Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

 Go and Make Disciples

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Have you ever read a story or seen a movie about someone putting a message inside of a bottle and putting it in the ocean? Perhaps it was someone who has been stranded on an island in the middle of the ocean and put a message in a bottle hoping that someone would find it and come to rescue him. Maybe it was someone who just wanted to see where the wind and the waves might take the message.

I read a true story about a man named Harold Meyers who went on a cruise in the Caribbean. While on the ship, he took three bottles and placed a message with his name and address and a dollar inside each bottle. The dollar was to pay the postage so that the person who found the message would write to him and tell him where they found it. Next, he put a cork in the bottles, sealed them with wax, and threw them over the side of the ship into the ocean. His friends all teased him saying that he was just throwing good money into the ocean.

Well, what happened to those bottles is quite amazing. Of those three bottles he threw into the ocean, two were found and he received a reply from the person who found it. Two out of three! That's amazing!

"To tell you the truth," Mr. Meyers said, "I was shocked. I guess I really never expected to hear from anybody at all."

I was thinking, perhaps that might be a good way to spread the message of Jesus all around the world. We could write John 3:16 on pieces of paper. You know John 3:16, don't you? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." We could write that on a piece of paper, put it in a bottle, and drop it in the ocean. Then the good news of Jesus would float all around the world.

Does that sound like a good plan to you? Well, to tell the truth, I think that sounds like a pretty foolish plan. I don't think that would get the message of God's love to very many people. What would be a good way to get the good news of God's love to people all around the world? Jesus told his disciples how he wanted it done, and the plan is still just as good today as it was then.

Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Jesus wants us to tell everyone we meet about his love for them and share with them what he has taught us in the Bible. He didn't say, "Send a message in a bottle," he said, "Go and make disciples."

[Soldier4Christ]

 Wise or Foolish?


"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock ... But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand." Matthew 7:24, 26

I am sure that most of you use books like these in your schoolwork. Let us imagine that you could read all of these books and remember everything in them. You would really have a lot of knowledge, wouldn't you? You would have a lot of knowledge, but you wouldn't necessarily be wise. Do you know the difference between knowledge and wisdom? If we have knowledge, it means we have it up here in our head. If we have wisdom, it means we know how to put all of that knowledge into practice in our daily life.

Some people know a lot about Jesus and they put his teachings into practice in their daily life. Jesus said that those people are very wise. He said they are like a wise man who builds his house on the rock. The storm comes, the rain falls, and the wind blows, but their house stands firm because it is built upon the rock.

There are other people who also know a lot about Jesus and his teachings, but they do not put them into practice in their life. Jesus said they are very foolish. He said they are like a foolish man who builds his house upon the sand. The storm comes, the rain falls, and the wind blows and the their house falls flat.

I am sure all of you know the story that Jesus told about the wise and foolish men building their houses, don't you? In fact, you probably even know a song about it, don't you? (Sing) "The wise man built his house upon the rock, the wise man built his house upon the rock....."

That's great, you know what Jesus said to do. You even know a song about it. Now that you have the knowledge, you would be wise to put it into practice in your daily lives!

Jesus, we want to know what you taught, but more importantly, we want to have the wisdom to take what you taught and put it into practice. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Is There A Doctor in the House?

But when He heard this, He said, "Those who are well don't need a doctor, but the sick do. Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners."   Matthew 9:12-13 (NIV)

I am sure that all of you have seen a stethoscope. Who uses a stethoscope? That's right, a doctor. Have you ever been sick? Of course you have, we have all been sick at some time. When you were sick, did you go to the doctor's office, or did the doctor come to your house? You probably went to the doctor's office because that is the way it is done these days. You might be surprised to know that at one time it was quite normal for doctors to make "house calls?" The doctor would carry a little black bag filled with medical supplies and go to the homes of those who were sick.

