Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Trash Collector

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29 (NIV)

What do you do with garbage at your house? Put it on the curb for the trash collector to pickup.

What happens if you don’t put the trash out. Smelly, dirty, yuk.

Do you ever worry about what they are going to do with your trash? No. They just take it away. Sometimes they bury it, but now they recycle it. They give it new life by turning it into something useful.

We have trash inside us that we call “Sin”. It is the bad things that we say and do. And just like the garbage in our homes we have to put Sin out on the curb for the trash collector.

John said that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus is our trash collector. He wants us to put all the bad things in our lives out for him to pick up and take away. We don’t have to worry about them anymore once we give them to Him.

Let’s put out the garbage this morning. Each one of you has a piece of paper with the word SIN on it. We are going to take the sin in our lives and wad it up and throw it away.

[Soldier4Christ]

 God's Branding Iron

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal. Ephesians 1:13b (NIV)

Do you know what this is? A branding iron.

I have a friend who raises cattle. When the cattle are old enough the day comes when he puts a brand on his cattle. Cowboys and ranchers brand their cattle so that it is obvious whom they belong to. If a cow wanders off, gets lost or even gets stolen, it is very obvious who it belongs to because it has a special permanent mark on it that does not wash off or wear off.

In Ephesians the Bible tells us that God does the same thing with us when we become believers in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:13 says that "Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal." That means you belong to God.

Just like the cows, if we wander off, get lost, or even if Satan tries to steal us away we have the permanent brand of the Holy Spirit that says that we belong to God. God's brand does not wash off or wear off. It is permanent. Once we believe we will always belong to him.

[Soldier4Christ]

 "I'm No Grasshopper!"

"We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that's what we looked like to them!" Numbers 13:33 (NLT)

 

Guess what we are going to talk about today? (Pull the big grasshopper out of the bag.) "Grasshoppers!" Who can tell me something about grasshoppers? (Allow the children time to tell what they know about grasshoppers.)

What is this? (pointing to the head) That's right! It is the grasshopper's head.

What is this? (pointing to the legs) Right again! This is the grasshopper's leg.

And what about this? What is this? (pointing to the eye) Right! It is the grasshopper's eye.

Wow! Grasshoppers have a head, legs and eyes. Do you have a head? Do you have legs? Do you have eyes? You do?. Then YOU must be a grasshopper. Is that right? Are you a grasshopper? (All the kids will say, "No I'm no grasshopper!")

Well, I am glad to know you are not a grasshopper, but our Bible story today is about some people who thought they were like grasshoppers.

The people of Israel had been held captives in Israel. God chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt into a land that he had promised them. He told Moses to send some men over to explore the land. Moses chose twelve men and sent them to explore the land of Cannan. When they came back, they reported to Moses that the land was truly a wonderful land, but that the people there were very strong and powerful. "There is no way that we could take the land. They are giants and we are like grasshoppers compared to them."

Two of the men, Joshua and Caleb, disagreed. "It is a land is flowing with milk and honey and if God is on our side, we can overcome the giants and take the land."

You know, there are times in your life that you will come up against some giants. Other people might even tell you are too small to defeat those giants. But remember this, no matter how big the giants are in your life, with God on your side, you can overcome the giants. You are not a grasshopper.

Dear Father, help us to remember that with you on our side, we can overcome the giants in our life. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Never-ending Forgiveness

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5

 

(Showing only the pencil with the eraser) You all recognize this, don't you? It's a pencil. What can you do with a pencil? (wait for answers)

When you're writing or drawing and you make a mistake, what do you do then? That's right, you use the eraser on the other end of the pencil.

God's forgiveness is a lot like this eraser. We all make mistakes, and God is always ready to forgive us, if we ask. And just like this eraser removes the mistakes we make with a pencil, God's forgiveness can remove the guilt for our mistakes.

But you know, I make a lot of mistakes. So look at this pencil (showing them the eraserless pencil). What do I do if this is the only pencil I have? I can't erase my mistakes any more. I'm going to have to live with them.

God's not like that at all. God's forgiveness is not like that at all. The 23rd Psalm says that God prepares a table for us, and he goes so far that our cup overflows. That means God gives us all the love and forgiveness we need and He keeps on giving,

Dear Lord, thank you for forgiving us . . . and forgiving us . . . and forgiving us . . .and forgivng us again. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Overtime!

