IS FREE JUST LOOSE?
Children's sermon
The Devil Is A Mosquite Bite
Children's Sermons
Object:
a wristwatch or a pocket watch on a chain.
Good morning, boys and girls, and how are you today? Did you get up this morning filled with God's love and joy? Are you very glad to be alive? Is that the way that you got up this morning? Very good! When you got up this morning, did you also thank God for being free? [Wait for some answers.] What does it mean to be free?
Is free being loose? Suppose I grab [Take one of the boys who wouldn't be frightened] Jim and just hold him so that he cannot get away, or hold Susan's hands so tightly that she cannot move them and then let them go, are they now free? Is that what we mean by being free? To be free is more than being loose.
Let me show you a little experiment. Here is my good old faithful friend, Willie Watch. Now, Willie may not feel free because I keep him tied to my wrist. That's right, Willie goes no farther than around my wrist and I keep him right there most of the time. Now, Willie is a good watch and he keeps excellent time, but he keeps telling me that he is a slave and that I never let him be free. He doesn't mind his job. He does it well and likes to say tick tock, tick tock. Suppose I let Willie go. I will just take him off from my wrist and let whatever happens to him happen. [Let Willie fall to the floor.] I will not wind him, polish him, or do anything at all. Willie will be free, at least loose. Do you think that Willie will like it? Of course not.
When the Bible says that Jesus makes us free, it doesn't mean that he cuts us loose. It means instead that he allows us to be at our best. Some people think that Jesus makes us loose, but that isn't real freedom. No, real freedom is when we can do the things that are best. My friend Willie was really free when he was right here on my wrist, working, making his tick tock noise and telling the right time for everybody. That is what Jesus does when he makes everything right between you and God. He makes you free. You don't have to worry about your sins anymore. You can work and play without being afraid, because you are one of God's children. You are free, really free, because you belong to God. That's the same way it is with Willie. He doesn't have to worry any more, because he is free when he belongs to me.
JESUS BRINGS US TOGETHER
Hebrews 9:11-15, vs. 15: Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.
Object:
a stapler and two pieces of paper.
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is a good day for us to be together. I like things to be together. Do you know what I mean? For instance, I like to sit down at a table where the knife and the fork and the spoon are beside the plate and not on the cupboard or on a chair. They belong with the plate. I feel the same way about a coat and hat. I like to see the coat and the hat where they belong on a person and not wrapped around the feet or hanging on a hook.
Did you know that God is like that also? He likes things to be where they belong and not somewhere else. For instance, God had a plan for all of his people in this world and it was that they would live here on earth with him and be very happy. But the people didn't seem to like God's plan and they decided that they would like to try out their own plan and be like God. They thought that they knew as much and could do as much as God could do, so they told God that they were going to do it their own way. Well, you can guess what happened. Things really got in a mess and pretty soon the people on earth were very sorry that they had decided to try to live without God. Lucky for the people, God did not give up on them, for when they asked for help he was right there waiting. Now God tried a lot of things to help the people come back and live right with him, but they were so used to fighting with each other doing things wrong that it didn't seem the to make any difference. He gave them the Ten Commandments and they tried for a while, but it just didn't seem to work. God sent prophets and named special men kings but they still seemed to only want to do things their own way. Finally, God had a wonderful plan that he knew would work. I want to show you that plan with my friend Stanley Stapler. Stanley had two pieces of paper that he wanted to bring together, so he just sent a staple out that fixed these two pieces of paper in such a way that they could not come loose. The staple holds them together, and the two pieces of paper get along just fine.
Well, that is the way that God did it. He sent his son Jesus into the world just as Stanley sent the staple. And sure enough, God brought us together. The Bible calls Jesus the mediator. It is Jesus who brings us together and makes us part of God's world again. Now, we don't have to worry because God's plan works so well that we can go to God anytime and pray in the name of Jesus. Just like the staple brings two pieces of paper together, so Jesus brings God and boys and girls together. So, the next time you see a staple, you will remember that it is a mediator just as Jesus is your mediator. A staple can only bring paper together, but Jesus can bring you and God together.
