Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

Don't Be Afraid


God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1: 5  The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear?  Psalm 27: 1

I'm sure that most of you know what this is.  It is a night light.  Sometimes our parents put one of these in our room so that we won't be afraid.  Are any of you ever afraid of the dark?  When I was a boy, one of my jobs was to take out the trash every day.  Sometimes I would put it off too long and I would have to take out the trash after it was dark.  If I heard a strange sound, I would sometimes set a world speed record getting back to the house!

Are you ever afraid when there is a storm?  Are you ever afraid of the thunder?  One night last week we had a thunderstorm. The next day I was talking to one of my students at school and she told me that she and her brother had been frightened by the thunder so they went and got in bed with her mom and dad.  I think that all of us have times when we are afraid.  We have probably all gone and gotten in bed with our parents during a storm.

Sometimes there are dark and lonely nights in our life.  We aren't sure what is ahead of us or what is behind us and we often feel afraid.  Sometimes there are storms in our life and we are afraid.  When we are afraid, we have a light to make us feel safe.  That light is Jesus.  The Bible tells us that "God is light and in Him is no darkness."  The Bible also says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?"  In the dark and stormy days of our life, we have Jesus to be with us.  If  Jesus is with us, we don't have to be afraid!

Dear Lord, help us to remember that when the dark and stormy nights come into our life, you are there, and we have no need to fear.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Taste Test


O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. Psalm 34:8

I went to the grocery store to buy some cookies. There were so many different kinds and flavors of cookies that it was really difficult to decide which ones to buy. Finally I decided to buy these. Why did I choose these? Well, for one thing, I have heard from other people that these are very good cookies. Then I saw the name of the company that makes them and I know that they have a very good reputation. Nabisco, that is a name I can trust. Finally, the price was right! This big bag of cookies was only $2.69! Well I made my choice, but there is only one way to know for sure if it was the right choice. Can you guess what that is? That’s right, the "taste test." Let me see how they taste. Oh my, they are good. I made a good choice.

Did you know that all of the things that I used to decide on which cookies to buy might be used to decide whether or not to invite Jesus into our heart? We have heard from other people that Jesus is a wonderful Savior. We have all heard of the name of Jesus. We know that Jesus is a name we can trust. And finally, the price is right; it is free! Jesus paid the price when He died on the cross. These are all good reasons to choose Jesus, but the best reason to choose Him is the "taste test." The Bible says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him." If we really want to know if Jesus is good, we must take the "taste test" and put our trust in Him.

Oh, by the way, now that I have chosen these cookies and know how good they are, I have another choice to make. I can either keep them all, or I can share them with others. Which do you think I should do?

Dear God, we choose Jesus to be the Lord of our life. We have tasted His goodness. Now, let us share Him with others.

[Soldier4Christ]

God's Keys to Happiness 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  (Matthew 6: 33)  Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.  (Psalm 37: 4)    Honor your father and your mother....so that you may live long and that it may go well with you .....(Deuteronomy 5: 16)  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  (Proverbs 3: 6)

I have a lot of keys on my key ring.  I have keys for my home, my school, and the church.  Keys are very important to us, aren't they?  I have to take these keys with me wherever I go.  They won't do me any good if they are laying on the dresser at home.

God has given us keys that we need to take with us each day.  Oh, you won't find them on a key ring.   You will find them in the Bible.  They are keys to a happy life!

How would you like to have a key that would open a door so that you would never worry about what you are going to eat, or drink, or what you will wear?  Well, you do!  The Bible says "don't worry about what you eat or drink or what you will wear, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  The key is to seek God first, not things.

How would you like to have a key that would open the door to the future so that you would know what to do and what choices to make?  You have it!  The Bible says, "In all your ways acknowledge God and He will direct your path."  The key is to always seek what God wants for your life, not what you want.

How about a key that would open the door to anything your heart desires?  You have it!  The Bible says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."  The key is finding our happiness in God, not in things!

Would you like to have a key that would open the door to a long and happy life?  You have it!  The Bible says, "Honor your father and mother so that you may live long and that it may go well with you."  The key is for us to obey God's law and his law says "obey your parents!"

