Kids are Asking

Introduction:

big q's! Kids, Teens, Adults…

Based on demogr’c data - big q about morality, faith, life - intersection!

How many know: kids curious? Everyone’s curious about diff. thgs

Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”

It brings God glory to not give out all the details at once…

it’s glorious for humans to try and grapple with His truth.

We need to be seekers! To want to know WHY or HOW!

Stay Curious!

With advent of more techn’y, crit. thinking skills eroding…

Based on peer-reviewed research done in India,

"Skills in deductive reasoning, inference making, evaluating arguments, and forming individual conclusions have lowered by an average of 10-15% in the general population over the past 30 years.” - PUIRP Journal

Verses

Connects to Cross Road’s CORE Value of “Learning".

As we tackle big questions about God & faith & life, STAY CURIOUS.

Have desire to want to learn MORE, go DEEP. Don’t be content to just take up pew space… hope you get a fire to understand!

Hold to our Bible as definitive source of truth!

TODAY: We’re going to look at some big questions from >>

Kids’ Questions

Did cursory reseasrch to discern what kinds of big questions kids are asking these days — found not that different from most pd. in history

1. "Why do bad things happen?”

Especially during or after events like illness, war, or natural disasters, kids wonder why the world can feel unsafe or unfair. After the pandemic, 1 in 4 children globally showed signs of anxiety or depression (JAMA Pediatrics, 2021), often rooted in uncertainty and fear of harm or loss.

Going to address this question today: Why does bad stuff happen

a. Spiritual Evil

1 Peter 5:8-9a NLT “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”

Peter describes enemy here as a ravenous beast, preying on unsuspecting weak Xians!

His plea to the Jerus. church is: be aware of his schemes!

“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist,” - The Usual Suspects (movie, 1995)

Truth: Devil & other spir’l forces are at work; opposed to G’s plan

God’s plan involves humans - so humans are his target.

Eden - Neph. & depravity - Babel… spir’l evil trying to undermine G’s plan

JC in desert; betrayal, arrest & cruc’xion

Luke 22:53 “[Jesus told the chief priests] …But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.””

JC understood that, reason ppl were so murd’ous was beyond human capacity - spir’l dark’ss behind !

Satan typically subtle, capit’ze on desires, loves, worldliness.

Woo, draw, whisper, tell egos what we want to hear!

‘times, real intelligent spir’l evil Y bad things happ’n. ‘times it’s >

b. Our Selfish Choices

(And usually, it’s a combination of these two…)

Genesis 4:6–7 “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.””

Perfect example of how our Spir’l Enemy appeals to our own will

YH knew sin = tricky serpent, working on Cain (jeal’y>hate>murd)

A.Paul calls: “flesh” [sarx]

YH: “If you don't do what’s right, sin will get you!” Our will choice partners with EVIL plan ‘stead of GOD’s…

James 1:14–15 “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire & enticed. After desire conceives, it gives birth to sin; & sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

READ: Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis… SO GOOD.

c. God’s Judgment

The primary way God punishes is by lifting his hand of blessing or protection.

God allows humanity 2 suffer conseq's of actions to full extent.

Go all-in on what WE want… own demise.

Evil is a vacuum of God’s goodness & life.

Psalm 81:11–12 ““But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.”

AP uses same lang. in letter to the Roman church >>

Romans 1:24–25 “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”

Consistent pattern in script. Egypt & Red Sea. Korah. Ai.

Evil is a vacuum of God’s goodness & life.

Bad things happen bc of spir’l evil, human weak’ss, & G’s judg’t. Another big Q that kids ask/thinking about is… >>

2. “What happens if I do something bad?”

Many children wrestle with guilt, shame, and the fear of punishment—both from adults and, if raised religious, from God.

In Christian contexts, questions of forgiveness and grace often emerge: “Will God still love me?”

a. No One Measures Up to God’s Standard

Romans 3:23 “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

All - universal, ‘pantes’ (context: Jew & gentile (everyone!))

Gen 1-11… gentile & jew; ALL, whole world, all humanity

No single person is left out; all part of the prob.

“Sinned… fall short” = to miss the mark; an archery term, meaning ‘off-center’ or ‘off-target’.

Impli.: God has design 4your life’s choices that reflect His goodness & nature (image)

On own, we lack, can’t compare, are OFF from God’s Best…

To address the Q, we ALL ‘do bad’.

Enc.: not alone! (Not an ‘if’!) — X’s chal’g: live beyond our default setting… higher stand’d!

b. Jesus Died & Covers Over our Sins

Romans 3:24 “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Justified - set right; aligned with a standard

That target we miss? Jesus gives us bullseye status when it counts!

X gives to us a prized condition: being in line with God!

By dying on cross, X pd. penalty of sin, we get to bullseye, too!

“freely...by grace” - no work requred! How?? ^ We are >>

“Redeemed” - to pay for a slave’s freedom!

We are truly free in Christ! FREE? Impl. we bound to someone.

Sin seen as a slavery to a force/entity aligned w/ death & chaos.

All enslaved — but Christ pd. for freedom!!

Won’t you step out of slavery to death mindset? Step into freedom today?!

All bound by one who is opp. to God’s plan UNTIL X frees us & makes in good stand’g before YH… now 4giv’n, SET FREE, however, are still >>

c. Consequences & Forgiveness

Prodigal son: young'st walks away from Father’s ideal & then welcomed home w/ celeb.!

Old’r bro jealous — “party for that loser?? Lived WAY off mark, I’ve always been around bullseye; your house!” — Father says:

Luke 15:31–32 “‘My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate & be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and now is found.’”

Rejoice w/ son bc he’s back home, but… still has no inheritance! Missing out on some benefits even if secure.

Likened to a man who spent whole life frivously spending, wants to save a $1M @ 60yo… bit of a late start!

Still able to save, still reaps benefit of interest… going to miss out on certain benefits

A.P. says it this way:

Galatians 6:7–8 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction… ”

Though we’re forgiven, we still face earthly consequences for our sin!

And so, we pay back the debt we owe others - or we ask for THEIR forgiveness also

That looks like: doing what’s right, considering others first, loving 1st, not judg — the christian life.

Add’ss the Q: When we ‘do bad’ (and we will), there are very real consequences here on earth.

Good news: Jesus pd. for our right-standing before God! Calls us family.

Our only agency in matter is: do we accept God’s free gift or not!?

Choose Jesus!

Ask Him for Help to Resist the Enemy

Say the Lord’s Prayer with me?

Matthew 6:9–13 ““ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” [For yours is the kingdom & the glory for ever and ever. Amen.]

Right in the most famous prayer, Xians repeating for millennia!, JC prompts foll’rs to ask for defence against dark pwrs!

May we be ready when temptation comes our way! (Ephesians 6:10-17)

Have a verse in our pocket, on heart, on fridge — friend/ counselor can txt — hotline to help us!

Also, A.P. in Eph 6 outlines armor to guard lives with! Defend against Enemy’s tricks!

Thank Him for His Grace

Close with this benediction & prayer

Ephesians 1:4–6 “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

Committal?

Altar time?

Salvation call?