Children of God

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Opening Prayer

Reading of the Text

John 1:9–13 ESV
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.
John 1:
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.

Invitation is For All

Featured Passage: 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.
Some translations like the CSB, NIV and NLT use the translated word "recognize" in verse 10. However, the ESV, NASB and KJV version use the more accurate translation that says the world did not "know" or "knew" Him.
Knowing is a relational idea in this Gospel.
This may be illustrated from ,
Genesis 4:1 ESV
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”
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where it states (literally) that Adam “knew” his wife, and that kind of knowledge resulted in children. That knowledge obviously was not primarily intellectual!
In this gospel, “truth” and “true” are often employed to signify what is everlasting or heavenly, as opposed to the merely temporal or earthly.
This light ‘ “shines upon every man” (whether he sees it or not)’
God did provide the light for all humanity in Jesus’ incarnation, just as in Jewish tradition he provided the light of Torah to all nations at Sinai. But just as the nations rejected Torah, so the world rejected God’s Word made flesh.
The world missed its great opportunity. It did not come to know the Word when the Word was in its very midst. The world did not know him. The world never does. The world’s characteristic reaction to the Word is one of indifference.
What is proper to this world is utterly repugnant to God ().
1 John 2:16 ESV
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
The light comes into the world, it is because the proper abode of life is quite outside it; it does not belong to this world, which is characterized by darkness.
Did not recognize him” refers to more than intellectual knowledge. There is also the thought of the failure to know intimately, to know and love as a friend, to be in right relation.
Despite the World’s rejection, we must be Christ’s ambassadors and evangelize the Gospel to the ends of the World.
In fact, the ‘world’ in John’s usage comprises no believers at all. Those who come to faith are no longer of this world; they have been chosen out of this world.
Evangelism Illustration - Consider This:

DURING election time there are fierce battles waged to win the votes of Americans. Both Democrats and Republicans blitz the media, attempting to get people to vote for their respective party. Spinmeisters and pundits alike do everything they can to let voters know where they stand. Signs, posters, and bumper stickers serve to plaster candidate names in plain view of as many eyes as possible. Whether in the barbershop or in the foyer of the church, the discussion is thick about the pros and cons of each person. There is commitment to a party, to a man, and to a philosophy that is visible by the intent of efforts to persuade people to one side or the other.

As important as the American political process is, it pales in comparison to the spiritual conflict in which we are engaged. Here there are two opposing positions—two opposing kingdoms. Christians are called to be unashamed of our representative, our spokesperson, Jesus Christ. Your vote should be clear and there ought not be any ambiguity over who has it. If you name the name of Jesus Christ, somebody else, other than yourself, ought to know it.

God has called each one of His children to be public spokespersons for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and for His kingdom, with the goal of winning folks over. We should be definitive in our purpose of calling people out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. This process is called evangelism or missions. Has your voice been heard?

Invitation Will Divide

Featured Passage: He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
Majority of the translations say that His own did not "receive" Him but the NLT, which is more thought for thought uses the word "rejected."
His own even more emphatically or deliberately rejected him; the word for “received” probably bears the same sense as its more usual Johannine cognate, used by negation to imply deliberate rejection.
The world would reject those who did not belong to and stem from it (). Jesus was in the world he had made, but the world as humanity alienated from God could not know him and remain the world.
John 15:19 ESV
19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Jesus’ public ministry was one of rejection by “his own people”, so the gospel’s first main section () closes with quotations from and that sum up the blind unbelief of the covenant people as a whole ().
Isaiah 53:1 ESV
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Isaiah 6:10 ESV
10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
John 12:37–43 ESV
37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
World’s Reaction to Truth Illustration - Consider This:
the Word that had been forever “with God” (1:1–2) became “flesh” (1:14) so others could be born not from flesh but from God (1:13; cf. 3:6).

JESUS was the only preacher who made His congregations smaller with His sermons. He would have big crowds following Him and then He would come up with a line like “Unless you deny your mother and father, yea, your own life, you cannot be My disciple.” The Bible says those people left. Why? Because He never let the crowd control the truth.

World’s Reaction to Truth Illustration 2 - Consider This:

AN OLDER gentleman had some health problems. He went to visit his doctor and was told to change his diet. The physician lectured the man on the importance of eating well, and gave him a long list of things to eat and not eat.

The gentleman called his sons to let them know about his declining health as he knew his son would be concerned. He explained the doctor’s prognosis and his prescription for restoring good health.

A couple of weeks later, one of the aged man’s sons called to check on him. “OK, Dad, the doctor gave you some instructions awhile back. How is the regimen going?” The old man replied, “I’ve changed doctors.”

Sometimes our response to the truth is not the best response

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Invitation Requires One to Be Born Again

Featured Passage: 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.

