John #03 - They Received Him Not
That you may believe … and have Life" #3 - Gospel of John
John 1:10-11
John wrote this gospel for the express purpose of giving the world something to believe in and thus have LIFE.
John shared the heart of Jesus, who said, "I came that you might have life, abundant life."
John writes that we might know real life.
We've been introduced to the LOGOS, the WORD, God articulated.
Last week we found that in the midst of God's plan he chose to love people in a different way. And he includes us in his process of salvation and work in the world.
The problem is that too often the Lord comes to us and relates to us, but we don't receive it.
Go with me to John 1:10-11
As you can see, we have the elements of the "Lord's Supper", "Communion" laid out before us. I don't want this to just be something that we do. I don't want this to be just a religious exercise. But it must be an encounter with Jesus Christ.
As we said last week, God invites us to join him in his work, but before we leave and GO with him. He comes to us.
How do you respond when Christ comes to you?
He comes to us and how do we respond.
Jesus, is Immanuel, God with us, God came down
So, … The Lord's Supper speaks to us. It reminds us that Jesus Came to us and that we must respond to him.
In John 6 Jesus compares himself to the manna that God sent from Heaven.
The manna came every morning but the people had to receive it.
They had to receive it when God gave it and how God gave it.
He gave it every morning so they had to receive it every morning. If they left it there and didn't receive what he gave then they would starve.
If they didn't receive it HOW he gave it, then it would spoil. They couldn't take more than what they needed for the day.
When God comes he always has a timing and a plan and we have to receive it.
When we get into trouble as his people, is when we aren't willing to receive him when he comes and in the way he comes.
The obvious interpretation of this passage is that he came to his people, Israel, and they wouldn't receive him.
They wanted him to come as a King and rule Israel in power and might.
But they didn't like the way that he came. He came as Savior, as Servant, as Sacrifice and that was not what they wanted so they didn't receive him
But as I read this, an application came to me, that was very disturbing.
Because I realized that we as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ are often guilty of the same thing.
Jesus comes to us and we will not receive him
When is the last time Jesus came to you? Did you receive him?
Perhaps you haven't received him as Savior, though he has come to you …
But equally difficult to swallow is the truth that we, his own, his people, people who bear his name, Christian, he comes to us and we don't want to have any of it
1. He Came …
Remember the word "came" in Greek means "to come from one place to another, to come before the public"
God leaves his place of separation, his lofty place, his hidden place, to reveal himself to us
Why does God COME to us? How does he come to us?
A. Salvation
God comes to give us Salvation and we should receive him
Micah 7:7 shows Micah's response -
"I will watch in hope for the Lord; i will wait for God my Savior …"
But when Israel faced the promised land for the first time … they chose not to trust God's provision …
Deut. 32:15 says it this way "(Israel) grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation"
God comes to us for salvation. We cannot provide the salvation for ourselves, but Jesus came to provide it for us …
But do we recognize him?
ILL> The story goes that there was a great flood and they were evacuating people.
This one guy said, "no thank you, I'll wait, the Lord will provide for me."
The waters began to rise and a large truck came down the street and offered to take them out, and the man said "no thank you, the Lord will provide"
Later the waters were as high as the windows, and they came in a boat, but he said "no, the Lord will provide"
Finally he climbed onto his roof to escape the waters … they came by in a helicopter and he said "no thank you, the Lord will provide"
Well, his faith was strong, but eventually, he drowned and arrived before God and asked "why didn't you come to me and save me?"
