Trusting Jesus

I read Romans 10:9 and explained briefly that to be saved we must believe in Jesus Christ. Then I read James 2:19 and asked them that since the devil believes does that mean that the devil is saved. I allowed the kids to try to answer the question. I then set a regular folding chair at the front of the room and told the kids to imagine the chair to be Jesus. I explained that what it meant to believe in Jesus was that we had to lean on, depend on and trust in Jesus to get us to Heaven. I then told them that if we pretend this chair is Jesus then I must sit on the Chair to get to heaven. First I sat down on a table near the chair. I then explained although I knew who Jesus (the chair) was, by choosing to sit on the table I would not get to heaven. I then picked up the chair and carried it with me. I explained by going to church or reading my bible I could not get to heaven because I still hadn’t trusted in Jesus(sat in the chair). Finally I sat in the chair (trusted in, leaned on, depended on Jesus)and I was able to get to heaven. I used this illustration with 3rd – 6th graders and it really seemed to make sense to them.