Four Hats - One Message

[0:00] So if we could just turn back to the Bible for a very, very short time this morning.

[0:12] If we could turn back to the Bible and if we read again that verse that we mentioned. John, the Gospel according to John, chapter 3 and verse 16.

[0:25] John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

[0:40] Well boys and girls, it's good to have you staying in with us this morning. Because usually you go out, you go out to your Sunday school classes and you disappear. And then you go and work really hard in your Sunday school classes.

[0:53] And you know this, we miss you when you go. We all miss you when you go out to your Sunday school classes. But today, all the adults, they all have the pleasure and even the privilege of having you in the church for this family service.

[1:06] And after the service, there's going to be the Sunday school prizes for all of you. For working so hard over the past year. Now as you can see, I've taken with me some hats this morning.

[1:18] Can you all see the hats? You can all see them, yeah. Oh, you're all talking, that's good. Please talk to me. So there are how many hats are there? How many? One, two, oh there's four, three, four.

[1:29] Okay, there's four. Now I'm sure boys and girls that some of you, well you like to dress up. Does anybody like to dress up? Some of you. Oh, some of you don't like to dress up?

[1:40] Maybe you like to dress up as different characters. Do you like dressing up? Yeah? Well, maybe some of you like, maybe the girls like to dress up as princesses and the boys like to dress up as builders.

[1:52] Well, or maybe even cartoon characters or even famous people. But you know, in our house there's a little man and he always dresses up as Spider-Man. And he runs around the house as Spider-Man trying to save the day.

[2:04] And he runs around with his mask on. But anyway, I've taken these four hats with me. And I'll put them on in a moment. I won't put them on yet. And you can probably try them on later on yourself. But I want to say from the outset that these four hats are going to tell us a message.

[2:19] These four hats are going to tell us a message. And the message that these four hats are going to tell us is the same message that the Bible tells us. It's the same message that the Bible tells us.

[2:32] But can you tell me who wears this hat? A builder. A builder. Okay, so a builder wears that hat. Who wears this hat? A policewoman. A policewoman or a policeman.

[2:44] Depends which you are. And who wears this hat? A fireman. A fireman or a fire lady, is it? Yeah. And who wears this? A king or a queen.

[2:56] Yeah. Yeah. So there's a builder's hat, a police hat, a fire hat, a firefighter's hat, and a crown. Isn't there? So there's four hats. And these four hats are going to tell us one message about the Bible.

[3:09] Four hats and one message. So first of all, I want us to think about the builder's hats. We put the builder's hat on. Now does anybody want to be a builder when they grow up? I want a fire woman.

[3:21] Oh, you want to be a fire woman? Okay, we'll get to that one. I'll ask you in a wee while. So who wants to be a builder? Hands up who wants to be a builder? Nobody. David wants to be a builder. Oh, and Daniel. A builder.

[3:33] It's a great, great job to be a builder. But you know, when you see the builder's hat, you should think, and it should remind you, that God is a great builder. In fact, the Bible says that God is an architect and a builder.

[3:48] Because God designed the whole world. And God made everything that we can see and even everything that we can't see. God made the wind. We can't see the wind.

[3:59] And God made everything. But you know, boys and girls, what do builders use to build things? What do they use? They use tools. Yeah, don't they?

[4:10] Just like this. They use a toolbox, don't they? They have lots and lots of tools inside the toolbox. And what kind of tools do builders use? Does anybody know? Anybody?

[4:22] Hammers. Yeah, they use hammers and screwdrivers and tape measures and saws. They use lots and levels and pliers. They use lots and lots of things.

[4:32] And they need lots and lots of tools to put all the pieces of wood together. To hammer the nails in. To screw in the screws. They need all these different tools to make things.

[4:44] And builders, they can make lovely houses, can't they? Just like the house that was built right beside the church. It's a lovely house. And builders, the builders did a great job in putting the house together.

[4:58] And all the wood and all the slates and all the rough cast. And it took quite a long time to build. Like most houses. But you know, boys and girls, God is an amazing builder. Because, you know, God built and he made the whole world.

[5:13] But he didn't make the world out of wood or stone or mud or grass. He didn't use anything. No, the Bible says that God built the whole world out of nothing.

