LOOK OUT BELOW!
John 1:6-13
S: Jesus as Light
Th: Christmas: It’s About Jesus
Pr: RECEIVE THE LIGHT.
?: How do we come to the place of reception?
KW: Responses
TS: We will find in John 1:6-13 three responses to the encounter of Jesus as the light.
INDUCTIVE
The ____ response to Jesus as the light is…
I. REVELATION (6-8)
II. REJECTION (9-11)
III. RECEPTION (12-13)
RMBC 12/17/00 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Surprise (baby’s got a present)
Lisa Turner’s birthday was coming up and was excited to see what special thing her husband was going to do. She secretly hoped for breakfast in bed or a bouquet of roses. When the day arrived, there was no breakfast in bed or a bouquet of roses. In fact, it seemed her husband had completely forgotten. That afternoon, her husband handed her the baby and said, “He’s got a present for you.” She cringed. She knew this meant the baby had a messy diaper. Though it irritated her that she had to change diapers on her birthday, she grabbed the baby and diaper wipes, and prepared for the worst. To her delight, she found in the perfectly clean diaper a string of pearls—a wonderful present from her laughing husband.
Well, that was a wonderful surprise, even if it was a bit unorthodox.
Do you like surprises?
There are some surprises that are just plain fun.
There are others that just leave us shaking our head.
TRANSITION:
For example…
1. The crude environment of the birth of Jesus is certainly a surprise.
Doesn’t it seem at least a little bit absurd that the Creator of life would be born in this coarse setting?
I don’t mean to be rude by this line of questioning, but is that the way you would have planned it and done it?
Would you plan the birth to take place among animals?
Would you plan the birth to come to fruition in a damp, foul-smelling stable?
Would you plan for the birth to be announced to some second-class citizens watching their sheep and then have them be the first visitors?
I would not have planned it that way.
I would not have expected that.
2. We were not, though, left in the dark about His coming (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Micah 5:2).
It was communicated!
Note these verses we mentioned two weeks ago in our study:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
We were clued in on some very essential information.
We were told that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
We were told that the Messiah would come from a virgin.
And we were told, several times, that the Messiah would be nothing less than God Himself.
He was coming to rescue His own people.
This baby that we celebrate at Christmas is this very same Messiah.
He was named in the Hebrew, “Y’shua.”
In the Greek, it came out as “Jesus.”
3. Last week, we saw that Jesus shows us the way as the “light-bearer” (Luke 2:29-32)
When the old man, Simeon, saw Jesus in the temple as an eight-day old baby, he immediately knew who it was.
He knew that this baby was the hope of Israel and all mankind.
He said:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
It was Simeon’s testimony that this baby was going to show the way to live.
People were going to be able to see, for this baby was the light.
He was the light-bearer.
In our continuing study of the gospel of John, we are going to see today how you and I can respond to Jesus.
So…
4. We will find in John 1:6-13 three responses to the encounter of Jesus as the light.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first response to Jesus as the light is as REVELATION (6-8).
(6) There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. (7) He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. (8) He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
These first verses set in contrast two people.
One was Jesus (the Light).
The other was his cousin, the man we know as John the Baptist.
The name of John was a Greek form of the Hebrew Jonathan.
The name means “God is gracious.”
John the Baptist was an envoy with a special commission.
He was showing that God was gracious by communicating the truth that the long hoped for Messiah was finally present.
ILL Notebook: Prepare (gas)
Years ago, a minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas just before a long holiday weekend. The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him in front of the service station. Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump. "Reverend," said the young man, "sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until the last minute to get ready for a long trip." The minister chuckled, "I know what you mean. It’s the same in my business."
Well, I know exactly what that minister meant!
But it also shares a burden that we all should have—that those around us would be prepared.
For…
1. We are to prepare others for the coming of Jesus (Isaiah 40:3-5).
John the Baptist was the fulfillment of prophecy we find in Isaiah 40:
(3) A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. (4) Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. (5) And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
The Baptist had a wonderful task to prepare people for the Messiah, his cousin, Jesus.
And he brought the truth down to a level that could be understood.
For who Jesus was and what He was going to do was going to be quite overwhelming.
So he comes as the herald, preparing the way.
In the same way, we are God’s herald.
We too announce the coming of Jesus.
There is light for the world that lives in darkness.
And Jesus is that light!
ILL Notebook: Light (Norway)
There is a city located in the very north of Norway. It is an ordinary city except for the months of November through to January when the sun does not rise above the horizon. It is a period of perpetual night. It is said of those who are emotionally healthy the rest of the year that they become tense, fearful, preoccupied with thoughts of suicide. During this period of darkness the least desirable elements in humanity come to the surface: envy, suspicion, crime. The citizens long for the light and hate to be alone. So much so, they even install neon lights around their windows.
