The Response To The Eternal Word

Pastoral Prayer

Praising God for joy.

Rejoice in the Lord always .

Pray for those of us to cultivate joy in the Christian life.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit.

We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Pray that our Christian living would be marked with joy in the Lord.

Restore to us the joy of your salvation.

Pray for those of us who are suffering.

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurances produces character, and character produces hope.

Announcement

Christmas Eve Choir

There will be a practice TODAY at 3:30 PM.

There will also be two more practices scheduled on Thursdays, December 14 & 21 at 7 PM.

The choir will be singing at the Christmas Eve Service, which is the evening service.

E2 Old Testament

I would encourage you to consider signing up for the Old Testament class that’s reschedule to begin on January 13th, 2024 - March 2nd.

It’ll be on Saturdays at 10 AM - 12 PM.

You can the registration form on the desk in the foyer opposite the Christmas Tree.

[SLIDE 1] Introduction

If you have your Bible, then please turn to John 1:6-13

John 1:6–13 ESV

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people 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, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Illustration

As the Christmas holiday is coming up, I’m sure many of you are already thinking about buying Christmas gifts for your loved ones and friends.

Now, I don’t know what you’re planning to buy.

But, sometimes, gift cards may be an easy solution during the holiday season with all the busyness and last minute purchases.

However, Business Insiders published an interesting article earlier this year about gift cards based on the research conducted by Credit Summit.

Credit Summit surveyed (1200) Americans ages 16 and up in December.

According to a December survey, a lot of the gift cards go unspent.

Would you like to guess the amount of unspent gift cards? $21 billion.

Now, I don’t exactly know how they got that number, but that’s just what I read.

Now, what could be the reason for not spending those gift cards? There are a number of possibilities:

You may put your gift cards in their wallet or in their drawer (out of their line of sight). Eventually, they are then forgotten.

Or, they accidentally lose the unspent gift cards.

Or, the gift card is for a store that you don’t particularly like or it’s not convenient to go there.

Biblical Theology

Here’s the reason why I bring this up. Just as gift cards have not been used by many Americans, God has given us the greatest gift that so many people in the world failed to respond appropriately, the Lord Jesus Christ.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, many people were drawn to Jesus, but it was at a superficial level because Jesus was able to perform miracles, feed me food, and meet my felt-needs.

Some were strongly drawn to Jesus, but they were not willing to make the full commitment because they had their reputation and pride to keep, and because they were afraid of losing something valuable in their life.

Some responded with hostility towards Christ by slandering him, calling him names, trying to throw him off the cliff, or wanting to stone him to death.

Whatever the reason may be for their failed response to Christ, it all boils down to one theme: Unbelief.

You may remember that Jesus often rebuked His disciples for their unbelief: “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

Jesus also rebuked those who refused to believe in Him, such as the Jews in John’s gospel.

At the end of the day, those who live in unbelief or failed to respond adequately are truly those who are not Jesus’ sheep because His sheep will hear His voice, the voice of their Good Shepherd.

Context

So, today, we’re continuing in our study of John’s “prologue” found in verses 1-18.

Today, we’re going to talk about “The Response To The Eternal Word.”

The opening five verses establish the reality of Jesus Christ who was the Eternal Word. He was God who was and will always be.

He’s the One who made all things come into existence.

He’s the One who possess true life that all men and women desperately need.

He’s the One who is the light that shines in the darkness and exposes the works of evil.

Here, in this passage, we will learn about those who responded to the Eternal Word: positively and negatively.

However, before we get to verses 9-13, John makes a sudden shift from the eternal and self-existing Creator God to an earthly man.

This man was God’s witness who testified about Jesus as the light of the world and the Christ (the Messiah).

So, the 1st of our three lessons that we learn is this:

[SLIDE 2] Exposition

1. The Forerunner of the Eternal Word (vv.6-8)

The Apostle John talks about another John in the prologue.

We know him as John the Baptist.

So, without confusing all of you, the Apostle John is the author. I mentioned to you that he never mentions his own name in this gospel.

The name of John the Baptist is mentioned many times in this gospel.

So, every time the name John appears, it refers to the Baptist (except for four references to Peter’s father).

What may be helpful here is that I’ll refer the Apostle John as the “AUTHOR.” So, every time I say author, you think of the Apostle John.

