Purpose: Use this children’s sermon about the fourth of the Ten Commandments to teach kids why it’s important to keep the Sabbath.
Scripture: Exodus 20:8-11
Needed: six objects that are the same and one that is different, such as six plain pencils and one with a colorful pattern
Children’s Sermon
Show students your seven objects and ask, Which of these do you think looks the most special?
They’re all good _. They all work. What makes this one special? (Lead students to see that it’s special because something different happened to it. It got a different design or it has an extra feature added to it, etc.)
It’s kind of like the days of the week. They’re all good days. Good things happen on all of the days, but one day stands out as being very special to us.
Of course, I’m talking about today. What’s so special about today?
Today is the day of the week we come to church!
But who knows why we pick this day to come to church?
God’s fourth Top Ten rule, the fourth of the Ten Commandments, says…
(Read Exodus 20:8-11 , quoted here in the NIV.)
“Remember the Sabbathday by keeping it holy.9Six days you shall labor and do all your work,10but the seventh day is a sabbathto theLordyour God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.11For in six days theLordmade the heavens and the earth,the sea, and all that is in them, but He restedon the seventh day.Therefore theLordblessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
We rest on the Sabbath because God rested on the Sabbath. And God knows that it’s good for us to take a break and rest. It’s also good for us to take at least one day a week to worship and learn about God.
We show how special God is to us by giving Him this day every week.
Closing Prayer
God, thank You for giving us a day to take a break from everything else and to rest and learn about You. Help us to obey Your commandment and always give You this special day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
You can also find this children’s sermon for Kindle or in print in my book, Children’s Sermon about the Ten Commandments.