A New Year Sermon for Kids: Give Jesus Your Heart

That sounds like a wonderful message! I'm happy to affirm that I will write both the sermon and a helpful sermon outline about the new year for kids.

🙏 Welcome to the New Year! ✨

As the calendar turns and we say goodbye to the year that has passed, a wonderful sense of hope and opportunity fills the air. A new year is like opening a clean, white book. We get to decide what beautiful story we will write on its pages.

Today, we are going to talk about how we can make this the happiest and most blessed year we have ever known, not by our own power, but by inviting Jesus to be our guide.

The Most Precious Gift

The New Year is a time when many people give gifts to those they love. Think about what the most valuable gift you could ever give or receive might be. Is it a shiny toy, a new book, or maybe a gold coin?

The wise men who traveled far to see the infant Jesus brought Him treasures: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They gave Him the very best they had to honor the King of Heaven. But do you know what the most precious gift you can give to Jesus is?

It is your heart! ❤️

Jesus looks past all the things we could ever buy or build. He wants you, completely. He says, "My child, give Me your heart."

When we choose to give Him our hearts, we are choosing to honor Him above everything else. This is the greatest joy we can know, for Jesus Himself told us:

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Matthew 6:21

If we put Jesus in our hearts, then peace and happiness will follow us every day of this new year.

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1. A New Beginning: We Are Bought with a Price

The greatest message of the Bible is that Jesus makes all things new! When we look back at last year, we might see mistakes we made, words we regret, or times we chose to be selfish. But when we come to Jesus with a humble heart, He doesn't hold those things against us.

The Truth of Transformation

When you accept Jesus, you are not just polished up on the outside; you become a brand-new person! The Apostle Paul wrote this marvelous promise:

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." - 2 Corinthians 5:17

This is why the New Year is so powerful! It is a fresh start, not because of the date on the calendar, but because Jesus offers to cleanse us from the stain of sin.

Glorify God with Your Life

Why is it so important to give Him our entire lives? Because we already belong to Him! Jesus made a tremendous sacrifice for us. He laid aside His royal crown and came to earth to die on the cross, taking the punishment for our mistakes.

We are reminded of this solemn truth in the Scriptures:

"What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s." - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

When we choose to serve Jesus this year, we are simply acknowledging that He purchased us with His life. Our duty is to glorify Him with our choices, our words, and our actions.

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2. The Prayer for a Clean Heart

As we stand at the beginning of this new chapter, we often make "resolutions"—promises to be better. Maybe you promised to be kinder to your sister, or to study harder in school. These are wonderful intentions, but resolutions made in our own strength often crumble like sand castles when the tide comes in.

We need a power stronger than our own willpower. We need divine help.

The great secret to making this year happy and successful is to pray the prayer of King David every day:

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." - Psalm 51:10

• A Clean Heart: Only God can take away the "impurity of sin" (as the Bible calls it) and fill us with His own love.

• A Right Spirit: A right spirit helps us overcome that terrible temptation to be fretful, impatient, or selfish. It helps us be willing to make small sacrifices for others.

If we make this prayer every morning, Jesus will bestow upon us the power of the Holy Spirit to transform our desires.

3. Don't Despise the Day of Small Things

Sometimes, when we try to do good, the work seems too hard or too small. Maybe you tried to be kind at school, but no one seemed to notice. Maybe you tried to help your parents, but the task felt overwhelming.

Remember that God often works through humble, small beginnings. The prophet Zechariah reminds us not to look down upon the seemingly insignificant work we are doing:

"For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel..." - Zechariah 4:10

This means that even the little good resolutions you keep—a kind word spoken, a small act of self-denial, a patient moment when you wanted to argue—are significant in God’s sight!

Power Through the Spirit

How do we find the strength to keep going when the work feels hard? The same prophet tells us:

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." - Zechariah 4:6

We do not conquer our bad habits or difficult challenges through shouting or forcing our will. We overcome them by quietly relying on the Holy Spirit. Every moment of the day, we are dependent upon God.