And every time I say, John, you’ll think of John the Baptist.

So, why does the author transition to talking about John in this section of the prologue.

One of the reasons is because the “Light” theme is connecting two passages.

Jesus is the Light, but in verse 8, John is not the Light.

The Apostle John is possibly addressing the readers who may have thought that John the Baptist was the Light.

Now, Jesus acknowledges in John 5:35 that John may have been a light (the little light).

However, the author emphatically says that John is not THE LIGHT, but came to bear witness about the light.

The other reason is that John was chosen by God to announce the coming of the Messiah.

The fact that he was sent from God is really a divine miracle.

If you know his parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1, both of them were in a similar situation as Abraham and Sarah in Genesis.

Both of them did not have children. Elizabeth was barren.

Both were at their old age.

Yet God miraculously and sovereignly gave them a child, a son

According to Luke 1:15, John the Baptist was the only human in history who was filled with the Holy Spirit while in his mother’s womb.

God sent John to be the Forerunner of the Eternal Word. What does it mean for John to be the Forerunner?

Well, I want you to imagine that you're planning a surprise birthday party for a special friend who is coming from another city.

This special friend is the VIP or the main guest.

You, as the planner, are functioning like a forerunner. You planned the location. You ensure all the guest’s friends are there for the special day.

You check and make sure all the foods and beverages are prepared.

Your role as the forerunner is to pave the way, eliminating obstacles, and making that special friend’s entrance smooth and memorable.

In the biblical context, John the Baptist serves as the forerunner.

He was meant to go and herald/announce the coming of Jesus Christ.

The purpose of this was to prepare the hearts of the Jews for the arrival of their Messiah (Luke 3:16; Acts 19:4).

John was the precursor of Jesus Christ.

John was one to prepare the way of the Lord.

Now, how did John prepare the way of the Lord?

In the Synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke - John was known for his ministry of baptism and message of repentance at the Jordan River.

Matthew 3:11 ESV

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

He was a faithful messenger of Christ.

He was also a fire and brimstone preacher.

He called out the religious hypocrites.

He called out the political leaders of his time.

He was beheaded by Herod (Matthew 14:1-12)

One of the characteristics of John that we may not know or forget is that he would be considered the final prophet of the Old Covenant (Luke 16:16).

Between the OT and NT, there was a 400-year silence where God did not give revelation.

There were no prophets that God raised up during the intertestament times until God sent John the Baptist into the scene.

All in all, Jesus commends John for being the greatest human being to have ever lived (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28).

In John’s gospel, the author does not refer to John as John the Baptist or the Baptizer, but simply as John.

Perhaps, the author does not want the readers to focus so much on his ministry of baptism that the other gospels have already covered.

Instead, according to verse 7, the author’s message about John is to underscore this important theme of his ministry: he came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light.

We are given a courtoom scene where the language of witness and testimony is used by the author.

The Greek word for “witness” is μαρτυρία. That is the noun form.

That’s where we get the word, “Martyr.”

It does not always mean those who die for their faith, but it does mean being a witness for Jesus.

The verb for “bearing witness” is μαρτυρέω. It is used 33 times in John’s gospel. So, it’s rather significant word for the author.

John came to testify the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we get to the narrative portion in John 1:19, it begins with the testimony of John.

The purpose of John’s testimony is so that all might believe through him (through his testimony).

[SLIDE 3] His ministry is summarized in John 10:40-42

John 10:40–42 ESV

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

Certainly, that’s the author’s purpose of this gospel for including the testimony of John...

so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John’s example of bearing witness for Jesus Christ contains two applicational principles for all of us.

First, bearing witness for Christ means pointing others to Jesus.

John’s focus is to point others to Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God and the Son of God.

Second, bearing witness for Christ means not focusing on yourself.

“All successful witnessing to Jesus Christ must start with this self-realization.”

John testified that Christ must increase, and I must decrease.

Being a witness for Christ involves humility and selflessness.

The message of salvation is about Jesus, not about personal achievements or recognition.

All of us have our own personal testimonies of how we came to know Christ, and we should share them when given the opportunity.

However,

do you draw too much attention to yourself

Or do you try to point others back to Christ through your story?