JESUS GAVE HIMSELF
Philippians 2:5-11, vss. 6 and 7: ... who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men.
Object:
two candles, one burned and the other brand new (they should be the same kind of candles to begin with).
Good morning, boys and girls, and how are you on this great Christian day called Palm Sunday? How many of you remember the story of Palm Sunday? What kind of picture comes to your mind when you think of Palm Sunday? [Let them answer.] What a wonderful picture Jesus must have been riding down the streets of Jerusalem with the people shouting and singing loud Hosannas and covering the streets with palm branches and coats. Jesus is someone you can never forget once you have heard about him.
People used to wonder how anyone could be so perfect and still look like other people and live with other people. Sometimes we still wonder about that and ask ourselves how Jesus could be God and suffer and die like a man. I mean, if he were God, he should not be like a man, and if he is a man then we shouldn't expect him to be a God. But we do, and I'll show you what I mean.
Here is a candle, a beautiful white candle that has been sitting on my piano at home for a long time. It looks so good that it makes my whole room look warm and beautiful. This is the way I think a candle should look and whenever someone mentions a candle, I think of this beautiful white candle that sits on my piano. Now I have another candle, and at one time this other candle was as big and beautiful as my piano candle. But we needed light and we needed the light badly one night when we had an awful storm and there was a power failure and the lights went out. So I took the candle down from the piano and struck a match and lit the candle. It burned and burned for as long as it was needed. You might say that the candle gave itself for us. The candle was not concerned if it stayed tall and beautiful, but wanted best to burn so that we might have light and plenty of it.
Well, that is the way that it is with Jesus. As God, he is as big as he wants to be and as beautiful, but when we were in so much trouble because of our sin, he came and gave himself up, even when it cost him his life on the cross. Jesus is like the candle that gave its light, even though in being burned it grew smaller instead of staying big and beautiful. God was in Jesus even though he looked like a person and eventually even died a cruel death. God was in him and he gave himself so that we might have life and have it abundantly.
WHAT GOD KEEPS IN HEAVEN FOR YOU
1 Peter 1:3-9, vss. 3b and 4: By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
Object: a savings bond or an insurance policy for college.
Happy Easter, everybody! Isn't this the most wonderful day in the whole year? You feel so free and easy. There is nothing in the world to worry about, since we know that Jesus has won over everything, including the devil himself. It wasn't always like this, I can tell you that. There was a time when people lived in absolute fear of dying. But not anymore! The grave used to be such a horrible thought that people wouldn't even talk about it to each other. Today, we know that it is all different, and I think that I can show you what I mean.
[Hold up the savings bond.] Have you ever seen one of these, boys and girls? [Ask them if anyone has ever heard about or seen a savings bond.] You haven't? I know that you have learned about them, for this is a savings bond. A lot of your parents have bought these and are keeping them for a very special time in your life. Parents buy savings bonds from our government and put them in the bank for ten years, or even longer, and when it is time for you to go to college or do something special when you grow up, they have the money ready for you. They keep it in the bank and never spend it until the right time comes for you to need it.
The reason that I tell you this is that this is the reason Jesus died for you and for all people so many years ago. You remember how I told you that people used to be afraid of dying because it seemed to be the end of nowhere else to go? And do you remember that Jesus died on the cross for our sins? You do? Well, you must also know, then, that Jesus was raised from the dead by his heavenly Father and made alive again. And that is not all! The Father in Heaven promised Jesus that, because Jesus lives again, we who believe in Jesus will also live in a special place in heaven. Jesus is keeping that place for us for a special time, just as your folks keep a savings bond for you for a very special time. The only thing is that, as special as your parent's gift is for you, the gift of eternal life given by Jesus is the most precious gift of all. Isn't that great? None of us has to worry ever again about dying because Jesus has a special place for all of us. Hallelujah!
