The real thing
Children's sermon
Object:
sugar and a sugar substitute, butter and margarine, and salt and a salt substitute
John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is
more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals.
He will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire." (v. 16)
Good morning, boys and girls. There was a story going around Israel that John the Baptist was the one that God had sent to take away the sin of the world and to build a new kingdom of people who really believed in God. John heard the rumor one day while he was standing in the River Jordan, water up to his waist, and baptizing. It was quite a sight. People would come down to the river and ask John to baptize them for their sins. John told them that he was not the one that they were looking for but the real person would be coming soon. John did preach and ask people to be sorry for their sins. John did baptize people as a sign of God coming close to them and making them clean, but that was as far as he could go.
Today we have a lot of things that we use to take the place of others. For instance, what do I have in my hands? They are little pink and blue packages. (let them answer) That's right, they are substitutes for sugar and a lot of people use them to sweeten things.
I also have a little bowl of something that is yellow and we put it on toast and our potatoes and many things. (let them answer) That's right, it is margarine. It is not butter, but many people use it. There are a lot of other substitutes like this (show salt substitute) instead of salt and turkey burgers instead of hamburger. All of these are substitutes for the real thing.
John the Baptist said this was a little like him. God had commanded him to come out in the wilderness and baptize people in the River Jordan. He preached to them about their sins and how the world was filled with bad people but he was only a substitute for the real thing that is to come.
The one who was to come that John was talking about was Jesus. John the Baptist said that Jesus was so holy that John was not even good enough to touch his sandals. Jesus was perfect and he brought new teachings that were the real teachings of God. When Jesus comes, he will be able to forgive you for all of your sins and bring you into the kingdom of God.
The next time you see those pink and blue packages that make things sweet, I want you to remember that they may be a good substitute but they are not sugar. The same thing is true of margarine and other things that are substitutes. They make us remember that we will know the difference when Jesus comes to us. Jesus is the real thing. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. There was a story going around Israel that John the Baptist was the one that God had sent to take away the sin of the world and to build a new kingdom of people who really believed in God. John heard the rumor one day while he was standing in the River Jordan, water up to his waist, and baptizing. It was quite a sight. People would come down to the river and ask John to baptize them for their sins. John told them that he was not the one that they were looking for but the real person would be coming soon. John did preach and ask people to be sorry for their sins. John did baptize people as a sign of God coming close to them and making them clean, but that was as far as he could go.
Today we have a lot of things that we use to take the place of others. For instance, what do I have in my hands? They are little pink and blue packages. (let them answer) That's right, they are substitutes for sugar and a lot of people use them to sweeten things.
I also have a little bowl of something that is yellow and we put it on toast and our potatoes and many things. (let them answer) That's right, it is margarine. It is not butter, but many people use it. There are a lot of other substitutes like this (show salt substitute) instead of salt and turkey burgers instead of hamburger. All of these are substitutes for the real thing.
John the Baptist said this was a little like him. God had commanded him to come out in the wilderness and baptize people in the River Jordan. He preached to them about their sins and how the world was filled with bad people but he was only a substitute for the real thing that is to come.
The one who was to come that John was talking about was Jesus. John the Baptist said that Jesus was so holy that John was not even good enough to touch his sandals. Jesus was perfect and he brought new teachings that were the real teachings of God. When Jesus comes, he will be able to forgive you for all of your sins and bring you into the kingdom of God.
The next time you see those pink and blue packages that make things sweet, I want you to remember that they may be a good substitute but they are not sugar. The same thing is true of margarine and other things that are substitutes. They make us remember that we will know the difference when Jesus comes to us. Jesus is the real thing. Amen.
