Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus Will Never Change

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13:

Have you ever gotten ready for school in the morning and decided you did not like your outfit? Maybe you did not like that color of socks. Maybe that shirt is uncomfortable. Maybe your shoes were too tight or too dirty to wear. Unless you are short on time, it is usually OK to change your clothes. People do it all the time.

Have you ever realized that a food you used to hate is starting to become a favorite food now? Maybe you used to hate spinach. After all, it is slimy and green. Your parents made you try it when you were little, and you wanted to spit it out! But let's say that you just tried spinach again recently. (You had to, because it was in Grandma's manicotti dish, and you love Grandma's manicotti! So you tried it again – you put it on your fork, turned it around so you could get a good look at it, tasted it thoughtfully, and swallowed it right down! And you could not believe your tastebuds! After all those years of hating spinach, you are starting to love it. People are like that. As we grow older, our tastes change.

Did you ever lose track of someone who used to be a good friend of yours? Maybe you moved to another town, or maybe you just got busy with things going on at church or with your schoolwork. Maybe something happened in your family, and you just have not been seeing the same friends every day anymore. Or maybe your friends and you have just become interested in such different things that you do not need to spend much time together. That happens to people. Some friends will always be a part of our lives. But some of our friends will change over the years. We make new friends. We may never forget the old friends, but we might spend less time with them.

Change is a part of every human being's life. Things change around us. We have to deal with that change. Other people change around us. And we ourselves change, both inside and out. We change our minds about little things like favorite clothes or what to drink at breakfast-time. We change our minds about big things, too, like whether we will obey our parents and what we want to be when we grow up. Sometimes it takes a very long time for us to change – it takes a long time to grow taller or wiser! On other things, we might change overnight – it does not take too long to decide whether or not to obey, does it?

Every human being has to change. But one encouraging thing about Jesus Christ is that He is always the same. He is God, so He will always have the great character that only God has. He will always be perfectly good and perfectly great in every single way. Jesus Christ does not have to decide every day whether or not He will love His people. He does not have to think about whether He will keep on being gracious and merciful and sinless. He does not have to wonder about whether He ought to be all-powerful.

Because Jesus never changes, we do not have to wonder about Him, either. We can trust that Jesus will always be exactly Who He always has been. He will never lose love for His people. He will never forget us or let us down or change His mind about us. He will never make mistakes. He will never do wrong. Because He is faithful and never-changing, Jesus deserves our trust and worship. What a great God He is!

The Lord Jesus Christ is always going to be exactly Who He always has been.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Love

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)

Have you seen people wearing T-shirts with the logos and mascots of their favorite sports teams? We say they are "showing spirit" for their team, but what does that kind of "spirit" mean? It means they are enthusiastic about that team – they really, really like that team. That's how we show other people what we love – we "wear signs," in a way. You might see coffee-lovers walking around with travel mugs full of coffee. You might see horse-lovers walking around with cowboy hats. You might see a soccer-lover with a soccerball at all times, practicing his dribbling whenever he gets a free moment. The things we carry or wear, say or do, are signs that show people what things are important to us.

A T-shirt or a cowboy hat can be a mark of enthusiasm for a certain team or lifestyle. A coffee mug can be a clue that the person carrying it loves to have coffee along at all times. You can tell a man and woman are married to each other because they wear wedding rings as a sign of their love and loyalty to one another. A ring "marks" someone as married. A ring is a mark of love for a husband or for a wife.

Do you know what God is marked by? One thing God is marked by is His love. He is known for it. Everything He does and says shows His love. God IS love!

Did you know that love should be a mark of anyone who believes in God? That's true. 1 John 4:7-8 shows us truth about God, and the truth is that love comes from God, and that love should be a sign of someone who knows God. If you love God and know God, then your love for others should be a sign to people that you love God and know God.

Do you ever see someone walking around "wearing" or "carrying" love for God and other people? If so, God is the Source of that kind of love. Think of all the things God has done to show His love for you. Hatefulness and lying and gossip and arguing and pride are not from God, and He is not marked by those things. He is marked by His love. He IS love! And we should be marked by love, too, if we truly know Him. Our love for God and others should be a sign to people that we love Him and know Him.

God is love, and those who know Him should be marked by love.

[Soldier4Christ]

Christ Suffered To Bring Us to God

"For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." (1 Peter 3:17-18)

Have you ever "suffered"? Some children have. You, or someone you know, may be fighting a battle against a painful disease. Some children have suffered under physical or emotional abuse. Maybe that has happened to you. Or maybe you have lost a friend or a loved one to death. You may have heard of families who have been persecuted for worshipping the God of the Bible.