BALLOONS!
1 John 5:4-12, vs. 12: He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.
Object: balloons, enough for each child and something to pump them up (or have them pre-filled).
Have you ever seen a light bulb that was burned out, or tried to use a pencil that didn't have any lead or a ballpoint pen without ink? If you have ever seen or tried to use any one of these items, you know how disappointing it really is. You don't know that the light bulb is burned out until you try to use it, and the same thing is true with the others. How many times I have tried to make an old ballpoint pen work, and it just won't. All of these things have good bodies, but there is no life left in them.
Let me show you something else that works that way. What is this? [Hold up the balloon.] That's right, a balloon. Or is it a balloon? What are balloons supposed to be able to do? [Wait for some answers.] That's right, they should be able to float around in the air and, if taken outside and let go where the wind can get them, they will fly away high in the sky. I love a balloon when you can do those kinds of things with them. But, look at this so-called balloon. If I let it go, it will just drop to the floor like a piece of dead weight. It needs something to make it a real balloon. Does anyone here know what it is? That's right, air, my air or your air blown into it will make it a real balloon. Let's try it. [Blow up a balloon.] See what I mean. Now it is a real balloon.
It is the same way with people. Some people look like people and we call them people because we think that they are alive. But, the Bible tells us that they are not alive unless they have the Son of God, meaning Jesus, within them. Without Jesus they are like a pen without ink or a light bulb without light. But really those people are more like a balloon, because once the pen is without ink you just throw it away and the light bulb you just break; but with a balloon you can always put more air into it. People sometimes forget what Jesus wants of them, and they leave him out of their lives; but, even though that is bad it is not the end of the line like a broken light bulb. We need Jesus to be alive just like the balloon needs air, the pen needs ink, and the pencil needs lead. But Jesus says to us that it is never too late or the wrong time for him to make you alive. Even if you have forgotten him for awhile you can have him back if you just invite him, and he will be to you like fresh air is to a balloon.
a wristwatch or a pocket watch on a chain.
Good morning, boys and girls, and how are you today? Did you get up this morning filled with God's love and joy? Are you very glad to be alive? Is that the way that you got up this morning? Very good! When you got up this morning, did you also thank God for being free? [Wait for some answers.] What does it mean to be free?
Is free being loose? Suppose I grab [Take one of the boys who wouldn't be frightened] Jim and just hold him so that he cannot get away, or hold Susan's hands so tightly that she cannot move them and then let them go, are they now free? Is that what we mean by being free? To be free is more than being loose.
Let me show you a little experiment. Here is my good old faithful friend, Willie Watch. Now, Willie may not feel free because I keep him tied to my wrist. That's right, Willie goes no farther than around my wrist and I keep him right there most of the time. Now, Willie is a good watch and he keeps excellent time, but he keeps telling me that he is a slave and that I never let him be free. He doesn't mind his job. He does it well and likes to say tick tock, tick tock. Suppose I let Willie go. I will just take him off from my wrist and let whatever happens to him happen. [Let Willie fall to the floor.] I will not wind him, polish him, or do anything at all. Willie will be free, at least loose. Do you think that Willie will like it? Of course not.
When the Bible says that Jesus makes us free, it doesn't mean that he cuts us loose. It means instead that he allows us to be at our best. Some people think that Jesus makes us loose, but that isn't real freedom. No, real freedom is when we can do the things that are best. My friend Willie was really free when he was right here on my wrist, working, making his tick tock noise and telling the right time for everybody. That is what Jesus does when he makes everything right between you and God. He makes you free. You don't have to worry about your sins anymore. You can work and play without being afraid, because you are one of God's children. You are free, really free, because you belong to God. That's the same way it is with Willie. He doesn't have to worry any more, because he is free when he belongs to me.
JESUS BRINGS US TOGETHER
Hebrews 9:11-15, vs. 15: Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.