That's a good example of what Jesus did when he was on earth.  He went where the people were -- especially people who were hurting or had problems in their life.  One such person that Jesus ministered to was a tax collector by the name of Matthew.  Tax collectors were hated in Jesus' day because they were often greedy and dishonest.  Jesus changed Matthew's life and he became one of Jesus' disciples. One day Jesus went to Matthew's home to eat dinner with him.  Many of Matthew's old friends came there to listen to Jesus teach.   The religious leaders of the day were very displeased that Jesus was even talking to such people, much less eating with them! 

They asked his disciples, "Why does your master eat with these sinners?"

Jesus heard them and answered, "It isn't those that are well that need a doctor, it is those that are sick.   I did not come to call the righteous.   I came to call sinners to repentance."   Just like our doctors used to, Jesus went to the homes of the people who needed him and he touched them and made them whole.

I think that we sometimes sit in our churches and wait for the people who need Jesus to come to us so we can tell them about Jesus and his love.   We should be doing what Jesus did, we should be going out to where the people are and taking the good news of Jesus to them.   I wonder, "Is there a doctor in the house?"

Dear Jesus, help us to be willing to go to those who need you and tell them of your love.   Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

What Is Love?

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8 (NIV)

I don't know about you, but when I see a heart, the first thing I think of is love. We think and talk a lot about love, don't we? We often say things such as, "I love ice cream" or "I love to play baseball." We also say to our parents or special friends, "I love you."

A group of professionals asked some children from age four to eight, "What does love mean?" Here are some of the answers the children gave.

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." -Kari, age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." -Chrissy, age 6

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day." -Noelle, age 7

"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken." -Elaine, age 5

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." -Mary Ann, age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

If I were to ask you to tell me what love is, what would your answer be? (Give time for responses from the children if time permits.) I think if we really want to know what love is, the best place to find the answer is in the Bible. God not only told us what love is, he showed us.

The Bible says, "God showed how much he loved us by sending Jesus to die for us, even though we were sinful." Wow! That's real love! God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us even though we did not deserve it.

You know that list of answers that children gave to the question, "What is love?" Well, here is one more.

"God could have said magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but He didn't. That's love." I think that really says it all, don't you?

Dear Father, we thank you for loving us even when we did not deserve it. Help us to love others in the same way. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 He Cares for You

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10: 29-30 [NIV]

When I was a little boy, I would sometimes go into a store and see a large jar filled with beans. There would be a contest to see who could guess how many beans were in the jar. The one who guessed the nearest to the correct number would win a prize.

Can you guess how many jelly beans are in this jar? (Allow some time for them to guess. You may choose to give a prize to the one who guesses the closest.) Actually, there are (my jar had 285) jelly beans in this jar. Some of you came close, and some weren't very close at all.

Wouldn't it be amazing if someone could take one look at this jar and tell you exactly how many jelly beans are in the jar? That would be pretty amazing, but let me tell you something more amazing than that! The Bible tells us that God knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. Look around the room, some of us have a lot of hair and some don't have very much. It doesn't matter how much or how little hair you have, God knows how many hairs are on each person's head!

The Bibles also says that God knows exactly how many birds are in the air and if one of them dies and falls to the ground, God knows it! If God cares when a little sparrow falls to the ground, can you imagine how much he cares for you? Well, I'll tell you how much God cares for you -- He cares for you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that you could have everlasting life. Now, that's amazing love!

Dear Father, we are thankful that we have a God who knows everything about us and loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

Got Jesus?


He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:12 (NIV)

I like milk, don't you?  (Drink some of the milk, making sure to get some on your upper lip.)  Ahhh... that was good.  Oops, I guess I had better wipe off my mustache.  Perhaps some of you have seen those advertisements with famous people wearing a milk mustache and asking the question, "Got milk?"  (hold up poster)  Why are they doing that?  Well, they are trying to get people to drink more milk.  Why should they care if people drink milk?

The reason they are trying to get people to drink milk is that milk helps to build strong, healthy bodies.  Milk is a good source for calcium which helps to build strong bones and teeth. The protein in milk helps to build strong muscles and healthy hair.  Other vitamins in milk help to maintain the skin and helps you to stay looking young.  Drinking milk is one of the easiest ways to give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to grow and to be strong and healthy.  So, you see, "Got milk?" is a very important question.

