WARM-UP
Q: What is something you get to choose?
There are a lot of different things we get to choose. How many of you like having choices? It is nice to have a say in things.
Today we are going to talk about the most important choice we get to make in our lives. The choice to be on Team Jesus.
WORKOUT
Remember last week we talked about the meaning of the word disciple. Can anyone remember what it means? Yes, learner – in this case someone who is learning from Jesus. If we think of it this way it might make sense – Jesus is a coach. Do we get to choose if we are going to listen to the coach or not?
As competitors we get to choose if we are going to do what the coach says or not. The same goes for our connection to Jesus. We get to choose if we are going to allow Jesus to teach us or not.
There are some things we need to understand about this. They are easy to understand if you look at these symbols (show The FOUR bracelet)
What is this first symbol? Yes, a heart. It means that God made you and loves you! He wants a friendship with you – for you to be on His team.
What’s next? Yes, a divide sign. It means that when we choose to do things the way we want (that’s called sin) we divide ourselves from God. When we ignore God, we cannot experience His love.
What’s this one? You’re right! A cross. The cross shows us that even though we have sinned, God still loves us and wants a relationship with us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to take our punishment so we can have a relationship with God again and be on His Team.
What’s the last one? A question mark. We all have to answer a question in our lives. Will you trust Jesus? God has already done everything to show you how much He loves you. He offers you eternal life through a relationship with Jesus Christ. This means agreeing you are sinful, accepting God’s forgiveness, and turning away from your sins and turning towards God. You choose to trust Jesus when you believe and confess that Jesus is Lord and surrender your life to Him.
If you are ready to place your trust in Jesus you can do that through prayer. Here is an example:
“Dear God, thank You for loving me and wanting the best for my life. I have lived my life for myself and done things my way, and I am sorry. Jesus, I believe that You are God and have forgiven my sins by dying and coming back to life again for me. I trust You and ask You to be Lord of my life. I surrender my life to You. Amen.”
WRAP-UP
Choosing to be on Team Jesus is a really big choice. If you made that choice today, welcome to the team. If you are not sure and have questions, please ask me or another coach and we’ll try our best to answer them.
Let’s pray!
“Lord, we are grateful that You sent Jesus to save us from our sins and that You give us a choice to be on Your team. Guide us as we make that choice and as we choose to be Your disciple. Keep us safe as we practice and compete. We love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”