VBS 2010 Theme Clue #2

Here it is, clue #2. SRR? Hmmmm......  

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Boomerang Express 2009 VBS Theme Sermon

Boomerang Express VBS 2009 Theme Sermon - It All Comes Back to Jesus

1 John 4:9-11

Discover the Vastness of God's Love!

Introduction:  Beatles - "All you need is love....love is all you need"

·       If you go to online book retailer Amazon.com, there are at least 32,507 books currently in print with the word "love" in the title (over 145,000 that deal with the subject of love) and over 11,000 music CDs with "love" in the title.

·       If you were to do a Google-search on the internet, you’d discover at least 121,000,000 web-sites that that use the word "love" as one of their key words.

·       It is unmistakable, how important love is to our culture -- to people in general.

·       But with all this information available, love has also become a very confusing subject.

When I watch TV, or scan magazines in the checkout lines, it’s clear that our society has a very poor understanding of love.

       I.          It Begins With God (vs. 9)

A.     True Love is never static or inactive

B.     "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 (NKJV) 

C.    "We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 (NKJV)

D.    "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 John 4:8 (NKJV)

     II.          It Was Evident on the Cross (vs. 10)

A.     "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

B.     Propitiation

1.     Greek 'hilasmos', meaning atonement, or appeasement; a means of appeasement

2.     Correlates to Old Testament Hebrew 'kaphar'; root word for "mercy seat"

C.    "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)

    III.          It's Demonstrated Through Us (vs. 11)

A.     God is our Example

1.     He loved sacrificially and unconditionally

2.     Jesus' death on the cross was the appeasing of God's justice and judgment for sin.

B.     Love is to be Expressed

1.     To the brethren (one another)

2.     To everyone

            ABC's of Becoming a Christian

·        Admit to God that you are a sinner; repent, or turn away from your sin

·        Believe that Jesus is God's Son; His sacrifice on the cross paid your debt of sin

·        Confess Jesus as your Savior and Lord; put Him in charge of your life

Praying Toward a Harvest Through VBS

The following is excerpted from Church Health Matters, a regular publication included in the Baptist & Reflector, the Tennessee Baptist State Newspaper. To see the entire publication, which concerns VBS, go here.



During Pre-VBS Preparations:

• Pray for people who will come to know Christ during VBS. Pray that God will prepare their hearts to hear about Jesus. Pray for those who will share the gospel that the Lord would provide divine appointments.


• Pray for parents of children that will be attending VBS that God will send laborers into their lives and that the Lord would use the children as laborers in lost parent’s lives.


• Pray for those who teach that they may have the gift of discernment as they minister to VBS participants.


• Pray for open doors of “utterances” as those in the community are invited.


• Pray for each leader and volunteer to be unafraid and unashamed to share the gospel. Pray for boldness.


• Pray for the enemy to be defeated in the lives of workers, parents and children.


• Pray for all the leaders who are preparing rooms, making final lesson preparations and getting organized at home. Pray for them to be inspired in ways that prepares hearts for the gospel.

During VBS:

• Pray that compassion would fill the heart of every laborer.


• Pray for the laborer to share and serve as though he/she was doing it for the Lord.


• Pray that the gospel would be proclaimed boldly, compassionately and clearly.


• Pray those who attend that are hungry for love and affirmation would find it not just from the VBS workers but in Jesus.


• Pray that when the ABC’s of becoming a Christian are presented that it would be done so clearly and powered by the Holy Spirit and covered by prayer.


• Pray for those who have not responded to the Holy Spirit’s call. Pray for others who will be touched by the Holy Spirit.


• Pray that Christians will have a desire and confidence to share the good news.


• Pray that VBS participants would become connected to the church for long term discipleship.


• Pray for Family Night and that unchurched families that will come. Pray for them to feel welcomed, loved and most of all come to know the Lord as their Lord and Savior.

After VBS:

• Pray that people who have accepted Christ as Savior can be brought into the fellowship of your church (or another church) and begin growing in Christ likeness.


• Pray that VBS prospects and their families will come to Sunday School and worship.


• Pray that the church will begin to help meet needs discovered during VBS.


• Pray that what was learned during VBS will make a difference in the lives of those who participated. Pray that those who worked in VBS will sense God’s pleasure and satisfaction with their efforts.


• Pray that those who conduct follow-up on those who participated may have open doors into the lives of the whole family.