God said, "well I sent a truck, a boat, and a helicopter …"
B. Correction
He also comes to us for correction
Jeremiah 2:30 it Jeremiah says to the Lord of Israel, "you have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they refused to repent"
But Jeremiah understood it in a way that Israel didn't in 10:23,24 "I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. 24 Correct me, Lord …"
Ps 94:12 Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law
We get out of line, we think we know the right way, we wander off, the path, and the Lord, our good shepherd must correct us. David understood the goodness of God's correction and said, "your rod and your staff comfort me" … whether for protection or correction, God's Rod and Staff and GOOD things … if we receive it
We can reject it or receive it
C. Revelation
God doesn't just leave us in the dark. While we can never fully know him, God comes to us to reveal himself, his purposes and his ways
When God came to Noah he was making some amazing revelations
He was saying 1) I am aware of what's going on in the world
2) I hate wickedness and sin
3) I am aware and will reward your faithfulness and uprightness
Gideon met Christ while he was hiding in a wine press threshing wheat
And revealed
1) I'm aware of your situation
2) I hear the cries of my people
3) I can do more through you than you could imagine
4) I am patient with your unbelief
But God's revelation is never for information purposes alone … God's
Salvation provided
Correction directed
Revelation given
Are never for information alone … it is always an
D. Invitation
God always comes to us with an invitation
As someone estranged to him a slave to sin, it is an invitation to Salvation
We can receive it … recognizing that his kindness leads us to repentance or reject it because wide and easy is the road to destruction and many go that way, but narrow, difficult is the way that leads to salvation and few find it
As one of his sheep who has wandered off the path laid out by the shepherd, or acting wrongly toward another sheep, or refusing to graze where the Shepherd wants, we can receive the invitation to correction and return or we can stay misdirected, downcast, at odds with God
We can receive the Revelation of God and his ways and join him in his work
Noah heard the Revelation and accepted and was used by God
Gideon hesitated but accepted and God did an unbelievable thing in him.
God revealed himself to a rich young man going an upright religious way but bound by materialism, God offered the course correction from following wealth to following the Lord of Creation … and that young man went away sad
King Agrippa stood in judgment over Paul. Paul told him his story of Salvation through Christ and offered him to come to Christ for Salvation … and Agrippa said "Almost, but not today …"
He comes for Salvation, Correction, Revelation, and Invitation …
He came … to …
2. … His Own …
Why are we His?
What right does Christ have to ask us anything?
When I wrote this in your notes I actually put it in, in reverse order so we will take them that way.
You see when John wrote this verse, under the leading of the Holy Spirit he wrote of Christ's OWN … in two ways …
The word idios /id-ee-os/ = pertaining to one's self, one's OWN, belonging to one's self
And it was written to reflect TWO ideas, because the first time the word OWN is there it is written in a neutral tense first i.e. "the world" and the second time it is masculine … thus referring to God's people Israel.
He came to his own …
A. Kinship
He is the firstborn of the resurrection
He is 2nd Person in the Trinity, he is God and in a sense is our older brother
He was born OF the people of Israel.
They were his own people. He was born in Bethlehem that blessed town of David
He was born of the people that uniquely belonged to God
God created all people but he chose Israel in a unique and special relationship.
They were HIS people. He loved them in a special way he knew them in a special way.
But if we are going to understand and apply this we need to recognize that these words speak to US
If we are in his family, Spiritual kin, part of the new Spiritual Israel … we are his family. All of us who have given our hearts to him.
And he comes to US … his own …
And he comes to this world …
His own … because he owns it
B. Ownership
Verse 10 says - the world was made through him …
Verse 3 says "through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life …
This world, every bit of it belongs to him.
It is his, because he thought of it
It is his, because he made it
It is his, because he sustains it
Whether they believe in him, whether they know it or not, this world still belongs to him.
This world is full of people who believe that they are independent agents
They think they are self-made, independent, self-sustaining.
Just like "Woody" the toy cowboy in Toy Story. No matter, what you think … when you turn Woody over, "Andy" was written on his boot
Well this world belongs to Christ they just forget it …
Jesus came to his own creation and his own people and they …
3. … Would Not Receive
The problem is that we want God to come our OUR terms and do what we want. And so when he comes to us to reveal himself to us … too often, we don't receive him. We don't accept his revelation, his correction, his salvation, his invitation …
Why is HE NOT Received?
