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TEXT: Mark 1:15
SUBJECT: Children's Sermon: Conversion
Children,
This afternoon, I'll talk on beginning the Christian. Some of you have done that already. Some of you haven't. If you have, I thank God. If you haven't I pray you will. Today.
When does the Christian life begin?
Some say it starts with baptism. But the Bible doesn't teach that. The Christian life begins at conversion.
WHAT IT IS
"Conversion" means "change". When you're converted, you're changed from one thing to another.
"From what to what?" you ask?
--It's not from child to adult (though some parents think so). If you're converted at ten years old, you're still a kid!
--It's not from human being to sinless angel. If you're converted today, you'll do some bad things and leave many good things undone.
--When you're converted, you're changed from "sinner" to "saint". A saint isn't perfect. If you read I Corinthians, for example, you'll see those people were saints, but were very far from perfect.
A "saint" is someone who believes in Christ and wants to please Him.
That's the change. When converted, you're changed from "sinner" to "saint".
Some changes are very obvious and shocking. Paul was once "A blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man". But then he was converted. He became a Gospel preacher, a loving pastor, and humble man. What a conversion!
But some of you won't have that kind of conversion. Brought up in a Christian family, you're a good kid now. When the Lord converts you, you won't stop murdering people or raging against God, but you'll know the Lord in a new and better way.
It doesn't matter if your conversion is shocking like Paul's. Or rather quiet--like mine. The only thing that matters is that you are converted, that you become "A new creature in Christ Jesus".
HOW IT OCCURS
You need to be converted. If you're not, you're lost. But how are you converted?
You're not converted by going to church. You're not converted by reading the Bible. You're not converted by praying. You're not converted by obeying your parents, being good to other kids, or trying hard in school. These are all good things. But none of them converts you.
The Bible says you're converted through repentance and faith.
"Repentance" means a change of mind. You now hate yours sins and love God and His ways. The change is never complete in this life--but it is real!
Have you repented? The sins you know of, how you confessed them and tried to quit doing them? Is God important to you? Do you prefer His wishes to your own? If so, you've repented. And I thank the Lord for that.
"Faith". What's that? Faith is two things: (1) It is believing in Christ and (2) Trusting Christ.
To believe in Christ means you know what the Bible says about Him is true. It says many things, of course, but the most important thing the Bible says about Christ is: What He did to save sinners. That's explained in I Corinthians 15:1-4.
To be converted, you must believe these things. Nobody goes to heaven without believing that Christ died for sinners and was raised from the dead. As long as you don't believe these things, you cannot be saved. No matter how good you are or how much you want to be saved.
That's the first part of faith, "belief". The second part is "trust". You not only believe what the Bible says about the Lord Jesus, but you trust Him as your Savior.
What does this mean?
That's not easy to say. I'm not the first pastor who had a hard time explaining it. Let me tell you a little story:
Have any of you heard of John G. Paton? He was a missionary to the New Hebrides, a group of islands in the South Pacific.
When he got there, no one had ever heard of the Bible. And no one spoke English. So Mr. Paton went to work translating the Bible into their language.
He was doing real well until he came to the word, "trust". The Islanders were so deceitful and unreliable, that they had no word for "trust".
One day he was sitting in his hut, about to lean back in a bamboo chair when his assistant cried, "Mr. Paton, Don't lean on that chair!"
"Don't do what on that chair?" asked the missionary.
"Don't lean on it".
That's the word he was looking for! To lean back on a chair means you know it's strong enough to support your weight. To trust Christ means you know He's strong enough to save you from your sins!
Do you believe in the Lord Jesus? Do you trust Him for salvation? You believe other things because you read them in a book. Shouldn't you believe what God says about Christ in His Book? You trust other people, like your parents or friends. Shouldn't you trust Christ? Your best friend may lie to you. But "God cannot lie". Even your parents may disappoint you. But "Whoever believes in Christ will not be ashamed". Nobody ever wished he didn't trust Christ.
How are you converted? By repentance and faith.
ASSURANCE
How do you know if you're converted or not? Is there any way of knowing--for sure? There is. But God's not going to whisper in your ear. Yet you can still know if you're converted.
How? By your life. The book of I John tells you how to know if you're converted or not. It says many things about it, but I can only mention three. If you want to know the rest, read I John for yourself!
1.Do you admit your sins? Many people don't. Some people ignore their sins; some people blame others for their sins; some people explain them away; and so on.
But the converted person admits his sin, I John 1:8-10:
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
Do you see the difference? Everyone sins. But some people admit it, while others don't! If you admit your sins (even when you're not caught), that means you're converted. But if you don't--if you're always lying about them or covering them up, that means you're unconverted.
2.Do you try to obey God? No one is perfect, but do you want to obey the Lord? If so, you're converted. If not, you're not. No matter how often you go to church or how many verses you memorize.
I John 2:3 says: "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments".
3.Do you love others? "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death" (I Corinthians 3:14).
Loving others doesn't mean you're hugging and kissing them all the time. It doesn't mean you're everyone's best friend. What it means is this: You don't hate them; you don't envy them; you don't exclude them; you don't mistreat them. It also means: You're kind to them, and when they need help, you give it to them.
Remember, no one is perfect. But you can still know if you do these things: Do you admit your sins--yes or now? Do you obey God--yes or no? Do you love others--yes or no?
If you can say "yes" to these questions, you're converted. If you can't say that, you're not converted.
IF UNCONVERTED
If you're not converted, what should you do? You should repent of your sins and place your faith in Jesus Christ. THise are not easy to do. In fact, they're impossible. Without God's help. But you can have God's help--it's called "grace". He will give you repentance--if you want it. He will give you faith--if you want it.
And so, if you're not converted, "Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19).
IF CONVERTED
If you are converted, what should you do? You should thank God for it! II Corinthians 9:15. You should live in a way that pleases Him.
CLOSE
The Christian life starts with conversion. Are you converted? If so, I'm glad. And so is God. "There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents". But if you're not, repent of your sins--right now! Believe in the Lord Jesus--right now! You may not have tomorrow. But you have today. "Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation".
I hope today will by the Day of your Salvation. God make it so. For Christ's sake. Amen.
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