Object:
a stapler and two pieces of paper.
Good morning, boys and girls. Today is a good day for us to be together. I like things to be together. Do you know what I mean? For instance, I like to sit down at a table where the knife and the fork and the spoon are beside the plate and not on the cupboard or on a chair. They belong with the plate. I feel the same way about a coat and hat. I like to see the coat and the hat where they belong on a person and not wrapped around the feet or hanging on a hook.
Did you know that God is like that also? He likes things to be where they belong and not somewhere else. For instance, God had a plan for all of his people in this world and it was that they would live here on earth with him and be very happy. But the people didn't seem to like God's plan and they decided that they would like to try out their own plan and be like God. They thought that they knew as much and could do as much as God could do, so they told God that they were going to do it their own way. Well, you can guess what happened. Things really got in a mess and pretty soon the people on earth were very sorry that they had decided to try to live without God. Lucky for the people, God did not give up on them, for when they asked for help he was right there waiting. Now God tried a lot of things to help the people come back and live right with him, but they were so used to fighting with each other doing things wrong that it didn't seem the to make any difference. He gave them the Ten Commandments and they tried for a while, but it just didn't seem to work. God sent prophets and named special men kings but they still seemed to only want to do things their own way. Finally, God had a wonderful plan that he knew would work. I want to show you that plan with my friend Stanley Stapler. Stanley had two pieces of paper that he wanted to bring together, so he just sent a staple out that fixed these two pieces of paper in such a way that they could not come loose. The staple holds them together, and the two pieces of paper get along just fine.
Well, that is the way that God did it. He sent his son Jesus into the world just as Stanley sent the staple. And sure enough, God brought us together. The Bible calls Jesus the mediator. It is Jesus who brings us together and makes us part of God's world again. Now, we don't have to worry because God's plan works so well that we can go to God anytime and pray in the name of Jesus. Just like the staple brings two pieces of paper together, so Jesus brings God and boys and girls together. So, the next time you see a staple, you will remember that it is a mediator just as Jesus is your mediator. A staple can only bring paper together, but Jesus can bring you and God together.
JESUS GAVE HIMSELF
Philippians 2:5-11, vss. 6 and 7: ... who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men.
Object:
two candles, one burned and the other brand new (they should be the same kind of candles to begin with).
Good morning, boys and girls, and how are you on this great Christian day called Palm Sunday? How many of you remember the story of Palm Sunday? What kind of picture comes to your mind when you think of Palm Sunday? [Let them answer.] What a wonderful picture Jesus must have been riding down the streets of Jerusalem with the people shouting and singing loud Hosannas and covering the streets with palm branches and coats. Jesus is someone you can never forget once you have heard about him.
People used to wonder how anyone could be so perfect and still look like other people and live with other people. Sometimes we still wonder about that and ask ourselves how Jesus could be God and suffer and die like a man. I mean, if he were God, he should not be like a man, and if he is a man then we shouldn't expect him to be a God. But we do, and I'll show you what I mean.
Here is a candle, a beautiful white candle that has been sitting on my piano at home for a long time. It looks so good that it makes my whole room look warm and beautiful. This is the way I think a candle should look and whenever someone mentions a candle, I think of this beautiful white candle that sits on my piano. Now I have another candle, and at one time this other candle was as big and beautiful as my piano candle. But we needed light and we needed the light badly one night when we had an awful storm and there was a power failure and the lights went out. So I took the candle down from the piano and struck a match and lit the candle. It burned and burned for as long as it was needed. You might say that the candle gave itself for us. The candle was not concerned if it stayed tall and beautiful, but wanted best to burn so that we might have light and plenty of it.
Well, that is the way that it is with Jesus. As God, he is as big as he wants to be and as beautiful, but when we were in so much trouble because of our sin, he came and gave himself up, even when it cost him his life on the cross. Jesus is like the candle that gave its light, even though in being burned it grew smaller instead of staying big and beautiful. God was in Jesus even though he looked like a person and eventually even died a cruel death. God was in him and he gave himself so that we might have life and have it abundantly.
