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KIDS TALK: CHRONICLES

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The Big Read – Chronicles

Powerpoint Pictures: Apartment; Cottage; Mansion; Yurt; Cave Homes (found in Tunisia); Palace; Castle

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What different types of houses are there?

Look at these pictures.  Does anyone know what the name of these types of houses are? [Apartment; Cottage; Mansion; Yurt; Cave Homes (found in Tunisia); Palace; Castle]

Now there is one more type of house.

This one isn’t a building made up out of bricks like our houses are.

A house can also describe a royal or wealthy family or lineage – another word we might use for this type of house is a dynasty.

An example of this house is the house of Windsor, which Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince William and the other members of the royal family belong to.

In the book of Chronicles, houses play a big role.

Chronicles?

You many not know very much about that book because Chronicles is one of the books in the Bible that doesn’t get read a lot.

One of the big reason for this is that it begins with a long list of names.  9 chapters of names.  936 names to read before you get to the story.  Another reason is that seems to be repeating what the books of Samuel and especially Kings are saying.

It is such a shame that people don’t read Chronicles more because it is a book packed full of hope.

In Chronicles we get a retelling of the story of human history from Adam through to the time the Israelites were going to return to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, and as it tells this story it focuses on two houses.

THE HOUSE OF DAVID and THE HOUSE OF GOD.

The house of David was all the kings of Israel (Judah) that descended from him.

The house of God was the temple in Jerusalem that David’s descendants built and maintained.

And what the story of these two houses do, is remind God’s people what the King that was going to save them, the King they were waiting for, was going to be like.

He will be from the house of David, in his royal line, and He will faithfully worship God at the temple – the house of God.

He will be a better King David and King Solomon – greater than both of them – and He won’t be like the rest of Israel’s kings after Solomon who were pretty rubbish at worshipping God.

The book of Chronicles encourages God’s people to wait in hope for this King to arrive and He now has in Jesus.

Jesus is the true King from the house of David who perfectly worships God.  These words spoken to Solomon by God were ultimately about Him.

“As for you, if you walk before me as your father David walked, doing everything I have commanded you, and if you keep my statutes and ordinances, I will establish your royal throne, as I promised your father David: You will never fail to have a man ruling in Israel.” (2 Chronicles 7:17-18)

But more than being the faithful worshipper, Jesus is the true temple, the place where people can meet with God.

As we read Chronicles we can thank God that He has kept His promises and sent the King; that the Saviour did arrive; and we can now meet with God because of Him.

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More talks from The Big Read for Kids can be found HERE.

(Photo: Freely)

KIDS TALK: GLADYS AYLWARD

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Superheroes of the Faith – Gladys Aylward

Powerpoint Pictures: Cleaning Equipment; Feet; Childcare

Here are some different jobs, and I want you to think about whether these jobs are ordinary or extraordinary.

First job: Cleaning and housework.

Is that ordinary or extraordinary?

Second job: Looking at feet.

Is that ordinary or extraordinary?

Third job: Looking after children.

Is that ordinary or extraordinary?

These are all pretty ordinary jobs that lots of people do each day.

Well, this morning I want to tell you about a woman who did all these ordinary jobs, but made each of them extraordinary.

The woman’s name was Gladys Aylward.

Gladys Aylward was an ordinary woman.  She was not very clever.  She was not very rich.  She was like most of us, just ordinary.

Although she went to Sunday school when she was a child, she stopped going during her teenage years, and spent the next 12 years working as a maid and enjoying everything that the world had to offer.

But one night she went along with some of her friends to a religious meeting and there she was reminded of all things she learnt at Sunday School.  How Jesus loved her.  How Jesus died for her.  That Jesus wanted to forgive all her sins.  Gladys Aylward realised that she had done many wrong things and asked Jesus to forgive her and be her Saviour.

Some time later she picked up a magazine which said that missionaries were needed in China.  Gladys Aylward really wanted to go there and tell people about Jesus.  But because she was ordinary, she found it difficult to learn Chinese, and the mission agency said she couldn’t go.

That didn’t put her off.  She thought to herself, “If God wants me in China, then I’ll have to save up and go!”  And that is what she did.  She saved up £47.50 to go by train through Europe, Russia and Siberia to China to help an elderly missionary called Miss Lawson.

In China, she helped to run a hotel for travellers, which had a brilliant name – The Inn of Eight Happinnesses.  For a time she worked for the government inspecting people’s feet to make sure they weren’t being binded up to make them tiny.  She also looked after more than 100 children in an orphanage, and when war came kept them safe by walking with them across mountains.

