John 1:6-13 - The True Light
The Gospel of John - That You May Believe • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The Word Read
The Word Read
Please remain standing for the reading of the Holy Scripture. Hear the Word of the Lord from:
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.
Behold, brothers and sisters, this is the Word of the Lord. Please be seated.
Exordium
Exordium
Beloved in Christ,
I invite you to open Holy Scripture to John 1:6-13 this morning.
For the last few weeks, we have seen the Word’s existence before the creation of the world, and His role in creation and new creation. It would make sense for John to continue his chronological progression: God saving Noah and his family in the Ark during the Flood, the covenant He made with Abraham and his descendants, God saving His people out of Egypt in the Exodus, the initiation of the Sinai covenant, Israel’s constant rejection of God, her exile, and ultimately her coming back into the land. However, John skips over all that history and focuses on John the Baptist.
John continues to portray an incredibly high view of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. The written Word of God helps us to see the grandeur of the living Word of God. During the past week, the sacredness of Christ settled more deeply into my heart. It’s not as if the Scriptures became more powerful or Christ became ontologically lovelier. For me, it was looking at creation, which was once made sacred, but has now become tainted with sin and has become common, due to humanity’s rebellious transgression. A transgression so heinous that all humanity fell under the power of sin, and all creation was subjected to corruption. So incredulous that no one would blame the Holy One if He left us all under condemnation. Yet, in unfathomable grace, He made redemption possible. Not only did He make redemption possible, but the Eternal Son came to this world, that which was created through Him and for Him, in humility to redeem those who would believe in Him.
My thesis for these verses is that Christ is the true light that has been rejected by some, but received by others, and those who have received Him have been adopted into God’s family, made children of God by grace.
John 1:6-8 - John Bears Witness to Christ
John 1:6-8 - John Bears Witness to Christ
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
I grew up in a small church that was a part of a denomination called Village Missions. It’s not a well-known denomination as they focus on small rural towns in both the United States and Canada. After I got saved, I immediately transferred to Liberty University to pursue a degree in Pastoral Leadership. I remember thinking, “I have no idea what to expect from a Baptist.” An elder from our church offered to accompany me to an evening service at one of the Baptist churches in town. The only thing I knew about Baptists was “John the Baptist.” That was the extent of my knowledge regarding Baptist history and theology.
Now, when we think of John the Baptist, many of us think of his ministry of baptism. He baptized many in the river, and he baptized Jesus. Yet, the apostle John does not focus on his baptism ministry in these verses. He makes it abundantly clear that this John was sent, commissioned, or ordained by God, not mainly for baptism, but to be a witness. This John, as I’m sure many of you know, was a relative of Jesus. John leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary visited Elizabeth, as recorded in Luke 1:41. It was as if there was a prophetic announcement in utero by John, preparing the way for Jesus. We mustn’t forget that John the Baptist’s primary ministry was not baptism, but to be a herald pointing all to Christ.
In John 1:7, it is said that he came as a witness. This word for witness means to testify as one who has superior knowledge of the truth. You can think of a court case where an eyewitness is brought to the stand to testify in front of the jury. That witness has superior knowledge of the truth in the case. Likewise, John was to testify of the Great One who would come after him: the light.
Neither Scripture nor John himself disguises the reality that his ministry was not to boast of himself, but of Christ. We see this in Matthew 3:1-3:
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
John’s message is clear; he is not here for himself, but a prophet pointing to the Messiah who is to come. John so understood this that he said these words to his own disciples in John 3:27-30:
27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John, a prophet of old, points all to Jesus as a witness. Notice the wording at the end of John 1:7: “that all might believe through him.” Did you see that preposition? The word “through.” Words are important. Words are used to communicate with one another. Now, if you haven’t noticed yet, I am notorious for mixing up my words and definitely mispronouncing words. Once, during a presentation, I said the word “conversating” instead of “conversing.” There have been many times when I have made my wife cringe or roll her eyes due to this gift I possess.
Yet, the apostle John’s use of the preposition “through” is important. John the Baptist was a prophet bearing witness about the light, that all might believe, not in him, but through him. His ministry was a conduit through which people would come to the glory of Christ. He was merely a channel to the Messiah, not the Messiah himself. He was a witness.
Isn’t this ministry of being a witness also what Jesus told his disciples just before He ascended? Acts 1:6-8:
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The book of Acts reveals the apostles giving witness to Jesus. Everywhere they traveled, they gave witness to Christ. They were never the focus. As Paul said to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2:
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
The call to be a witness and to give witness of Christ is not just for John the Baptist and the apostles. It is for us today as well. We, who are in Christ, are all witnesses of the power of Christ. He has taken us from being spiritually dead and made us alive. The question for us is not, “When was the last time you led someone to Christ?”, although that is a significantly important question, but instead, “When was the last time you shared Christ with someone?”
