If you've been in Christ any amount of time, you can certainly testify to the truth of that. Goodness and mercy have followed me, and what a joy it is to sing those praises unto our great God. If you'll take your Bibles now and turn to the Gospel of John, we will continue our new exposition in this book. It's been a delight to study this particular gospel. Today we'll be looking at chapter 1, verses 6 to verse 13. I'm getting ambitious here. We took two sermons on the first five verses, and we're launching out, and next week will even be more as we take about 15 verses. But for today, there's really two primary themes here, and obviously the coming, the witness of John the Baptist, but then how his own did not receive him, but those who receive him, he gives the right to become children of God. So I've entitled the message, Have You Rejected? or received Christ? Have you rejected or received Christ? The light of Jesus Christ shines brightly into the world and still does even unto this day. The world was in darkness and His coming was a sudden bright light on the scene, as it were. And that light demands a response. A response of either rejecting the light or embracing the light. of suppressing the truth and unrighteousness, or receiving Christ. God willing, today we'll see the difference between this rejecting and receiving of Christ. And as I've been studying this, I'm so thankful that God has a love for just the everyday person, right? not the super intellect or whatever, but the gospel comes in very plain terms. In fact, the New Testament is written in what's called koinonia Greek, a very, not classical Greek, much, much, much toned down and easy to understand. God is not trying to impress man with complexities, right? The gospel comes very plainly to us that it can be grasped by all. You don't need a certain IQ amount in order to understand and to receive Christ. You don't need a particular experience of salvation or some religious experience to understand this religious truth. Receiving salvation is a matter of faith. It's believing God and accepting His Word about what He has said about His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It's embracing and believing what God has said, and that Christ died for sinners in the spilling of His own blood. We'll have an opportunity at the end of the service to partake of the Lord's Supper together. We'll remember His body broken and bruised. We'll remember His precious blood spilt for us. Be preparing your heart even now, if you're a Christian, for that time. It's a trusting hymn completely for salvation. As our text says, as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, those who believe in His name. The Bible says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, whether you're educated or uneducated, knowledgeable or ignorant. Anyone can believe. No one will be able to stand before God and say, I'm not saved because I couldn't understand the gospel. The way has been made plain, and hopefully today it will be made plain as well. So let's read our text, beginning in verse 6. But there came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. There was the true light, which coming into the world enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and those who were his own did not receive him. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God. Father, we thank you for the plain language that the evangelist pours out onto his paper as he writes this gospel. We thank you, Lord, that it is not complex to understand, but give us understanding, give us insight, give us the Spirit of God so that we might be able to see clearly what you're communicating to us, even this very day. In Jesus' name, Amen. Well, you remember in verse 1, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God, one of the clearest statements on the deity of Christ. Jesus indeed is God. You can go back and listen to that first message. I'm not going to rehash all that. We talked about the Holy Trinity and all of that, but Jesus is God. In verse 2, he was in the beginning with God. There's this communion and fellowship amongst the Trinity. The light shines into the darkness in verse 5, and it says, the darkness did not comprehend it, or better, the darkness did not overcome it. The darkness did not squish it out, as it were. He is at work even now. The light shines from his word. Light shines as the gospel is preached. So today as we come to our text, we see, first of all, this witness of John. The word witness occurs 29 times in the gospel of John. It's a word that he likes to come to again and again. Even in the Old Testament it says that the testimony of two witnesses let every fact be established, right? You're familiar with that. two or three witnesses, I believe it says. And so this is a word that he will come back to, but in verse, he says, he came as a witness to testify about the light so that all might believe through him. We see actually several witnesses. You have the witness of Christ himself. He says, even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I'm going, but you have no idea where I've come from and where I'm going. That's John 8 and verse 14. Another witness is the witness of the Father. He says, I am one that testify of myself, but the other witness is the Father who sent