But most children have not seen heavy, hard suffering – at least, not yet. Suffering is intense pain that we feel, either on the inside or outside. You might look and feel fine externally (on the outside), but you might be suffering on the inside, in your heart.

Very few people like suffering! Think about it. Let's say you are sitting in a lawn chair, sipping pink lemonade under the hot sun, when – all of the sudden – you hear a strange, yet familiar buzzing sound near your right arm. What!? It's a bee! A very large bee with a very sharp-looking stinger on his backside! What is your first reaction? Do you calmly say, "Mr. Big Scary Bee, sir, please do not poke me today with that painful stinger of yours! I'm right in the middle of my lemonade!"? No! You would probably jump out of your lawn chair really fast, screaming and swatting and running around in circles until you were sure Mr. Big Scary Bee, sir, had gone bye-bye!

Why is that your response? Because you hate pain. You dread it. You would never seek after it. You would be crazy if you did. Humanly speaking, suffering is always a bad thing! We never enjoy pain, and we always try to get out of it if we can!

But the Bible teaches in 1 Peter and in Hebrews and in several other places that Jesus Christ did choose to suffer. He had a choice, and He chose suffering! Why? Well, He was God, but He was also human, so pain and suffering were probably not enjoyable for Jesus Christ, either. Just because He was totally God does not mean that suffering did not hurt Him! He was also totally human, so He experienced fear and pain and probably never enjoyed either one. But the Bible shows us that Christ took on suffering, anyway, that He did it in order to bridge the gap between us and God.

Jesus Christ endured (kept on fighting through) the suffering because He really wanted what was waiting on the other side of suffering. The Bible says in Hebrews that Christ chose suffering "for the joy that was set before Him." In other words, our being able to be right with God meant more to Jesus Christ than His own comfort and safety meant to Him. His sacrificial suffering was what made it possible for us to be right with God. What a courageous and selfless and loving Savior we have!

Jesus Christ endured suffering in order to provide sinners a way of salvation.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Glorified When His Disciples Bear Fruit

"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." (John 15:

Jody brushed the clods of dirt off her hands and tapped her trowel on the edge of the garden path. That does it! she thought. I've done my part. Now it's up to this garden to hold up its end of the bargain! As she walked toward the house, Jody wondered at how she kept seeing rows and rows of weeds in her mind every time she closed her eyes. It felt like she had been weeding and planting for a thousand days! But it would be worth it, she knew – like when the squash and tomatoes were ripe and ready to eat! She could almost taste them now!

How do you think Jody would feel if she came to her garden at harvest-time, after all that work she put into it, only to see that none of her crops came in? What if none of her tomato plants decided to yield one tomato? What if her squash vines decided to bear a pumpkin or a carrot, but no squash? What if the ears of corn never grew kernels? That would be weird, for one thing! Who ever heard of a squash vine that gave a pumpkin, or of corn-ears that never grew kernels? A harvest like that would be very weird indeed.

That would be a strange harvest, yes, but worse – a harvest like that would also be so disappointing! Think of all the work Jody poured into her garden! How do you think it would feel to not get any fruit, not even after so much hard work?

Discipleship is hard work, too. The whole growing process for a Christian is a hard thing. But did you know that God is glorified when His people bear fruit? The Bible teaches about the kinds of things we should see growing in our hearts – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, kindness – all sorts of amazing characteristics. They should be a part of every believer's life, and every believer should be growing in this kind of "fruit" every day.

Do you know why God is so glorified when we bear fruit? Because ultimately, He is the One Who deserves the credit for our growth. God expects us to become more and more like His Son, but He also works in our hearts to change us so that we can! He gives us the desire to grow. He enables and strengthens and gives grace to help us. And His power is greater than any human power. Only God can bring spiritually-dead people to life and grow them into spiritual fruit-bearers.

God gets all the glory when His disciples bear spiritual fruit.

[Soldier4Christ]

The LORD Is Gracious

"They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." (Psalm 145:7-9)

To be "gracious" is to be the kind of person who gives other people things they do not deserve. A gracious person shows people unmerited favor (kindness that they could never earn on their own). The LORD is the ultimate Example of Someone Who is gracious, Who gives graciously, time and time and time again. Whenever we act with graciousness toward other people, we are not inventing some new thing. We are simply reflecting the character of the eternal God. He has always been gracious, and He always will be gracious.

