Creation RECEIVE
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Weeks theme: creation.
Every lesson we will use a key word to think about a different aspect of God’s act of creating.
Review:
Lesson 1: FAITH- who’s word will you trust?
Lesson 2: GLORY- Creation is telling you something about God. God exists and He is GLORIOUS
Lesson 3: PURPOSE- God’s purpose in creating you is to honor, serve, and have fellowship with Him.
Lesson 4: BROKEN- Because we are sinners by birth and by choice our relationship with God is broken.
Lesson 5: SUPPRESS- Don’t suppress the truth in unrighteousness, but rather repent and turn to God.
Lesson 6: REDEMPTION- Christ has redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us.
Lesson 7: RECEIVE
Last time we talked about how God has provided a way to fix what is broken in His creation. That includes fixing what is broken within us.
God’s plan for fixing what is broken in us meant that Jesus Christ had to suffer for our sins on the cross. Jesus, the righteous, died for us, the unrighteous. Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins by shedding his blood. He paid our price. He suffered the wrath of God that we deserved for our sins.
In doing this God offers to us His free gift of salvation. Today, I want to talk more about how you can receive this free gift of salvation. So our key word is RECEIVE.
To talk about this we are going to look at the gospel of John.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Who is the Word?
Word already was in the beginning- Word is eternal
Word was with God- so the Word is not God the Father.
But the Word was God- Word is not God the Father, but the Word is God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
From John 1:14 we learn that the Word is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Jesus is the Word.
Jesus is God- fully God. He is the second person of the trinity—the Son of God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Here we find our theme of the week- creation. Where did everything come from? How did we go from non-matter to matter?
All things were made through Him, through the Word, through the Son of God. Without Him was not anything made that was made. Everything came from God the Son. Jesus made everything. He spoke it into existence out of nothing.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Here we find an answer to another of life’s puzzling questions, “Where did life come from?” How did we go from non-living matter to living matter?
If life climbed out of the primordial ooze as the evolutionist state, how did the dead matter, how did the ooze, become living matter? How did it gain life? Where did life come from?
In HIM was life. Who is the Him? The Word, the Son of God, Jesus. In Jesus was life, and the life was the light of men. God is the source of all life. He is what caused non-living matter to become living matter. God is the source of all life in the universe.
Skipping down to verse 9-
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
The true light = Jesus, who give light or life to everyone (he is the source of all life), was coming into the world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a man like us and entered into our world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into our world. The maker of the world and everything in it came into the world that He had created. But, there was a problem.
The world did not know him. What does that mean?
What is the world?
How did they not know him?
They thought he was just another man, just another person. But, Jesus is the very Son of the Most High God. Jesus is God Himself. He is the creator of all things. Imagine the creator of the universe was there walking and talking with people face to face and they did not realize it!
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
When Jesus entered into our world he came to his own people. Who were Jesus’ own people? The Jews. He was born a Jew, into the nation of the Jews. And again we find another problem.
Not only did they not know him, now we are told they did not receive him.
What is the difference between knowing and receiving?
Jesus told His people who he was and what was their response? They rejected Him, they crucified Him. They did not welcome Him, they did not receive Him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
This is a very important verse. This verse tells all of us how we can become children of God.
Who is a child of God? Is everyone a child of God? How do you become a child of God?
Our text tells us how to become a child of God-
But to all who did receive Him-
You become a child a God by receiving Jesus.
Who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
You become a child of God by believing in his name.
How do you receive Jesus?
How do you believe in his name?
First let’s look at how you do not become a child of God.
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Three ways you do not become a child of God.
Children of God are not born of blood. What does that mean? It does not matter what your bloodline is. It does not matter who your parents are or who your grandparents are. You do not become a child of God based on your birth or your bloodline. Your parents cannot make you a child of God.
Children of God are not born of the will of the flesh. You cannot will yourself to become a child of God. Or you cannot do enough good works to make yourself into a child of God.
Children of God are not born of the will of man. There is no man who can will you to become a child of God. No priest can pour or sprinkle water over you and make you a child of God. No priest can say magic words and make you into a child of God.
Children of God are born only of the will of God. And God’s will is that ALL who receive Jesus who believe in His name are given the right to become a child of God.
How do you receive Jesus?
We have already talked about this. This means you must turn away from your sin and turn toward Jesus. This is the idea of repentance. To receive Jesus you must turn toward Him. To turn toward Him you must turn away from your sin.
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Turn away from your sin, and turn back to God by turning to Christ. Receive Christ in order to have the right to become a child of God.
7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Here is a wonderful definition of repentance.
Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. What does it mean to forsake something? To leave it behind. What sin, or what wickedness do you need to forsake? I don’t know what you are involved in right now, but God does. God offers you forgiveness of that sin, but you need to forsake it, you need to turn away from it.
What thoughts do you need to forsake and turn from? God knows not only our way but our thoughts as well. God offers you forgiveness for your sinful thoughts but he wants you to forsake them. Leave them behind. No longer live by following after those things.
Instead, let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord.
Turn to the Lord. Turn to Jesus. Turn away from your sin and turn to Christ. Why?
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
God wants to have compassion on you, God want to abundantly pardon or forgive you. God wants to make you His child. In order to become a child of God you must receive Jesus. You must forsake your sin and turn to Christ.
What is the second part of becoming a child of God? The first part is to receive Jesus. What is the second part?
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
To believe in his name. What does that mean?
To believe in Jesus’ name means that you believe Who He is and what He has done for you.
Who is Jesus? He is the perfect Son of God. He is God. Everything that makes God god Jesus is. He is the sinless, He is creator, He is our Savior.
What did Jesus do for you?
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Christ died for our sins- review last lesson.
He was buried- Jesus really did die. He gave his life and was buried for three days. He paid the penalty for all our sin.
He was raised on the third day.
Jesus did not stay dead. This is good news. After three days the bible teaches that Jesus came back to life.
Biggest Story Video: 22:17 mark
This is the good news of the gospel: Jesus Christ died for your sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, and on the third day He rose again from the dead according to the Scriptures.
If you want to become a child of God, if you want your sins forgiven, if you want to have eternal life like Jesus has then I invite you to receive Jesus and believe on his name.
How do you do that?
Repent of your sins and turn toward Jesus- receive Him.
Put your faith alone in who Jesus is and what He has done for you. Believe in his name. When you do that God gives you the right to become a child of God. You can do that right now, you can do that today. But it is up to you. What will you do? Will you become a child of God?