I’m not sure why you wouldn’t want to offer a separate class in church history, because it is a distinct discipline.
Certainly you can encourage some interest in church history in a sermon, occasionally having an illustration out of church history.
When talking about prayer, particularly the prayers of parents for their children, preachers have often talked about Augustine’s mother Monica. When she saw him leave the church and, for a time, really commit himself to an anti-Christian philosophy and lifestyle, she prayed for him and beseeched the Lord to move him. The Lord heard those prayers, and Augustine gave testimony to Monica’s prayers in his Confessions.
So history can be brought in as an illustration to other kinds of teaching and preaching in the life of the church. That may spark some interest in the hearts of people, but to really see beyond the episodes of history to the movement of history, you almost need a dedicated course.