No doubt, for many of us, this may seem like a daunting task. Terror and fear fill our hearts when we know the Holy Spirit is provoking us to give witness to Christ. We can feel our hearts race as the conversation unfolds before us. The adrenaline fills our veins as our family member speaks of how little joy there is in this world, how their world is falling apart before their eyes, and there is nothing to cling to in this dark, dreary world. In that moment, we know Christ is the anchor for this weary soul. Christ is the light for their souls, surrounded in total darkness. The burning question that weighs heavily on our hearts in those moments is this: Will I be a faithful witness for Christ? The world does not need another “Chicken Soul for my bad life” book. What your troubled families and friends need is the life-giving water of Christ Jesus. Their souls need Christ, and we, like John the Baptist, are meant to be mere faithful witnesses pointing them to Jesus.
Furthermore, this is why we should be passionate about global missions. Currently, according to the Joshua Project, 1.9 billion people are living in what they call “Frontier Unreached People Groups.” These groups have almost no Christian witness. To be considered a “Frontier Unreached People Group,” the population must be 99.9% non-Christian. Approximately 25% of the world’s population lives in this type of setting. They have virtually no opportunity to hear the Gospel, a little over 1.9 billion people.
We should pray for these people. We should pray for God to raise up missionaries to send to these men, women, and children. May God even send our children who attend this church to the ends of the earth. May they be the answer to Luke 10:2:
2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Why do we pray this prayer? We know some of the stories of missionaries who are sent to unreached people groups. They walk into difficult soils being rejected. Is this what we want for our family members and close friends? Rejection, a difficult life, in a radically different culture, in a land far away?
The heart cry of a church that prays for the Lord to send their covenant children to the ends of the earth reveals a church deeply connected with the heart of Christ Himself. We pray for missionaries to go into the places where darkness reigns with the glorious hope of the Gospel. We raise children in such a way that they know the American Dream is fool’s gold. They understand there is far greater joy in sharing the Gospel around the globe than in pursuing wealth and comfort. So, we pray that Christ will raise up courageous young men and women who will have an insatiable zeal for the world to know the glory of Christ. Isn’t that a legacy worth pursuing for a church? Oh, that we would give our prayers, resources, and people to the Great Commission, seeing ourselves as witnesses to our community and the entire globe. We desire to send our children, not because it is easy, but because it delights the heart of God to send them!
John 1:9-13 - Christ, the True Light, is Rejected by Some and Received by Others
John 1:9-13 - Christ, the True Light, is Rejected by Some and Received by Others
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
The apostle continues writing about Christ as the true light of the world. In John 1:9, it is clear that the Eternal Word is the true light and that He gives light to everyone. What does this mean that the true light gives light to everyone? Is this stating that every person has a “sense of the divine” within them that guides them? The answer to this is, of course, no. The Light, that is Christ, reveals Himself, and not all receive Him. The Holy Spirit only dwells in those whom the Son of God has redeemed. The unbeliever may look beautiful on the outside, but within, there is spiritual death. As Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:27-28:
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Within our new age, spiritualistic culture, it is often believed that there is an inner life force that guides people. This inner life force appears to be an ambiguous, impersonal force that is within each person. Ultimately, as some claim, this energy originates from a “Higher Power,” which is often attributed to a deity. However, this is not the claim of Scripture. Scripture is clear that those who are not in Christ are at odds with God. They are called sons of disobedience and children of wrath (Ephesians 2:2-3). The light of Christ does not reside in those who are at enmity with Him. So, the true light, that is Christ, gave light into the world, and caused the world to have two different responses to salvation given: 1) Rejection or 2) Reception.
As I mentioned previously, God did not turn His back on His creation when Adam and Eve rebelled against Him. Notice what John 1:10 states, “He was in the world.” The Eternal Son of God, the Word of God, condescended to earth, being found in human form. Think of how the Son came to this world. Did He come in military power in the First Advent? Did He come as a conquering King slaughtering His enemies? Hear how Philippians 2:5-8 describes Christ Jesus’ first coming:
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
How did Christ come? In humility, the form of a servant, even unto His death on the cross. The crucifixion was one of the worst ways to die. There was incredible physical pain, which was coupled with public humiliation. Jesus’ humiliation in His suffering began before the crucifixion. As we read in Matthew 27:27-31:
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
And while on the cross, the humiliation continued, Matthew 27:39-44:
39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, and the path of that plan was one marked with humiliation. The redemptive plan conceived by the triune God before the foundation of the earth would be one of humility. The Son’s earthly path was marked with such suffering so that we might be reconciled to God. When we read of Christ’s humiliation on the cross, we should not be moved to pity. Instead, we should marvel that the Son would love us so much to endure such suffering for us. He took the humiliation. Christ took the wrath of God, and He gave us freedom from sin so that we might have eternal life. His love truly is vast as an ocean, and His waves of grace constantly overwhelm us.
Notice with me the progression in John 1:10. “He was in the world (speaks to His incarnation), and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” The Light through whom creation was made did not know the Light when He arrived in the world. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, He created all things through the Son, and it was very good. Now, the world, an atmosphere of apostasy, did not even recognize its very Creator. It is a total and tragic turn of events. This word for “know” does not mean to recognize intellectually. This word here carries the sense of responding in humble submission. What did the Light experience when He came into the world? Rejection by the world, and a failure by them to submit to Him.
