BORN OF GOD
John 1:11-13
- Intro.
- these verses teach us about a mysterious and invisible birth
- these verses should cause us to consider some radical truths
- there are many people in the world who are God’s creation, but not God’s children
- the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man
- why do so many "believing Christians" not accept the terms of true discipleship
- why are so many unwilling to turn their backs on everything worldly, for Jesus’ sake
- receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is an aggressive act, and not a passive one
- Christianity is on a dead-end street, if it accepts religious activity as a legitimate proof of spirituality
- in this text, God informs us about certain people being born
- Jesus uses the natural birth to teach about a birth on another level
- He says that it is a birth that does not have anything to do with blood or bones or tissue
- this birth is not the result of the urges of the flesh, or the social arrangement called marriage
- an act of God
- this invisible birth is an act of God
- when we were born into this world, those around us could see, and feel, and hold us
- this birth of which John speaks has nothing to do with the flesh; it is of heaven
- this birth is of the Spirit, it is a birth of another kind
- a spiritual birth is altogether different from the kind of birth that anyone knew in the physical sense
- if Jesus only talked about people being born physically, He would never have been listened to
- these people experienced a birth, not of the body, but of the heart
- they were born not into time but into eternity
- they had an inward birth, a spiritual birth, a mysterious birth
- this invisible birth is a special grant of God
- it was altogether different from and superior to the first kind of birth
- this new birth is one that gives an unusual right: the right to be born into God’s household
- therefore we become a child of the Father
- we believe in the Fatherhood of God
- He is the Father of the whole family in heaven and on earth, who go by His name
- God is not the Father of the sinner
- God is not the Father of the murderer or the immoral, but He is the Father of those who believe
- we believe in the brotherhood of man
- all who are born into this world are born of the same blood, though our skin may be different
- we may differ from each other in appearance, but all of us descended from Adam
- by his sin came death and all its fruits into this world
- a brotherhood within the brotherhood
- the brotherhood of the saints of God
- the fact that there is a broad human brotherhood does not mean that all men are saved
- not until they are born again, do they enter into the brotherhood of the redeemed
- there is a brotherhood that comes by the first birth, and another that comes through the second birth
- it is by the grace of God, that we dwell in that sacred and mysterious brotherhood of the redeemed
- it is a mysterious birth, and it gives us a particular privilege - John 1:12
- it is a gift; God gives us the privilege, the legal right, to become children of God
- this is not poetry, this is theology (what the Bible teaches)
- this birth is newsworthy
- a person who is a creation of God, becomes a child of God only when they are born of God
- this is a right and a privilege that even the angels do not have
- the promise that is given to us: what Jesus is, we will be - I John 3:2
- not in the sense of deity, but in all the rights and privileges
- in status we will be equal to Jesus - Romans 8:17
- how to have the privilege
- they believed, and they received - John 1:12
- many go around "believing," but never really get very much
- those who were born again, believed; they were not cynics, or doubters, or pessimists
- they took an optimistic, humble, trusting attitude toward Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Savior
- this word "receive: is not passive
- passive is when we receive the action; active is when we perform the act
- the Bible knows absolutely nothing of a passive reception; the word "receive" is not passive but active
- we have turned the word "receive" into "accept," we ask people, "Will you accept Jesus"
- this makes a salesman out of Jesus Christ, as if He is waiting to know whether we will buy from Him
- we need what He offers, but we act as if we are doing Him a favor by receiving what He offers
- we have been taught that passive acceptance is the equivalent of faith, when it is not
- "receive" is an aggressive act of the total personality
- it means to "take" rather than "accept"
- receiving Christ, to be saved, is an act of the total person
- when speaking of a teacher, it means to acknowledge, embrace and follow his instructions
- it is an act of the mind, and of the will, and of the affections
- our text does not infer that we can sit and quietly accept, but rather that every part of our being become a hand reaching forth for Jesus Christ
- they took Jesus as Savior and Lord with all of their will, and affections, and feelings, and intellect
- do not let the crowds, the bustle of religious activity, fool us into thinking that there is a lot of spirituality
- this is why the meaning of the word "received" is so important
- "As many as received him," actively and aggressively took Him
- this means, a determined exercise of the will, and to not deny any condition that the Lord lays down
- they did not come to the Lord and try to make terms, but they actively took Him on His terms
- we must meet any condition He lays down
- the child of God: one who meets any condition the Lord gives, even the forsaking of family and friends
- many would protest and say, "that is radical"
- maybe so, but did you ever read the words of Jesus in Luke 14:26
- Jesus is asking us to place our love for Him, before that of wife, husband, or children
- the living God demands our love and our loyalty, and some would call that demand cruel
- actually, hell is so hot that God is still doing all that He can to arouse us and stir us into action
- Jesus does not offer us salvation as though it is a decoration, or a bouquet, or some addition to our garb
- He says, "Throw off your old rags, and let me dress you in the clean robes of My righteousness"
- if it means loss of money, lose it; if it means loss of job, lose it; if it means persecution, take it
- in the churches of this degenerate hour, we are guilty of making it as easy as possible for the double-minded person
- "just believe on Jesus and accept Him, and then you can be as you were before"
- this is the kind of marginal Christianity that is being passed along in too many circles
- as a result, we have a Christian religion that is not much better than paganism
- the popular way is wrong
- it may be a popular idea in our day to give people something to make them happy
- tell them they can have eternal life and never lose it by "accepting Jesus," then they can do as they please
- we can have big conferences built on that; even Bible colleges, and great groups of busy Christians
- it is an error, for the Bible says that as many as received Him (took Him aggressively with their whole person) to them He gave the right to become sons of God
- those who think that the Lord should humor them, and let them continue on as they are, and still say in the end "Come, faithful servants," are fools
- someone needs to tell them so now