WHAT GOD KEEPS IN HEAVEN FOR YOU
1 Peter 1:3-9, vss. 3b and 4: By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
Object: a savings bond or an insurance policy for college.
Happy Easter, everybody! Isn't this the most wonderful day in the whole year? You feel so free and easy. There is nothing in the world to worry about, since we know that Jesus has won over everything, including the devil himself. It wasn't always like this, I can tell you that. There was a time when people lived in absolute fear of dying. But not anymore! The grave used to be such a horrible thought that people wouldn't even talk about it to each other. Today, we know that it is all different, and I think that I can show you what I mean.
[Hold up the savings bond.] Have you ever seen one of these, boys and girls? [Ask them if anyone has ever heard about or seen a savings bond.] You haven't? I know that you have learned about them, for this is a savings bond. A lot of your parents have bought these and are keeping them for a very special time in your life. Parents buy savings bonds from our government and put them in the bank for ten years, or even longer, and when it is time for you to go to college or do something special when you grow up, they have the money ready for you. They keep it in the bank and never spend it until the right time comes for you to need it.
The reason that I tell you this is that this is the reason Jesus died for you and for all people so many years ago. You remember how I told you that people used to be afraid of dying because it seemed to be the end of nowhere else to go? And do you remember that Jesus died on the cross for our sins? You do? Well, you must also know, then, that Jesus was raised from the dead by his heavenly Father and made alive again. And that is not all! The Father in Heaven promised Jesus that, because Jesus lives again, we who believe in Jesus will also live in a special place in heaven. Jesus is keeping that place for us for a special time, just as your folks keep a savings bond for you for a very special time. The only thing is that, as special as your parent's gift is for you, the gift of eternal life given by Jesus is the most precious gift of all. Isn't that great? None of us has to worry ever again about dying because Jesus has a special place for all of us. Hallelujah!
BALLOONS!
1 John 5:4-12, vs. 12: He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.
Object: balloons, enough for each child and something to pump them up (or have them pre-filled).
Have you ever seen a light bulb that was burned out, or tried to use a pencil that didn't have any lead or a ballpoint pen without ink? If you have ever seen or tried to use any one of these items, you know how disappointing it really is. You don't know that the light bulb is burned out until you try to use it, and the same thing is true with the others. How many times I have tried to make an old ballpoint pen work, and it just won't. All of these things have good bodies, but there is no life left in them.
Let me show you something else that works that way. What is this? [Hold up the balloon.] That's right, a balloon. Or is it a balloon? What are balloons supposed to be able to do? [Wait for some answers.] That's right, they should be able to float around in the air and, if taken outside and let go where the wind can get them, they will fly away high in the sky. I love a balloon when you can do those kinds of things with them. But, look at this so-called balloon. If I let it go, it will just drop to the floor like a piece of dead weight. It needs something to make it a real balloon. Does anyone here know what it is? That's right, air, my air or your air blown into it will make it a real balloon. Let's try it. [Blow up a balloon.] See what I mean. Now it is a real balloon.
It is the same way with people. Some people look like people and we call them people because we think that they are alive. But, the Bible tells us that they are not alive unless they have the Son of God, meaning Jesus, within them. Without Jesus they are like a pen without ink or a light bulb without light. But really those people are more like a balloon, because once the pen is without ink you just throw it away and the light bulb you just break; but with a balloon you can always put more air into it. People sometimes forget what Jesus wants of them, and they leave him out of their lives; but, even though that is bad it is not the end of the line like a broken light bulb. We need Jesus to be alive just like the balloon needs air, the pen needs ink, and the pencil needs lead. But Jesus says to us that it is never too late or the wrong time for him to make you alive. Even if you have forgotten him for awhile you can have him back if you just invite him, and he will be to you like fresh air is to a balloon.
