Children’s Lesson 14

LESSON FOURTEEN

I’VE MESSED UP

If you are feeling bad about your relationship with Jesus, you may be wondering if you have ruined your relationship with Him or are no longer saved. Maybe you’ve quit reading the Bible or praying, maybe some old bad habits have cropped up and entered your life again, or maybe you’ve been hanging around the wrong people or have stopped attending church regularly. 

Whatever your situation is, don’t worry, you still have a relationship with Jesus. 

How can that be? The answer, as usual, is in God’s Word.

Eph 1:13-14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Do you understand what the Apostle Paul is saying? He is saying that when you believed in Jesus and asked Him to save you, God gave you His Holy Spirit in order for you to know Him better, help you live a Christian life, convict you of sin and the most important thing – seal your relationship with Him!

What are we doing when we seal something? Aren’t we protecting it from things that could get inside and possibly ruin it? Like putting a sandwich in a plastic or a Ziplock bag. Why do we do that? It’s to stop air, water, germs and bacteria from getting on the bread and ruining it. It’s to protect it! That is what Paul is saying God does with us! When we accepted Jesus, God sealed us with the Holy Spirit to protect our heart and soul from ever losing our salvation.

It is during the times when we are not doing our part to maintain a good relationship with Jesus that we must remember, He is always doing His part. He won’t let go of us.

It is also during these times when we are feeling bad about your relationship with Jesus that we are reliant upon His GRACE. What is Grace? It’s God giving us His unmerited favor, or unearned favor! 

Eph 2:7-8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Grace is a gift from God given through His Son, Jesus Christ. No one can earn it; it is something He freely gives.

So now the question is, “Are you ready to repent of whatever is making you feel bad about your relationship with Jesus?”  Do you believe the Bible when it tells us that God’s grace is unconditional and unmerited, unearned?   All you have to do now is act on it! 

How? By asking God to forgive you and then repent (turn away) from the behavior that has caused you to feel bad about your relationship with Jesus.  Repenting means you will stop doing the wrong things and/or start doing the right things.

Here’s a promise from the Bible that we can all rely on:

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just (fair) to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Can God forgive you? Yes! 

Will God forgive you? Yes. 

The question really is, “Do you really want to be forgiven?” Do you really want to repent, or turn away from sin?  Are you ready to get back in the game, and return to the game plan God has for your life?

Go to Romans Road to Salvation and/or Prayer of Rededication