[5:26] God used nothing. God built the whole world out of nothing. And as an amazing builder, God didn't use tools. He didn't have a toolbox.

[5:39] Do you know, how did God make everything? He just spoke, didn't he? God said, let there be light. And there was light. God said he spoke the whole world into being.

[5:52] God spoke and there were seas. And there was dry land. And there was mountains and there was rivers. God spoke and there was the sun, which we're seeing this morning. And the sun and the stars and the moon.

[6:06] God spoke and even all the animals. All the fish, all the birds, all the insects. God spoke and they were made. And you know, God is an amazing builder.

[6:17] But do you know what makes God such a special builder? God is such a special builder. Because after God had made everything. All the sun, the moon, the stars.

[6:28] All the animals, the insects, the birds. Do you know what God made after that? He made you. And he made me. And it was after God had made everything that he made people.

[6:42] And who did God make first? What was his name? Adam. Yeah. Adam was the first man. And when God created Adam, God shaped him and formed him from the dust of the ground.

[6:54] And Adam was made in the image and likeness of God. And then God made a wife for Adam. What was Adam's wife called? There's only noise from the back.

[7:05] Anybody else? It's always Eve. Yes. Now when God made the world out of nothing. And without any tools. You have to remember this part.

[7:16] God made the world good. God made the world good. When God made the world out of nothing and without tools. God made the world good. And when God made Adam and Eve.

[7:26] God made them good. They didn't have sin. They didn't know what sin was. Adam and Eve. They were never angry. They never swore. They never did bad things.

[7:38] And Adam and Eve. They were perfect. God made them good. And God loved them. And God took care of them. And God provided for them. But here's the question.

[7:50] Were Adam and Eve always good? No. Does anybody know what happened next? Anybody know what happened next?

[8:00] What happened with Adam and Eve? They ate an apple. They ate an apple. They ate an apple. Yeah. So they disobeyed God, wasn't it? Is that right, Rachel?

[8:12] Disobeyed God. They broke God's law. And you know, that's what we're going to talk about next. They broke God's law. And that brings us to the second hat. So this is the, what's this?

[8:25] The builder's hat. And it reminds us that God made everything good. God made everything good. But this is also the police hat. So it's a police hat.

[8:36] So you see, police men and women, they wear this cool hat. I think Murdoch Burns, he used to wear one just like this. So this is a police hat. Now does anyone, does anybody want to be a policeman or a police woman when they grow up?

[8:50] Finley, you do. Oh, that's good. Anybody else? Kenneth, do you want to be a policeman? Yeah, great job. It's a great job. I'm sure it'll be a very tough job, though. And you know the reason it'll be tough?

[9:02] It's because, well, the reason there are policemen and policewomen in the world is all because of sin. Because people break the law. And the policemen and policewomen, they have to try and ensure that people obey the law.

[9:17] Because, well, what do policemen and women say? Does anybody know what they say? They say, stop in the name of the? Stop in the name of the law. That's what policemen and women say.

[9:28] They say, stop in the name of the law. Now, I'm going to tell you something. When I was 17, when I was 17, I broke the law.

[9:41] And I've done it many times since, I'm sure. But I broke the law because I forgot to put on my seatbelt when I was in the car. And a police car stopped me.

[9:52] There was the blue lights, just like this car. There was the blue lights flashed. And I was pulled over. And the policeman got out. And he said, come in and sit in the back of my car. So I had to go and sit in the back of the car.

[10:03] And the policeman said to me, it's so important that you put on your seatbelt and you obey the law. You obey the law. And boys and girls, I learned my lesson.

[10:15] I got a 30 pound fine and all. But I learned my lesson. And I hope that you'll always put your seatbelt on and that you'll always obey the law. So I hope you'll obey the law.

[10:26] Because obeying the law is very, very important. And if you don't obey the law, well, what will happen? You'll be arrested. You'll be arrested if you don't obey the law.

[10:38] But, you know, it's also important to obey God's law. It's important to obey God's law. Because God's law is very important. And we must all obey God's law. And that's why sin came into the world.

[10:50] As Rachel was telling us. Sin came into the world because Adam and Eve didn't obey God's law. They broke God's law. They disobeyed God's law. They didn't do as God commanded them.