When we are surrounded by darkness, we desire light.
When there is darkness inside of us, we need light.
And as heralds…
2. We are to point others to the light.
When Jesus first came, He did not look like light.
He did not come into this world like a sunburst, nor as an alien from outer space.
Instead, He came looking like one of us.
And so, John the Baptist pointed Him out to others.
If we think about it, there have been people that pointed us to the light.
They have shown us Jesus.
They were John the Baptist to us.
And so we need to do the same for others that are in darkness about Jesus.
And…
3. We are to testify of the worthiness of belief.
The Baptist recognized the deity of Jesus.
So when someone acknowledged John the Baptist as a prophet, to be consistent, they also had to acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
John testified of Jesus’ deity (and not His miracles, for they had not come yet).
It was his testimony that you could trust in Jesus.
This was the real thing!
Just as John the Baptist, we are to call others to believe.
We are to bring men, women and children the opportunity to decide, to exercise a definitive act of faith.
II. The second response to Jesus as the light is REJECTION (9-11).
(9) The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. (10) He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (11) He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
1. Jesus came so that everyone could understand God’s compassion for His creation (Isaiah 9:2).
When Jesus came, He fulfilled the prophecy…
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
Jesus was the final consummation of the light that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament.
He was the true light, the very light of creation itself.
And He graciously offers His light to every person that is willing to receive it.
ILL Notebook: Recognize (Joe Montana)
On time, when Joe Montana, the hall of fame quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, was on the disabled list with a hand injury, he was having lunch with his wife and children at a hotel on Maui. “You poor thing!” the waitress gushed. “How did it happen?” “I broke it playing football,” Montana replied. “Really?” replied the waitress. “Aren’t you a little old to be playing football?”
I am sure it was rather disconcerting for Joe Montana to not be recognized, especially when he was in the prime of his football career.
How much more so for Jesus!
For…
2. In spite of the evidence, the opportunity to recognize Jesus was missed.
We could summarize these verses in these three sentences.
The Word (Jesus) was in the world.
The world owes its existence to the Word.
Yet, the Word was rejected by the world.
The message here is that the world missed, failed and refused its great opportunity.
Because of its indifference, it did not recognize Jesus when He came.
Literally, the text reads, “He came to his own home.”
Simply, He came home.
But then the text gets even more descriptive, for then it says, “His own (such as associates, relatives and family) did not receive Him.”
These are ones that should have known better.
They should have known Him.
“He came to what was His own, but His own people did not receive Him.”
You see, Jesus came to the place where God had put His name, Israel.
He came to the land that had been promised Abraham.
He came to the temple dedicated to his own Father.
He came to the chosen ones who had been instructed that the coming One would be the suffering servant.
And when He came, He was not received.
Which brings us to this heartbreaking truth…
3. Though Jesus should be received by all people, most reject Him.
I find it amazing that as man has discovered the wonders of the invisible world of the atom and the molecule; and as astronomers explore the strange and tremendous galaxy in which we exist with the billions of galaxies that fill the whole of the starry heavens, men and women come to the conclusion that nothing but blind chance has put it all together.
Although we are constantly exposed to the marvelous testimony of nature that behind all things is an intelligent mind, we reject the obvious.
We find it easier to believe that a tornado can blow through a junkyard and come up with a B-1 bomber.
You see, it is a strange blindness and darkness that is still at work today that causes people to reject Jesus.
Yet, Jesus shines on…
ILL Notebook: Light (R. Kent Hughes):
The commentator Kent Hughes has written:
“The One who said, ‘Let there be light,’ the One whose love constrained him to shine his saving light through creation and conscience, the One who mercifully sheathed his light in a human body so that he might bring light to men, the One who set aside a people for himself for himself to be a light to the nations, was rejected! Yet today he is still light and continues to seek to pry his way into hostile hearts. Amazing love!”
III. The third response to Jesus as the light is RECEPTION (12-13).
Those previous verses bring us a dark conclusion.
God seems to allow everything to look like all is totally lost.
The whole thing seems like a failure.
And then John writes…
(12) Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (13) children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
This week, we have been treated to more politics.
Everybody is talking about bipartisanship as if Democrats and Republicans will find common ground (did you notice my skepticism in that statement?).
My skepticism is founded in my understanding of human nature.
There is a significant division in how each party approaches the Constitution and government in general.
But it is not the most profound division that exists.
