Here’s an idea for a kids talk on Luke 15:1-7…
Jesus came to save sinners (us)
Focus
Have you ever lost something that was really important?
How did you feel when you found it?
Jesus told a story about something that was missing, something that was lost, to help people understand who He came to rescue.
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Can you remember the special name given to the stories that Jesus told?
This parable was about a shepherd who had 100 sheep. He had been out with the sheep on the mountainside watching them while they ate grass and did other things that sheep do. As the day became night, the shepherd counts all his sheep to make sure they were all there, so he counts them up.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 95, 96, 97, 98, 99…
The sheep whose name was 100 was missing. He had wandered off and is now missing.
Do you think he just said ‘Oh well, I have 99 other sheep, it’s only one sheep, who cares’? What do you think the shepherd did?
With the 99 other sheep safe in their home for the night, the shepherd goes on a mission to find the missing sheep.
ACTIVITY: Tell the children that hidden in the room is 100 the sheep, and that they need to search to find him. When the sheep is found everyone should cheer loudly.
The shepherd searches high and low, he looks in every nook and cranny, and when he finds his missing sheep he is so happy, he puts it on his shoulders and carries it home and then he puts on a party to celebrate that he’s found this sheep.
How many sheep did the shepherd have?
What did he do when he lost one?
What did he do when he found his lost sheep?
Now why did Jesus tell this story?
The Bible tells us that people are like lost sheep. They are lost because they have wandered away from God the shepherd. They sin and go their own way and not God’s way which places them in danger, not from wolves or lions but from being punished by God in hell. But like the lost sheep in the story, was special and important to the shepherd, so lost people are special and important to God, so God sent Jesus to find lost people and rescue them from their sins by dying on the cross instead of them.
You are so special to Jesus that He died to rescue you from your sins! If we trust in Jesus the rescuer, Jesus finds us and will take us safely to be with God forever in heaven.
The Bible tells us that when someone is rescued by Jesus, the angels have a party. If you have been rescued by Jesus, the angels had a party for you!
Wrap up
Jesus cares for people so much that He came to rescue them.
Does Jesus care about…?
- - The very old [yes]
- - The rich [yes]
- - The smelly [yes]
- - The poor [yes]
- - The sick [yes]
- - The young [yes]
- - The rude [yes]
- - The naughty [yes]
Jesus cares about everyone – including you!
Are you like the lost sheep? If you are, Jesus is looking for you because you are special to Him and He wants to rescue you, that is why he died on the cross. Jesus wants you to trust in Him to save you from your sins.
Are you like the 99 other sheep who are safe, who are already trusting in Jesus to rescue you from your sins and the punishment for them you deserve? If you are, Jesus wants you to be like Him and find lost people and tell them who how they can be rescued too!
Jesus came to save sinners, Jesus came to rescue us.