[11:03] And as Rachel said, Adam and Eve, they ate the forbidden fruit. That's what God commanded. They broke God's law. Satan, the serpent, he tricked them.

[11:16] And Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree. They broke God's law. They disobeyed God's commandments. Now, does anybody know how many commandments there are? There are ten commandments, aren't there?

[11:29] Is there? So you can remember the number of commandments because of the number of fingers you have. Does anybody know what the commandments are? Any ideas?

[11:42] Right, we're going to learn the ten commandments very quickly. Show me your fingers. Adults can do it too. Don't worry. Don't need to be embarrassed. So show me your fingers.

[11:53] One. Wiggle your first finger. There is one God. There is one God. Okay? Second commandment. There are no two gods.

[12:03] So you're not to make any graven images like God. You're not to worship idols. No two gods. So there's one God. No two gods. Three. Third commandment.

[12:13] It's a W. So watch your words. Watch your words. Don't take the Lord's name in vain. Don't take God's name in vain. Watch your words. Then number four.

[12:24] Number four. My thumb is resting. Thumb is resting. Which means today is a day of rest. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Five.

[12:35] This one's very important for all of you. Honor your father and your mother. Honor your father and your mother. That's number five. Number six. Number six. Is do not kill.

[12:47] Do not kill. Okay? Number six. Number seven. This is an altar. Two people getting married. And they're getting married. But do not commit adultery.

[12:59] That's what the Bible says. Do not commit adultery. Okay? Eight. Eight. Somebody's in jail. Because they were stealing. Do not steal. That's what the Bible says. Do not steal.

[13:10] Number nine. These five people are saying bad things about these four people. This is a hard one to remember. These five people are saying bad things about these four people. They're telling lies. Seven lies.

[13:21] And the Bible says do not lie. And then ten. Number ten. Is grabbing. We're always good at grabbing aren't we? Grabbing things. Especially things that don't belong to us. So the Bible says do not covet.

[13:34] Do not covet. So one. There is one God. Two. No two gods. Three. Watch your words. Don't take the Lord's name in vain. Four. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

[13:44] Five. Honor your father and mother. Six. Six. Don't kill. Seven. Don't commit adultery. Eight. Don't steal. Nine. Don't lie. And ten. Don't covet. Now.

[13:56] How many of you keep all these commandments? Hands up who keeps all the commandments? Finley, put your hands down. We don't keep the commandments.

[14:08] Do we? Who keeps all the commandments? Who has never said a bad word? Hands up who has never disobeyed their mamans? My or daddy? Hands up who has never stolen something?

[14:21] Hands up who has never told a lie? Even a little one. We've all done it, haven't we? Nobody. Nobody has obeyed all of God's commandments perfectly. That's because none of us can obey God's law.

[14:33] We're all sinners. We're all sinners. And no one is able to obey God's commandments perfectly. But the only way to be saved, this is what the Bible says, the only way to be saved is either to keep all the commandments perfectly, which none of us can do, or be rescued.

[14:51] So the only way to be saved is to keep the commandments perfectly, or be rescued. And because none of us can keep the commandments perfectly, we all need to be rescued, don't we?

[15:03] We all need to be rescued. And that brings us to look at the third hat, Katie. The third hat is the fire person's hat. So we've got the builder's hat. Reminds us that God made the world out of nothing, but he made it good, didn't he?

[15:17] God made the world good. Then, the police hat. What's the police hat? We've broken the law. We've disobeyed God's word.

[15:29] And we need to be rescued. And we need to be rescued, so we're going to look at the firefighter's hat. So this is the firefighter's hat. So Katie, you want to be a firefighter?

[15:40] Yeah. Anybody else want to be a fireman or a firewoman when they're older? David. Very good. So, you know, that's good. So we're going to have a great future.

[15:51] We're going to have builders, and we're going to have policemen and women, and we're going to have firefighters. So Barbas is going to be a well-built place and a very safe place to live. And, you know, that's why we need firefighters, isn't it?

[16:04] To keep us safe. Firefighters, they rescue people from fire. And they put out the fire with their... What do they put out fire with? A hose. A hose, yeah.