Have you ever noticed that it is easier to expect people to be gracious to you than it is for you to be gracious to other people? For example, let's imagine that you are going over to your neighbor Tommy's house, and Tommy's mom is offering cookies to you. They are fresh-baked, warm-from-the-oven, gooey chocolate chip cookies. Of course, you accept her offer, even though you do not necessarily deserve a warm and wonderful cookie. In fact, as you chew it up, you realize that you could never earn a cookie that tastes like that! Tommy's mom sees that you love the cookies, and she graciously packs a bag full of them and sends them home with you. WOW! (You can tell from the look on Tommy's face, though, that he is not too pleased to see so few cookies left over for him!)

Now, imagine that Tommy comes over to play at your house. It just so happens that today your mom has just finished baking some warm and wonderful, gooey chocolate chip cookies, and you are thrilled! You and Tommy are both practically jumping up and down with hope and delight. Suddenly, you stop, you glance over at Tommy, and you realize that he is hoping your mom will be gracious and offer him some cookies. Some of your family's cookies! Why, some guys have all the nerve! And what does your mom do? You watch her, as if in slow motion – reaching for a handful of cookies, placing them in Tommy's greedy little hands, patting the top of his head. You find yourself wanting to scream NO!

That little story is kind of exaggerated. But you get the point: It can be harder for us to be gracious than it is for us to accept graciousness. We want (we expect!) everyone to be understanding with us when we make mistakes, but we are not as quick to be understanding when others make mistakes. We think of nice things that people could do for us, but we do not naturally spend time thinking of nice things we might be able to do for others. We are human, and we are prone to sin. We will never be able to be perfectly gracious in this life. Is it worth trying?

Yes! After all, the LORD is perfectly gracious. He has shown grace to you, time and time and time again. Remembering how much you receive, and remembering how little you deserve, can be a great help in remembering to be gracious to people. Has the LORD shown you kindness that you never could have earned? Does His graciousness make you want to be gracious with other people? If so, then be gracious. You will be reflecting, at least in a small way, the great graciousness of the eternal God. And, because He is gracious, He will help you be gracious!

God shows you grace, and you can reflect that by being gracious with others.

[Soldier4Christ]

The LORD Is Full of Compassion

"They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." (Psalm 145:7-9)

Have you ever found yourself in the belly of a great fish? Or maybe in the middle of a lion's den or a fiery furnace? How about clinging to the deck of a ship that's being tossed around in a storm or breaking up against a rocky reef? Have you ever gone into the blazing desert with your mother and crawled under a bush to cry and wait until you starved or thirsted to death?

Have you ever gotten stuck in a cave with a half-crazy king who has been trying to kill you for no good reason? Or have you ever watched a loved one die an early death, knowing Someone might have healed him? Have you ever gotten caught and tried for a horrible crime you did not really commit? Have you ever been disabled in an accident or been forced to beg for food and shelter? Have you ever found yourself left all alone with no one who will claim you as a friend or stand by you or rescue you?

Hopefully, none of those things have ever happened. Hopefully, you will never find yourself in a situation like any of the above. But if you ever do, remember the God of the Bible. Because the Bible tells us stories of people who did find themselves in those situations. And one reason the Bible shares these stories is that God wants to show us what He is like.

God is the kind of God Who shows compassion. He is the kind of God Who listens to repentant sinners and saves them out of their own trouble, because salvation belongs to Him. Using almost the same language as Psalm 145:7-9, the prophet Jonah tells the reason why he prayed to God from where he was trapped in the belly of the great fish: "For I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness" (Jonah 4:2a). Jonah was being punished for his sinfulness and rebellion, but he called upon God anyway, because he had reason to believe that God would show him compassion and mercy.

Are you in a difficult situation? Do you think nobody cares? If there are people who care, do you wonder whether there is even anything they could do to help? In times like that, it is important to "preach to yourself" what the Bible reveals about the character and works of God: He is compassionate. He takes pity on us in our weakness, in our fear, in our sorrows, in our hardships, in our starving, in our persecution, in our grief, in our loss, in our confusion. In fact, no one else could show you the kind of compassion and lovingkindness that the LORD can – because He is the LORD. If it is true compassion that you need, then it is the LORD that you need.

God cares for our needs, and He shows perfect compassion.

