A Clean Slate             The Human Ship

A  CLEAN SLATE

 (You will need the "Magic Slate" from your accessory package. Don't be alarmed by the word "magic" and please don't call it that in your class. It is a slate with a plastic sheet over the surface. You draw on the slate with a wooden stick, lift the plastic and the words disappear.) The Bible says all have sinned. No matter how sweet you are, you have sinned. It is our human nature to sin. We inherited that nature to sin from Granddaddy Adam. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has sinned. (Begin to list some sins on the slate.) Maybe it is something little like taking a quarter from your mother's purse or telling a lie. It could be cheating on a test. Help me name a few.

 It would be a very, very sad story if that were the end, because the Bible says "the wages" or the payday for sin is death. But the story doesn't end there. When you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart He erases all your sins. They are gone forever. (Lift the plastic sheet.)

 There will be times, even after you are born again that you will sin. When you sin (write "SIN" across all the other words), ask Jesus to forgive you of that sin. (Lift the plastic sheet to remove the words.) Ask Him to help you not to do it anymore. Turn away from your sin. (Write "TURN") Repentance means, turn away and go in the opposite direction. You must choose to obey God's Laws instead of what you feel like doing. It is God's plan for you to "Win over Sin."

THE HUMAN SHIP

 Show the picture of the ship. Illustrate that the only piece that will fit the hole is the cross. All the visuals for this teaching unit are available on CD. They are in Power Point ready to project in your classroom with a computer and projector or TV that has a plug that will fit the cords coming from your computer. The visuals are also in jpg format for you to make your own flash cards or color transparencies.

 Ships are wonderful sailing vessels made to transport goods and people. The size and types are varied. Each ship is built with a specific purpose in mind. The huge cargo ships are made to carry cargo. The luxury liners are made to carry people leisurely from port to port. The warships are made to carry guns, equipment and manpower for fighting wars on the sea.

 People are like ships. We were designed to carry a very precious cargo, Jesus. When man sinned, he developed a hole in his boat. This hole is an empty space that only God can fill. God provided a means for the hole to be patched until a more permanent solution arrived. That patch was the sacrifice of animals. The blood of sheep and goats could only cover mankind's sins, not remove them. When Jesus died on the cross in payment for sin, He made a way for believers to be changed; to be converted. Anyone can receive this amazing gift.

 Sad though it may seem, mankind has tried to fill the hole themselves instead of receiving the solution God offered. They have tried to fill the hole with money, success, fame, friends, and things. Like trying to put a square peg in a round hole, it doesn't work. Oh, some have been pretty successful at their efforts, or so it seemed at first, but the plug in their empty hole will not last.