[16:15] And a fire extinguisher. They put out the fire. And you know, boys and girls, I love seeing fire engines. I love seeing them. They're so cool. I love seeing fire engines.

[16:27] And I think that the firemen and the firewomen, they're so brave. Their job, they're so brave at their job to be fighting fires. And that's why I love watching Fireman Sam.

[16:38] I don't tell many people that, but I've told you now. You know, when there's a fire, Fireman Sam and all his crew, which is Elvis and Penny, they all go to the fire.

[16:49] And they all rush to the scene of the fire, and they rescue people from the fire, and they save them. They're so brave. They're rescuing those who are in trouble and saving them from the fire.

[17:02] And you know, boys and girls, that's what Jesus does for us. That's what Jesus does for us. You know, Jesus is just like a firefighter. Jesus is just like a firefighter.

[17:13] Because as we said, well, the builder's hat tells us that God made the world good. The pulley's hat tells us that we've all sinned. We've all disobeyed God's law, and none of us can keep the commandments perfectly.

[17:27] We're all sinners, and we all deserve to be punished because of our sin. And the Bible describes the punishment of our sin as a big fire called hell.

[17:40] And you know, the Bible says that hell is a real place. Because Jesus spoke a lot about hell. But you know, and I always want everybody to know this.

[17:50] Jesus spoke a lot about hell because he loves us, and he wants us to be rescued from the fire called hell.

[18:01] Jesus came to rescue us from the fire of hell and to save us, save us from the punishment that our sin deserves. So Jesus came to be our firefighter.

[18:13] He came to rescue us. But boys and girls, how did Jesus rescue us from the fires of hell? How does, does anybody know how Jesus saves us from the punishment that our sin deserves?

[18:26] Does anybody know? Ross? Christ died on the cross. He died on the cross. Yeah.

[18:37] So Jesus died on the cross to take away all our sin. So when Jesus died on the cross, if we love, trust, follow, and obey Jesus, all our sins were laid upon him.

[18:50] And through the death of Jesus on the cross, we can be saved from the punishment that our sins deserve in hell. We can be saved. I mean, you know, we need to ask Jesus to save us and rescue us and free us from the punishment that our sin deserves.

[19:06] because our sins deserve the punishment of the fire of hell. But Jesus is our firefighter. Jesus rescues us. Jesus is our saviour if we love, trust, and follow, and obey him.

[19:22] And you know, boys and girls, that's the verse we were reading about. The verse we're reading about, it's an important verse. And it's a verse that I'm sure you know of by heart. And I'm sure you've heard it before.

[19:34] John 3, 16. So will you say it with me? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

[19:54] Yeah. And you know, it's a wonderful verse that reminds us that Jesus is our firefighter. He's the only one who can rescue us from the punishment our sin deserves.

[20:07] And when he rescues us, Jesus takes us. Where does Jesus take us? To heaven. Where? Heaven. Yeah. And that brings us to our fourth and final hat.

[20:19] So this is a crown. It's a clown. So we've looked at the builder's hat. Reminds us that God made everything good. Good. The police hat, we've broken God's law.

[20:32] We've broken God's law. The firefighter's hat, Jesus came to? Rescue. Rescue us. Yeah. And the crown. The crown is the last hat we're going to look at.

[20:44] And you know, boys and girls, well, I'm tempted to ask who wants to be a king or a queen when they grow up? Does anybody want to be a king or a queen? Well, sorry to say, but you can't.

[20:56] Because you have to be born into the royal family to become a king or a queen. And kings and queens, where do they sit? Do they sit on chairs? Do they sit on, what do they sit, deck chairs?

[21:08] What do they sit on? A throne. A throne, yeah. They sit on a throne. And they wear, what do they wear on their head? A crown. A crown. And they have, a crown that's made of gold.

[21:19] This one's plastic, but usually they're made of gold. And they have lots and lots of expensive jewelry. And kings and queens, they have lots and lots of, what's that?

[21:32] Gold. They have riches. Kings and queens have lots and lots of riches. And you can actually get some. You can get some of these at the door when you go out. I've left some for you. So you have to listen carefully.

[21:44] So queens and kings, they have lots and lots of wealth. And they live, where do they live? In a palace. They live in a palace, don't they? And they have lots of gold. Just like our queen.