A. The World doesn't Recognize
He was in the world, but the world didn't know it
He created the world and then came into his creation but he wasn't recognized
He wasn't understood
We can understand perhaps the difficulty when he is a Baby, and yet Creator
But when he is a grown man, performing miracles, displaying love, preaching truth
But his own creation, didn't understand their creator
But not only it did not understand who he was, but did not want his insight into life, truth, salvation and repentance.
Can you imagine what is worse being on a golf course and not recognizing Jack Nicklaus as the "older gentlemen" hitting balls at the end of the driving range. Or worse yet, refusing his help as he desires to help you with your swing.
Can you imagine asking the old crazy white haired man in the back of the room to be quiet while we try to study our physics … while Mr. Einstein leaves the room rejected.
The world did not recognize him
But the worst statement follows …
B. His OWN wouldn't Receive
This is the part most of us, myself included, must wrestle with today … because Jesus came to his OWN … and his own did not receive him.
The "world" didn't ginosko him that is … they didn't understand, they didn't know, so they didn't recognize and respect
But his own … knew … we know
His Own were looking for the Messiah
They had the prophets
For us worse yet, we have his Spirit living in us
But THEY and We
Won't Receive paralambano /par-al-am-ban-o/ an associate, to accept or acknowledge one to be as he professes to be … to receive what is transmitted … to receive with mind …
We won't receive him for who he is
We won't accept what he brings to us
We won't receive what is transmitted
We won't embrace it
Why?
1. too radical
I'm sorry Jesus, but that's too Radical
We appreciate you message of repentance and all … but we just wanted you to come in and get the Romans out of here and be a good King for us
We don't want to leave all and follow
We don't want to deny ourselves and take up a cross
We don't want to love our enemies
We don't want to bless those who curse
What is Jesus asking of you that is too Radical?
What is he asking you to do that is too radical?
Receive him or not?
2. too difficult
They didn't receive him because it was too difficult.
What is Jesus coming to you with, that is too difficult for you?
No, Jesus, I can't receive you that is too difficult you are asking too much
3. too costly
He told the young man … go and sell all you have and come and follow me …
But he went away sad … he would not receive him
As we prepare for the Lord's Table, remember Jesus told those in John 6 … if you come after me you must take all of my … just like my blood and my body … you must receive all of me
The radical
The difficult
The costly
How do you need to receive him today?
Before we celebrate his birth, his sacrifice.
We need to respond to God today
He has come to you today through the reading of his Word
He has come to you today through the revelation of faithful teaching of his Word
He has come to you today through his presence that inhabits our praises
He has come to you today through his Spirit that lives in your life.
So, before you celebrate his death, will you respond to him today?
If you have never given your heart to him, he comes to you with Salvation today, will you respond and give him your heart, will you receive him today?
If have given him your heart, but are living outside of his direction, he has come, perhaps for correction today. You have heard him, now respond to him.
If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Respond to him today in faith. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus only forgiveness, cleansing, and restoration if you will come to him. Will you come? Will you receive his correction today?
As a believer today, perhaps God is revealing himself to you now in a new way. He is teaching you more about himself than you have ever known, perhaps it is past what you have known and accepted, will you receive him? Perhaps you have never understood Christ like he is revealing himself to you now, will you receive truth or embrace tradition?
Perhaps what God has revealed is how he is at work around you or what he would like to do through you.
Will you receive his invitation? Will you teach that class? Will you join that mission project? Will you share Christ with that classmate, that neighbor, that co-worker? Will you simple walk with him, where he walks, as he walks? Will you receive his invitation?
This invitation time is for you to respond. Come.
Come and pray. Make your response real, personal. That is what this time is for. It is to make your decision concrete.
We will wait for you … you are not ready for his table until you respond to him
Don't be afraid to leave your seat
Don't be afraid to go to your knees
Receive what he has for you today