Somebody paid our fine!
Children's sermon
Object:
a facsimile of a speeding ticket (or a real one if you're
unlucky enough to have one)
Good morning! I want to show you this document today. This
is what you get from a policeman if you break the law by driving
too fast. We call this a speeding ticket. (Show the ticket.) Now,
this isn't a real one, but if I drove too fast and a policeman
stopped me, this is what he would give me.
If you get one of these, you have to go to court, and if the
judge finds you guilty, you have to pay a fine. When you break
the law, you have to pay a penalty. We could say that you are
condemned to suffer whatever punishment the judge gives you.
Let's pretend that you are all old enough to drive, and one
day you drive too fast. A policeman stops you and gives you a
ticket like this one. But, when you go to court the judge tells
you that you don't have to be punished because someone else has
come in and paid your fine for you. How would that make you feel?
(Let them answer.) Yes, I'm sure you would be very happy about
that.
Well, you know what? That's exactly what Jesus has done for
us. All of us have broken God's laws by sinning, but Jesus paid
the penalty for us when he died on the cross. Because Jesus did
that for us, none of us who believe in him will ever be
condemned. We are all free because Jesus paid the fine for us.
Let's thank him for doing that.
Dear Jesus: We thank you so much for paying the penalty for our
sins. Because of what you did for us, we are free and not
condemned. We can never thank you enough. Amen.
is what you get from a policeman if you break the law by driving
too fast. We call this a speeding ticket. (Show the ticket.) Now,
this isn't a real one, but if I drove too fast and a policeman
stopped me, this is what he would give me.
If you get one of these, you have to go to court, and if the
judge finds you guilty, you have to pay a fine. When you break
the law, you have to pay a penalty. We could say that you are
condemned to suffer whatever punishment the judge gives you.
Let's pretend that you are all old enough to drive, and one
day you drive too fast. A policeman stops you and gives you a
ticket like this one. But, when you go to court the judge tells
you that you don't have to be punished because someone else has
come in and paid your fine for you. How would that make you feel?
(Let them answer.) Yes, I'm sure you would be very happy about
that.
Well, you know what? That's exactly what Jesus has done for
us. All of us have broken God's laws by sinning, but Jesus paid
the penalty for us when he died on the cross. Because Jesus did
that for us, none of us who believe in him will ever be
condemned. We are all free because Jesus paid the fine for us.
Let's thank him for doing that.
Dear Jesus: We thank you so much for paying the penalty for our
sins. Because of what you did for us, we are free and not
condemned. We can never thank you enough. Amen.
