Sermon

Always Be Prepared

Theme

Be prepared to give others an answer for your hope in Christ.

Object

None needed

Scripture

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3:15

Have you ever had the teacher call on you in class to answer a question? Maybe you didn’t know the answer to the question, or maybe you didn’t even know what the question was, because you were daydreaming, or not paying attention or thinking about your new bicycle. Has this happened to you? I know that sometimes it even happens to us as adults; maybe we’re at work and we’re thinking about something at home or thinking about our children.

When teachers call on you in class, they are helping you get ready for a test, aren’t they? They want to know that you have learned the lesson and will do well on a test. It’s the same way with God. God wants you to prepare for a time when he will give you a test. But God’s test won’t be with a pencil and paper or on a computer. God’s test may be asking you to help someone else when they need it. How do you get ready for God’s test? You get ready by reading your Bible, by coming to church and by practicing the way God wants you to live. If you are kind, other children will want to be around you. They will want to talk with you and that will give you a chance to tell them about Jesus. Will you be all set or will you be daydreaming or distracted and miss out on the chance God gives you?

Perhaps God will call on you to be kind to someone in your class who needs a friend. Possibly God will ask you to share your toys with someone who lives near you who you don’t really like. Whatever it is that God calls you to do, you need to be ready to answer when he calls.

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, help me to study and know your word in the Bible. Help me to pay attention to the people around me and help them. Give me the chance to be kind and help me to know how to tell other people about Jesus’ love for them.