1. The most profound division between people is between those that receive Jesus and those who do not.
We must never forget this.
There is an eternity of difference between those that receive the light and those that reject the light.
We must never lose this perspective.
But there is good news!
You can receive the light.
2. We have the privilege of coming into a new relationship with God (I John 3:1).
The apostle John would later write:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
In the midst of rejection, God can produce a whole new creation.
We become children of God by new birth.
And it happens to us one at a time, individually and personally.
We become members of the family of God when we receive and trust in the power of His name.
ILL Notebook: Trust (Diana—limo)
According to V. Dion Haynes and Jim Mateja in the Chicago Tribune in the aftermath of the tragic auto accident that killed Princess Diana in 1997, some astonishing news came forth: The chauffeur of the car had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream. Furthermore, when the crash occurred in the Paris tunnel, police estimated the car had been going as fast as 120 miles per hour. Clearly the wrong man was at the wheel of the Princess’s car. But that is not unusual for celebrities, reported one security expert. Jerry Hoffman, president of a Cincinnati-based company that builds armored cars and trains drivers, said, “My experience is that a person will spend $150,000 to $200,000 on a limo and then spend no money on training the person to drive it. The driver is hired based on how friendly he is.” No doubt after Diana’s death many celebrities began to pay more attention to whether their chauffeur could get them safely to their destination than whether the driver could carry on a charming conversation.
The same wisdom must be used when we choose the religious beliefs that steer our lives.
The issue is not whether our beliefs makes us feel good.
The only question is whether they are trustworthy.
When we believe in Jesus, when we trust Him, we find Him reliable and He changes us.
The privilege becomes ours to be in this new relationship.
But…
3. We do not enter into the new relationship under our own power.
When we receive Christ, it is not because we inherited the right to do so.
It is not our ancestry or that we come from a Christian family.
And it is not of the will.
We cannot make ourselves a Christian.
Determination or willpower cannot do it.
We cannot study what it is to be a Christian, act like them, join the church, sing their hymns and then be in.
It has nothing to do with positive or possibility thinking.
When we receive Him it is because we understand our utter hopelessness.
Salvation is done by God.
It is beyond any human effort or any cleverness or manipulation.
It is all by God.
APPLICATION:
What will you do with the light?
Will you do something different than reject Him?
For the rejection is all around us.
For He is rejected him in the department stores with welcomes of “Seasons Greetings” instead of “Merry Christmas.”
He is rejected him in restaurants with signs of “Happy Holidays” instead of Christmas.
He is rejected in the secular marketing exploitation of His birthday.
He is rejected with a thousand knickknacks and baubles instead of a baby in a manger.
He is rejected in stripped down carols and wordless tunes.
He is rejected with Christless plays.
He is rejected in public speeches that please all by saying nothing.
I want to encourage you to do something different.
I want to encourage you to…
1. RECEIVE THE LIGHT (I John 5:12).
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
When you receive the light, you get life.
When faith meets the Word of God, the son of God is invited as Lord, a new life begins in the human spirit.
And we change!
ILL Notebook: Christmas (there is room)
Wallace Perling was young man who had been given a big promotion in the Christmas program. This year he had a speaking part. He only had one line but he was thrilled. Wallace was given the part of the Innkeeper who would turn Mary and Joseph away. His job was to answer the knock at his door, listen to the plea of Joseph and say, “No! Begone!”
Well, the time of the pageant came. Wallace had practiced hard and was ready. As the production began, Wallace listened with great intensity to the Christmas story. Finally, Mary and Joseph worked their way to his door. His heart was pounding. When Wallace opened the door, there stood Mary and Joseph. They looked so tired. Joseph told how Mary was expecting a child and they were so weary. But Wallace looked straight ahead and said, “No! Begone!”
This is where the story gets interesting. You see, Wallace didn’t shut the door. Instead the watched the couple walk dejectedly away. Finally, Wallace said, “Wait, you can have my room!”
Some thought the Christmas pageant had been ruined. But others, many others, thought it had been the best Christmas Program ever.
This is what it means to receive Christ.
It means to invite Jesus to live in your life.
It is to open the door of your heart and say, “Wait, you can have my room.”
2. Receive what Jesus offers you as a gift.
Invite Him in.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Receive the Light…and be a herald and prepare others to hear the answer for all people and all nations has come; He is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.
Receive the Light…don’t miss it, for millions will miss it again this year; filled with greetings of Season Greetings and Happy Holidays, they will miss the Christ of Christmas.
Receive the Light…receive the privilege and joy of being a son or daughter of God; Jesus has come to show you the way out of your darkness.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
