Sermon

Jesus and the Three R's

Theme

Each of us must choose what we will do with Jesus.

Object

School Books or some other item used in a classroom

Scripture

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:11-14 (NIV)

The first R is for REJECT. When faced with the choice of what to do with Jesus, many people choose to reject him. The Bible says that Jesus came to his own people, but his own people refused to believe that he was the Son of God. They refused to believe that he was who he said he was. They chose to reject Jesus. Even today, many people still choose to reject Jesus.

The second R is for RECEIVE. Some people choose to receive Jesus and believe in his name. The Bible tells us that to those who receive him, he gives the right to become the children of God. You and I can choose to receive Jesus, and when we do, we are given the right to become the children of God.

The third R is for REFLECT. Jesus came to be born in a stable to show us what God is like. We have seen the glory of God through the life of Jesus, now we have to make a choice. We can choose to keep it to ourselves, or we can choose to reflect that glory through our words and our actions.

This week we go back to school and back to the three R's, but we need to remember that every day we face the three R's of what to do with Jesus. I pray that we will make the right choices.

Dear Father, for those who have not yet chosen to receive Jesus and believe in him, we pray that they will make that choice today. For those of us who have chosen to receive him, may our lives reflect his glory in all that we do and say. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.