However, each of these ordinary things Gladys Aylward did, she made extraordinary.  How?

Because whether it was the guests in the hotel, the girls whose feet she looked at, or the children she looked after, she told them about Jesus.

God used ordinary Gladys Aylward to do wonderful things for her Saviour and He can use ordinary you and me to do wonderful things for Jesus too.  “For” as God’s Word reminds us, “nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

One of the best things you can do is to do what Gladys Aylward did.  Not become a missionary to China or another country although that is a good thing for some people to do.  No, it is to do what she when she was in China.  As she went about doing ordinary things she told the people she met about Jesus.  And God by His Holy Spirit can help you to do that.

This talk was adapted from Everyone a Child Should Know by Clare Heath-Whyte.

More talks about Superheroes of the Faith can be found HERE.

KIDS TALK: BIG QUESTION #18

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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 #18 – Why must the Redeemer be truly human? [NCC Q23]

Powerpoint Pictures: Football Sticker Album; Ordinary Football Sticker; Shiny Football Sticker

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When I was younger I’d loved collecting football stickers.  In fact, I’ve still got one of the albums filled with the stickers I collected. A World Cup ’90 sticker album which is now 30 years old.

Now when it comes to collecting stickers, there is something important you need to know, especially when it comes to swapping them with your friends, which is, that different stickers have different values.

An ordinary sticker is worth another ordinary sticker.

But a shiny sticker, though still a sticker, because of its shinyness is worth lots of ordinary stickers.

A shiny sticker can be swapped for lots of ordinary stickers.

As we come to look at another Big Question that helps is to understand what the Bible teaches, I want you to remember that a shiny sticker can be swapped for lots of regular stickers.

We’ve been thinking about how Jesus is the only Redeemer because He is two things.

He is One who is truly human.  Jesus needed to be human in order to live the life we can never live and to die the death we deserve to die.  That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin.

But He is also truly God.

He is God and man. He is like the shiny sticker.

Why?  Why did Jesus also need to be truly God as well as truly human?

Let’s find out now as look at our next Big Question…

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Q: Why must the Redeemer be truly God?

Why was it so important that Jesus was God?

There are two big reasons why:

Firstly, in the Old Testament we are told that it is God alone who saves.

Those famous words that Jonah said when he was inside the big fish: “Salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9)

Only God can save sinners.  So if Jesus is the Saviour, He needs to be God.

But there’s another reason and that’s where our shiny sticker helps.

If Jesus was only a perfect human, He could die in the place of one other human.  His value would be enough to save only one person, like an ordinary sticker is worth another ordinary sticker.

But because Jesus is truly God as well, He is like the shiny sticker, He is of such a value that because of His perfect life and death He can save not just one other human, but everyone who trusts in Him.

He can save you.

So, why must the Redeemer be truly God?

The answer.

A: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective.

And that’s what it was.

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

Why must the Redeemer be truly God?  That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would one perfect and effective.

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

KIDS TALK: BIG QUESTION #17

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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 #17 – Why must the Redeemer be truly human? [NCC Q22]

Powerpoint Pictures: Elbow; Eyelash; Belly Button; Toe; Heart; Brain; Tongue

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Can you name these different parts of the body? [Elbow; Eyelash; Belly Button; Toe; Heart; Brain; Tongue]

Did Jesus have all these body parts and rest of the parts we have in our bodies?

Yes.

Course He did.

He was truly human.

We saw in our last big question that Jesus is the only Redeemer because He is two things.  He is One who is truly human and also truly God.

But why does He need to be truly human and truly God.  In our next two Big Questions we’re going to find out.

Let’s look at first one now…

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Q: Why must the Redeemer be truly human?

Why was it so important that Jesus was human?

There are two reasons why and these reasons are found in this verse from Hebrews.

“For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:17)

One reason that Jesus needed to be truly human was in order to life the live we can never live.  To do what Adam did not do in the Garden of Eden.  To do what no human since Adam has been unable to do, which is being faithful to God and obeying His law, so that we can be made righteous and have a relationship with God.

The other reason that Jesus needed to be truly human was in order to die the death we deserve to die.

Only a human can die in the place of another human and take the punishment their sins deserve so that we can be forgiven by God for all our sins and not be punished by Him.

Why must the Redeemer be truly human?

The answer.

A: That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin.

And that is what Jesus is has done for us.

He lived a sinless life for us.

He died as a sacrifice for our sins.

