Children’s Message on Jesus and John the Baptist
Main Objective: How do we know that something is true? How can we be certain of our faith or verify things we hear? In the world of scientific predictions or human promises, we want to see evidence that things come true. If we look at our faith, we want something to assure us that we are trusting in what is true, too. This message seeks to remind children that our trust in God is reliable and strong, because He keeps His promises. Jesus is the proof that God’s covenants are fulfilled and we have hope for our present and future!
Don’t miss our full 17-page Kids Bible lesson from Matthew 11:2-11 and the related craft ideas on Jesus answering John’s disciples.
Law/Gospel Theme: How can we trust things to be true? If our salvation hangs on the validity of Christ as the Son of God, we want to be certain that we are placing our faith in a genuine Messiah. We can be confident that Jesus is who He says He is. He fulfilled prophecies while on Earth, and demonstrated His Lordship through word and deed. We know that He died and rose again, and because of that we have the hope that God keeps His promises and always will!
Object Lesson Materials: Weather detection devices, temperature gauge, phone with weather app, etc.
Bible Passage: Isaiah 11:1-10
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs.
Children’s Sermon on God’s Promises
Greet children, and bring up a topic of prediction…
Hello, children of God!
Are there ever things in life that confuse you or frustrate you? I find a lot of things to be this way…one thing that often baffles my mind in particular is the weather. Yes, I know that might seem strange, but the weather can really confuse me! Where I live, it might be freezing cold in the morning, and warm by afternoon. Or it might be sunny and 70 one day, and snow six inches the next. With all of this change, it helps to have some sort of forecast, and to be able to rely on what those reports say. I might look at what the weather is “supposed to be” in the next few days, but that doesn’t always happen the way my phone or the news says.
After all, sometimes a meteorologist (weather man) might predict certain conditions, and something completely different happens. In fact, if you followed a typical grading scale, the accuracy of their forecasts would barely earn a B- most of the time. So how do I know if what they tell me is the truth? How can I really have proof? Well, I suppose if what they say actually happens, that’s a pretty good indication! I mean, if they say it’s going to be 55 degrees and sunny, I can verify that with a thermometer, or I can check my weather app—or I can go outside! If the weather is what the people in charge said it would be, then I have my proof.
It’s good to have proof of things, after all. We want to have evidence that things happen the way they’re supposed to, and we want to know that we can trust what we believe. What about our faith, though? How do we know that the words and promises of God are true? Is Jesus really God’s son, sent to save us from our sins?
You know, there were a lot of people around who asked Jesus the same sort of questions. They wanted to know who He was, what He was doing, and how He could prove the truth of His claims. One person who asked Jesus for proof was someone who had actually announced the coming of Christ, yet still struggled with uncertainty. This man was John the Baptist, who you’ve likely heard of before. John had kind of a unique lifestyle, and he sometimes said and did things that upset other people. So it’s no surprise that he wound up in prison. While there, John must have been feeling confused and uncertain. He probably wondered if he was doing the right thing in supporting this so-called Messiah, so he sent some of his followers to talk to Jesus. He asked if Jesus was the one they had waited for, or if someone else was coming.
Jesus responded by giving the proof: with Jesus, the blind could see, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk, leprosy was healed, and dead came back to life! Jesus was giving the evidence of prophecy validated. Prophets were people who shared messages from God. These weren’t predictions like a weather man, but actual signs and promises that came from the Lord. Long before the birth of Christ, prophecies had declared that the things He did would happen at the hands of the Messiah. Jesus was fulfilling the promises God had made. And He also did the most amazing thing imaginable: He came back from the dead! Jesus lived and died, but He rose again from the grave. Because of that, we have hope. We know that He did all God promised, and that God is faithful to what He promises. John was probably comforted and reassured to hear that Jesus was the true Messiah sent from God. We can take heart to know that He will one day come again, and know that God keeps His word. We can rejoice that He is with us now, and loves us! Jesus did amazing miracles on Earth, and continues to work in our lives in amazing ways every day.
Why don’t we say a prayer to thank God for His promises and presence?
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for keeping your promises
And always proving yourself true.
Jesus is proof of that!
Help us to trust in your word.
Thank you that we can always count on you
And celebrate at Christmas.
Thank you for your love
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Bible Verses/story to Reference:
Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
-Matthew 11:2-11