me. That's 818. And then, of course, the Holy Spirit is a witness in John 16. It says, the Holy Spirit will not speak on his own, but he will speak only that that he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from me and making it known to you. So in addition to the three persons of the Holy Trinity that John would say are witnesses, you also have the witnesses of the Scriptures he'll talk about in John chapter 5, the witnesses of the very works of Christ, they testify, and of course here in our passage the witness of John the Baptist. But there's more. There's the witness of everyday men and women, like that Samaritan woman at the well. Remember? She went back and she told everybody in the town. Or how about the multitude that was around when the raising of Lazarus happened? Or how about even the 11 disciples, how they went and testified and turned the world upside down? You and I are witnesses as well for Christ. So as we come to our text, we'll look at it under three points. First of all, the witness of John. Then we'll see the rejection of Christ. And then finally, the reception of Christ. So the light shines brightly. Now I find it interesting that in the other three Gospels, you have John the Baptist called John the Baptist. John doesn't do that. He just simply refers to him as John. It's implied. There's not even an account of him. of being called the Baptist here, but surely he is the one that is sent from God. He's delegated with a specific task, as we read from Isaiah chapter 40. We see the same thing with the calling of Moses and many of the prophets, and Jesus himself called, set apart for a specific task that God has. Luke's gospel actually has the most extensive account of, if you want to turn to Luke 1, of John the Baptist and Zacharias. In verse 15, we're kind of jumping in the middle here, but, "'For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while he is yet in his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children, disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Of course, Zacharias is how I know these things would be true. I don't have time to recount all of this, but it's extensive. And then finally, his prophecy regarding him John gives several good summaries of John's ministry. In chapter 5, verse 5, he was a lamp that was burning and was shining, and you were willing to rejoice for while it was light. The purpose of John's ministry was to witness to all men that they might believe. In fact, chapter 1 of verse 34, we'll see next week, "...I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." See how that testimony, language there. And in a real sense, the era of John the Baptist was very pivotal in biblical church history. In Luke 16, it says, the law and the prophets were until John. But since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone forces his way into it. Jesus would say, John was praised of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he says, I tell you the truth, among those born of women there is not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist, yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than even he. So you see that distinction that Jesus is developing. In the other Gospels, we're told that John came preaching, right? Matthew, Mark, and Luke. What John does is he doesn't mention the preaching as much as witnessing. He is the witness. That brings us to verses 8 and 9. We see the light himself shines. John was not the light. His job was to what? point to the light, right? When there's a full moon at night and you take your book or your scriptures and you go out there and let your eyes adjust, you can read under a full moon, right? But when the noonday sun comes up, it's so much more brighter. And so too, the moon gives off its light, but it's a reflection, it pales in significance to the noonday sun, and so too, John is just like the moon. He's just a small light, he's reflecting the light, he's pointing to the true light of Jesus Christ. John was the forerunner. He reflected the light, but he was not the light. Now there's a basic application that I think bears mentioning even now. Those who are called to the ministry, preachers, missionaries, elders, they are sent out to point to the light of Christ, not themselves. It's not about pointing to yourself. Some preachers want to build their own kingdom, putting their name, you know, Kurt Aaron Ministries, you know, or whatever, and all of my accomplishments, or whatever. You think of, turn on TBN, you'll see dozens of these. A lot of these always like to talk about themselves rather than pointing to the light of Jesus Christ. Some churches are known as Grace Community Church, but MacArthur's Church, right? Or Dever's Church, you know, Washington DC, these kinds of things. No, it's Christ's Church! These are just mere men who are to point to the light. training interns, sometimes there's, over the years, you know, some want to just talk about themselves a lot. Like, it's okay to have an illustration that you happen to be in, maybe, occasionally, but, you know, I mean, it's one sermon in particular I'm thinking of, nine different lengthy references to the preachers, what he did here, what he did there, what he did there, it's just way too much. Point to Christ, right? That's the application. A