John 11:1-45

Good morning friends. Today I want you to imagine with me that we are at a huge sports arena watching your favorite basketball team play. Your team has been down by one point the whole game and now, with time running out, your favorite player has the ball in his or her hands. As the clock runs down, three...two...one, your favorite player shoots from the baseline and...BOINK! The ball bounces off the rim and time runs out.

Suddenly, however, you realize your favorite player was fouled and will be shooting free throws with no time remaining. But as he moves toward the free throw line the entire crowd begins to spill out of the gymnasium...no one thinks he or she will make the free throws to win the game. And now your favorite player begins to cry. How deflating, huh?

This was the scene for those gathered with Jesus outside Lazarus's tomb. Lazarus had been dead for four days and no one thought he would be coming back. And Jesus, the only one who might have been able to do something, begins to cry.

But guess what? Jesus wasn't crying because Lazarus was dead. He was crying because none of the people believed that Jesus had the power to bring Lazarus back. He was crying because the people were so bound by death that they had lost their faith. So in order to give them a sign that all was not lost and that they should believe, Jesus walked up to the tomb and called for Lazarus to come out.

And when Lazarus appeared everyone realized that Jesus had beaten death with a big, overtime, SWISH!

[Soldier4Christ]

Crown Him King

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:37 (NIV)

The crown is a symbol of power and authority. Who wears a crown? That's right! A king or queen wears a crown. Being a king is different from being the president of a country. A president is elected by the people, but a king is is not elected, he is born to be king.

Have you seen the movie "Lion King?" As a lion, Simba was born to be the "King of the Beasts." In one scene from the movie Simba sings, "I Just Can't Wait to Be King." If you have seen the movie, you will remember that one reason why Simba was so anxious to become king was that he didn't want anyone telling him what to do. He didn't want to hear anyone saying, "do this" or "stop that." He wanted to be free to run around all day doing everything his way.

It wasn't just that Simba didn't want anyone to tell him what to do, he was also looking forward to telling everyone else what to do. Just listen to what he says! "I'm gonna be a mighty king so enemies beware! I'm gonna be the mane event like no king was before. I'm brushing up on looking down. I'm working on my ROAR! Oh, I just can't wait to be king!"

I think that Simba had a very poor idea of what it means to be a king. You see, the real role of a king is to look after the needs of his people. A good king is more concerned with caring for his people than he is in being served.

During his last days on earth, Jesus was arrested and put on trial. When asked if he was a king, Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world." Yes, Jesus was a king, but he wasn't interested in running around free and doing things his way. He was only interested in doing the will of his Father. He was born to be king, but his kingdom is not on this earth -- it is in heaven. He only came to earth to make a way for us to live with him in heaven.

Jesus "Just can't wait to be your king." He has invited you to enjoy eternal life in his heavenly kingdom. If you haven't already accepted his invitation, I hope you will crown him as your King today.

Dear Jesus, we invite you to rule our hearts as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Proclaiming the Good News

What does it matter? Just this, That Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and it than I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice. Philippians 1:18

My daughter gave me this pin yesterday because of what I do for a living. From looking at it, can you guess what my job is?

That's right, I'm a teacher. I teach in my "real" job almost every day and about once a month I get to teach all of you.

How many of you think you might be called to be a teacher when you grow up? How many of you think you're ready to be a teacher today?

Actually, what we're going to talk about today is how we're all called to be teachers. We're all called to teach others about God.

Now, that's what (pastor's name) does for a living. He teaches others about God. But he went to school for years and years to learn about God and to learn about teaching about God. We haven't been to that school, so how can we possibly be qualified to teach about God?

I ask myself that question all the time. I love being a teacher. I felt it was my calling. It's a huge honor and a huge responsibility. In fact, if I think too much about what a huge responsibility it is and how I might fall short of that responsibility, I don't think I could teach at all. If I thought about the sacred trust and faith your parents put in me on Sunday mornings, I think I might just faint right here.

But the apostle Paul is reassuring. He tells us that we don't have to be perfect teachers. We can try to spread the word of God for many different reasons and in many different ways. The important thing is that we do it.

