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2020-02-26 to 28 Pictures: Charleston, South Carolina

One of the few upsides of having to cancel our Spring Break trip last March at the onset of the pandemic is that we are "stuck" with a rather large voucher from one of those discount airlines. Last autumn, Tricia and I spent a weekend in Savannah, Georgia and had a...

A John 3:16 Craft for Kids

John 3:16 is one of the most well known and reassuring verses in the Bible. 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 (NIV) The following is a little craft I threw...

2020-03-01 Pictures: Lyndsey’s College Signing Day

This afternoon Lyndsey made it official, signing her letter of intent to play college basketball for the Hiram College Terriers starting next year. While she made the decision and committed to Hiram before Christmas, she has been looking forward to this day since her...

2020-02-13 Pictures: Lyndsey’s 18th Birthday

I am little behind on posting photos. These are some of my favorites from a couple of weekends ago when we got a chance to celebrate Lyndsey's 18th birthday. It's hard to believe that my little girl is officially an adult. It was nice to have the family all back...

What is DOCTRINE?

Introduction I love working with kids, and I love teaching them hard concepts in ways they can understand. To that end, for years I have been working on a dictionary of theological terms for kids and teens. In sharing those definitions, there seemed no better place to...

If You Want It Done Right

In all likelihood, you know how the phrase ends: If you want it done right, DO IT YOURSELF! This is a bit of a mantra for me, and frankly, something that I struggle with daily both in leadership and in my Christian walk.  In theory, this is easy to accept. ...

What Does God Hate?

This is the little and humble post that started it all. I happened to be reading through my Bible, and this passage impacted me so much that I posted a little blurb about it on Facebook. That was July 28, 2008, and I've been writing and sharing ever since. (Maybe...

#7: Jesus Is God’s Holy and Righteous Son (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)

Today we continue our detailed look at a presentation given by Jill Nelson at the 2007 Children Desiring God Conference entitled “Presenting the Gospel to Children.” In my last post, I introduced the series (including links to both the audio and the handouts.  Thus far we have looked at the following:

Today we will continue with the next Essential Gospel Truth which kids need to understand to combat false gospels and to understand the true and saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So, let’s get started.  ESSENTIAL TRUTH #7 IS:

Jesus is God’s holy and righteous Son.

Explanation

In her talk and in the handouts to the talk, Ms. Nelson gives poignant, concise and theological sounds explanations for each of the truth which will work great with kids.  I have included my notes of these explanations below, but I would encourage you to listen to and/or read her full narratives as well.

  • How did God make a way for sin to be punished and sinners to be saved?
  • He sent his one and only son.
  • Son of God was fully God
    • That means he can do anything God can do
    • All-powerful
    • Heal the sick
  • He was also fully human
    • Because he was real
    • Sleepy
    • Hungry
    • Learned to walk, run, read and write
  • Knows how hard it is to obey and trust God.
  • He was able to do something we can’t – never sinned.
  • Born without a sin nature – no desire to sin.
  • Perfectly obeyed God’s holy and righteous commands all the time.

Illustration

  • Read the gospels with your children and show how Jesus never sinned.
  • Compare the temptations of Adam and Jesus
    • Adam had everything to eat, was tempted by Satan and failed.
    • Jesus had nothing to eat, was tempted by Satan and succeeded.
  • Get a whiteboard
    • Make a list of all the sins you can think of
    • Take an eraser and ask, “Did Jesus ever ______?”
    • Erase each one by one until it is clear that Jesus never sinned.

Implication

The implication of this truth to kids is:

Jesus came into the world to save you.

Scriptural Support

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [John 1:1 ESV]

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:14 ESV]

1 Timothy 1:15

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. [1 Timothy 1:15 ESV]

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