Closing Thoughts

John softens the sweeping rejection of Messiah by stressing a believing remnant
This previews the book since the first 12 chapters stress the rejection of Christ, while chaps. 13–21 focus on the believing remnant who received Him.
“Believed in” (Gk. pisteuō eis) implies personal trust.
NLT also presents verse 13 alternatively in this manner: "They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God."
We must ask ourselves, “How was it possible for humans to be born from God” for this was unbridgeable from the human side?
Crossing the boundary from the world’s realm to God’s realm is possible only by divine agency.
The piling up of these expressions is to be understood in the light of Jewish pride of race. The Jews held that because of the “Fathers,” that is their great ancestors, God would be favorable to them. John emphatically repudiates any such idea. Nothing human, however great or excellent, can bring about the birth of which he speaks.
The new birth is always sheer miracle. All human initiative is ruled out. People are born “of God”; they can be born into the heavenly family in no other way.
‘Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’ Being born into the family of God is quite different from being born into a human family.
God’s will is a major emphasis in this Gospel, and is implicitly contrasted with human will.
The Word that had been forever “with God” () became “flesh” () so others could be born not from flesh but from God (; ).
Identity in Christ Illustration - Consider This:

WHO is Michael Jordan? Most would probably say the greatest basketball player that has ever played the game. Who is Sylvester Stallone? Most would probably say a great actor depending on the movie. Who is Diana Ross? Most would probably say one of the greatest singers of this generation. If you would say Michael Jordan is a basketball player, Sylvester Stallone is an actor, and Diana Ross a singer, you would be absolutely wrong for I would not have just described to you who they were. I would have only told you what they do. The greatest mistake in the world is to use your performance to give you your identity. The greatest mistake in the world is to define yourself by what you do. And yet it is the primary way that people define themselves.

When men get together, the first thing we want do in conversation is ask the other person what they do for a living. We then figure that if they do a big job, with a big title, for big pay, they must be somebody. However, one’s self-definition, or identity, is not to be rooted in your performance because, if so, then you will always, always, always misdefine yourself.

People go to great lengths to get an identity. They’ll buy identities. They go to plastic surgeons to fix their looks in order to fix their identity. They seek higher-paying jobs or nice business cards to help their identity. They pick their friends so that their friends can help elevate their identity. People go around asking for autographs so they can show other people whom they know in order to elevate their identity.

Satan knows that if he can keep you from discovering your true identity in Christ, he can keep you from discovering who you are. If in fact you are a Christian by virtue of your relationship with Christ, he can keep you hostage. He can keep you from claiming your inheritance. He can keep you from victory because you cannot be liberated if you don’t know who you are.

How do we discover our identity in Christ? How do we have a relationship with Him? It starts with being Born Again.
Faith yields allegiance to the Word, trusts him completely, acknowledges his claims and confesses him with gratitude. That is what it means to ‘receive’ him.
John is declaring that what is born from the flesh is flesh; what is born from the Spirit is the new spirit of .
John is declaring that what is born from the flesh is flesh; what is born from the Spirit is the new spirit of .
Ezekiel 36:26–27 ESV
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.
Ezekiel 36 ESV
1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. 2 Thus says the Lord God: Because the enemy said of you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The ancient heights have become our possession,’ 3 therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God: Precisely because they made you desolate and crushed you from all sides, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you became the talk and evil gossip of the people, 4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God: Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, the ravines and the valleys, the desolate wastes and the deserted cities, which have become a prey and derision to the rest of the nations all around, 5 therefore thus says the Lord God: Surely I have spoken in my hot jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave my land to themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and utter contempt, that they might make its pasturelands a prey. 6 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I have spoken in my jealous wrath, because you have suffered the reproach of the nations. 7 Therefore thus says the Lord God: I swear that the nations that are all around you shall themselves suffer reproach. 8 “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people Israel, for they will soon come home. 9 For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. 10 And I will multiply people on you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. The cities shall be inhabited and the waste places rebuilt. 11 And I will multiply on you man and beast, and they shall multiply and be fruitful. And I will cause you to be inhabited as in your former times, and will do more good to you than ever before. Then you will know that I am the Lord. 12 I will let people walk on you, even my people Israel. And they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no longer bereave them of children. 13 Thus says the Lord God: Because they say to you, ‘You devour people, and you bereave your nation of children,’ 14 therefore you shall no longer devour people and no longer bereave your nation of children, declares the Lord God. 15 And I will not let you hear anymore the reproach of the nations, and you shall no longer bear the disgrace of the peoples and no longer cause your nation to stumble, declares the Lord God.” 16 The word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their deeds. Their ways before me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity. 18 So I poured out my wrath upon them for the blood that they had shed in the land, for the idols with which they had defiled it. 19 I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries. In accordance with their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they had to go out of his land.’ 21 But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they came. 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 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. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. 33 “Thus says the Lord God: On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be rebuilt. 34 And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, instead of being the desolation that it was in the sight of all who passed by. 35 And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ 36 Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the Lord; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it. 37 “Thus says the Lord God: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock. 38 Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
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His Name

