I want you to see if you can guess the name of the hero I’m describing from some well-known children’s stories.

Here’s the first hero.  He is a talking lion.  He is the true King of Narnia.  He is killed by the White Witch on the stone table but rises from the dead.  It is ASLAN from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Here’s the second hero.  She is a 6 and half year old girl.  She likes reading books.  She is able to move objects with her eyes and make them float in the air.  It is MATILDA from the book Matilda.

Here’s the third hero.  He is from Peru.  He loves marmalade sandwiches.  He was discovered in a train station in London.  It is PADDINTON BEAR from the book A bear called Paddington.

One final hero.  He is sometimes referred to as a halfling.  His home is in the Shire.  He goes on adventure which involves a dragon.  It is BILBO BAGGINS from the book The Hobbit.

In the Bible there is also a hero.  The Redeemer.  And this is brilliant news for us.

Because having learned that God will not allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished, that He is righteously angry with our sin and will punish us both in this life and in the life to come, there is a way to escape punishment.

God reconciles us to Himself by a Redeemer.

We can be saved from God’s judgment in hell because there is a Redeemer who has taken what we deserve so that we can be friends with God again.

Who is this redeemer?  That’s the question our Big Question today asks.  Let’s look at it now…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q: Who is the Redeemer?

Who is the only one who can reconcile us to God?

Who is the only one who fits the description of what this redeemer will be like found in the Old Testament?

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)

The only person who can take the punishment of God we deserve and make it possible for us to be in right relationship with God is Jesus Christ.

He is the hero of the Bible.

He is the mediator.

The one who can bring us and God together.

So, the answer to the question, ‘Who is the Redeemer?’ is this.

A: The only redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s say the question and answer out loud together.

Who is the Redeemer?  The only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Children when you go out to Sunday School you’re going to learn a song that will help you to remember this.

Who do these rescuers save?

Firefighters – people who are trapped in buildings that are on fire.

Lifeboat crew – people who are drowning at sea.

Air rescue – people who are trapped up a mountain.

Doctors and surgeons – people who are hurt or ill and need medical treatment.

Elite Special Forces – people who have been kidnapped and held hostage.

We all need saving from a greater danger than being trapped up a mountain or in a building on fire because God is righteously angry with our sin and will punish us for it.

We are facing God’s judgment of hell and that is not good news for us.

But is that all the Bible teaches?

No, as we’re going to find out as we look at our next Big Question.  Let’s look at it now…

Is there any way for us to be saved from our sins and not be punished by God in hell?

Look at what the Bible says.

“Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:10-11)

Now there is a lot in those two verses.  But here’s what they are saying.  These verses tell us that God had a plan to save someone who would be a redeemer.  This redeemer will die and take what our sins deserve so that we can escape punishment and be friends with God again.

So, what is the answer to the question “Is there any way to escape punishment and be brought back into God’s favour?”

It is this:

Who is this redeemer?

You probably know the answer.  But we’ll wait until the next big question to find out.

Let’s say the question and answer out loud together.

Children when you go out to Sunday School you’re going to learn a song that will help you to remember this.

If you brother or sister, or one of your friends, did the following – what should happen to them?

They were rude to you.  They stuck their tongues out at you.  They called you names.  They swore at you.

Or if they stole something or took something they knew they weren’t allowed to have.

Or if they were caught cheating on a test.  Copying what the person sitting next to them put down.

Or if they told a lie.

They should be told off.  They should be punished.

If someone does something wrong, they should not be allowed to get away with it.  If they did, you might say, “That’s not right!  That’s not fair!”

Now with the last two Big Questions we looked at, we learned about something that everyone is guilty of doing.

We are all guilty of sinning and committing idolatry.

Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world He created.  It is not being or doing what He requires in His law.

And idolatry is trusting in created things rather than the Creator.

Disobeying God.  Loving what He has made more than Him.  That is what we all have done.

What should God do about this?

Should He let us do whatever we like?  Should He let us carry on rejecting Him and ignoring Him?  Or should He punish us for this?

That’s what our next big question asks.  Let’s look at it now…

What does the Bible say?

“For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  Let no-one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 5:5-6)

These verses tell us that God will do something about our sin and idolatry.

He sees every sin we commit and He is going to punish us for it.

This is going to happen.

God’s wrath and anger and punishment will come on those who are disobedient and idolaters.

So, what is the answer to the question “Will God allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished?”

It is this:

What do you dream about?  Is about something you’d like to have?  Or you like to do?  Or about someone you’d like to be?

Maybe it is about some of these things?

Being rich and having lots of money.  So you can buy lots of nice things.

Getting good grades at school.  Doing well in your exams.

Being a professional sportsman or woman.  Winning Premier League.  Olympic Gold,  Wimbledon.

Getting married.  Have a husband or wife.  Then a family.

Or travelling the world and going on lots of adventures.  Seeing all the wonderful sights there are to see.

Now all of these things are good things.  But they can be bad things, if they become an idol.

Idolatry is a sin.

Remember what sin is.  Sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, not being or doing what he requires in his law.

But, what is meant by idolatry?

That’s what our next big question asks.  Let’s look at it now…

What comes into your mind when you hear the word ‘idol’?

