John 1:11-12
Some Will
Many people doubt the Bible and the claims of Jesus Christ.
Statements like:
a. We are all born sinners.
b. All mankind will stand before God in judgment.
c. Any statement related to the reality of hell and damnation.
…can have a very adverse effect on people. They reason, if God is a
God of love, He would never do such things. If need be, they reason,
He would use His power to make things right.
What they do not realize, is that is exactly what God has done. He
has used His power to make things right and the way to make things
right is through His Son, Jesus Christ.
1. It was God’s power that created the plan of salvation.
2. It was God’s power that caused God to become flesh.
3. It was God’s power that caused the miraculous conception and
the virgin birth.
4. It was God’s power that allowed God to walk among mankind for
thirty-three years and not obliterate him!
5. It was God’s power that protected and preserved Jesus for
three and one half years.
6. It was God’s power that gave and fulfilled all the prophecies
about Jesus.
7. It was God’s power that resurrected Jesus’s body.
8. It was God’s power that applied Jesus’ death, burial, and
resurrection to our accounts.
Yet according to verse \\#11\\, most will not receive Jesus Christ or
what Jesus Christ as done.
For a few moments, let’s consider that statement:
I. The Bible says that some received Him (Jesus) not. They
rejected Jesus.
A. In context, those to whom Jesus came would mean the Jews.
1. Jesus was born of the seed of Abraham. That would make
Jesus a Jew by nationality.
2. Jesus was also born into the Jewish culture, raised in
Israel by Jewish parents.
3. So both by blood and culture, Jesus was Jewish.
4. Sadly the Jews as a whole have rejected Jesus as their
Christ and Messiah.
B. However, in a boarder sense, it would mean humanity, all of
the earth, who have also rejected Jesus as their Savior.
C. Why has humanity rejected Jesus? The Bible answers that by
giving us two categories: knowledge and choice.
1. Some reject Him in ignorance.
a. That is one of the reasons God gave preaching, to open
the eyes of the blind.
b. There are two major causes of ignorance.
(1) Knowledge
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world
was made by him, and the world knew him not.
(2) Comprehension
John 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and
the darkness comprehended it not.
(a) They do not get how important Jesus is.
(b) That can be caused by the devil.
2Co 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who
is the image of God, should shine unto them.
2. Some reject Him for because they want something else more::
a. \\#Matt 13:22\\ mentions two things that keep souls
from Christ.
Matt 13:22 He also that received seed among the
thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care
of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches,
choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
(1) The CARES of this world
(2) The deceit of RICHES
(a) You do not have to consider yourself
wealthy to let money keep you from Christ.
(b) Many let the pursuit of riches keep them
from Christ.
b. \\#1John 2:16\\ also mentions two things.
1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust
of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of
the world.
(1) That verses mentions the LUST of the world and
the lust of the eyes.
(a) Let’s just call it lust.
(b) There are many things that the eyes and the
flesh lusts after in this world.
(c) This is by far the most visible and graphic
generation which has ever lived.
(2) The PRIDE of life
(a) Such pride is what kept the Pharisees from
Christ.
(b) They couldn’t accept their sin and His
righteousness.
II. The Bible also says that some received Him (Jesus).
A. The receivers aren’t that much different from the
rejecters.
1. They aren’t specially ordained.
2. They aren’t especially smarter.
B. They just responded when the Holy Ghost called!
1. God has done a work that can cause every human to come
to salvation.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared to all men,
a. The word "hath appeared" means "to become visible,
to show to, to bring light upon."
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the
light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness….
(1) In every person’s life, God turns the light
on at least once.
(2) That does not mean that a person knows all
they need to know to be saved.
(3) It just means that know they need something.
(4) That light is enough to get them looking for
salvation.
b. In this country, I believe God has given enough
light so that all can be saved.
c. That does not eliminate our responsibility to tell
every individual, but you’d have to turn off the
television, radio, walk past a hundred gospel-
preaching churches, refuse to enter a bookstore,
or read a Bible or pick up a tract to stay lost
in this country.
2. The light some individuals have received may be small
due to where they live or their lifestyle, but God
has given enough grace for all in this country to be
saved.
3. Your light may be as small and as insignificant as
hearing this preacher this morning; but if you
respond, you can be saved.
C. Some get sidetracked, waiting on a brighter light.
1. What they should be watching for is a true light, one
that illuminates the truth.
John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world.
2. A little bit of truth made visible is a better than a
whole lot of lies shining brightly.
3. A small light of truth is better than a bright light of
lies.
4. Jesus is THE TRUE LIGHT and what He reveals is truth.
a. Jesus has revealed that He is the sinless Son of
God.
b. Jesus has revealed that you are a sinner.
c. Jesus has revealed that He, the sinless, has died
for you, the sinner.
d. Jesus has revealed that if you will repent of your
sin and trust Him as your Savior, He will save
you.
5. You don’t need to know any more than that to be saved.
III. The Bible says that those who received Him received power.
A. Power is a right or authority.
1. Power of forgiveness
Mark 2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of
man hath power on earth to forgive sins….
Luke 7:48 And he (Jesus) said unto her, Thy sins
are forgiven.
Romans 4:7 …Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
a. Despite what our doctors of the mind may tell you,
you cannot forgive yourself.
b. The reason is because your offenses are not
primarily against you. They are against God.
c. Once you accept the forgiveness of God, God
erases the offense and you can forget it.
2. Power of eternal life
John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord,
to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of
eternal life.
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and
they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all
flesh, that he should give eternal life to as
many as thou hast given him.
a. You cannot live on this earth and in that body
forever.
b. God does not offer forever life on this world.
c. But He does offer forever life after this world.
3. Power of kinship with God
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God…
Ro 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together.
Re 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all
things; and I will be his God, and he shall be
my son.
a. Every other gift God offers can be summed up in
being made a relative of God.
b. At salvation, you become His adopted son or
daughter with all the rights and privileges
thereof.
B. However, as much as it bothers people, I must also tell
you that those who reject Jesus Christ—God only means of
salvation—will face God at a judgment and damnation as
their punishment.
Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of
vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Matt 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his
angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom
all things that offend, and them which do
iniquity;
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine
of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he
shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence
of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up
for ever and ever…
The key is to receive Jesus Christ. How?
1. Admit that you are sinner and repent
2. Believe who Jesus said He was and what the Bible said He did.
3. Call on Jesus to save you.
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