The Prison of Pride

Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

 Preparation:  Prepare “jail cell” bars (dowel rods or something similar) and make a stand for them.  Have a helper positioned behind the stand as the “prisoner.”  Make a giant key to use during the presentation.

             The Bible says that everyone has sinned, or done bad things.  So at one time we are all separated from God by our sins.  Some people come to God for help and others don’t.  People sometimes want to give excuses for their sin.  What they don’t understand—and what we want you to understand today—is what happens when people don’t admit they have done wrong and don’t ask for forgiveness.

            (As you go through each excuse, place another rod on the stand, trapping the helper).

            “What I did wasn’t really bad,” they might say.   

            “As long as I don’t get caught, it’s okay.”

            “These rules aren’t really fair anyway.”

            “I’m still not as bad as some people.”

            These are all excuses, and the people who make them are still doing wrong things.  And what’s worse is that they’re being trapped by sin.  They are a prisoner of the devil.  (Pantomime unlocking a door with the giant key).  The only way out is to come to God, admit you’ve done bad things, and ask for His forgiveness.  Some of you are in that trap today.  You’re doing bad things, but you don’t want to admit it.  You don’t want to feel bad about what you’ve done and ask for forgiveness.  But Jesus said that you will be blessed if you are sorry for the bad things you’ve done.  If you want to be blessed, stop making excuses, admit that you’ve done wrong and ask for God’s forgiveness.  He will forgive and bless you.