I know a question that is even more important than, "Got milk?" In fact, it is the most important question you could ask anyone.  Can you guess what that question might be?  That question is, "Got Jesus?" What does that mean and why is it such an important question?

The Bible tells us that God has given us eternal life through Jesus Christ, His Son.  The Bible says, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." Don't you think that the most important thing you could ask someone is whether or not they have life?  After all, if you don't have life, you have nothing.

So, I have an important question to ask, "Got Jesus?"  If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he came to die on the cross to pay the price for your sins, you've got Jesus.  And, if you've got Jesus -- you've got life!

Dear Father, thank you for giving us eternal life through Jesus your Son. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Remembrance Day

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 1 Corinthians 7:23 (NIV) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 (NIV)

Do you know what this flower is called? It is a poppy. The poppy serves as a reminder that this week we will celebrate a very important holiday. How many of you know what holiday we will celebrate? We will celebrate Remembrance Day. Remembrance Day is a day on which we honor the men and women who have served in the military and who have fought to defend our freedom. The poppy was chosen as a symbol for Remembrance Day because it reminds us of a place called Flanders Fields where many soldiers from the first World War are buried. The poppies grow wild there between all the crosses that mark their place.

We enjoy a lot of freedom. We are free to come to church and worship, we are free to choose what we want to be when we grow up, we are free to choose where we want to live, we are free to choose most of the things that affect our daily lives. This might come as a surprise to some of you -- but did you know that freedom isn't free? Someone had to pay the price for us to have the freedom that we enjoy. There are men and women right here in this room this morning who have helped to pay that price. Some have served in the military and many of them have fought in wars. There are probably some people here this morning who had loved ones who gave their lives fighting for our freedom. These are the ones that we honor as we celebrate Remembrance Day.

We have a lot of freedom, but the greatest freedom that we have is the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus. The Bible teaches that the penalty for sin is death, but you and I have been set free from this penalty. We have been set free because Jesus paid the penalty. The Bible tells us that Jesus died to set us free from the penalty of sin. Instead of death, we have been given eternal life. This freedom wasn't free, Jesus paid the price.

This week as we celebrate Remembrance Day, let us remember to stop and thank God for those who have paid the price for our freedom. Let us also remember to thank God for Jesus, who has set us free from the penalty for sin, because he was willing to pay the price.

Dear Father, thank you for the freedom that we enjoy. We are thankful for those who paid the price for that freedom, but even more important, we thank you for the freedom we have because Jesus was willing to pay the penalty for our sin. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Memorial Day


You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. 1 Corinthians 7:23 (NIV) So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 (NIV)

Do you know why I brought this flag with me this morning?  It is to remind me that this week we celebrate a very special holiday.  How many of you know what holiday we celebrate this week? It is called Memorial Day. Memorial Day is a day on which we stop to remember and to honor the men and women who died in military service while fighting to defend the cause of freedom.

We enjoy a lot of freedom in our country. We are free to attend church and worship, we are free to choose what we want to be when we grow up, we are free to choose where we want to live, we are free to choose most of the things that affect our daily lives. Yes, we enjoy our freedom, but that freedom wasn't free. Many courageous men and women gave their lives to pay the price for the freedom that you and I enjoy.  These are the ones that we honor this week as we celebrate Memorial Day.

Yes, we enjoy a lot of freedom, but the greatest freedom that we have is the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus. The Bible teaches that the penalty for sin is death, but you and I have been set free from this penalty. We have been set free because Jesus paid the penalty. The Bible tells us that Jesus died to set us free from the penalty of sin. Instead of death, we have been given eternal life. This freedom wasn't free, Jesus paid the price.

This week as we celebrate Memorial Day, let us remember to stop and thank God for those who have paid the price for our freedom. Let us also remember to thank God for Jesus, who has set us free from the penalty for sin, because he was willing to pay the price.

Dear Father, thank you for the freedom that we enjoy. We are thankful for those who paid the price for that freedom, but even more important, we thank you for the freedom we have because Jesus was willing to pay the penalty for our sin. Amen.