When we start to think that there is something important about us, we cease to be effective as Christ’s witness.

However, not everyone believed in Christ through John’s testimony.

This leads us to the second point:

[SLIDE 4] 2. The Rejection of the Eternal Word (vv.9-11)

According to verse 9, Christ is the true light in contrast to John who was not the light.

This adjective, “true,” is quite important to the identity of Jesus Christ.

Jesus describes Himself as the true bread (John 6:32), the true vine (John 15:1) in opposition to those that are untrue or even false.

In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians that Satan disguises himself as the angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

So, there are false lights in this world.

John was addressing to his readers: “you may be following many so called lights, but I want to tell you that there is a true light.”

The true light is the genuine and ultimate self-disclosure of God to man.

This true light is the One that gives light to (or to enlighten or illuminate) everyone.

This does not mean inner illumination where there is a special light inside everyone. That’s a New Age teaching that tells us to search inside our hearts to find our true self or that spark of light.

It does not mean everyone in the world will receive that light.

What it does it mean is that Jesus Christ gives revelation of Himself as the true light to everyone, and people - who have seen Him, who have heard about Him, who have read the Bible - have to make a decision of how they respond to that light.

This true light is the One who was coming to the world.

And this is the first instance that the word, “world,” is mentioned. John loves to use this word in his writings.

But, what does “world” mean?

You may remember that I mentioned that John’s gospel is simple for a child to understand, yet it is so deep and profound.

This is where you need to understand that “world” has nuances. It has many different meanings depending on the the context.

For example, the world can mean the universe.

Or the world can mean just the earth itself.

Or the world can mean the system of evil that is against God.

Or the world can specifically mean an ethnic group.

Verse 10 gives clarity to the meaning of the “world.”

At the end of the verse, it says that “the world” did not know him.

For John, he often describes the world with negative overtones depending on the context.

This world is corrupt and sinful. It’s a world that is bad.

Those who are of the world belong to this world. They are not of Christ. It doesn’t know Christ.

So, the world is in dire need of the Saviour.

Most likely in this context, John describes the world as everyone in the world from past, present, and future who are a part of the evil system of this world, controlled by the evil one.

The world that God created was meant to know its Creator, but it did not. It is alienated from Christ.

To further describe the rejection of the Eternal Word...

John says in verse 11 that the Eternal Word came to his own, which is own his people, the Jewish people, and his own did not receive him.

Perhaps one of the saddest verses in the gospel.

The Jews have been expecting and anticipating the coming of their Messiah as prophesied in the Old Testament.

However, they did not receive the Word. They did not take Him as their Messiah (most of them at least).

The greatest gift that God has given to us is His Son.

But, the Jews rejected His Son.

They refused to receive all the testimonies regarding Jesus Christ being the Son of God.

Jesus spoke these words to the Jewish leaders.

John 5:39–40 ESV

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

When you look at biblical history, the Jews’ rejection of the Eternal Word remains a pattern.

God rescued their ancestors in Egypt, but they still rebelled against Him.

God continues to pursue them through the Old Testament, but they still walked in their own ways.

God warns them through prophets to come back to a relationship with Him, but they chose to kill the prophets and worship idols.

There is not much difference here in John’s gospel and in the entire New Testament.

Jesus, God the Son, the Messiah, came, but the Jews rejected Him.

Maybe you may relate to the Jews, “I know who Jesus is, but I reject Him as my Lord and Savior.”

Until this day, the world - both Jews and Gentiles - rejects Christ. That’s a grim reality.

But, “why do people reject the Eternal Word? Why do they reject the light.”

[SLIDE 5] The answer is found in John’s gospel.

John 3:19–20 ESV

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

The reason people refuse to come to the light is because they love the darkness and hate the light.

Some of you may think that the author is being too black and white.

Some of you may not be Christians, but you’re interested in learning more about Christ. You may not consider yourself as a person who hates Christ.

However, let me give you an illustration and this may generally apply to the young people in the sanctuary:

How many of you like to be woken up early in the morning? With a sun beaming through the window? Or with the light being switched on by your parents?

If you’re honest, you want to keep your eyes closed and sleep in and try to block out the light as much as you can so that you can get all the sleep you need.

