passersby often found themselves drawn to his calm ...read more

Scripture: James 3:17, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 4:6, Colossians 3:13

Tags: Grace, Forgiving One Another, Kind To One Another

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Amazing Grace

Contributed by Revd. Martin Dale on Oct 24, 2025

Amazing Grace Paul wrote of a higher righteousness that comes from God himself and never depends on our doings. Whenever we know that righteousness of God firsthand, it always changes our lives. One man tells that one day he blundered into an affair with someone else’s wife. He was weak and ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 3:1-16

Tags: Higher Righteousness, Amazing Grace

Denomination: Anglican

The Man Who Refuses To Forgive Destroys The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2002

The man who refuses to forgive destroys the bridge over which he himself must ...read more

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

The Man Who Refuses To Forgive Destroys The ...  PRO

Contributed by Joel Vicente on Feb 26, 2005

“The man who refuses to forgive destroys the bridge over which he himself ...read more

Tags: Forgiveness For Others

Denomination: Baptist

If Men And Women Of Capacity Refuse To Take ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"If men and women of capacity refuse to take part in politics and government, they condemn themselves, as well as the people, to ...read more

Tags: Government

Refuse To Join The Cautious Crowd That Plays Not ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

Refuse to join the cautious crowd that plays not to ...read more

Tags: Workplace Balance

Denying The Existence Of Evil (Or Refusing To Be ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

Denying the existence of evil (or refusing to be judgmental about it) has never proved a reliable method for defeating it. Hell is presumably ...read more

Tags: Satan

I Refuse To Have A Battle Of Wits With An ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

I refuse to have a battle of wits with an ...read more

Tags: Humor