[joynhim]

These are all great devotions, and links for kids.
Thank you for leaving these posts up...
it is wonderful to have new places to search for stuff
for our children!   

[Soldier4Christ]

Hi joynhim,

Your most welcome.

There are plenty more resources that are posted under Parenting and in "In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood" here in the Bible Study area.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "Welcome!"

"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:40-42 (NIV)

Good morning .... Have you ever seen one of these? Where have you seen something like this? Usually we'd see a mat like this outside the door to our home, wouldn't we? A mat such as this usually has two purposes. Do you know what those two purposes are?

Well, for one thing, it is a friendly reminder for people to wipe their shoes off so that they won't track dirt or mud into your home. And second, it is placed outside your door as a sign to let people know that they are welcome in your home.

Welcome -- what does the word "welcome" mean? It means to receive someone in a warm and friendly way. Are people always welcome in our homes? Do we welcome people into our home if their skin is a different color from ours? Do we welcome people into our homes if they don't have as much money as we do?

How about in our church? Do you think that we make everyone feel welcome in our church? Do we speak to those people who are visiting our church that we do not know? If someone comes to our church and they are not dressed the way we are dressed, do we make sure that they are made to feel welcome?

Jesus said, "He who receives you receives me." If we turn that around, we will understand that if we do not welcome others into our homes and into our churches, it is the same as if we are refusing to welcome Jesus. We wouldn't do that, would we?

Well, let's put the welcome mat out -- and let's be sure that we mean it!

Dear Father, help us to remember that when we refuse to welcome others to our homes and to our church, it is the same as refusing to welcome you. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 When Your Load Is Heavy

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11: 28 [NIV]

How strong are you? Do you think you are pretty strong? How many of you think you could pick up this brick? How about a dumbbell like this one? Well, you must be pretty strong then. How many of you think you could pick up a car? Oh, you don't think you could pick up a car? Well, I think you could if you had some help. Here is something that would help you. It is an automobile jack. If you put this jack underneath the car and pump the handle, you can easily lift a car that weighs over 3,000 pounds! Yes, with the help of a jack, you can lift a car, but you couldn't do it alone, could you?

Some of you have some pretty heavy burdens to carry in life. Perhaps you have a physical handicap that makes your life difficult. Or, perhaps your father has lost his job and your family is having financial difficulties. Maybe someone in your family has cancer or some other serious illness and you are worried about them. You may be having a hard time making passing grades in school. I don't know what the burdens are that you have in your life, but I do know that there are some that you just can't handle by yourself. Well, guess what? You don't have to!

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." There is no reason for you to struggle with burdens that are too heavy for you. If you will turn to Jesus and trust in him, he will help you.

Does that mean that if we will ask him, Jesus will take all of our troubles away? No. In fact, we may need some of those struggles to help us to grow and become stronger. We may need those burdens to help us to learn to trust in Jesus. But when the load is too heavy, he will help us to carry it. And there is no burden that is too heavy for Jesus.

Dear Jesus, we are thankful that when we struggle under the load of life's burdens, you are there to help us carry the load. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 It All Depends on the Dirt

But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. Matthew 13: 23a [NIV]

Have you ever planted anything? Perhaps you took some packages of seeds and planted a garden of vegetables. If so, you know that the type of soil that you have is very important to the success of a garden. If the ground is too hard, or full of rocks and weeds, you probably won't have a very good crop of vegetables.

In our Bible lesson today, Jesus told a story about a man who went out and planted some seeds. Some of the seed fell on the path where the ground was very hard. The seeds just lay on top of the ground and the birds came and ate the seeds. Some of the seed fell on rocky ground. The seeds sprang up quickly, but when the sun came, the plants dried up because they didn't have good roots. Some of the seeds fell among weeds and plants grew for a little while, but the weeds took over and choked them out. Fortunately, some of the seed fell on good soil and the plants grew strong and healthy and produced a good crop.

