"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"
Receiving The Light (1:9-13)
INTRODUCTION
- In the prologue to his gospel, John introduces Jesus as "the
light"...
- That shines in darkness - Jn 1:5
- To whom John bore witness - Jn 1:6-8
- Who gives light to every man - Jn 1:9
- Yet John declares what becomes evident later in his gospel...
- Not everyone was willing to receive the light, i.e., Jesus
- Even His own people as a whole rejected Him
- But for those who did receive Him, they were truly blessed!
- The same remains true today...
- Many people do not receive Jesus
- Missing out on the wonderful blessings He offers!
[Why do people not receive Christ? How can we be sure to receive Him,
and the blessings He offers as "The Light"? Let's take a closer look at
the text for our study...]
- MANY DID NOT RECEIVE THE LIGHT
- WHO DID NOT RECEIVE THE LIGHT...
- The world in general - Jn 1:9-10
- Even though He gives light to every man! - cf. Jn 1:4; 8:12;
12:46
- Even though the world was made through Him! - cf. Jn 1:3
- His own people in particular - Jn 1:11
- He had come into His own land, Palestine - cf. Jer 2:7
- He had come to His own people, Israel - cf. Deut 7:6
- WHY THEY DID NOT RECEIVE THE LIGHT...
- They did not know Him - Jn 1:10
- Even His own brothers at first, though they did after His
resurrection - Jn 7:5; Ac 1:14
- Familiarity often breeds contempt: "A prophet has no honor
in his own country..." - Jn 4:44
- Other reasons provided by John in his gospel
- Some loved darkness more than light - Jn 3:19-20; 5:42-43
- Some were afraid of what others thought - Jn 7:13; 9:22
- Some were misinformed of the facts - Jn 7:40-43
- Some were hardened by their traditions - Jn 9:13-16
- Some loved the praise of men - Jn 12:42-43
[For similar reasons today, many people do not receive Jesus. Yet some
did...]
- SOME RECEIVED THE LIGHT
- THE BENEFITS OF RECEIVING THE LIGHT...
- The right to become children of God - Jn 1:12
- The word "right" signifies both authority and ability (JFB)
- Receiving Christ gives us the authority and ability to
become sons of God
- Which is wonderful manifestation of God's love - cf. 1Jn
3:1
- Making us heirs of God and joints heirs with Christ - cf. Ro
8:14-17
- The privilege of being born of God - Jn 1:13
- Not of blood - i.e., by virtue of physical descent
- Not of flesh - i.e., by virtue of the lusts of the flesh
- Not of the will of man - i.e., by virtue of power in a man's
will alone
- But of God - i.e., a rebirth possible only by the Spirit of
God - cf. Jn 3:5; Tit 3:5
- THE MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE LIGHT...
- To receive Christ, we must believe in His name - Jn 1:12b
- Which is to say we must believe in Him
- The name of a person is often put for the person himself
(Barnes) - cf. Jn 2:23
- Believing in Him gives us power "to become" a child of God
- Faith in Jesus alone does not "make" one a child of God
- Many believed in Jesus, but did not become His disciples
- Only by abiding in His doctrine did they become His
disciples - Jn 8:30-32
- Some believed, but were unwilling to confess Him - Jn 12:42-43
- When faith moves us to obey Christ, then we become children of
God
- Faith makes us children of God when we put Christ on in
baptism - Ga 3:26-27
- We become children of God through faith, yes - but how?
- By putting Christ on when we are baptized into Christ!
- Jesus becomes the author of our salvation when we obey Him
- He 5:9
- Such as obeying His command to be baptized - Mk 16:16
- Thereby born again of both water and the Spirit - Jn 3:5;
Tit 3:5
- Sadly, many misapply John's words in Jn 1:12
- Teaching that one becomes a child of God simply by receiving
Christ in faith
- By saying "the sinner's prayer" (which is nowhere taught
in the Scriptures)
- Often appealing to Re 3:20-21 (which is addressed to
erring Christians, not lost sinners)
- Yet receiving Christ in faith gives one "power to become",
not "makes one become"
- We must appropriate that power through the obedience of
faith
- Such as confessing our faith, repenting of our sins - Ro
10:9,10; Ac 17:31
- Culminating our obedience by putting on (receiving)
Christ in baptism - Ga 3:27
CONCLUSION
- Jesus is the "True Light" who gives light to every man...
- Bringing grace and truth to those in sin and error
- Providing the way of salvation through His blood
- How sad that there are many in the world...
- Who do not know Him
- Who have not received Him
-- Who spend their lives stumbling in the darkness
- But if you are willing to believe in His name...
- You have the right to become a child of God!
- You can be born of God!
-- Provided your faith is an obedient faith, willing to abide in the
doctrine of Christ
Let the Word of God, and in particular John's gospel (cf. Jn 20:30-31),
point you in the direction of the Light, that you might be saved and
have life in His name!