[Soldier4Christ]

The LORD Is Slow to Anger

"They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." (Psalm 145:7-9)

"Hey, watch it, Blaine!" Justin grabbed his forehead where Blaine had elbowed him. Ouch! he thought. Why does Blaine always have to muscle his way all over the court? What a ball hog!

"Sorry, Justin. Are you OK?" Blaine stopped dribbling the basketball and came over to where Justin was standing under the net. "It was an accident."

"Accident, my foot! You just think this game is all about Blaine, don't you?!" Justin kept dabbing at his forehead, half-hoping there would be blood there – maybe that would teach ol' Blaine the Ball Hog a lesson. "Blaine, Blaine, it's all about Blaine. You've got a great two-step strategy, you know – hog the ball and knock everyone else off the court!"

"Justin, really. It wasn't on purpose – I'm just a clutz." With a shake of his head, Blaine handed Justin the ball and walked off the court to the locker room.

Justin opened his mouth to shout something after him, but he stopped when he realized all the other boys at practice were staring at him. "Well, what?" he asked them, as the locker room door shut behind Blaine. "It's about time someone told him off."

Coach Mark walked over and put his hands on Justin's shoulders. "Justin, take a step back and look at yourself and your reactions. The only one in this gym acting like the game is all about him is you, Justin, acting like it's all about you." Coach took the ball out of Justin's hands and motioned for him to leave. "I think you have some business in the locker room, young man. Namely, an apology for being quick to jump to angry conclusions."

Like Justin, have you ever struggled with a quick temper? Often, an angry reaction is wrong in several ways. Justin assumed that Blaine was wronging him, when really Blaine had elbowed him accidentally. But through his anger, Justin could not see the truth. So he got a false understanding of Blaine and ended up hurting everyone. Justin would have been wise to first check his own attitude and goals. Maybe Coach was right; maybe Justin was playing like a ball hog and Blaine just got in his way. There can be more than one side to any story.

When we do wrong or get ourselves in trouble, we really do want God and others to be patient with us. We want them to understand where we are coming from, what we really meant by that comment, or how sorry we really are. We really want other people to be "slow to anger" with us, to give us some time to explain or to try to make things right. But how are you when it comes to being "slow to anger" with other people? By his example, Coach Mark showed Justin how to confront someone who is in the wrong. He did not jump to a false conclusion about Justin. He went over and calmly talked instead of shouting out quick and thoughtless accusations. It is not wrong to respond with anger – some anger is good, righteous anger. But how do you get angry? Do you react quickly and thoughtlessly like Justin, or do you show wisdom and restraint like Coach Mark?

Coach Mark was following an example, too. God's. The LORD is slow to anger, longsuffering in His kindness, abundant in mercies, quick to forgive. Are you?

God is longsuffering and slow to let loose His anger on us.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's "Suitcase" for the Journey of Life

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (II Timothy 3:16-17)

“You put your suitcase in the car. Right, honey?” TJ’s mom asked as she pulled out of the driveway.

TJ was going to camp for the first time, and he was excited. “Yes,” he called from the back seat.

“Okay, just checking,” she smiled as she said it. For about a week, she had been packing TJ’s suitcase for camp. She kept it open in his room so that she could add necessary items as she thought of them. TJ did not really know what all was in there, but he did know she had been to Wal-Mart four times just to buy things for his trip!

TJ enjoyed his week at camp. But when he got home, he admitted to his mom that parts of his week had not been the best. “I got really hungry in the afternoons, Mom. I wanted to buy some snacks and souvenirs but didn’t have any cash!”

“Oh, TJ,” his mom replied. “I put your wallet in your suitcase. It had $30 in it for you to spend. Did you eat all the snacks I sent you?”

“What snacks?” TJ asked.

“Oh, honey. It was all in your suitcase. Did you even open it up?”

“Not really, Mom,” replied TJ. “I didn’t want to take the time. Were there clean clothes in there too?”

You might be thinking, TJ wasn’t very smart to keep his suitcase shut all week long!

But believe it or not, you make a similar foolish choice when you choose not to open your Bible! Here’s why: You have probably heard people compare the Christian life to a journey. Throughout this "trip" you need encouragement, food and supplies for each day, wisdom in dealing with various situations, and correction when you are going the wrong way. God has packed everything you need into His Word, according to 2 Timothy 3:16-17. It is your “suitcase” for the “journey” of life. Just as it would be foolish to keep your suitcase shut during a trip to camp, it is also unwise to neglect (not pay attention to) God’s Word from day to day. And God promises that His Word can make you “perfect,” which means “complete.” All you need is all there for you in God's Word; you just have to open it.