You see, God has given us the keys to happy life.  It's up to us to use them.  They are found in His Word and they won't do us much good laying on the coffee table at home.  We need to take them with us wherever we go.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us the keys that open the doors that we face every day.  Help us to remember that we need to read your Word each day and use the keys that you have given to us.    Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Shine like new!


He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.  Psalm 37:6

This is a vase that we use as a decoration piece in our home.  It is made of a metal called brass.  As you can see it is bright, shiny, and very beautiful.  That isn't always the case.  When brass is exposed to the air, it becomes dirty, dusty, and  tarnished.  That means that the bright golden color becomes dull and lifeless.  See, here is a piece that has become tarnished.  It is no longer very pretty to look at.  When a piece of brass becomes tarnished, we take some of this cleaner and put it on a clean, soft cloth and then we rub the vase.  Soon it will be shining like new.

That same thing can happen in our lives.  When Jesus comes into our hearts, his light shines through us and our life is bright and beautiful.   But as we live our day to day life, we become exposed to all of the bad things in the world around us and our lives sometimes become tarnished by sin.  When that happens, our life no longer shines for Jesus, so we have to ask Jesus to clean us up and make us shine again.  The Bible says that when we ask him to, "He will make us shine like the morning sun!"   Is your life shining as brightly as it once was, or do you need to ask Jesus to forgive you, polish you up, and make you shine like the morning sun?

Dear Lord,  some of us have become tarnished by the sin in the world.  This morning we ask you to forgive us and polish us up so that we shine like new.

[Soldier4Christ]

Thirsting for God


As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalm 42: 1-2

I have a couple of pictures to show you this morning. The first one is a picture of a deer. I think the deer is one of the most beautiful of all of God's creations. The deer is so graceful and can run very fast. It is very important for the deer to be able to run fast. Do you know why? It is because of the animal whose picture I am going to show you next -- the lion. The lion is a natural enemy of the deer because the lion wants to have the deer for dinner. I don't mean that he wants to have him "over for dinner." He wants to HAVE him for dinner! I sometimes watch the Discovery channel on TV. They quite often show movies of the lion chasing a deer. During the chase, the deer becomes very hot, tired and thirsty. After escaping from the lion, he is panting for breath and searching for a cool stream where he can refresh himself.

You and I have a lot in common with that deer. The Bible tells us that Satan is our enemy and that he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Yes, the Devil wants to destroy us! You and I must be on our guard and when he tries to destroy us, we must run from him just as fast as we can go. Sometimes in our day to day struggle to stay alive, we become tired. Like the deer, we want to find a safe place to rest and refresh ourselves. Psalm 42 says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." That is why we are here this morning. We have come to this safe and quiet place to be refreshed by the Living Water that comes from God.

Lord, we are tired and thirsty this morning. Fill us with the water of life and send us out refreshed and renewed.

[Soldier4Christ]

 We All Need God's Help


God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Psalm 46: 1

I thought that today we might have a little math lesson.  Since I know that most of you have already started to school, I know that you have studied math.  I am going to give you a problem and if  you know the answer, raise your hand.

1 + 1 =___ (call on someone to answer)  Great, here's another one.

2 + 2 =___ (call on someone to answer)  Oh, these are too easy.  Try this one:

2 x 2= ___ (call on someone to answer)  That's great!  You guys are smart!

3 x 4= ___ (call on someone to answer)  Good job!  Now here's another one.

27 x 9= ___ (probably no hands will go up)

Well, I guess you need a little help with that one!  (Take out your calculator)  Let's see, 27 x 9 = 243.  That was a pretty difficult problem, so we had to have a little help from the calculator.  There is nothing wrong with that.  We all need help sometimes.

Every day we face problems in our life.  Some of them are easy problems like "What shall I wear to school today?" or "Should I have Fruit Loops or Apple Jacks for breakfast?"  But sooner or later, we will have a problem that we just don't know how to solve.  We will need help.  Isn't it good to know that God is always there to help us solve those problems.  The Bible tells us that God is always there to help us in times of trouble.  All we have to do is pray and He will give us the answer.

Lord, thank you for helping us in time of trouble.  Help us to remember that we can always turn to you in times of trouble.  Amen

[Soldier4Christ]

 Getting the Stain Out!


Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.  Psalm 51:7

This is one of my very favorite shirts.  My wife gave me this shirt and the first time I wore it I received so many compliments on how pretty it was and how nice I looked that it immediately became one of my favorites.  Even though it is one of my favorites, I don't wear it anymore.  Do you know why?  Well, the second time I wore this shirt, I looked down and saw that I had spilled something on my shirt.  I don't know what it was.  Maybe it was spaghetti sauce, or chocolate ice cream, or coffee.  I don't know, all I know is that there was this ugly stain on my new shirt.

Well, I used everything I could think of to get that stain out.  I used new, intensified Tide.  Their commercial says, "Dirt can't hide from intensified Tide."  I tried Spray and Wash, New Blue Cheer, and Clorox II.  I even tried to Shout it out, but nothing worked.  I took my shirt to the cleaners.  They are stain specialists and I thought, "Surely they can get that stain out."  No luck.  When I picked it up from the cleaners, the stain was still there.

We are a lot like this shirt.  Our lives become stained and dirty by sin and we aren't very pretty to look at.  Some people try a lot of things to clean up their lives.   Some think that if they will just go to church, they will get clean, but the stain is still there.  Some think that if they get baptized, they will be clean, but getting baptized won't get the stain out either.

I may never get the stain out of my favorite shirt.  Perhaps it is hopeless, but it is not hopeless to get the stain out of our lives.  You see, the blood of Jesus can wash away even the worst stains in our life.  The Bible says, "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."  Perhaps some of us here this morning have tried everything to get the stain out of our lives,  but have we tried the only thing that will?  Have we tried Jesus? 

Dear Lord, our lives are dirty and stained by sin.  We come to you this morning and ask you to take away the stain.  Wash us in the blood of Jesus.  Wash us so that we can be whiter than snow.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 A Heart Check


Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (KJV)

I am sure that all of you have seen one of these. It's called a stethoscope. Who uses a stethoscope? That's right, a doctor. And what does the doctor do with it? Right again! The doctor listens to what is going on inside of our bodies. A person might look very healthy on the outside and yet have something wrong on the inside.

Many doctors want to see their patients once a year for a checkup . Do you ever go to the doctor for a checkup? If so, you know the routine. They check to see how tall you are and how much you weigh. They look in your eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Then, the doctor takes the stethoscope, which feels as if it has been kept in the refrigerator, and listens to see if your heart beat is strong and steady. Any unusual sound may tell the doctor that something is wrong with your heart. If the doctor finds something wrong, you might need some medicine to make it well. Sometimes a doctor finds something wrong and has to operate to fix it. There have even been some cases when a person needed a whole new heart. Isn't it wonderful that God has given us doctors who can fix our heart when something goes wrong?

Our Bible story today is about a man named David. David had heart trouble. Oh, it wasn't the kind of heart trouble you could hear with a stethoscope, but David knew he had heart trouble. He knew that he had sinned and done wicked and evil things in God's sight. So, what did David do about his heart problem? He went to the One that he knew could fix it -- he went to God. David prayed to God and said, "O God, I have sinned against you and I have done evil things in your sight. Create in me a clean heart, and give me a right spirit."

Sometimes you and I have heart problems too. We might have some things in our heart that shouldn't be there. Things like bitterness, anger, jealousy, selfishness, pride, and greed. When we come to church, everything may look great on the outside, but God may look inside and see that our heart isn't right. When we know that we have a heart problem, we need to do what David did. We need to pray to God and say, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Do you have some things in your heart that shouldn't be there? I do! Let's ask God to fix it!

Dear Father, we know that you can see what is in our heart and we know that there are some things there that shouldn't be there. Create a clean heart in us, O God. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

A Backpack Full of Worries


Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Psalm 68:19

School started this week and I am sure most of you are back into your daily routine. I know that most of you use a backpack to carry all of your school supplies and books back and forth to school. I see some children with backpacks that are almost as big as they are! Sometimes their backpacks are so loaded with all those heavy books that it is just about more than they can carry!
 