[21:56] Now does anybody know what our queen is called? Anybody know what her name is? Anybody? Elizabeth. Yeah. Elizabeth. And you know that queen, our queen, she's a Christian.

[22:09] She loves Jesus. And the Bible tells us that we should pray for our queen. And we should pray for her government. And all those who, who work in government.

[22:19] But you know, the Bible describes Jesus. Jesus is described in the Bible as a king. And that heaven is where the palace of Jesus is. And the Bible says that Jesus is the king of kings.

[22:32] And the lord of lords. Jesus is the greatest king who rules over heaven and earth. And as the king of kings, Jesus sits on his throne in heaven.

[22:44] And he has riches. Heavenly riches. Jesus has heavenly riches. But the heavenly riches that King Jesus has, they are far greater than all the riches of any earthly king or queen.

[22:58] Do you know that? Because the heavenly riches that King Jesus promises to those who love, trust, follow, and obey Jesus, the heavenly riches is the promise of eternal life.

[23:12] Eternal life. And boys and girls, let me tell you this morning. Let me tell you that receiving the promise of eternal life, it's worth more than all the money in the world.

[23:24] Receiving the promise of eternal life is worth more than all the holidays, all the cars, all the houses, all the toys you can possibly think of. Receiving the promise of eternal life is worth more than anything in the whole wide world.

[23:41] But the only way to receive the promise is to do as Jesus says in John 3.16, to believe in Him. To believe in Jesus, we have to love Jesus and follow Jesus and trust in Jesus and obey Jesus because He is our Lord and our King.

[24:02] Okay? So we all need to love, trust, follow, and obey Jesus because that is the one message of the whole Bible. That's the message of the whole Bible.

[24:14] We need to love, trust, follow, and obey Jesus. So that's the message of these four hats. We go over them again. Four hats with one message. What's this?

[24:26] God is a... He made the world good. He made the world out of nothing and He made it good. But then what happened? We all sinned. We all broke God's law.

[24:38] We all broke God's law. We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. But we all need to be saved. We need to be rescued. We need to be rescued.

[24:48] Don't we? So that's a firefighter's hat. And when we're rescued and when we trust and follow and obey Jesus, we will go where? Heaven. Where Jesus is because Jesus is the King of Heaven and He's in a palace in Heaven.

[25:05] So a builder's hat, a police hat, a firefighter's hat and a crown. Isn't it? So that's four hats, one message. And the one message of the Bible is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

[25:28] Okay? So thank you so much for listening. You're very, very good at listening. So we're going to clasp our hands and we're going to close our eyes and we'll say another prayer. Okay? Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the reminder today of what God's Word says and help us, Lord, to trust, to trust in this God who made us and even though we have sinned against Him, help us, Lord, to trust Him, to trust in Jesus knowing that He gives to us the promise of eternal life.

[25:59] Watch over us then, Lord, we pray. Bless us as we gather together for the prize giving and watch over us we ask for Jesus' sake. Amen. So we're going to bring our service to a conclusion.

[26:12] We're going to sing the words of Psalm 23 and then we'll have the prize giving. And after the prize giving, there's tea and coffee provided in the hall.

[26:26] So please don't run away home. You're more than welcome to stay. So we're going to sing Psalm 23.

[26:36] It's on page 229 in the Scottish Psalter. Psalm 23. The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want.

[26:48] He makes me down to lie. In pastures green he leadeth me. The quiet waters by. So we'll sing the whole psalm to God's praise.

[26:58] Amen. The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want.

[27:12] He makes me down to lie. In pastures green He lifteth me.

[27:29] The quiet waters by. My soul he doth restore again.

[27:48] He'll be to all of me. Within the paths of righteousness In for his own name saved.

[28:16] Yet, O, I walk in death's dark veil, Yet will I fear none else.

[28:35] For thou art with me, For thou art with me, And thy word hath doth me come forth still.

[28:54] My temple thou hast furnished.

[29:05] In presence of my foes, My head thou dost, With oil and light, And my cup overflows.

[29:33] Goodness and mercy, All my life, Shall surely follow me, And in God's heart, For evermore, My dwelling place shall be.