Take Out the Trash

Joke: A little girl was reciting the Lord’s Prayer, and said “Forgive us our trash passers, as we forgive those that pass trash again to us.”

Text: Mark 1:23-27,39

Prop: a few empty trash bags (or one filled with paper only)

Summary: Jesus cast out unclean spirits. He took the trash out of people. Jesus can help us clean up our lives.

Do you help around the house by doing chores? (Listen to responses.) When I was young I would help take out the trash. I would use trash bags like these (show bags) to collect all the garbage in the house and take it outside. The trash bags would be very messy and smelly on the inside, but you could not tell it from the outside of the bag. What would happen if we never took out the trash? (Listen to responses.) We would live in filth and become miserable and grouchy. Sometimes people have trash on the inside in their minds and souls. Today I want to tell you how Jesus helps people like that.

When Jesus began his ministry he would teach in the synagogue, a place like our church. Sometimes people were there that had problems. Some were sick in their bodies and had diseases. Some were sick in their minds and were confused. Some were sick in their souls — in their spirits. They had unclean spirits. They had trash on the inside but there they were in “church” and Jesus could see they needed help!

(Read Mark 1:23,39.) Jesus did what I’m sure you would do. He helped them! He cast out the unclean spirits. He took the trash out of them. He wanted them to have a clean spirit on the inside.

Did you know that people still need Jesus today? When we SIN it is like piling up garbage all around us. If we are mean and hurt someone’s feelings, we are carrying trash. If we get angry for no reason and stay mad, we are carrying trash. If we say bad words, we are carrying trash. But Jesus can help! He does not want us to carry trash around with us. He wants to take out the trash in our lives. He wants us to repent and ask him to forgive us. He wants to forgive our sin. If we repent, he will forgive us and help us clean up our lives.

©2003 by Jim Kerlin. All rights reserved.

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