Life is a lot like that too. Sometimes we have some pretty heavy burdens that we try to carry around with us. Some of you may be worried that you won't have any friends in your class, or that the other kids won't like you, or that you just won't fit in.  Maybe some of you are worried that you won't have the right clothes. Maybe you are still wearing a "Star Wars" t-shirt and all the other kids are wearing "Pokemon" t-shirts. Maybe some of you are worried that you might not be able to do the work in your new grade and are afraid you might fail. Those can be pretty heavy problems to carry around with us.

Well, I have some good news for you! You don't have to carry all those worries around with you! The Bible tells us that God will carry those burdens for us. So, if you started school this week with a load of worries and problems, this morning you can give them to Jesus. He will carry them for you.

Lord, we are thankful that we do not have to carry the heavy burdens of life around on our backs. This morning we give them to you.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Giving Thanks

Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.  Psalm 107:8

How many of you know what this is?  It is called a cornucopia.  It is also sometimes called a horn of plenty.  At one time, the cornucopia was made from a curved goat's horn that was hollowed out and filled with fruit and grains.  Today, the cornucopia is usually made from a basket like this one.  It is often used as a decoration around Thanksgiving because the cornucopia is a symbol of all of the good things that we have to enjoy. 

We have a lot to be thankful for, don't we?  What are some of the things for which you have to be thankful? (give them some time to name some things)  As you know, this Thursday is Thanksgiving, let us be sure to remember who it is that gives us all of the good things that we have.  The Bible tells us that every good and every perfect gift comes from God.  It also says to "give thanks to the Lord for his love and for his wonderful deeds."  So, let's be sure that we thank him for his love and goodness.

Lord,  we thank you for your for all of the good gifts you give to us.  Most of all, we thank you for your love and for the gift of your son, Jesus.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Measuring God's Love


For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

One of my favorite Bible verses begins, "For God so loved the world." I was thinking about that verse and wondering -- just how great is God's love and how could we measure it? This morning I brought several things that we often use in measuring other things. I thought they might help us measure God's love.

Sometimes we use a measuring cup to measure things. If I were making some cookies, I would use a measuring cup to make sure that I put in exactly the right amount of flour, sugar, and milk. I wonder if we might use a measuring cup to measure God's love? The Bible says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want....my cup runneth over." (Psalm 23:1,5) Well, if our cup runs over with God's love, I don't guess we could use a measuring cup to measure it.

If we were building something, we might use a tape measure to measure the length, width, and height of different things. I wonder if we might use a tape measure to measure God's love? The Bible tells us that God's love is higher than the heavens. (Psalm 108:4) If God's love is higher than the heavens, I don't think we could use a tape measure to measure it, could we?

We use a watch to measure time. There will probably be some people here this morning who will use their watch to measure how long the pastor's sermon lasts. I wonder if we could use a watch to measure how long God's love will last. The Bible tells us that God's love is from everlasting to everlasting. (Psalm 103:17) Wow! If God's love is from everlasting to everlasting, I don't guess we could measure it with a watch.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." How do you measure a love like that? We can't measure it -- we don't need to -- but we do need to experience it.

My prayer for you today is, "That you may understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience it, though it is so great you will never fully understand it." (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your love -- a love so great that you gave your one and only Son so that we could have eternal life. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Thank You!


Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Psalm 118:1


Last week I received this beautiful Thank You card.  Inside of the card it says, "Your ministry is such a blessing because you have a wonderful way of bringing others into His presence.  Thank you for your music ministry."  It really made me feel good that someone took the time to go and buy this card and send it to me to say "Thank You."  Sometimes people forget to say "Thank You" when someone does something nice for them.

One time there were ten people who were very sick with a terrible disease called leprosy.  When Jesus saw them, He touched them and they were healed.  They were so happy that they ran up and down the streets singing and dancing.  One of them stopped and went back to tell Jesus, "Thank You."  Jesus said to him, "Weren't there ten who were healed?  Where are the other nine?"  Only one out of the ten said, "Thank You."

God does so much for us!  Every day he provides everything we need: food, clothing, and a place to live.  Do we ever forget to say, "Thank You?"   Let's stop right now and say "Thank You" and ask Him to help us remember to thank Him every day.

