Good News! Good News!
By Timothy BrownMoney can’t buy your way into Heaven, but I can use this bill to show you how you can get there for free!
First, money is used to pay off a debt owed to someone. You and I have a huge debt that we owe God. That debt is sin. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned. In fact you and I were born with a sin nature; a “want-to” to sin. No matter how hard you try to be good, there is a part of you that wants to do wrong. We call those wrong things sin. Sin is anything you say, think, or do that does not please God. It could be the angry words you say to your mom or dad when you don’t get your way. It could be wrong thoughts about how you are going to get even with someone who did something you don’t like. It could be taking something from the store without paying for it. (Note: ask God to give you three relevant examples of sin for the children you will teach. You don’t have to use these three.) God’s word also tells us there is a punishment for sin. It says that the wages (or payment) for sin is death. The punishment for sin is to be separated from God forever and ever. All the money in the world can’t stop that from happening. BUT, there is Someone who can.
On the front of this bill, right in the center, is the picture of a president or ruler. That person can’t help you with your sin problem, but there is a greater ruler who can. That ruler is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords: the Lord Jesus Christ. (Take time to share the person and work of Jesus Christ, i.e. his death, burial, and resurrection.)
Jesus is the one who paid for your sin but he didn’t use money; he used his blood. But it isn’t enough just to know that Jesus lived, died and rose again. You have to make it personal. Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” To believe on the Lord Jesus means that you need to admit to God you have sinned, believe that Jesus died for you and came alive again, and choose to ask him to take away your sin. If you do, it says you will be saved. That means that your sins will be forgiven, your debt with God will be paid in full, and you will no longer be separated from God. In fact, you will become his child.
OPTIONAL: Application for the saved child: If you already know Jesus as Savior, your sin debt has been paid. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? Well, another use we have for money is to give it as a gift to someone. While you can’t pay a friend’s sin debt, you can tell them how they can have their sins forgiven. You can offer them the gift of eternal life by believing on Jesus. Will you look to God for help this week to tell a friend about the Lord Jesus?