Children's Message 4/19/20

"Do You Believe?"

April 19, 2020

Suppose I told you that I have a bag with a live goldfish in it? One response is that you don't care. You may not like goldfish. A secondary response could be that you want some proof. Where is the water? The final response would be that you believe me.

Do you believe? We have heard much about the last days of Jesus' life on Earth, His sorrowful death, and His joyous resurrection. Seems impossible doesn't it? Just as it seems impossible that there could be a live goldfish in this bag.

Like the first response, some people don't care much about the problems or joys in the world unless they are directly affected by them. They think mostly of themselves and rarely of others. This sometimes includes hearing and spreading the gospel message. Do you care?

The next response demands proof. People often demand proof of the truth. Sometimes it's not possible to prove the truth to others. The Bible says that God's love for us is so good that His own Son died and rose again to take away our sins. This is not something we can prove today, so many refuse to believe it. Even Jesus' own disciples had doubts at first. Do you believe?

The final response is to trust my word. As sinful people, we often prove ourselves to be untrustworthy. But God has never given us any reason to doubt His word. In John 20:29 Jesus says,"...blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Trusting in something you cannot see is faith. Do you have faith?

Having faith is not always easy. Faith sometimes means believing in what appears to be impossible. But no matter how unbelievable Christ's death and resurrection may sound to sinners like us, remember that nothing is impossible for God. Trust in the Lord and your faith will be rewarded.

Do you care? Do you have faith? You do have faith if you believe that Jesus took away your sins. Your faith is even stronger if you believe that God has given you power to care for others and to tell them about Jesus.