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

Why must the Redeemer be truly human?  That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin.

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

KIDS TALK: EZRA-NEHEMIAH

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The Big Read – Ezra-Nehemiah

Powerpoint Pictures: Bed; Toys; Family; Pets; Wi-Fi; Hug

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What do you like about being home? [Comfy bed; Your toys to play with; Being together with your family; Wi-Fi; Pets; Feeling safe]

Home for many people is a happy place to be.

Now for a number of years, God’s people Israel, were not at home.

Because of their sin and disobedience God punished them, and the punishment was exile.

The Babylonian army came to their home and took them away, far away from everything they knew and enjoyed.

How they longed to be home again.

Well, eventually they were allowed to return home.

The Persian king, Cyrus the Great gave permission for the Jews to return home to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

But only some decided to.

There were those like Mordecai and Esther who decided to stay where they were living.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell us what happened when those who returned arrived home, and the big thing we learn in those books, is that God’s people returned home from exile to worship God.

They returned home to worship God and they did this by serving God as they rebuilt the temple and the city walls, and by seeking to obey God as they said they would carefully do all God commanded them to do.

“…and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the law of God given through God’s servant Moses and to obey carefully all the commands, ordinances, and statutes of the Lord our Lord.” (Nehemiah 10:29)

The return home from exile is a picture of what God’s salvation is like.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah remind us that Jesus builds His church by bringing people back from exile of God’s judgment because of their sin, to worship God by serving Him and seeking to obey Him.

And one day we will do that perfectly when we are really home in heaven.

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More talks from The Big Read for Kids can be found HERE.

(Photo: Freely)

KIDS TALK: MARY JONES

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Superheroes of the Faith – Mary Jones

Powerpoint Pictures: Teddy Bear; Sweets; Lego; Computer Game

What do you spend your pocket money on?

What do you buy if you are given money for your birthday or Christmas?

A teddy Bear.

Sweets.

Lego or some other toy.

A computer game.

I want to tell you about a girl who lived over 200 years ago called Mary Jones.  Mary Jones loved Jesus, but her family was too poor to own a Bible, so if she wanted to read the Bible, she had to visit a neighbour.

Mary wanted to have a Bible of her own, so she decided to earn the money all by herself.  She knitted socks to sell.  She weeded people’s gardens.  She collected firewood.  She sold eggs from her chickens.

6 years later, she had enough money.  But where could she buy a Bible?

The Rev. Thomas Charles was selling them, but he lived 25 miles away.  Incredibly Mary Jones walked those 25 miles barefoot to visit him.  When she arrived at Rev. Thomas Charles home, it was late.  He only had one Bible left, which he had promised to someone else.

However, after listen to Mary Jones story he let here have the Bible.  This incident would lead to Rev. Thomas Charles setting up a society to distribute Bible’s to people all over the world.  It is still in existence and is known as the Bible Society.

Mary Jones’ Bible is in a museum today and there is a memorial stone alone the 25 miles route she walked that has on it the words she wrote in her Bible.

In 1 Peter 2:2-3 we read, “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

Mary Jones so craved the pure milk of the word, that saved up for 6 years and walked 25 miles barefoot to get a Bible.  She tasted that the Lord is good and wanted that taste again.

May we see God’s Word just as important and special as Mary Jones did, and as we read it, taste and see that the Lord is good.

More talks about Superheroes of the Faith can be found HERE.

KIDS TALK: AUGUSTINE

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Superheroes of the Faith – Augustine

Powerpoint Pictures: Perfect Peter & Horrid Henry; Walter & Dennis the Menace; Sarah & James & Norman from Fireman Sam; Bart Simpson & Martin Prince; Augustine; Garden; Open Bible

At school, it could be that in your class there are some children who find it easy to be good and always hear the teacher say “Well done!”, but there might be some children who find it hard to be good, who do naughty things, and who get told off by the teacher.

I wonder which you are.  Do you find it easy or hard to be good?

Are you more like Perfect Peter or are you more like Horrid Henry?

Are you more like Walter or are you more like Dennis the Menace?

Are you more like Sarah & James or more like Norman Price in Fireman Sam?

Or are you more like Martin Prince or are you more like Bart Simpson?

A long time ago there was a boy who found it really hard to be good.  His name was Augustine.

Augustine found it hard to do what is right because he enjoyed doing what was wrong.  He didn’t do what his mother told him to do.  He stole things.

His mother was a follower of Jesus and she prayed that He would show Augustine that what he was doing was wrong.

