A BOTTLE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
Objects
an old bottle
small shells glued together inside the bottle
a large shell similar to the few inside
__________
A few years ago, boys and girls, a scuba diver who was a friend of mine brought up from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, near San Diego, this Coca Cola bottle. You can notice from close examination that it had been at the bottom of the sea for a long, long time. You see how it is all encrusted with former marine life. You see how it looks from staying in the ocean so long.
There is something real special about this bottle, boys and girls, because, listen, (shaking bottle). What do you hear? Do you know, boys and girls, that there are some sea shells inside this bottle that cannot get our right now? Look at this. (show the children in the front row as they look into the bottle). Now if you look just right you can see the shells in the bottle. But I can't get this shell in, can I? So how do you think that this shell that is on the inside, got on the inside? Did I hear somebody think that when it was little it came inside the bottle? Well, this is correct I When the shell was little it went inside the bottle.
I imagine that something like this might have happened. At least, in my fancy I can visualize Mr. and Mrs. Shell telling their little child, "Now honey, don't you go into any places that are dark, especially the bottles on the ocean floor. You could get in trouble." Well this little shell and friend shell down there on the ocean floor, decided they would go in the Coke bottle and they did. They went in and out many times. Maybe it was their little hide-out place. Maybe it was their playhouse. But one day they found the squeeze was rather tight getting in. But it was all right, because they were able to get out again. However, the next time they squeezed in they could not squeeze out again. They had to live and die inside the Coke bottle.
Boys and girls can get into trouble when parents say, "Don't do this or don't do that, if so it may result in trouble." Boys and girls must listen to their parents. For example, when told to look two ways before crossing the street. If you don't you may find yourself in trouble. Boys and girls are told, "Don't take any more cookies out of the cookie jar," That boy or girl may get spanked.
God says, "Be kind one to another." In so doing you should share your toys and love your brother or your sister. Our verse of scripture, boys and girls, is Numbers 32:23: "Be sure your sins will find you out." The little shells got in but couldn't!t get out. They found themselves in a lot of trouble. Had they listened, perhaps they would not have died inside this bottle, we must listen to our parents, above all we must listen to God. we must obey Him.
There are things that we do that the results are seen in the future. Depend on what God has said. The things that we do wrong will be discovered. Amen.
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