Round ball
Children's sermon
Object:
A football and a basketball
Football season is upon us. How many of you like football?
(Let them answer.) I've always thought a football is a strange-
looking ball. All other balls are round, but not the football.
The football reminds me of our relationship with God.
If I wanted to bounce the ball on the floor, which ball would I choose? (Let them answer.) I would choose the basketball. It bounces straight up if I throw it to the floor. If I throw it at an angle, then it will bounce at an angle. But a football may bounce in any direction. It's not a good ball to use on the basketball court. Can you imagine playing basketball with a football? It wouldn't work!
We can say that God wants us to be like a basketball: round and true. We say that God wants us to be perfect. The problem is that we are not perfect. We do not bounce true, like a basketball. We are all more like footballs than basketballs.
Do you see the problem here? God wants us to be like the basketball -- perfect; but we are all like the football -- not round and not perfect. That is why the writer of this part of the Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short." We are not what God wants us to be! None of us is! We are not perfect the way God would have us be.
Since we are not the way God wants us to be, what do we do? One thing we can do is try to be as perfect as we can. We can keep on trying and trying. But the problem with that is that no matter how hard we try, we cannot be perfect. It's like a football trying to be a basketball -- no matter how hard it tries, it cannot be what a basketball should be.
Since none of us is what God wants us to be, should we just give up? (Let them answer.) Of course not! By the grace of God we become what God wants us to be. In other words, we cannot be what God wants us to be on our own, but our faith in Jesus makes us what God wants us to be!
I'm glad we have a way of pleasing God. We please God by faith in Jesus and not by what we do. So -- even though I am not perfect, God accepts me because of Jesus.
Dear God: Thank you for sending us Jesus so that we can be what you want us to be. Amen.
If I wanted to bounce the ball on the floor, which ball would I choose? (Let them answer.) I would choose the basketball. It bounces straight up if I throw it to the floor. If I throw it at an angle, then it will bounce at an angle. But a football may bounce in any direction. It's not a good ball to use on the basketball court. Can you imagine playing basketball with a football? It wouldn't work!
We can say that God wants us to be like a basketball: round and true. We say that God wants us to be perfect. The problem is that we are not perfect. We do not bounce true, like a basketball. We are all more like footballs than basketballs.
Do you see the problem here? God wants us to be like the basketball -- perfect; but we are all like the football -- not round and not perfect. That is why the writer of this part of the Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short." We are not what God wants us to be! None of us is! We are not perfect the way God would have us be.
Since we are not the way God wants us to be, what do we do? One thing we can do is try to be as perfect as we can. We can keep on trying and trying. But the problem with that is that no matter how hard we try, we cannot be perfect. It's like a football trying to be a basketball -- no matter how hard it tries, it cannot be what a basketball should be.
Since none of us is what God wants us to be, should we just give up? (Let them answer.) Of course not! By the grace of God we become what God wants us to be. In other words, we cannot be what God wants us to be on our own, but our faith in Jesus makes us what God wants us to be!
I'm glad we have a way of pleasing God. We please God by faith in Jesus and not by what we do. So -- even though I am not perfect, God accepts me because of Jesus.
Dear God: Thank you for sending us Jesus so that we can be what you want us to be. Amen.