As Augustine grew older, he carried on doing things that made his mother sad.  But she kept on praying for him.

One day was in the garden with one of his friends.  He heard what sounded like a child saying, “Take it up and read it.  Take it up and read it.”

He wondered what that could mean.  Was it a nursery rhyme like Humpty Dumpty (not that he knew about Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall)?

He then saw his friend’s Bible on the ground.  He realised that God was speaking to him.  So he picked up the Bible and began to read it.

When Augustine read the Bible he learned that Jesus could forgive him for all the wrong things he had done.  He could take away all his sins.

When Augustine read the Bible he learned that Jesus could help him to stop doing the wrong things he had been done.

Augustine said sorry to God for all His sins and put his trust in Jesus.  He became one of Jesus’ friends.  His mother was so happy.  God had answered her prayers.

Augustine carried on picking up the Bible and reading it.  He read and studied it and soon started preaching and teaching in church.  God used him to help people learn about Jesus and how to follow Him and he eventually became Bishop of Hippo (not the animal but a place in Algeria).

Augustine reminds us that God is able to change people’s hearts.  God did for Augustine what we read in Psalm 25 verse 7: “Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with your faithful love, remember me because of your goodness, LORD.”

He changed Augustine from someone who didn’t love God and want to obey Him into someone who did love God and want to obey Him.  And what God did for Augustine he can do for you!  If you turn from your sins and trust in Jesus, He will give you His Holy Spirit, to live in you and help you to obey God.

This talk was adapted from Everyone a Child Should Know by Clare Heath-Whyte.

More talks about Superheroes of the Faith can be found HERE.

KIDS TALK: BROTHER ANDREW

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Superheroes of the Faith – Brother Andrew

Powerpoint Pictures: Brother Andrew; Suitcase full of Bibles; VW Beetle

What do you miss about not being able to go to church on Sunday? [This talk was given when the church was unable to gather due to country being in lockdown as a result of Covid-19]

Is it the biscuits?

Is it seeing your friends?

Is it Sunday school?

Is it singing?

Is it seeing and hearing me in person and not on a screen?

Is it just being altogether?

Hopefully it won’t be too long until we can do these again.

But imagine you were never allowed to go to church.  In fact, you weren’t even allowed to watch a church livestream on your computer or tablet or tv.  You weren’t allowed to sing hymn.  You weren’t even allowed to own a Bible.  It was against the law, and doing any of these would get you arrested and put in prison.

Well, there are countries around the world where that happens.  Where Christians can’t go to church or own a Bible or tell other people about Jesus.

Now about 65 years ago, there was a man who saw that there were lots of countries where Christians couldn’t meet or buy a Bible because it was banned.

And he wanted to help them.

The man’s named was Brother Andrew.  He is still alive today – He’s 92 and lives in the Netherlands, which is where he’s from.

And the way Brother Andrew decided to help these Christians was by getting Bibles to them.

These Christians needed Bibles, like we do, to help them follow Jesus.  Psalm 119:105 tells us that “[God’s] Word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our paths.”

So, how did Brother Andrew get Bibles to them?  Because he couldn’t just go to these countries holding Bibles in his hands.  The guard on the border wouldn’t let him in if he knew he had Bibles with him.

He needed to smuggle them into the countries.  He needed to sneak them in, which he did by hiding them in his VW Beetle car.  This car became known as ‘The Miracle Car’ because the guards and soldiers and police never saw the Bibles he had stuffed into it.

Brother Andrew had a prayer he would pray as he snuck Bibles and Christian literature across the border: “Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture I want to take to your children. When you were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see.”

Over the years Brother Andrew smuggled thousands of Bibles into countries where they were banned.  He also started an organisation called Open Doors which supports and helps Christians in countries today where it is hard to meet together or own Bibles or speak about Jesus.

Brother Andrew reminds us how special the Bible is and how important it is that Christians, in fact, not just Christians, everyone has the opportunity to read it and meet Jesus in it.  Let’s thank God that we can, and let’s pray for those who aren’t able to read or hear the Bible, because it is against the law, will somehow be able to.

This talk was adapted from Everyone a Child Should Know by Clare Heath-Whyte.

More talks about Superheroes of the Faith can be found HERE.

KIDS TALK: BIG QUESTION #16

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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 #16 – What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God? [NCC Q21]

Powerpoint Pictures: Olaf; E.T.; Woody; Chewbacca; Person familiar to them

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I wonder, can you tell me what the following are?

What are they?  What is, what we might call, their essence or nature?

