Get All Cleaned Up (Restoration)

***Thiss requires you making a couple of purchases of transparent clear and red celophane.  You can find this at Hobby Lobby.  It's used to decorate baskets or to wrap flowers.  This is very thin and you'll most likely need to use at least two if not three pieces of the red.
Draw Jake's picture on a piece of poster or mat board.  Size is up to you.  Then cut another piece of poster board the same size as Jake's portrait.  But cut out the inside leaving only a border that does not cover any of Jake once it is placed on top of it.  It serves as a frame of sorts.  Take a piece of clear celophane and tape it to the back of the border.  On top of this smear paint or ink to represent dirty marks on his face.

Get a third piece of poster board the same size as the other two.  Draw Jake's whole body of this piece with a black border.  Using a red or pink pastel, (try them first to see which color works best), write sins all over his body such as lying, cheating, stealing, drinking, drugs, etc.  Now your fourth piece of poster board serves as another border to hold the clear red celophane.  Cut the piece or pieces if not dark enougth to the back.  Also with a black marker draw a SMILE that fits perfectly over his face.  Finally when the red celophane is placed on top of the sinful Jake, the sins disappear.  You'll have to experiment here with the color of pastel and the transpaarency of the red celophane.  Hobby Lobby sells it as decoration for flowers and baskets but it's very thin so you might have to use two, three or more layers before it makes the sins disappear.

 

 

Once upon a time there was a little boy named, well let’s call him Jake.  (Show his clean picture.)  Jake loved to play and when he played he played hard.  When he went out first thing in the morning he looked like this but when he came in right before dark he looked like this.  (Show his dirty picture.)

Well one day Jake had been playing for hours when he noticed that his father was packing some things in his truck.  “Where you going dad?” he hollered.  “Going to run in to town to pick up a few things” his father answered.  “Well hey, I want to go with you,” Jake replied.  “Oh no, hold on a minute.  You can’t go into town looking like that – all dirty.”  “But dad I want to go with you, please.”  “Well I figured you would want to go so I’ve come up with a plan.  I’ve already drawn a hot bath for you and got your clean clothes laid out on your bed.  All you got to do is say yes, get all cleaned up and then you can go with me to town,” his dad explained.  “Oh boy I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Jake responded as he flew into the house.  It was only a matter of fifteen minutes or so before he was back in the yard standing beside the truck.  “Come on dad, I’m ready to go” he yelled to his father.  (Show clean picture again.) 

Then his father did exactly what he had promised.  After Jake got all cleaned up they went to town and had the time of their lives.

 

Now let’s move forward about 20 years or so.  Let’s take a look at Jake now.  Wow, what a mess. (Show Jake’s sinful picture.)   

He’s gotten dirty again but this time it’s with sin and not mud.  Well one day Jake was walking by a church so he decided to go in.  It had been years and years since he had stepped foot in a church although his parents were faithful in taking him when he was still at home.  He opened the door and to his surprise there stood the preacher as if he had been waiting for him.  He asked him to come on in and they sat down to talk.  He told the preacher all about the sins he had committed and how messed up his life had become.  Then the preacher asked him if he wanted to change so that someday he would go to Heaven.  Jake said yes and that he wanted to go now.  But the preacher interrupted him and said but you can’t go like this dirty with your sins.  Sins, by the way are those things that we do that hurt and displease God.  The preacher continued and said, “First you’ve got to get cleaned up.”  “But how do I do that?” Jake asked.  “Well it just so happens that God the Father has come up with a plan.  He sent His only Son to die a cruel death on an old rugged cross and shed His blood for you and all other sinners throughout the whole world.  “So what do I do to get cleaned up of all this ugly sin?” Jake asked.  “Just pray to God to forgive you, repent of your sins and ask His Son Jesus to come into your heart and soul as Lord and Savior.  Then and only then will the blood of Christ be applied and you’ll be cleansed.  Why you’ll be so clean that you’ll become a new creature in Christ.  It’s that simple.”  Then Jake knelt at the altar and did as the preacher had said.  And guess what?  Once that blood of Jesus was applied to his heart and soul a miracle took place.  He was cleansed of all of his sins like this.  (Place the red film over the portrait of Jake with sins and magically all his sins disappear.)  

Boys and girls, if you feel that Jesus is wanting you to let Him come into your heart as Lord and Savior and clean you of your sin, why not invite Him in today?  Then talk with your parents and your preacher about your decision.  LET’S PRAY!