Dear Lord, you give us everything we need, but we often forget to say "Thank You."  We thank you now, and ask you to help us to remember to give thanks every day for all that you give us.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

A Shot in the Arm 


Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Psalm 119:11  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another.  Hebrews 10:25  For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Romans 3:23

Do you know what this is?  That's right, it is a needle like the one a doctor uses to give you a shot.  I have trouble with allergies.  Every week I go to the doctor and get a shot to try to keep my allergies under control.  You would think that a shot every week would do that, but it doesn't.  I also have to take one of these pills every day.  Even with a shot every week and a pill every day, I still sometimes have trouble my with allergies, but they sure are a lot better.

Sometimes we have trouble with sin in our lives.  You know what sin is, don't you?  It is when we do something that the Bible tells us we shouldn't do.  Like when we tell a lie or refuse to obey our parents.  Or it may be when we don't do something that we know we should do.  We all have a problem with sin, don't we?  The Bible says that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."  That is why we need to come to church every week to get a good shot of Bible study, prayer, and encouragement  The Bible tells us that we should come together and encourage one another.  That will help to keep the sin away!

Some people think that going to church once a week is enough to keep sin away, but it isn't.  In addition to a weekly shot of Bible study and prayer, we need a daily dose too.  We need to read our Bible and pray each day to keep sin away.  The Bible says "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee."  Even with a weekly shot in the arm and a daily dose of Bible reading, we will still have some problems with sin, but we sure will do a lot better!

Dear Lord, help us to remember that we need to come to church, read your word, and pray to keep sin out of our life.  We realize that even when we do our best, we will still sin, so we ask your forgiveness in Jesus' name.    Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Our First Aid Kit


Psalm 119:50 My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

A first aid kit is a very important thing to have around.  We should all have a first aid kit in our home, in our work place, and in our car.  We have several of them around the church so that they will be handy if someone gets hurt.

What are some of the things you might expect to find in a first aid kit?  Usually, there are some cotton balls to use to clean a wound.  There should be a spray or ointment to kill germs so the wound won’t get infected.  There may be another spray or ointment that is good for burns.  And, of course, there should be bandages to put on the injury to keep it clean.  When someone is hurt, it is important to have a first aid kit and to know how to use the things that are in it.

The Bible is a lot like a first aid kit.  It has the answer to all of the hurts that we have in our life.  If we get into a scrape, the Bible has the answer.  If someone makes a cutting remark and it really hurts us, the Bible has the answer.  If we have a burning question and just don’t know what to do, the Bible has the answer.  Some of you boys and girls have been going to Bible Drill.  That is great, because when you are hurting, it is important to have God’s first aid kit and to know how to use it.  The Bible says, “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.”  Knowing how to use God’s first aid kit will save your life!

Thank you Lord, for healing the hurts in our life.  Teach us to trust in you.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

God’s Instruction Book


Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

Recently my VCR went out and I had to get a new one. This is the remote control for my new VCR. With this remote control, I can set the clock on my VCR. I can also program my VCR to tape my favorite programs when I am not at home so that I can watch them later. When I am watching the programs I have taped, I can press this button three times, and my VCR will automatically find the program that I taped three days ago.

Do you think I knew how to do all of these things the first day that I brought my VCR home from the store? No, of course not. That is why the maker of this VCR included this instruction book. I had to read the instruction book to know how to operate my new VCR.

Did you know that there are many people who don’t even know how to set the clock or program their VCR? My wife’s father had a VCR and every time I would go to visit him, I would have to set the clock for him. The first time the electricity would go off, that clock would start flashing 12:00 again. He just hated that flashing clock, but do you think he would get out the instruction book to learn how to set the clock? No! He just unplugged the VCR! He was never able to enjoy that VCR the way it was intended, because he never would read the instruction book.

Every day we face situations in our life that we don’t know how to handle. That is why God, our Maker, gave us an instruction book. No matter what we may face, the Bible has the answer. Many people never bother to look at the instruction book that God has given us. They just try to figure things out on their own, and they never enjoy life the way God intended.

Dear Lord, thank you for giving us an instruction book to help us know how to solve the problems that we face each day. May we remember to use it so that we can live life the way you meant for it to be lived. Amen.