First, Olaf.  What is Olaf?  He’s a snowman.

Next, E.T.  What is E.T.?  He’s an extra-terrestrial.

Then, Woody.  What is Woody?  Yes, he’s a toy.  But he’s also a cowboy.

And Chewbacca.  What is Chewbacca?  He is a Wookie.

Last one, (person familiar to them).  What is (person)?  He is a human.

What does the Bible teaches us that Jesus is.  What is Jesus?  What is His essence or nature?

Now this is a really important question because it will tell us whether Jesus can do the job of saving us and reconciling us back to God.

In our last big question, we asked, “Who is the Redeemer?”  And found out that the only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus, we’re told, is the only Redeemer.   But why is He the only Redeemer?  Well, our next Big Question tell us.  Let’s look at it now…

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Q: What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God?

What is it about what Jesus is, that makes Him the only person for the job?

We find out the answer in the book of Isaiah, where we learn the Saviour needs to be two things.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.” (Isaiah 9:6)

He needs to be human.  He is a child who is born.  He is a son.  The Redeemer is fully human.  And that’s what Jesus is.

But the verse in Isaiah goes on.

“And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

These are all titles for God.

Elsewhere God is described as being wonderful and mighty and everlasting and the One who brings peace.

So, the Redeemer needs to be also fully God, which is what Jesus is too.

Back to our question.  What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God?

The answer.

A: One who is truly human and also truly God.

This is what Jesus is!  Jesus is truly human and truly God, and He alone is – which is why He is the only Redeemer.

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

What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God?  One who is truly human and also truly God.

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

KIDS TALK: ESTHER

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The Big Read – Esther

Powerpoint Pictures: Dandelion seeds blowing; Sun; Object falling to ground; Coronavirus; Wi-Fi Router

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Can you think of anything, which you know exists, but which you cannot see?  Something which you know is there but is invisible to your eyes?

Here’s some ideas.  Did you think of any of these?

Wind. You can see what it does, like blowing off the seeds of a dandelion, but you cannot actually see it.

Heat. You can feel the heat when the sun is on your face, but you can’t actually see heat.

Gravity. You know it is there as you watch objects fall to the ground, but gravity is something that is invisible.

Coronavirus. People are catching it and it makes people sick, but you are not able to see the actual virus with your eyes.

And Wi-Fi.  You can see the box your TV, device gets internet from, but not the radio frequencies being received.

Now there’s a book in the Bible, which is unusual, because it is a book that God’s name is never mentioned in.

Do you know what book that is?

It is the book of Esther.

But even though God’s name is not mentioned, He is clearly the central character in this story it tells.

Esther tells the story of how God cared for His people when they were in exile under Persian rule.  God’s people were threatened with being wiped out and destroyed, yet in the end they triumphed and were saved.

How?

God kept them safe, but the way He did this was in a way that unseen, that wasn’t obvious or easy to see.

He did it through lots of “it just so happened” moments or coincidences.  One of which, was that it just so happened that there was a Jew who was the wife of the King of Persia, the man who had the power to save or destroy the Jews.  Her name was Esther. And it just so happened that she had the opportunity to speak to the king on behalf of the Jews in order to keep them safe.

Her uncle Mordecai said to her, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

Well, Esther did speak to the King and that was how God saved His people.

You may not see God’s name in the book of Esther, but you do see His plan to save His people being carried out.

The same is true when Jesus died on the cross. It seems like God was absent as Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  But in reality, He was there making sure that His plan to save people from their sins was successful.

The book of Esther encourages us to trust God and be faithful to Him even when it seems like He is not there. He is, and He will save us if we trust in His Son Jesus, because that is what He has promised to do.

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More talks from The Big Read for Kids can be found HERE.

(Photo: Freely)

KIDS TALK: BIG QUESTION #15

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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 #15 – Who is the Redeemer? [NCC Q20]

Powerpoint Pictures: Book Covers – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; Matilda; A Bear called Paddington; The Hobbit

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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…

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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.

KIDS TALK: BIG QUESTION #14

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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 #14 – Is there any way to escape punishment and be brought back into God’s favour? [NCC Q19]

Powerpoint Pictures: Firefighters; Lifeboat; Air Rescue Helicopter; Doctor; Elite Special Forces

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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…

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Q: Is there any way to escape punishment and be brought back into God’s favour?

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:

A: Yes, God reconciles us to himself by a Redeemer.

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.

Is there any way to escape punishment and be brought back into God’s favour?  Yes, God reconciles us to himself by a Redeemer.

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