God has packed into His Word everything you really need for life.

[Soldier4Christ]

The LORD Is Merciful

"They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works." (Psalm 145:7-9)

"But, Mrs. Kedo, I promise!" Sam was feeling a little nervous, now. "My dog really did eat my homework!"

"That's the same excuse you gave me the last three times, Samuel."
Mrs. Kedo stood up from her desk and picked up the chalkboard eraser. (For a split second, Sam wondered whether she was going thump him with it.) "Your dog must be a very hungry dog, indeed," she said. Turning her back to Sam, she began erasing the chalkboard.

Sam just watched her for a moment and thought about it. Mrs. Kedo might be a little too strict. She might be a little too skinny. She might even be a little too tall. But one thing Mrs. Kedo isn't – she isn't dumb.

"Mrs. Kedo?"

She kept on erasing the board. "Yes, Samuel?"

"My dog didn't eat my homework."

"No?" Mrs. Kedo turned around and set the eraser on her desk. "Well, Samuel. Then I have one question: If your dog didn't eat your homework, who did?"

"Uh...nobody ate it, Mrs. Kedo. I just didn't want to do it."

"You told me a lie."

"Yes, ma'am. I told you a lie. I'm really sorry. Will you forgive me?"

"Samuel, do you know what the school's policy is for little boys who lie to their teachers?"

"I don't know." Sam was beginning to wish he had done his homework.

"I believe that the punishment for lying is expulsion, Samuel. 'Expulsion' means you should be expelled – kicked out of school."

"Oh, no." Sam was really sorry now.

"Oh, yes."

"Couldn't you just – thump me with that eraser instead?"

Mrs. Kedo laughed. "Well, I had thought about that," she said. "But what do you deserve for lying?"

"Ex– explosion?"

Mrs. Kedo sat down suddenly and put her head in her hands. Sam felt even worse, then. What if she was crying?

When she uncovered her face, it was all red, but she did not seem to be crying anymore. "Samuel, I've decided to forgive you. And I am not going to punish you with expulsion." She smiled. "Or explosion!"

"Really?"

"Not this time. If you ever lie to me again, I do not want to say which of those words will happen to you."

Sam nodded his head. "OK, Mrs. Kedo. OK. I promise. Thanks, Mrs. Kedo! Here, let me finish that for you." He grabbed the eraser off her desk and went up to the chalkboard.

"Erase quickly, Samuel," she said. "You do have a great deal of un-eaten homework to turn in to me tomorrow morning."

Psalm 145 talks about the LORD's mercy. Mercy is what Mrs. Kedo decided to show to Sam. Mercy is the holding back of deserved punishment. Even though we cannot earn mercy, the LORD has the authority to show mercy to us. We sin often, and we all deserve punishment for our sins. For sinners, the LORD's mercy is our only hope of escaping punishment. We are always having to count on the LORD's mercy.

How about you? Can you think of ways God has shown mercy to you? He is the greatest Authority in our lives, because He created us. But because He created us, and because of Jesus Christ's Gospel, God can also choose to show us mercy instead of punishment. We never could earn mercy, but we can rejoice in it!

The LORD is a merciful God!

[Soldier4Christ]

God Loves Unconditionally

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:

"Mom, Nate doesn't love me! What am I gonna do?" Davey was fighting to keep back his tears. His little brother had been in such a good mood yesterday, but today little Nate did not seem to want to have anything to do with Davey.

"Oh, honey. Little Nate is teething. His gums hurt, and he gets really grouchy – really quickly."

"But yesterday, he acted like I was his best friend!" wailed Davey. "He let me hold him, and he made all those vroom-vroom sounds he likes to make with my cars. Yesterday, we played all day together, and all I had to do to make him smile was just look at him! But today, he won't even let me get near him! What'd I do wrong?"

"Davey, it wasn't something you did wrong. Nate's just a baby, and he has mood swings. But he doesn't feel good. He loves you, and he'll learn to love you even more. He just doesn't like anyone right now."

That is one hard thing about baby brothers and sisters. You never know from one day to the next whether or not they will treat you nicely. They are usually thinking about themselves, so their love for you is dependent upon how they feel that day. One day you might be on their "good side," but the next day, you might be in big trouble with them.

Here's some good news: God does not put conditions (rules) on His love. He does not stop loving His people for no good reason. In fact, even if we were to give God good reasons to change His mind, He would not. If you are God's child, you can count on Him to keep loving you, no matter what.