Old Testament and Name of God:
Notice that they are to believe “in his name.” The “name” meant much more to people of antiquity than it does to us. For us it is a mere appellative, a convenient label whereby we distinguish one person from another. The name for us is a matter of indifference. Not so in the ancient world. There it stood for the whole personality.
Abram’s first name virtually meant “big daddy” or “boss man.” But his new name meant that he was proleptically seen as the “father of a multitude” even when he had no children.
In the Jacob story the “usurper” was transformed and received the new name of Israel, “prince with God.” Only when he was finally alone, had nothing more to send to Esau, and wrestled with God at Jabbok did he receive God’s blessing.
In that incident Jacob also wanted to know the name of God, just as Moses begged for the name of God at Mount Horeb. God’s answer to Moses and others was basically “I AM WHO I AM.” You do not need any more information!
When, for example, the Psalmist spoke of loving the name of God (),
Psalm 5:11 ESV
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.
or when he prayed, “may the name of the God of Jacob protect you” (), he did not have in mind simply the uttering of the name. He was speaking of all that “God” means. The name in some way expressed the whole person. To believe “in the name” of the Word, then, means to trust the person of the Word. It is to believe in him as he is. It is to believe that God is the God revealed in the Word and to put our trust in that God.
Psalm 20:1 ESV
1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
New Testament and Jesus’ Name:
he did not have in mind simply the uttering of the name. He was speaking of all that “God” means. The name in some way expressed the whole person.82 To believe “in the name” of the Word, then, means to trust the person of the Word. It is to believe in him as he is. It is to believe that God is the God revealed in the Word and to put our trust in that God.
His followers are to believe in Jesus’ name (; )
John 1:12 ESV
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
John 2:23 ESV
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
John 3:18 ESV
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Receive life in his name ()
John 20:31 ESV
31 but these are written 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.
Ask in his name (; ; )
John 14:13–14 ESV
13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
John 15:16 ESV
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
John 16:23 ESV
23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
And expect to suffer for his name ().
John 15:21 ESV
21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

WHO is Michael Jordan? Most would probably say the greatest basketball player that has ever played the game. Who is Sylvester Stallone? Most would probably say a great actor depending on the movie. Who is Diana Ross? Most would probably say one of the greatest singers of this generation. If you would say Michael Jordan is a basketball player, Sylvester Stallone is an actor, and Diana Ross a singer, you would be absolutely wrong for I would not have just described to you who they were. I would have only told you what they do. The greatest mistake in the world is to use your performance to give you your identity. The greatest mistake in the world is to define yourself by what you do. And yet it is the primary way that people define themselves.

When men get together, the first thing we want do in conversation is ask the other person what they do for a living. We then figure that if they do a big job, with a big title, for big pay, they must be somebody. However, one’s self-definition, or identity, is not to be rooted in your performance because, if so, then you will always, always, always misdefine yourself.

People go to great lengths to get an identity. They’ll buy identities. They go to plastic surgeons to fix their looks in order to fix their identity. They seek higher-paying jobs or nice business cards to help their identity. They pick their friends so that their friends can help elevate their identity. People go around asking for autographs so they can show other people whom they know in order to elevate their identity.

Satan knows that if he can keep you from discovering your true identity in Christ, he can keep you from discovering who you are. If in fact you are a Christian by virtue of your relationship with Christ, he can keep you hostage. He can keep you from claiming your inheritance. He can keep you from victory because you cannot be liberated if you don’t know who you are.

The “Name” was a circumlocution for God, involving his honor. His name was thus to be hallowed as sacred, not to be named or sworn by.
The righteous are to trust in God’s name; believing in Jesus’ name hence implies trusting in him as deity.

Closing Thoughts

Closing Thoughts

We are to be light for this dark world by declaring the need to be Born Again by the true Light, Jesus to all the world, with the understanding that many will reject this truth for they love the darkness and reject truth.
Fallen human beings are not children of God by nature; this is the privilege only of those who have faith, a faith generated in them by the sovereign action of God.
To be a child of God, however, means to accept personally the incredible reality of the coming of the Logos into the human situation. Clearly to know and believe personally that the power of the universe is able to touch your life means that one can be adopted into the family of the Logos and become a child of God.
To receive Him who is the Word of God means to acknowledge His claims, place one’s faith in Him, and thereby yield allegiance to Him.
The divine side of salvation: ultimately it is not a man’s will that produces salvation but God’s will.
God’s work of salvation is wholly sovereign and gracious, but the reality of the human response in believing and receiving is never cancelled.

Closing Illustration​

The story is told of a laborer who was a mature Christian and gave a solid testimony before all who knew him. His boss came to him one day and said, “You know, whatever you’ve got, I want. You have such peace and joy and contentment. How can I get this?”

The laborer said, “Go to your home, put on your best suit, come down here, and work in the mud with the rest of us—and you can have it.”

“What are you talking about? I could never do that. I’m the boss, you’re the worker. I can’t do that. That’s beneath my dignity.” The boss came back a couple of months later and said, “I ask you again, what is it that you have and how can I get it?”

“I told you, go put on your best suit, come down and work in the mud with us, and you can have it.” Again the boss became furious and walked off.

Finally, in desperation he came back to the laborer and said, “I don’t care what it takes! I’ll do anything.” The laborer said, “Will you put on your best suit and come down and work in the mud?” The boss agreed that he would do even that. Then the laborer said, “You don’t have to.”

Do you see the point? The laborer knew what was standing between the boss and Christ—pride and self.

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What is standing between you and Christ?
If you have made a decision to surrender your life to Christ, please see me after our closing worship song.
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