In Jesus' story, the Word of God is the seed, and we are the soil. Often, when we come to church, the preacher is preaching the Word, but we aren't really paying attention. Perhaps we are thinking about what we are going to do that afternoon or about what we did yesterday. We are hearing the Word, but we are not listening. That is like throwing seed on the top of the ground. It won't ever grow into anything in our life.

There are other times when we hear the Word and we get excited about it, but then our excitement fades and we drift away. That is like the seeds that fall on the rocky ground. The plants spring up, but then die because the roots are too shallow.

Sometimes we hear the Word and we believe what it says, but we want to keep on doing the same things we have been doing. That is like planting the seed in with a bunch of weeds. I can tell you what will happen, the weeds will soon take over!

When we hear the word, and we listen and try to understand what it says and put it into practice in our daily life, then we are like good soil. We are like soil where the seed takes root and grows and produces a plentiful harvest. That is the kind of soil that Jesus wants us to be. What kind of soil are you?

Dear Jesus, we want to be like the good soil. Help us to listen to God's Word and put it into practice in our daily life. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Weeds in the Garden

"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil." Matthew 13:40-41 (NIV)

I have weeds in my garden. I made sure that I planted my garden in good soil, and yet, I still have weeds. As you probably know, one of the biggest enemies of a good garden is weeds. Weeds will rob the soil of the nutrients that help your plants to grow and many times they will choke out good plants. What can you do? Well, you could take a hoe and chop down the weeds, but if you do that, you will probably chop down some of the good plants by accident.

Another way to get rid of the weeds is to buy some weed killer. This stuff will really kill the weeds. The biggest problem with weed killer is that it doesn't know a thistle from a tomato plant. It kills every plant that it touches. Sometimes, it is best just to leave the weeds alone until it is time to harvest the crop. Then you can separate the weeds from the good plants.

One time Jesus told a story that compared his church to a garden that was infested with weeds. Sometimes there may be people in the church that don't really belong. They do things that aren't very loving and they don't seem to believe what the Bible teaches. They sometimes say hateful things about the other members of the church and try to hurt them. They are like weeds in a garden.

We have to be very careful about trying to remove those people from the church. In his story, Jesus said that we shouldn't worry about pulling up the weeds that grow around us. If we do, we may do more harm than good. He suggests that we leave the weeds for God to take care of - and concentrate on doing what he wants us to do - which is producing good fruit.

Whenever you see someone in the church that you don't think should be there, before you grab your hoe or your weed killer, remember the advice of Jesus. Just leave it up to God to separate the weeds from the good plants. If we try to take matters into our own hands, we will probably do more harm than good.

Dear Father, help us to love one another and leave the matter of judgment in your hands. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 X Marks the Spot

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Matthew 13:44 [NIV]

There was a time, when someone who had something of great value would often bury their treasure so that no one could find it and take it away. Of course, there was always the risk that one might forget where their treasure was buried, so to make sure that they would remember where it was, they would often make a map like this one. Usually they would mark the spot where the treasure was with an "X" like the one on this map. That is where we get the expression, "X marks the spot."

Have you ever dreamed of finding an old map and following it to a spot where a pirate had buried a chest full of glittering gold? Well, this morning I want to tell you about a treasure that is more valuable than a chest full of gold -- and I will even tell you how to find it.

Jesus once said, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and then hid again; in his joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field." If you would like to find the treasure that Jesus was talking about, perhaps the Bible could be the map that leads us to that treasure. The Bible has a lot of information in it, but it is sometimes hard for us to understand, so how do you know exactly where the treasure is? That's easy, because "X marks the spot." (Hold up the cross at an angle so that it looks like the letter x.) Jesus died on the cross so that you and I could enter into the kingdom of heaven. When you look to the cross and put your trust in Jesus, the treasure will be yours.

To enter the kingdom of heaven is the greatest treasure one could ever desire. It is more precious than silver, gold, or jewels. That is why Jesus calls us to give up all that we have and follow him.

Dear Jesus, nothing we have can compare to life in the kingdom of heaven. Help us to place our trust in you, so that we may find that priceless treasure. Amen.