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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...

#3: God is Holy and Righteous (10 Essential Gospel Truths for Kids)

10 Essential TruthsToday 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 #3 IS:

God is holy and righteous.

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.

  • God is so great that He is unlike anyone or anything else.
  • Holy means perfect in every way.
  • Righteous means that everything he thinks, says and does is right.
  • He has never sinned and never will.
  • Because God made us to be like him, we must be holy and righteous too.
  • God gave us holy and righteous commands in the Bible, and they are good commands.
  • 10 Commandments tell us what kind of thoughts, words, desires and actions are holy and righteous.
  • God says people must obey these rules perfectly all the time in order to be holy and righteous.

Illustration

  • Compare the difference of not being like something.
    • real and fake apple – fake is made to be like the real thing.
  • What about the rightness of imposing rules?
    • Daddy and Mommy make rules
      • like you need to hold their hand in the parking lot
      • is that a good rule?
      • Make rules because they love you.
      • God’s rules are even better – they are perfect
    • For older kids
      • Ask them what they would do if a four year old wanted to drive a car.
      • Is the rule mean?
      • Why is it a good thing?
    • Review the 10 Commandments
      • How does it show God is right and good?
      • How is it good for you?

 

Implication

The implication of this truth to kids is:

God’s commands are holy and righteous.  You must obey them all of the time.

Scriptural Support

Deuteronomy 32:4

"The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. [Deuteronomy 32:4 ESV]

Romans 7:12

So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. [Romans 7:12 ESV]

Leviticus 19:2

"Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. [Leviticus 19:2 ESV]

Leviticus 19:37

And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the LORD." [Leviticus 19:37 ESV]

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