Perhaps, deep down in your thinking at that moment, you don’t like the light. Instead, you want to be in the dark room.

What Jesus Christ - the true light - came to do is to expose your sins and your evil works.

And when your sins are exposed, your fleshly and sinful nature is to suppress the truth and fight against the light.

You continue to do evil works because of your spiritual blindness caused by sin.

And you love doing wicked things and hate being told that the sin that you love and enjoy is wrong.

You love your sins more than you love God.

You love to walk in your own ways rather than walking in the ways of God.

That’s why Jesus says that the world hates Him.

While this is a grim reality, there is still good news of hope.

[SLIDE 6] 3. The Reception of the Eternal Word (vv.12-13)

John begins in verse 12 with a contrast clause, “But.”

While there will be those who are rejectors of the Eternal Word, there will be those who are receivers of the Eternal Word.

The rejection from the world does not hinder God’s plan of salvation for His elect before the foundation of the world.

God will always preserve His chosen remnant who have faith in Christ.

Those who believe in the name of Jesus also receives Him.

Those who receive the Eternal Word...he gave the right to become children of God...and these children were not born of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man...

John is speaking about the doctrine of the New Birth. He’s speaking about being born again.

One of the theological errors that many Christians make is that everyone in the world is a child of God.

That’s actually wrong.

People are not naturally children of God.

Rather, according to Ephesians 2:3, Paul says, “we...were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Apart from Jesus, we are children of wrath.

Therefore, those who are children of wrath need to be born again to become children of God.

John explains how the new birth works.

But first, John explains that the new birth is not based on the following:

The new birth is not based on the blood.

The new birth is not based on the will of the flesh.

The new birth is not based on the will of the man.

In summary, the new birth is not based being born of a blood line, natural descent, or will power of man.

Your heritage, ethnicity, or even being Jewish, do not contribute to your new birth.

If you’re born in a Christian family with godly parents, your physical birth into that family do not contribute to your new birth.

Your faith cannot be borrowed from your parents.

You must be born again from above.

These verses teach against the idea of manipulating people’s emotions, forcing people to believe in Christ, and getting them to pray the sinner’s prayer.

In the past, I have parents coming up to me to talk about their wayward child.

While I try my best to convince the child to return to God’s fold, I know it’s not based on my will power to get them to go to church.

What the new birth is based on being born of God.

In other words, salvation is the sovereign work and will of God on spiritually dead sinners.

No one can come to believe in Jesus Christ unless He (God) gave them the right to become children of God.

God must be the One who can cause you to be born again (according to 1 Peter 1:3) through the word of truth (James 1:18).

He is the only One who can shine the divine light into the heart of a lifeless and darkened sinner and bring about regeneration and newness of life.

Therefore, at the foundational level, the new birth is rooted in God’s grace.

So, have you come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you experienced the supernatural work of God in your heart?

If not, then pray and beg God for His mercy to save you.

We can become children of God by receiving the free gift of salvation, offered to us by grace.

1 John 5:1 ESV

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.

But, this faith is not some form of easy believeism.

D.A. Carson: “Such faith yields allegiance to the Word, trusts him completely, acknowledges his claim and confesses him with gratitude.”

Have you come to genuine saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?

If so, then you’ll follow Him.

Your desire will be to love and obey Him.

Application

[SLIDE 7] So, we have considered three lessons from this text:

1. The Forerunner Of The Eternal Word (vv.6-8)

2. The Rejection Of The Eternal Word (vv.9-11)

3. The Reception of the Eternal Word (vv.12-13)

As you think about your responsibility of witnessing for Christ and proclaiming the gospel, just like John the Baptist, people have their own specific reasons for why they don’t believe.

What are some common reasons (excuses) that people give for rejecting Christ?

How can these be countered?

[SLIDE 8] Conclusion

Again, if you aren’t a Christian, let me plead with you to believe in Christ.

Based on John’s testimony, the testimony of the Word of God about Jesus Christ, and the testimony of countless Christians around the world (past and present), will you receive Him or will you reject Him?

Will you put and set aside God’s greatest gift in your mental box / compartment and forget about it?

I pray and hope that you’ll not reject the Greatest Gift given to the world by the Father, or put the gift in your mental box or compartment and forget about it.

Benediction

- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.