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The Funnel Of God

Children's sermon
John 16:12-15
Wesley T. Runk
The Giant Book Of Children's Sermons
Matthew To Revelation
Object: a funnel


Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever tried to pour something from one bottle into another bottle? (let them answer) Do you usually spill some of it when you try to do this? (let them answer) Do you know how to keep from spilling whatever you have in the bottle? (let them answer) You can be extra careful, but I have a better way.

How many of you have ever used a funnel? (let them answer) Tell me how you use one of these things that we call a funnel. (allow someone to give an explanation) That's right, you put the funnel into one of the bottles and then pour whatever you have into that bottle. The funnel acts like a guide, and it puts whatever you are pouring in just the right place so nothing is spilled or lost. A funnel is a very helpful tool.

I would like us to think that the funnel is like the Spirit of God. We can try to do things on our own. We can look at the trees and the birds and bees, and see how God has made them, and the way that he takes care of them, and we can try to understand how God wants us to live. We can read books and talk to other people, but that does not really tell us how God loves us as people. We want to feel love from God, and not find it out in any other way.

The Bible tells us that the Spirit of God is like a funnel. The Spirit is a guide who brings the love of God right to us without spilling one drop. The Spirit does not change a word of what he hears when he speaks to us. He is really like a funnel. Whatever God wants us to know, the Spirit of God tells us. The Spirit of God works with us as children of God to help us learn every day something new about God and God's church. The Spirit teaches us how to forgive and how to be honest with each other. The Spirit does not make this up, but rather he brings it to us from God, without losing one part of what God wanted us to know. This is why I tell you that the Spirit is like a funnel.

The next time that you see someone filling the gas tank on their mower with a funnel, or you see your father or mother using a funnel in the kitchen, I want you to think about all of the different ways that a funnel is used. Then I want you to think about the way that the Spirit of God is like a funnel, and the very many ways that the Spirit is used by God in teaching us. You must remember that the funnel does not make the stuff that it helps to pour. It comes from somewhere else. The same thing is true of the Spirit. The Spirit does not make up what he teaches us. The things that the Spirit pours into us are the good stuff that comes from God. The Spirit is like a funnel carrying the good news from God to us.
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"The Way to God" by Peter Andrew Smith
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* * * * * * * *


The Way to God
by Peter Andrew Smith
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)

In his story "The Way to God," Peter Andrew Smith tells of a people seeking to know God in their lives who discover the answer is not about what they do but about how they live.

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Good morning, boys and girls. I brought some salt with me this morning. (Show the salt.) What do we use salt for? (Let them answer.) We use it for flavoring food. How many of you put salt on your popcorn? (Let them answer.) What else do we use salt for? (Let them answer.) We put salt on the sidewalks in winter to keep us from slipping. We put salt in water softeners to soften our water.

In this morning's lesson Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth. What do you think he meant by that? (Let them answer.) In Jesus' time salt was very important. It was used to keep food
Good morning! Once Jesus told a whole crowd of people who
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unless they were more "righteous" than all the religious leaders
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mean to be righteous? (Let them answer.) It means to be good, to
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perfectly in this life in order to get into Heaven? (Let them
answer.)
Good morning! How many of you own your own Bible? (Let them
answer.) When you read the Bible, do you find some things that
are hard to understand? (Let them answer.) Yes, I think there are
some tough things to comprehend in the Bible. After all, the
Bible is God's Word, and it's not always easy to understand God.
He is so much greater than we are and much more complex.

Now, I brought a New Testament with me this morning and I
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Teachers and Parents: The most common false doctrine, even
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that there is no way to be righteous enough to deserve it. We
must rely on the righteousness of Christ for our ticket into
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* Make white paper ponchos with the name JESUS written in
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