Prayer: Dear God, Help us to be good teachers, spreading the good news of Your resurrection. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Arbor Day

Submitted by Jack Melton

 
Theme:    Only God can make a tree.
Object:    A purchased tree from nursery to plant; Copy of "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer
Scripture:    And out of the ground, the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight. Genesis 2:9 (NAS)

 

Today I have brought a tree that I intend to plant. Yes, I plan to plant it this next week. The last Friday of April is Arbor day. Arbor day was set aside to plant and care for trees. I must say I love trees. Have you looked at all the different shades of green displayed in the trees?

There are a lot of benefits from trees. They are home to squirrels, birds, and possibly a raccoon. The beauty trees display is awesome. Did you know that our trees produce the oxygen that we breathe.

Best of all, our Lord God made them. (Read Genesis 2:9) And out of the ground, the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight.

I have a poem I want to read to you. Many high school student have memorized this poem which was written by Joyce Kilmer.

Trees

I think that I shall never see A poem as lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks to God all day, and lifts her leafy arms to pray:

A tree that may in summer wear A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me. but only God can make a tree.

Prayer: I thank our Lord God for all the beautiful things He made for us to enjoy. The sky, the birds, the trees and all you boys and girls. God love you. Amen

[Soldier4Christ]

 Riding a Bike

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans3:23

I brought my bicycle this morning. How many of you boys and girls like to ride a bicycle? Can all of you ride a bike? I just love to ride my bike. The trail out at Veterans Lake is a great place to ride.There are lots to look at, and fresh air to breathe.

Riding a bike is a lot of fun. One thing I have found out though is that if I quit peddling, I will come to a stop and fall off. Now, that is the way with life. We can go to church each Sunday. And then Summer comes. We say, "This Sunday I'll just go to the lake." Very soon we forget about God. We get into the habit of not going to church. We don't read our bible. We just fall off. The bible in Romans 3:23 says that we have all sinned and have fallen short of God. That means we all stop peddling and fall off a one time or another.

What do we have to do? Get up. Start peddling again. Get with it. Yes, we need to tell God we're sorry and ask him to help us. God is always ready to give us another chance and help us go again. I thank God that He is just that way!

Prayer: Dear God, along the way, I just quit peddling. Help me to get up and get started again. Thank you, Lord God. Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Race You Can’t Win Alone

1 Corinthians 12:12-22

Good Morning. How all y’all doing this morning?

Does anyone know what day it is today in the Church? - answers

Today is Pentecost. That is the day we celebrate God the Holy Spirit. Our UMC symbol show the cross and flame. The cross represents Jesus and the flame is for the Holy Spirit. (If your church is not UMC, you can omit this reference.) Pentecost is a day we remember the Holy Spirit coming down from heaven like tongs or pieces of flames on the Apostles. When the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles, God gave them all sorts of gifts that Jesus had to help them show everyone Jesus’ love.

I have a game for us to play this morning. It is a race to see who can get to the back of the church first but, we have some strange rules. I am going to make it just a little harder than just running to the back of the church. The first rule is no one can win unless everyone wins.

(Handing out props)

You (give fogged glasses) can’t see where you are going

You (leg splints) can’t walk

You (ear plugs) can’t hear

You two (rope) have to use each others legs

You (no prop) have to tell everyone how to do it but you can’t talk

You (mitts) can’t use your hands to help

Do y’all think you can make it? (answers)

The bible tells us how we can do it. Let’s read a little and see how.

NRSV 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-22 ONE BODY WITH MANY MEMBERS

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,

It is the same for us as Christians; we all have to work together so we can all be winners in Jesus. It takes all of us, event the youngest has a part I making all of us the best we can be. We all need to help each other.

What or who should we pray for today? (Collect answers from children)

Let us pray together, Holy Spirit you make us one. Bless these children and their families along with our whole church. Give them the gifts they need to build your church. Give them the courage to use their gifts for you and each other. We join together as one to ask that you watch over the people we have asked spoken about and those we are thinking about. Heal, protect and guide them in their walk with you. In Jesus name, amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 We Are Made in God's Image

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Genesis 1:26 (NASB)

I used to love to play with Silly Putty when I was a kid. You can roll it into a ball and bounce it. You can stretch it way out. But let me show you what we used to love to do with it. If I hold this silly putty right here (a few inches away from the newspaper) I can make the image come right off of the page. NO. that won't work, will it? But if I press this silly putty right up to the picture watch what happens. Now you can see the image on the silly putty.

If we only know God from a distance and never get close to Him people will never see God in us. But if we live our lives close to God, doing the things the Bible tells us then people will see God's image in us.