Why is it that God can keep loving, no matter what, but human beings are not very good at that? Well, it has to do with God's character. God IS love, according to the Bible. God's love is never-changing, and God's love is "unconditional." "Unconditional" means it is not based upon what we can do to earn favor, and it is not based upon whether or not we mess up and lose favor with God."

Davey's little brother seemed to keep changing his mind about Davey. But if Davey is a believer, he can trust that God will never change his mind about loving him.

God's love is not based upon whether or not we deserve it.

[Soldier4Christ]

The LORD Helps Those Who Trust in Him

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." (Psalm 28:7)

"You lost Mom's what?!" Ray could not believe his ears. Was his little sister just playing some kind of trick on him?

Susie's face did not seem like she was joking. She was crying. "I lost Mom's rings!" she cried out. "After she washed the dishes this afternoon, I saw them where she had put them on the windowsill. When she went to the grocery store, I just got this silly idea. I decided I wanted to try them on my finger, you know, just to try them on. But my finger was too small, and they slipped right off and –!" Susie covered her mouth as though she could not say what horrible things must have happened next.

Ray shook his head as he looked down into the drain. These rings mean a lot to Mom, he thought. There was only one thing to do: Call Mr. Silsbee. Mr. Silsbee was the church janitor, and he was a plumber. He had a funny, scruffy beard, and he always wore the same faded blue denim ball cap. Everyone knew that he was the best plumber in town. If anyone could get Mom's rings out of that sink safely, it would be Mr. Silsbee. And the way Ray figured it, if Mr. Silsbee could not get the rings out – nobody could!

Mom was still out at the grocery store, so Ray called Dad to explain and to ask permission to call Mr. Silsbee. Dad seemed pretty concerned. "Yes – we need to get him to take a look right away. In fact, I'll call Mr. Silsbee. You just stay there nearby and make sure no one uses the sink."

Less than an hour later, Ray and Susie found themselves staring in awe at Mom's rings – safe and sound – glittering and gleaming on the windowsill! Dad had come home,and Mr. Silsbee had come with him. They had taken the sink apart and got the rings out of a curve in the drainpipe. Susie was not crying anymore. She was smiling from ear to ear, and Ray's smile was just as big. No wonder Mom looked surprised when she came around the kitchen corner and saw two men and two kids staring at her rings on the windowsill!

Why do you think Ray wanted to call Mr. Silsbee for help? Ray believed that this was an emergency, important situation. Ray also believed that, because Mom's rings were so important to her, Mr. Silsbee was the best man for the job.

Have you ever found yourself facing an important situation and knowing that you needed help from Someone super-human? God is supernatural, and He is far above human beings in His thinking, in His morality, in His power, and in everthying else. Because of that, we can rely on Him when we need His help. We can call on Him. Psalm 28 talks about how how faithful God is to those who trust Him. He helps people who call on His name for help. That everyday help (everday, but also supernatural) is the kind of help that the psalmist (probably King David) is talking about when he describes His God as "my strength and my shield."

God has revealed Himself in the Bible to be the kind of God Who is able to answer His people's most difficult needs, and as the kind of God Who delights in answering their needs. If we meditate (think often) about what God has done for us, and Who He really is, we will probably begin to respond more and more like the psalmist responded in verse 7: praising and rejoicing in such a great God.

God has shown Himself to be the most trustworthy "strength and shield" for believers.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Sanctifies Us

"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." (John 17:16-19)

What does it mean to "sanctify" something? "Sanctify" means to clean up something, to set something apart as special or for special use, to make it appropriate for a special purpose. The word "sanctify" has the idea of making something holy, purifying it, setting it apart for a special spiritual purpose.

Have you ever been in a stable? It is not especially clean, is it? There are animals in stables, and all the things that go along with animals – their food, the way they smell, the dirt that they get on them. Stables, even when they have been cleaned out, are not exactly clean! But they are clean enough for their purpose – to be a house for animals like cows and horses.

Have you ever been to the mother-baby floor of a hospital? There is a very special nursery room for the newborn babies there. It is a room set apart for them, and it is always kept 100% spic-and-span clean. Why? Because babies pick up germs and sicknesses very easily. It is important to keep germs away from them until they grow strong and healthy enough to fight off sicknesses. This room is so set apart that normal people (non-nurses and non-babies) have to wear special robes to go in there and sit with the babies. Sometimes they have to wear masks. Normal people would look funny wearing masks and robes in a supermarket or at the library – but in a hospital nursery, we do not think it is strange. It is appropriate and right to be careful around babies in a hospital nursery. That room is set apart just for them.

