Purpose: Use this children’s sermon on Cain and Abel to teach kids how to give God their best.
Scripture: Genesis 4:2-5
Needed: a box of cookies or something comparable
Children’s Sermon
Show students your box of cookies and ask who wants one. Randomly give one student the entire box while you give everyone else a piece of a cookie.
When children start to complain, ask, What’s the matter? Are you not happy that I only gave you a crumb? (To the student who received the full box of cookies) You’re happy with what I gave you, aren’t you?
So, (student name) is happy because I gave them something really good, but the rest of you aren’t happy because I gave you something that wasn’t as good. Is that right?
The same thing happened in the Bible. Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, had two sons named Cain and Abel.
(Read Genesis 4:2-5 , quoted here in the NIV.) “Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering He did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.”
Did you hear what Cain brought to God as an offering? (Some of the crops that he grew.)
What did Abel bring to God as an offering? (Some of the firstborn of his flock of animals.)
God liked Abel’s offering, but He didn’t like Cain’s offering. What do you think was the difference?
One difference was that Cain brought fruits and vegetables while Abel brought animals, but that’s not why God liked Abel’s offering better. The reason God liked Abel’s offering better is because he brought the firstborn of his flock. He brought the very best. Cain brought some fruits and vegetables, but they weren’t the first of his crops. They weren’t the best.
Just like how you didn’t like it when I gave you crumbs, God doesn’t like it when we don’t give Him our best. How do you think we can give God our best?
We can always do the things that God wants us to do. We can spend time reading our Bibles and praying to Him. We can make sure that we come to church. We can give God our offerings like He asked. All of those are ways that we can give God our best. And when we do those things, God will be happy with us just like He was happy with Abel.
Closing Prayer
Lord, help us to be more like Abel this week. Help us to always give you our best in every way that we can. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Afterward, ask the child who received the box of cookies to share with everyone else.
You can also find this children’s sermon for Kindle or in print in my book, Children’s Sermons about the Fall and the Flood