Stain Removers & Scotch Guards

How many of you like to play outside and get dirty? It’s fun to get dirty sometimes, isn’t it? Do you ever get so dirty that you get stains in your clothes that won’t come out? What does your mom use on your clothes when you get dirty? She might use Stain Remover, right? You spray this on the dirty spots and they come out and your shirt is clean.

What about this (show them the can of Scotch Guard). This is Scotch Guard. Do you know when you’re supposed to use this? You use this BEFORE you get dirty. You spray it on your shirt or your couch or your carpet and it blocks the dirt, and protects your clothing or your furniture so that they can stay clean.

This Stain Remover is like Jesus. When we get dirty from sin, Jesus cleanses us. When he died on the cross for us, he washed us clean and he removed ALL of our stains and that is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

But, guess what? Jesus doesn’t want us to keep getting dirty. He wants us to try to not get dirty, to try to not sin. He wants us to guard ourselves and our hearts, so that the dirt can’t get in and we can stay clean. When we guard our hearts, we are protecting them from sin.

Can you think of ways that we can guard our hearts, so that dirt can’t get it? We could stay away from violent tv shows or music with bad lyrics. We can choose to not read books that might be scary. We could avoid friends who make bad choices. When those things get into our heads, they can be REALLY hard to get out, just like dirt stains on a shirt. That’s why the bible tells us that we should guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus and that we should think about things that are right and pure and lovely.

When sin gets into our heads, it can be really hard to get out. Jesus cleanses us of that sin, but He also wants us to guard our hearts and minds against it.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, we thank you that you died so that our sins could be forgiven and we ask that you would help us to guard our minds and to fill them with things that are of you. Amen.