However, this is just the tip of the iceberg! Look at John 1:11, “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.” The Israelites, His very own people, rejected Him. We would want to be shocked by this admission, but Scripture testifies numerous times to the Jews’ rejection of God.
Jeremiah 7:25-28:
25 From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. 26 Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. 27 “So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.
Or Isaiah 65:2-3:
2 I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; 3 a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks;
The Israelites have been a people who rejected the God who made a covenant with them at Sinai. Furthermore, their rejection is destructive as they are the ones crying out to Pilate, “Crucify Him!” They did not accept Jesus, nor did they submit to Him in a personal relationship. Their rejection of the Messiah still stands today. As Paul writes in Romans 11:25:
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Their rejection has continued to this very day as the truth has blinded their eyes. And yet, this rejection is not just experienced by those of Israelite descent. There are billions of people who have rejected the light that is Christ Jesus. There are some in our schools, workplaces, places we shop, and even in our own homes. Their hearts are darkened to the grace of Christ Jesus, and the enemy has blinded their eyes. They sit in a hopeless place looking for hope.
Let us be clear, they can see God’s power on display. He has not hidden Himself from this world. The old saying, “If I could just see God, then I’d believe in Him,” falls flat. We know this because Romans 1:18-21 details that the unbeliever can clearly perceive God in General Revelation:
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
What can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. They know God exists, yet they do not honor Him or give thanks to Him. Yet, like cockroaches, those who are not in Christ flee when the radiant Light shines upon them.
Dear friend, if you are an unbeliever here this morning, know that God has revealed Himself to you. His eternal power and divine nature have been on display since the creation of the universe. Come to Christ. Do not resist the glorious Light that is Christ Jesus. Come to Him. He can provide healing to your weary heart. He can give life to your darkened and dead soul. Come to the only One who can free you from the bondage of sin. Do not delay, for you do not know when you will draw your last breath. See the Holy One before your sinful eyes, and find the redeeming love of the Father in Jesus the Great Mediator as the Holy Spirit convicts you of your sinfulness and shows you Christ.
As this passage reveals, there are two responses to Christ: rejection and reception. John 1:12 begins, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name.” Let’s stop right there. Many received Christ and believed in His name when He walked upon this earth. We think of eleven of His twelve disciples. We think of the Roman Centurion. We can think of the woman who had years of bleeding that just touched his garment—countless stories of men and women receiving and believing in Christ. We can think of the spiritual giants from the past, such as Martin Luther, who came to Christ as he read and studied Romans 1:16-17, or John Owen, who came to Christ at the age of 26 after hearing a sermon on Matthew 26.
We can think of our grandparents’ and parents’ salvation stories. Then we can even think of our own. I was a sophomore in college, and as I read Holy Scripture on a lunch break, the Gospel of grace broke into my heart. I was taken from spiritual death to spiritual life by the grace of Christ. This is a grace that I walk in every day, and the keyword in my story is grace. I wake up in the morning breathing in grace. I live my day breathing in grace. As I lay my head down to sleep, I breathe in grace.
Grace has been a significant theme in my life recently. The Lord is showing me how I desperately need His grace. I’ve meditated deeply on God’s grace, and there’s a hymn that has filled my heart during this season. The title of the hymn is “Grace.” The refrain states:
By grace I am redeemed, by grace I am restored,
And now I freely walk into the arms of Christ my Lord.
When it comes to us receiving and believing Christ, it is entirely based on grace. As Ephesians 2:8-9 states:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
How precious is that word “grace” to us?
Now, let’s see how these verses end: Those who receive and believe in Christ’s name, “he gave them the right to be called children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” The right to be adopted by God was a gift of grace from Him. No merit will earn a person adoption by the Most High. How wonderful is this adoption? We, who were once God’s enemies, He now calls us His sons and daughters. Notice what this passage says. This adoption did not come through physical birth or ethnic descent, it did not come through sexual desire, it did not come through human reason, rationale, or volition. This adoption, this spiritual birth, is a supernatural work of God, and of God alone. There is no hope of adoption unless the Spirit of God regenerates the heart. It is in that moment when the forensic work of justification and the familial work of adoption overwhelmed the sinner’s heart, and he could be called a child of God.
In that moment, the words of Ezekiel fill our hearts. Ezekiel 36:26-27:
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
The dead have come to life, not because of merit, but ONLY because of the work of the Risen Christ!
Closing
Closing
The Light has come into the world. Most have rejected with hardened hearts, and some, by grace, have received the glorious gift of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. Which are you this morning? Have you rejected or received? If you have rejected, know that the Light still shines in the darkness, for the darkness can not overcome Christ. If Christ has saved you, know that this work is entirely a work of grace. By grace you have been redeemed, by grace you have been restored. And now you freely walk into the arms of Christ your Lord.