preacher is sent by God. A true preacher, let me rephrase that, that is sent by God will not obscure the glory of God. He will not obscure the glory of Christ. Our job is like John's, to point people to Jesus. Amen? Verse 9, there is a true light which coming into the world enlightens every man. I should point this out now, that word true, we'll see that again and again throughout the Gospel of John, and John uses it in a way that means real or genuine, right? I am the true vine, right? I am the true bread that comes down out of heaven. The true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth, real worshipers, genuine worshipers. He says in John 6.31, Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written. He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Jesus then said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses that gave you bread out of heaven, but it was my Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. So the manna in the Old Testament was truly from God, but Jesus is the true bread. He's the genuine bread. That's the type. He's the fulfillment, right? He's the genuine bread that comes down out of heaven and the person of the second person of the Holy Trinity. So John uses that. We'll highlight that as we go through. Now this idea of enlightens every man is probably a reference to the incarnation. It's not enlightening every man without exception, but every man without distinction. You think of that prophecy in Isaiah chapter 9. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine around them. I think this is a fulfillment of that. Shining forth of Christ brings the spiritual realities into focus and forces a decision upon men. As it says, the Lord will bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts. All are exposed to the light and it forces them to make a choice. The light of Christ continues to shine today. How does it shine today? True churches that are biblically well-ordered, that have God-centered worship. Think of even the era of the internet. Think of sermon audio with 2.4 million sermons. They're in the process right now of building all new equipment in a vault so that if that stuff becomes outlawed and our language is preserved there, missions and preaching, all of these, the light still shines today. Paul says, we are a fragrance of Christ to God. And he goes on to say, to one, an aroma from death to death, and to the other, an aroma from life to life. So, the witness of John, let's come now to verses 10 and 11, the rejection of the light of Christ. Look at what it says in verse 10. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. What do we have a picture here? We have a picture of the blindness of man. We have a picture of the depravity of man. The world did not know him. John's purpose in writing is that he would set forth the glory of Christ. He is God. He is the light. But it raises the question here, how could someone so glorious be rejected so vehemently? How could someone with such an awesome glory and compassion be hated by so many? Why does sinful man reject Jesus? It says, because men love darkness rather than light, right? They'd rather have their sin. They'd rather have the darkness. They don't want any light shining upon them. The people of the world did not acknowledge their Creator. He is the owner of them and all things. It's tragic that the true and only Son of God, when it says next week, the Word became flesh, when He puts on flesh, He comes into the world in the incarnation. Sinful man wants nothing to do with Him. Get out of my way, right? Sinful man doesn't want to be bothered with that. The world suppresses the knowledge of God. instead of receiving Christ with open arms as it should. But now verse 11, verse 11 says he came to his own Those who were his own did not receive him." Now, his own there, you might see a marginal note. It's the neuter. It could mean all the things that he created, right up in verse 3, all things came into being through him. Apart from him, nothing came into being. That would be a valid interpretation. But here, no doubt, it refers to the elect nation of Israel. So really, in verse 10, we're told that the world did not receive Him, so you have all the irreligious people that reject Christ. They don't want anything to do with Christ, just in the world. But here you've got the religious people, moral people, the upright people that should have known better, that reject Christ as well. Why? Why? The Pharisees, the chief priests, why? Well, because they really enjoy that worship to themselves. They really enjoy that attention to themselves. They don't really want to step down and look up to Christ, as it were. They don't want to trust and worship Jesus as the true Messiah, because they enjoy being worshiped. So I believe it's a reference to the Jewish nation. He came to his own, his own people. It's like the cry of the psalmist in Psalm 69 and verse 8, I have become estranged from my brothers, and I am an alien to my mother's sons. They should have recognized him. They had all the prophets. They had the law. They had the word. They had all the signs and teaching. It's not from a lack of evidence. But it's from a hardness and a callous heart, the very depravity of man. In John 5, it says, the interchange between Jesus and the Pharisees, if