Now, even though Jesus was born in a stable, we would probably never dream of putting a newborn baby in a stable under normal circumstances. Even the cleanest of stables will still have germs and weird smells – and no nurses or masks or robes! So what made the stable where Jesus was born a good enough stable for His birth to happen in? Well, that stable was special because God, in His sovereign wisdom and power, had prepared it and set it apart for the birth of His Son. By itself, that stable would have been just as dirty and smelly – and as inappropriate for a nursery – as any other dirty and smelly stable. But because God chose it and "sanctified" it, it was a good enough place for Jesus' birth.

God sanctifies people, too. He prepares them, He washes them clean, He sets them apart for His own special purposes. He is perfectly holy, so He is the only One perfectly able to sanctify us. Jesus' prayer in John 17 makes it very clear that God is the One Who sanctifies us, and that He does that sanctifying by the power of His Word.

If God has saved you, He wants to sanctify you. He wants you to be set apart as special for His special purposes. He wants you to be holy like He is holy. And the wonderful thing is, God has the power to change you. It is a long process, but the truth of God's Word is powerful enough to change you and make you holy.

God is the One Who can make us holy, by the truth of His Word.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Is Serious about Sin

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:28-31)

Crystal knew she was in big trouble. Her dad had told her not to play with the lawn dart game when he was not home. He had said that kids had died playing that game. But her friend Alicia had come over this afternoon, and they were bored. So Crystal had gotten her bright idea – and she was pretty sure that her dad would not mind making an exception to his rule, just for this one special occasion. And they would not be foolish; they would be very, very careful. Anyway, it was just this once.

Mom was inside doing laundry and would probably never notice, so Crystal had gotten the lawn darts out of their box in the garage and taken them outside to play. She and Alicia had been tossing them farther and farther, and it was really fun – until they heard a weird crunching sound.

There, lodged in the windshield of her mom's car, was a lawn dart. There were little cracks in the glass all around the dart, and the dart itself was stuck in the hole it had made.

Crystal felt terrible. She knew exactly how her dad would respond, and she dreaded him coming home. He would say, "You knew the rules, Crystal. This is deliberate disobedience." Or maybe he would say, "Don't you see that you could have gotten hurt? This could have been you." Maybe he would say, "This is exactly why I warned you to wait for me." Or, "I am going to have to punish you, Crystal. And you have to pay for the windshield to be replaced." What if he said all of those things? If he did, she knew she would deserve every word.

Have you ever sinned willfully against God? Hebrews 10:28-31 shows us something about God's character and His reaction to deliberate disobedience. It says that Old Testament lawbreakers were rebellious enough to die without mercy, so how much more would we deserve punishment for disobeying God – we who have the knowledge of Jesus' perfect life and sacrificial death? When God reaches down and saves you, He is saving you from eternal punishment in hell. Do you realize God is actually saving you from Himself?

When she was deciding to disobey, Crystal had all kinds of "good reasons" in her head for why it would be OK "just this once" – she couldn't let her friend be bored, they would be very careful, her parents probably wouldn't mind at all, this was a special one-time thing, and so on! But you know what? Crystal was wrong. The game was not any less dangerous just because it was for "just this once." As it turned out, Crystal did not know as much as she thought she did, and she realized in the end that she deserved whatever punishment her dad gave her.

Because God is holy and wise, He cannot let sin go unpunished. He would not really be God if He ignored our sins. We should not take sin lightly, either, especially if we love God. God takes sin seriously, and there is a sense in which we ought to fear disobeying God. Think about it – the thought of God's judgment and His wrath over sin, and the thought that Jesus had to come live and die to save us from that judgment and wrath – these thoughts should keep us from sinning.

God takes sin very seriously.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Lord Can Keep Us from Sinning

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Have you ever coveted? To "covet" something is to wish you had that something, even if God has chosen not to give it to you. Maybe you wish sometimes that your family had a nicer house, with a back yard big enough for a ball game. Maybe you have found yourself wishing that you were taller, or prettier, or stronger. Maybe you struggle with some kind of disability, and you just wish you could be "normal" like everyone else. Not everything we wish for is a bad thing in itself. We can wish for very good things. But when those wishes for good things become strong enough desires to make us bitter at God, or willing to break God's laws to get those things, that's when wishing becomes coveting. And that's when wishing becomes sin.