The Bible tells us that we are made in God's image and that is what we want people to see.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Potter and the Clay

Yet, Oh Lord, You are our Father, We are the Clay, You are the Potter, We are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) Does not the Potter have not the right to make out of the same lump of Clay some pottery for nobel purposes and some for common use? Romans 9:21 (NIV)

All the children have made different things with their clay, but they have all came from the same package. (Rom 9:21) Just like with God. He is our Potter, We are the Clay, he makes all of us different. He makes some of us to have a lot of money, some a little.

However, God made us all, and we are the same in His eyes.

We also have many different talents to use to spread His word. Some may be singers, teachers, or preacher. We all get our message across the same way – by God molding us.

Dear Lord, Please let us remember, You are the Potter, We are the Clay and we are all the work of your hand. Amen

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus Is Coming Again!

At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:27 (NIV)

Christmas is coming soon.  It is easy to tell.  We see the signs all around us.  What are the signs?  We see Christmas decorations in the stores and on houses, we hear Christmas songs on the radio, we see ads on television and in the newspapers. What if we didn't have all of these things to remind us that Christmas is coming?  How would we know?  I guess we would just have to look at the calendar.

Two thousand years ago, there was no television or radio.  There were no newspaper ads announcing that a child would be born and that he would be the Savior of the world.  When Jesus was born, very few people even knew about it, but it was an event which God had promised and which had been foretold by prophets many years before.  Many people had been looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, they just didn't know exactly when he was coming.

This Sunday marks the beginning of a very special season called Advent. Do you know what Advent means?  The dictionary says that advent is "the coming of something very important." What is it?  Is it Christmas?  Yes, we are looking forward to that, but we are also looking forward to the coming of another very important event.  The return of Jesus!

Jesus promised to come again.  You won't hear much about it on the television or radio and you won't read much about it in the newspapers, but he promised he would return and we believe it!  We look forward to it just as people two thousand years ago looked forward the the coming Messiah.  We don't know exactly when he will come, it isn't marked on the calendar, but we are watching and waiting.

As we look prepare to celebrate the birthday of our Savior, let's also be sure we are prepared for the day that he will come again.

Dear Father, we thank you for this special time of year and what it means to us.  We thank you for keeping your promise to send a Savior -- and we thank you for the promise that he will come again.  Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Getting the Whole Picture

Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6 (NIV)

Can you tell what this is a picture of? What about this piece? Can you tell what it is? What about this third piece?

God is similar to this. There are three parts: God the Father who always was and always will be. He is the Creator and Ruler of the world.

Then there is God the Son. This is Jesus Christ, who was God as man. He came to Earth to Forgive us for our sins and bring us into the kingdom and God.

Then there is God the Holy Spirit. This is the part of God that lives on in each of us when we accept Jesus Christ into hearts as our Savior. (Hold up all three puzzle pieces to complete the picture) But you need all three pieces to get the Whole Picture.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Gray Elephant from Delaware

Ephesians 1:11-23

Today I am going to read your minds by using the wonders of math. I am going to give you some instructions that I want you to follow very carefully.

Think of a number between 2 and 9.

Now multiply that number by nine. (Younger kids may need a little help from more mature children here and in the next step.)

Your answer will have two digits. Add the first and second digits together.

Subtract five from that number.

Now take your number and find its corresponding letter in the alphabet, if your number is 1 then your letter is 'a', if 2 then your letter is 'b', if your number is 26 then your letter is...(you might leave this question open as a way to get the congregation involved).

Now, think of the name of a state beginning with that letter.

Now, take the second letter of that state's name and think of the name of an animal that begins with this letter.

Think of the main color of this animal.

Is anyone else thinking of a gray elephant from Delaware? (Take a show of hands and include the congregation. Most will be right with you. Some, however, may be thinking of evergreen eels, apple-colored eagles, or whatever an active mind can come up with. Some will have lost track of the math altogether. Strongly emphasize the fact that most of the congregation just had its mind read).

God's plans for our lives is something like this. Just like we could choose any number we wanted to between 2 and 9, we can choose to go wherever, do whatever, and be whoever we choose to be. But we cannot escape God's plan. The will of God will ultimately be done in our lives. The lost will be found and sinners we be made saints. And that friends is called providence...even more wondrous than math.