you believe Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? So his own did not receive him. Is that not what that parable that we just read? That's what it's all about. The landowner rents it out to these vine growers, right? And then it's harvest time. It's time to collect payment. And what happens? They say, oh, let's kill the slaves. Kill the slaves. And then they plot, let's kill the sun. Let's get rid of the air so that this can all be ours. And then beautifully from Psalm 118, you know, Jesus quotes the stone which the builders rejected. This has become the chief cornerstone. Isn't that beautiful? And then it says that they figured out that the chief priests and the Pharisees heard these parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. They're being confronted by their sin. Or think of Stephen, that great sermon in Acts chapter 7, when he tells the religious leaders there, you men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit, you are doing just as what your fathers did. Calling them out. You're rejecting Christ. Isaiah 65 and verse 2, I've spread out my hands all day long to a rebellious people who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, a people continually provoking me to my face. That's God's estimation of those that reject him, and especially those that reject his dear son who he's loved so much. That's God's disposition. What advantages did the Jews have? I mean, you have it in Romans chapter 3. If you want to turn there, let's turn to Romans 3. What advantage has the Jew, verse 1, and what benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, they were entrusted with the very oracles of God. What then, if some of them did not believe, their unbelief will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? May it never be. and every man a liar, as it is written, that you may be justified in your words and prevail when you are judged. Turn to Romans 10. I have this later in my notes, but we'll look at it now. Look at what Paul says in verse 1. My heart's desire and my prayer for God is for their salvation. Whose salvation? The Jews who are blinded, and they're not getting it. And he was once blinded, and there was someone that was persecuting them. And so his heart's desire, he's got a burden for them as it were, and he says, I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Verse 3, for not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. Verse 8, but what does it say that the word of faith, even in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, You will be saved. So that takes us to verses 12 and 13, brethren, 12 and 13, the reception of Christ. We've seen the witness of John, we've seen the rejection of Christ, and now the reception of Christ. Verses 10 and 11 left us in sort of a bleak a bleak scene, you might say, right? Because you've got the idea of the world rejecting, and then even the Jewish people rejecting. It's a depressing picture, but verses 12 and 13 soften the rejection. It reminds us that God has a remnant somewhere for us. It reminds us that some will believe and be saved! Hallelujah! Right? What a Savior! Hallelujah! And you see here in verses 12 and 13 the dynamic of a of a human responsibility that we must receive and believe, but then the divine sovereignty that it's God who saves. It says right there in verse 13, who were born, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but of God. Being born of God. So we see, actually it's been commented, that verse 11, his own does not receive him, summarize the Gospel of John, the first 12 chapters. And then as we see here that some do receive him is chapter 13 to 21. I thought that was interesting. Okay, so let's first of all talk about, but as many as received him, how many is that? as many as would receive him, right? There's not a cap. Whoops, sorry, sold out. Come back next year, you know, or whatever. And so really what we have here, what I want you to see is the free offer of the gospel. the free offer of the gospel. We are to offer the gospel indiscriminately to all men, whether it's in front of Planned Parenthood when men are cursing at us and all of that, or at Balboa Park, or even in your family, indiscriminately to all. But we must not be deluded into thinking that all men have the power to choose salvation apart from God's work in their hearts. Regeneration, brethren, is a supernatural work. That's not a willy-nilly little thing, you mix three ingredients and you've got regeneration. No, it's a supernatural work. How does it say in Ezekiel there, the valley of dry, dead bones, right? I've got a picture on my wall of the idea that reminds me what it is. It's a picture of all these dead bones, but they're coming to life, and they're pushing up the gravestone, and there's sinews and skin growing on them. It's one of these 18th century things. But it totally reminds me, dead men can live and be brought to life when God breathes true life into them. Supernatural. John 6, "'No man can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.'" Is that like a little woo? Hey, psst, psst, hey, come on. Come here, come on. No, the word that is there is the word that's used at the end of this gospel when they caught 153 fish, I think it was, in the net, and they're exerting so much energy, dragging the