When we feel tempted to be unkind or discouraged, the best cure is to talk faith to others and look to Jesus! We must choose the path of righteousness, knowing that the victory has already been secured for us through faith in Christ:

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." - 1 John 5:4

This year, let our focus be on walking closely with Jesus, our Friend, who promises to be with us always, even to the end of the world.

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An Appeal for Consecration

My dear children and youth, this new year is a precious gift from God. The time of the Lord’s coming is nearer than when we first believed, and the great controversy between Christ and Satan is nearing its end. Now is the time to decide where we stand!

You are the Lord’s property, bought with His precious blood. Jesus loves you, even though you are sinful, and He is grieved by your wrong-doing. You cannot be truly happy while living in sin; peace only comes through choosing the right way.

Do not wait for a special feeling to know you are accepted. Jesus bids you come to Him just as you are.

Will you begin this New Year by taking time to review your life and give your heart fully to Jesus?

1. Confess: If you have broken the Fifth Commandment (honoring your parents) or neglected your duties, confess your faults and put away any differences with your family or friends.

2. Surrender: Tell Jesus you want to be His. Ask Him to take away your sin and give you the strength to do what pleases Him.

3. Resolve: Make this year a time when you live for something noble and lofty—to be good and to do good.

Come to Jesus with penitence and humility, that He may cleanse you from sin and prepare you for His kingdom. As you do this, you will experience the happiest year you have ever known, bringing joy in heaven and joy on earth!

What are you going to do with the clean book of 2024?

Let us pray for the courage to consecrate ourselves to God and make this truly a Happy New Year by living under the blood-stained banner of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Here is the sermon outline

Sermon: Making the New Year the Happiest and Most Blessed

I. Introduction: The Opportunity of a New Year

• Theme: A new year is a clean book—an opportunity for a new story guided by Jesus.
• Goal: To make this the happiest and most blessed year by inviting Jesus to guide us.

II. The Most Precious Gift

• Gifts to Jesus: The wise men gave gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
• The Greatest Gift: The most precious gift we can give Jesus is our heart.
• Scriptural Principle: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21
• Result: Placing Jesus in our hearts ensures peace and happiness.

III. A New Beginning: We Are Bought with a Price (Point 1)

• Jesus Makes Things New: He does not hold past mistakes or regrets against us when we come with a humble heart.
• The Truth of Transformation: Accepting Christ makes us a "new creature."
  • Reference: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Glorify God with Your Life: We belong to Him because of His sacrifice on the cross (He purchased us).
  • Reference: Our bodies and spirits are God's; "Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

IV. The Prayer for a Clean Heart (Point 2)

• The Failure of Willpower: Human resolutions often fail; we need divine help.
• The Daily Prayer: We must pray King David's prayer every day.
  • Reference: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10
  • A Clean Heart: Only God can remove the impurity of sin and fill us with His love.
  • A Right Spirit: Helps us overcome impatience, fretfulness, and selfishness, allowing us to make small sacrifices for others.

V. Don't Despise the Day of Small Things (Point 3)

• The Significance of Small Acts: Do not look down upon seemingly insignificant good works (kind words, self-denial, patience).
  • Reference: "For who hath despised the day of small things?" Zechariah 4:10
• Source of Power: Strength comes not from human effort, but from the Holy Spirit.
  • Reference: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." Zechariah 4:6
• The Victory of Faith: We overcome challenges by relying on the Spirit and maintaining faith in Christ.
  • Reference: "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4

VI. Concluding Appeal for Consecration

• The Urgency: The Lord's coming is near; now is the time to decide where we stand.
• The Promise: True happiness and peace come only through choosing the right way (living for Christ).
• Steps for the New Year Consecration:
  1. Confess: Review life, confess faults (e.g., breaking the Fifth Commandment), and resolve differences with others.
  2. Surrender: Tell Jesus you want to be His; ask Him to take away sin and provide strength.
  3. Resolve: Commit to living for noble and lofty goals: to be good and to do good.
• Closing Challenge: Come to Jesus with penitence and humility to be cleansed and prepared for His kingdom, securing a truly Happy New Year.