Sermon Central
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The Most Dangerous Thing In The World
Contributed by David Elvery on Nov 27, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: Looking at the tongue and the damage it can do - Children’s Service
The Most Dangerous Thing in the World – James 3:3-12
Gladstone Baptist Church Children’s Service – 21/11/04
Boys and Girls, today I think that I have done something either really brave or something really silly. In this box, is one of the most dangerous things in the whole world
But now that I’m here, I don’t know whether I should have brought it along. What if it escapes – I don’t know that our insurance policy is enough to cover the damage that this thing could do if it got loose and let its power be let loose.
It’s been behaving itself all morning and I think that it will be alright – I’ll just check to see …
Do you want to know what I’ve got in this box? Do you want to see it?
Oh Oh – it’s stirring – I don’t think this is very wise at all. I think I better just take it home now. I don’t want it to hurt you - Is that all right?
What you still want to see it?
Okay, let’s see if we can just quieten it down a bit and put it to sleep and then maybe I can show it to you safely … I know – let’s sing rock a bye baby to it – to try to calm it down.
Look, I think it is working, but we need more people to sing – lets do it once again and get everyone to sing with us…
Okay, I think it is asleep – let me check – Yep.
Okay – you still want to know what it is.
I want 3 volunteers to come up here, put your hand inside the box, have a feel – gently!!!! And see if you can guess what it is.
Any guesses? Let’s see if a grown up can guess.
No Idea?
Okay – I’ll show you – lets sing rock a bye baby once more, just to be on the safe side …
A Tongue – An Ox Tongue Now doesn’t that look dangerous does it? Just gross. But I don’t want to talk about this cow’s tongue here today, I want to talk about your tongue. Do you all have a tongue – show me. Why don’t you turn around and show your Mum’s and Dad’s your tongue. Now I think it is our turn to see their tongues. Just to make sure they have one.
You know, our tongue is dangerous – one of the most dangerous things in all the world and this morning I want to tell you why this morning. I want to actually tell you 3 things here this morning and I want to see if you can remember them. Mums and Dads have a handout which they can write things on to help them to remember things, but I don’t think you need to write it down, because you are more clever than them don’t you think!!!! Now to help us find out these 3 things, we are going to play some hang man. Do you all know how to play?
1) The first reason why our tongues are so dangerous is that although it is small it is POWERFUL
Did you know that small things are powerful? Just look at me – small but strong!!! Not convinced?
No? Okay - let me ask you a few questions
Who has ever been on a ship? How big was it?
Has anyone ever seen the big ships down in the harbour? What is it that steers them? The RUDDER. How big is the rudder compared to the ship? Tiny – But something Small is powerful and controls the whole ship.
Has anyone ever ridden a horse? What is it that controls the horse? What tells it to go left so I miss that tree or right so I don’t fall over that cliff or stop so we don’t go in the pond? A BIT. A little bit of steel in its mouth. The bit is small, but powerful – it tells the horse which way to go.
How about a big forest fire. What is it that starts fires? Often just a single SPARK – from a match, or a cigarette or even a bit of glass that is left lying around. A small thing can be so destructive.
In the same way a tongue, even though it is very small compared to the rest of our body, has huge power.
Get a child to read James 3:3-6.
A small rudder controls a ship, a small bit controls a horse, a small spark can destroy a whole forest and our small tongue can destroy our lives and those of others …
