Sermon Central
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How Will You Respond To Jesus
Contributed by Kevin L. Jones on Nov 9, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: You will respond to Jesus one way or another. The question is will you accept Him or reject Him?
How Will You Respond To Jesus?
Many times I have heard Dr. Adrian Rogers say: “You Are Free to Choose, You Are Not Free to Not to Choose, You Are Not Free to Choose the Consequences of Your Choice”
Friend, you have a choice to make. You must choose “How You Will Respond To Jesus”Since His birth men and women have had to make a choice. That choice is whether accept Him or reject Him.
Years ago my pastor and I went out to visit a man and share Jesus with him. We shared the gospel and asked the man if he would like to pray to receive Christ. The man said that he was not ready. The pastor said ok and we continued to talk to him about his family, his work and other issues involved in small talk. Before we left, Bro, Smith asked the man “Will you shake my hand before I leave?” the man said “well of course I will.” Bro. Smith said “ok, shake my left hand if you want to go to hell or my right hand if you want to go to heaven.” The man refused. He thought he had found a loophole out of that scenario. But you see, even though he refused to shake the pastors hand he still made a choice. If you attempt to ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit or attempt to procrastinate and put things off you are still choosing to reject Jesus Christ.
We have countless examples throughout history of those who rejected Jesus:.
a) At His Birth: No room in the inn.
b) During His Life: Pharisees, Sadducees, The Jews, The crowd {give us Barabbas} Pontus Pilate.
c) At The Cross: The man who said “If thou art the Christ, save thyself & us”
d) After His resurrection: Some still refuse to believe
e) Throughout History: Countless souls have rejected Him.
f) Today: Many (maybe even you) will reject Jesus Christ.
Though there is no shortage of those who would reject the Savior, there are also countless lives that have been changed as a result of surrendering to Jesus. Along with the way one responds to Jesus, come the consequences of that response. - John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Even if you have surrendered to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and have been born again. You too must examine “How you will respond to Jesus” The same Christ that saves you, moves in your life daily; calling you, guiding you & convicting you.
1) For the lost man, you must choose whether to accept Christ or to reject Him.
2) For the saved man, you must choose between obedience & disobedience.
So, how will you respond? That is the subject I would like to consider today. I would like to pose 5 questions to you today in order to answer the question “How Will You Respond To Jesus” The first question we will consider is:
I. Will You Draw Near? - v1a and again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.v2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door and he preached the word unto them
When Jesus entered Capernaum we are told that “it was noised that he was in the house.” Word traveled through this town quicker than gossip on Facebook. Jesus was there and the people were excited.
In the past few days Jesus had:
1) Healed a leper
2) Healed a paralyzed man
3) Healed Peter’s Mother-in-law
4) Healed many other sick folks
5) Cast out MANY demons
6) Preached with authority and power
As a church this should show us something. Lives will not be changed because we have the best programs, the most people, great singing, good preaching, pretty buildings or a lot of activity. Lives will be changed when it is “noised abroad” that Jesus is in the house! We have a responsibility to share the news that Jesus is in the house. (more on this in a moment) But for those of you who are here today and you don’t know Jesus personally. I want you to understand that He is still working miracles today.
He has the power to work great miracles in your life today.The most important miracle that you could ever receive is the miracle of salvation. That is the reason that He came to this earth in the first place. He Himself said that He had come to “seek and save that which was lost” What was lost? Better yet who was lost …YOU WERE! But Jesus came to work a miracle in your life!
