December 22, 2023 – Is Your Heart Receptive to Jesus?
Luke 2:34-35
Sermon: 2376 His Unblemished Life, Part 2
Pray Over This
“Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.’”
Luke 2:34-35
Ponder This
What makes the difference in individuals? It’s not education. It’s not social status. It’s not environment. People can be raised in the same family and end up different. One child loves God, and the other child does not love God. Cain and Abel had basically the same environment. There were two thieves on the cross, one crucified on Jesus’s right hand, one on the other. One of those thieves cursed and spit blasphemies in the face of Jesus; the other said, “‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom’” (Luke 23:42). The same sun that melts ice hardens clay. The same sermon that brings people to Jesus can harden people and turn them away from Jesus. But it’s not the sermon that really does it. The sermon only reveals the heart. What is really in you is determined by how your heart resonates with the preaching of Jesus. What you do with Jesus determines what Jesus does with you. You can accept Him, or you can reject Him. You can crown Him, or you can crucify Him. But you cannot ignore Him. You must do something.
- How did you reject Jesus before coming to know and trust Him?
- How are you responding to Jesus now? Where can you grow in knowing Him?
Practice This
Pray for those who have hearts that are hard toward Jesus and the Gospel.
For more from Love Worth Finding and Pastor Adrian Rogers, please visit www.lwf.org.
You can also listen to Adrian Rogers at OnePlace.com.