Forgiveness Archives - Sermon Illustration Ideas

Unsatisfying Vengeance

Anger, Forgiveness, Revenge, Vengeance

In The Princess Bride (directed by Rob Reiner [Twentieth Century Fox, 1987]), Iñigo Montoya has dedicated his entire life to getting revenge on the…

The Process of Forgiveness

Forgiven, Forgiveness, Grace, Process, Seeking Forgiveness

The 2015 shooting of nine people at a Bible study at the Charleston Emanuel AME church was horrendously shocking. But what was even more…

Struggling to Forgive

Anger, Forgiveness, Forgiving Others, Hurt

In her book Traveling Mercies, Anne Lamott tells the story of struggling to forgive her enemy, the mother of one of her son’s classmates….

God’s System of Justice

Forgiveness, Justice, Redemption, Repentance

In some of the states in America, if you commit a felony and are found guilty, you lose your right to vote. It doesn’t…

Extending Mercy

Forgiven, Forgiveness, Forgiving Others, Grace, Mercy

This powerful scene from Invictus (directed by Clint Eastwood [Warner Bros., 2009]) recounts the story of Nelson Mandela insisting that his leaders extend forgiveness…

Refused Forgiveness

Christ's Sacrifice, Forgiveness, Lent, Sacrifice, Sin

In the film Les Misérables (directed by Tom Hooper [Universal Pictures, 2012]), Jean Valjean’s choice to let Javert live brings the police officer to…

Miraculous Conversion

Conversion, Forgiveness, New Life, Relationship with Christ, Relationship with God

Despite growing up in a churchgoing home and being baptized as a kid, Thomas Tarrants became a white supremacist. He was an unlikely convert….

Gracious Forgiveness

Bitterness, Forgiveness, Forgiving Others, God's Love, Grace

A survivor of a concentration camp during the Holocaust, Corrie ten Boom dedicated her life to traveling and preaching about forgiveness. She told the…

By Faith Alone

Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, Salvation, Works

In William Shakespeare’s Henry V, Shakespeare depicts a young King Henry praying to God for favor. While praying, he lists the “good” work that he…

Better Than A Second Chance

Forgiveness, Good News, Grace, Salavation, Sin, The Gospel

The new life given to Christians by God through Jesus Christ my not be best described as a ‘second chance’. Aaron Wilson illustrates this…

A Picture of Grace

Favor, Forgiveness, Grace, Love

What is God’s grace? It is God’s unmerited favor. It is kindness that is notdeserved or earned. Imagine a parent sets a jar on…

The Forgiveness Cycle

Confession, Forgiveness, Grace, Repentance, Sanctification

Dissonance is a musical term that indicates a lack of harmony. Cognitive dissonance is having disharmony in our thoughts. It happens when our idea…

The Blind Side

Adoption, Forgiveness, Justification, Peace, Salvation, Transformation

This real-life story is the basis of the movie The Blind Side, in which a young troubled teen (Michael Oher) is adopted into a…

Washing Hands

Choosing Christ, Confessing Sin, Forgiveness, Redemption, Sin, Sinful Nature

Every restaurant in America has a sign in the bathroom that says, “Employees must wash hands before returning to work.” If someone is unclean,…

Man on Fire

Depression, Forgiveness, Grief, Pain, regret, Suicide

Pain and guilt can lead to destructive behaviors. We cope with pain in several ways. Some people might turn to drugs and alcohol, self-harm,…

Forgiven

Forgiven, Forgiveness, Repentance, Salvation

Bernie Siegel tells of Edward, a nurse at a nursing home, who took special care of a woman who hadn’t walked for six years….

Our “Stand-In”

Atonement, Forgiveness, Jesus, Propitiation, Sacrifice, Salvation, Sin

Glenn Duhigg, a stand-in actor for Tom Cruise on the set of the movie Mission Impossible 2, explains, “It sounds very glamorous saying you’re…

White As Snow

Forgiveness, Grace, Redemption, Repentance, Salvation, Sin

Charles Spurgeon described his experience of forgiveness this way: “My life was full of sorrow and wretchedness, believing that I was lost. But, oh,…

Breathing Again

Breathing, David, Forgiveness, Redemption, Restoration, Sin

Have you ever almost drowned or known someone who has been in that position? It’s a pretty frightening scenario to be in. In that situation,…

Grace Empowers

Evangelism, Forgiveness, Grace

Pastor Tim Keller tells the story of a woman who started attending the church he pastored and wanted to meet with him. One day…