God's Word clearly teaches that He is sovereign. He is in control, and He is aware of (He knows the details of) everything going on in our lives. Hebrews 13:5-6 reminds us that the Lord has promised never to leave or forsake His people. If we are trusting the Lord, we can be content with those things He has chosen to give us. We can be content without those things He has chosen not to give us.

Do you believe the Lord is with you? Is He more valuable to you than the other things you desire? Or do you wish for some things so much that you would be willing to sin against Him to get those things? Reminding ourselves that the Lord is always with us and always aware of our needs is a great way to keep ourselves from giving in to the temptation to covet.

Another way that the Lord keeps us from sinning is the fact that He is our best helper, not men. The Lord is always available – we can always call on Him when we need help. What man or woman could always be there for us? And the Lord is greater than any person or problem that could come up against us. We really have nothing to fear if the Lord is with us and if the Lord is our help.

People who believe the Lord is like what He says He is like are people who do not have to worry about pleasing other people. Have you ever kept quiet about your faith because you were worried about what people might think of you? Have you ever walked away from a chance to do something right because you were afraid of what might happen to you? That kind of "fear of man" is sinful, because it is acting like God is not there and that God's opinion does not matter more than people's opinions.

The Lord's opinions do matter more than people's. And the Lord is always there. He is like no other person we could count on. If we truly believe what God says about never leaving us or forsaking us, and if we truly believe that we do not have to fear people if the Lord is helping us – then we will not sin against Him by coveting what others have or by fearing others more than Him.

The Lord's perfect character helps us say "NO" to sin.

[Soldier4Christ]

God Chastens His Children

"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" (Hebrews 12:5-7)

"Joey and Cam, let's go! We need to head home." Cam's mom called, as she wiped ketchup and bits of french fries off of the baby's fingers and face.

Cam heard her, but he and Joey really wanted to keep playing on the restaurant's playground for a few more minutes, so they pretended not to hear her. They got "lost" deep inside the maze and climbed backwards up the slides instead of coming out on the ground near her table. Cam did not make eye contact with his mom, but he could hear his little sister starting to get fussy. He did not care. He wanted to keep on playing. So that's what he and Joey did.

"Cam! Joey! Last call! We are leaving now!" Cam's mom did not sound too happy.

When they finally got into the van, she turned to the boys and said, "What was that all about at the playground? I know you heard me call the first time. Were you deliberately disobeying?"

The boys looked at one another. Joey nodded slowly, and Cam said a very quiet "Yes, ma'am, we were."

It was mostly silent in the van until after they had dropped Joey off at his house. Cam's mom turned to him then and said, "You do realize I'll have to punish you for deliberate disobedience, don't you, Cameron?"

"But, Mom, I thought you were done being mad. You didn't say anything else to Joey!"

"Cam, I don't have to say anything else to Joey. (Although I am thinking about talking it over with his mom later on.)"

"No fair! Joey did the same thing I did! It might've even been his idea! – I don't even remember exactly, but it probably was Joey's idea!"

"I'm not responsible to punish Joey. Joey is not my son. You are. Your father and I love you, and we believe our children should not deliberately disobey us. If they do choose to disobey us, they will not go unpunished. You know that."

It began to sink into Cam's head, then. His mom was focused on punishing him, not Joey, because she loved him far more than she could ever love Joey. She was not going to bother to punish Joey (his own parents could deal with him), but it was important to her to deal with Cam. You know, thought Cam, that's really something to be glad about! Not that Cam was feeling very glad about whatever he was going to get as punishment – he wasn't feeling good about that at all! But it did make sense why his mom was going to punish him: She didn't want someone she loved so much to grow up into the kind of person who would rather sin than do right.

On a smaller scale, the lesson Cam was learning that day is exactly the lesson God teaches in His Word in Hebrews 12:5-7. To "chasten" someone is to punish, or discipline, that person. Parents like Cam's make the effort to discipline their children because they love them and want them to become the right kind of people. And God disciplines His children, too. He chastens the "sons" and "daughters" whom He loves. What kind of sons and daughters would they be, really, if no one cared enough about them to claim them and chasten them for wrongdoing? If they were not God's children, He would not bother to discipline them. But they are His, and they can delight (even in the middle of painful punishment) in knowing that He loves them too much to let them get away with wrongdoing. He wants them to grow and change into "the family resemblance" – into the likeness of His glorious Son, Jesus Christ.

God lovingly disciplines His children, for His own glory and for their own good.