The Response to Jesus
John 1:10-12
“Christmas Quiz”
1. When
Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, how did they get there?
a. They walked
b. Joseph walked; Mary rode a donkey
c. They took a chariot
d. We don’t really know
2. How many angels spoke to the shepherds?
a. A multitude
b. Two Gabriel and Michael
c. One
d. Not sure
(Read Luke 2:10)
3. What
song did the angels sing?
a. “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
b. “Joy to the World”
c. “Glory to God in the Highest”
d. None of the above
(Read Luke 2:13)
4. What
animals were present at Jesus’ birth?
a. Cows, sheep and camels
b. Horses, sheep and donkeys
c. Lions and tigers and bears
d. None of the
above
5. In
what books of the Bible can you find the Christmas story?
a. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
b. Matthew and Luke
c. Mark and Matthew
d. Matthew, Mark and Luke
The
Response to Jesus
1. Immanuel
is IGNORED
· With
all the tinsel of Christmas, it’s easy to blow right past the
birth of Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” - vs. 10
· The
majority has never recognized Jesus for who He really is.
· Have
you been ignoring Jesus this year? Don’t let this Christmas pass
by without figuring out why Jesus came.
2.
The Revealer is REJECTED
· While
some are apathetic and ignore the Christ of Christmas, others
reject Him outright - vs. 11
· Jesus
came to the people who should have known Him best, but they
wanted nothing to do with Him. Jesus came to his own people and
they wouldn’t take Him in.
· They
should have known better because they knew He was coming. Every
book in the Old Testament testifies to this one great truth:
He’s coming. One day God would send His Messiah to deliver His
people Israel. And when Jesus finally arrived, they didn’t
receive Him because they didn’t want to. To not receive means,
“to reject.” Instead of welcoming Him they drove Him away.
· Humans
in general reject God. And the reason we reject Him is because
we want to.
3.
The Redeemer must be RECEIVED
· While
it is true that the world ignored Him and His own people
rejected Him, there have always been some who will receive Him.
John 1:12 is one of the greatest verses in the entire Bible
because it explains clearly how someone can become a Christian
· Notice
the 3 Key Words
· Received
- This is an active word with a deep meaning. It literally
means, “to take, or to seize.” Those who receive Christ are
those who welcome or accept Him into their lives. Jesus is God’s
gift to us at Christmas. We can choose to ignore Him, or reject
Him, or we can take what has been freely offered to us. Have you
taken hold of Him? Have you received Him into your life?
· Believed
- To believe means that we put our trust completely in Christ by
committing our lives to Him. Biblical belief always involves
receiving, or responding to what God in Christ has done for us.
· Right
-
This word means “honor” or “privilege.” The moment you receive
Christ into your life, God gives you the honor of becoming a
member of His family. We are given permission to become a child
of God when we believe and receive.
· Christmas
is a great reminder that we’ve not been forgotten.
· No
one stumbles into Christianity by accident. At some point you
must consciously believe and receive Jesus as your Lord and
Savior. In order to fully understand the reason for Christmas,
we must respond to the reality of Christ and be born again.
· The
real Christmas quiz is not focused on what you know, but on whom
you know. The key is not information, but life transformation.
Most of us have enough data; we just need to make a decision.
PRAYER -
I
invite you to pray this prayer with me . . . Lord Jesus, for too
long I’ve kept You out of my life. I confess that I am a sinner
and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door
when I hear You knocking. By faith I gratefully receive Your
gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth.
With all my heart I believe You are the Son of God who died on
the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day.
Thank You for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal
life. I believe and now I receive so that I can become Your
child. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.