It could be a statue that people bow down to.  Like a golden calf which the Israelites worshipped at the bottom of Mount Sinai.

Those aren’t the only kind of idols there are.

An idol can be anything that takes the place of God in our lives.  Anything that we look to, to give us joy and satisfaction, instead of God.

And all of us tempted to look to other things.  To things that are created.

What the apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:25 is true of everyone.  “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is for ever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

Worshipping and serving created things rather than the Creator.

That’s what idolatry is.

So, what is the answer to the question “What is idolatry?”

It is this:

They all are law-breakers.

They have all broken the laws of this country which are set by the Government and they each deserve to be punished.

But they are not the only law-breakers.

We all are law-breakers too, even you children.  You may not have broken the laws of this country, but you have broken God’s law.

That’s what our next big question asks.  Let’s look at it now…

But it is also breaking God’s law.

“Everyone who sins breaks the law. In fact, sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)

Like criminals are punished for breaking the laws of this country, so we deserve to be punished for breaking God’s law.  However, because Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment we deserve, when we trust in Jesus, we can be forgiven and be given eternal life with Him in heaven instead.

So, what is the answer to the question “What is sin?”

It is this:

Now in the Bible, we are told that there is something which is like a mirror revealing the truth – the Law of God.

We’ve seen in previous questions that obeying God’s law is how we glorify God.  And even though God created humans able to keep the law, since Adam and Eve’s disobedience, no-one has been able keep the law of God perfectly.

But that doesn’t mean that the law is no longer needed.  So, what is its purpose?

That’s what our next big question asks.  Let’s look at it now…

This is part of a series of kids talks I’m doing in the morning service at Banstead Community Church based on the New City Catechism.

Big Question #9 – Did God create us unable to keep His law? [NCC Q14]

Powerpoint Pictures: Pictures to illustrate a Headache, Sore Throat, Runny Nose, Cough, Temperature

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you woke up one day and you had a headache, a sore throat, a runny note, a bit of a cough, and a high temperature, what have you probably got?

A cold.

These are all symptoms of a virus.

The common cold virus.

And it is likely that you will pass it on to someone else in your family or your class at school.

I want us to think about another virus.

A virus everybody has.  I have it.  You have it.  Everyone around the world and who has ever lived (apart from one man) has it.

The sin virus.

All people are born sinners and we know this because everyone sins.  We’ve seen that since the fall no human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly.  No-one loves God and loves their neighbour as they should and in doing so breaks God’s law.

But has it always been this way?

That’s what our next big question asks.  Let’s look at it now…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q: Did God create us unable to keep His law?

Were human beings right from the very beginning unable to obey God’s Word perfectly.

Were Adam and Eve created as sinners?

No.

They were made very good.

They were able to keep God’s law in the Garden of Eden by loving God and one another.

But when tempted by Satan, they chose to disobey God’s command by eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

As soon as they did this, they became sinners.  They caught the sin virus.  And since then it has spread to every human being.

“…through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners.” (Romans 5:19)

So what is the answer to the question, “Did God create us unable to keep His law?”

It is this:

A: No, but because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, we are all born in sin and guilt, unable to keep God’s law.

Let’s say the question and answer out loud together.

Did God create us unable to keep His law?  No, but because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, we are all born in sin and guilt, unable to keep God’s law.

Children when you go out to Sunday School you’re going to learn a song that will help you to remember this.

This is part of a series of kids talks I’m doing in the morning service at Banstead Community Church based on the New City Catechism.

Big Question #8 – Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly? [NCC Q13]

Powerpoint Pictures: Duke Caboom; Evil Kenevil

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can you tell me who this is? [Duke Caboom].

Duke Caboom is a dare devil stunt motorcycle rider from Toy Story 4.

Before him was another famous dare devil.  This man.  Evil Kenevil.

Evil Kenevil did lots of crazy stunts.  Jumping over buses and cars on his motorbike.

[Following illustration is taking from the New City Catechism Curriculum].

Evil Kenevil came up with a plan to do something really spectacular.  He was going to jump across the Snake River Canyon in a specially designed ‘Skycycle’ like a rocket.

Well, when the day came the spectators who had come to watch were left disappointed.  Evil got a little way across the Canyon before his parachute was released and he landed safely.

He fell short.

He didn’t make the jump.

No-one was interested in how far he got.  The fact is, he didn’t reach the other side.  Almost is not good enough.

What happened helps us to understand our next Big Question.

Now with our Big Questions, we’ve seen that God created us to glorify Him, and the way we glorify Him is by loving Him and obeying His commands and laws.  And the law of God requires that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and love our neighbour as ourselves.

But can we do this?

That’s what the next big question is all about.  Let’s look at it now…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q: Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?

The Bible is clear that this answer to this question is “No!”

Since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden (the fall), no-one has.

The truth is that none of us can.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Like Evil Kenevil fell short of the bank on the other side of the Snake River Canyon, so all of us have fallen short of perfectly loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbour as ourselves.

This is why we need Jesus, as we’ll see in future questions.

So what is the answer to the question, “Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?”

It is this:

A: Since the fall, no human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly.

Let’s say the question and answer out loud together.

Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly?  Since the fall, no human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly.

Children when you go out to Sunday School you’re going to learn a song that will help you to remember this.