net, and the net even breaks, I believe. The idea here is not just a wooing, it's a dragging. Why? Because we are dead set on our way. I mean, we need complete new life. We don't willingly come to God until He regenerates us and makes us willing in the day of His power. Salvation is a very difficult thing. I'm reminded of the rich young ruler in Mark chapter 10. And this little exchange here, not giving the whole context here, but towards the end in verse 23, Jesus looking around said to his disciples, how hard It will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of heaven. And the disciples were amazed at his words, that were astonished at his words. How hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." And they were even more astonished, the disciples that were there, and said to them, Who then can be saved? And what does Jesus say? He looks at them, and Jesus said, with people, it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God. So you see, with people alone, and your own will, and your own flesh, it's impossible, but not with God. So, looking at our text, verse 12, But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God." To receive here is to believe. It's really the human responsibility. We're called on to believe. A.W. Pink puts it like this, Salvation comes to the sinner through receiving Christ. That is, by receiving Christ, that is the believing in his name. There is a slight distinction between the two things, though the substance are one. Believing respects Christ as he is exhibited by the gospel testimony. It is the personal acceptance as truth of what God has said concerning his Son. Receiving Christ is presented to us as God's gift, presented to us for our acceptance. You see, receiving Christ means that you have to do this, forsake all other hopes, and your baptism as an infant, your baptism maybe some years ago, your church membership, your good works, All your upbringing, your Christian upbringing, your memorizing the catechism, all of these things that we can begin to say, put confidence in. No. Receiving and believing Christ is a forsaking of all other hopes. By His divine sovereignty, He breathes spiritual life into us so that we are born of God. And this idea of belief, even a child can understand the gospel. Didn't Jesus say that the kingdom of heaven is a childlike faith? We're to come with that. There's simplicity in the gospel. It's a very complex thing, but the simplicity of knowing that I'm a sinner destined for hell, but Christ is a Savior that died on the cross for sinners who would come to Him. That's pretty simple, isn't it? Why do we want to complicate it so much? Salvation is supernatural. Remember John 9, you said the blind man that's converted, and the Pharisees are drilling him in the synagogue, even with his parents, and it says, So a second time, they called the man who had been blind and said to him, give glory to God. We know this man's a sinner talking about Jesus. And then he answered, whether he is a sinner, I do not know. But one thing I know, that I was blind and now I see. And then it goes on and says in verse 27, and he answered them, I told you already, But you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become his disciples too, do you?" And they reviled him. They said, you are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. And then it ends with the Pharisees in verse 40. who were with him heard these things and said to them, we are not blind too, are we? And Jesus says, if you were blind, you would have no sin. But since you say we see, your sin remains. And what does it mean to believe in His name? Is that like believe, J-E-S-U-S, like believe that's how we spell Jesus? Is that what it means? No, it carries a whole lot more than that. His name, the name of God and the name of Jesus represents character. It represents reputation. all of the promises and truths about who he is, all of the work that he has performed and claims to perform. Christ means the anointed one, Messiah, which means that we think of his office as a prophet, priest, and king. It's believing all of those things. John MacArthur puts it like this, believe in his name, his name refers to the totality of Christ being, all that he is and does, thus it is not possible to separate his deity from his humanity, or his being a Savior from his being a Lord, or his person from his redemptive work. Saving faith accepts Jesus Christ in all that the scripture reveals concerning him. So remember that. At the end of verse 12 there, even those who believe in his name. It's a lot. And it says that he gave the right to become children of God, as many as received him. That word, it's actually the word that's used as authority. Every other time John uses it, it's translated as that. For example, in John 10, when he says, no one takes my life from me, but I lay it down and I take it up by my own authority. But I think here the right understanding is that he gave the right, as it's translated, even though all the other times it's translated differently. Now this idea of children of God, you know, like the old hippie movement, we're all children of God, man. You know, the universal fatherhood of God and all of that kind of stuff. No, we deny that. That's not what we're talking about. We are not his children by nature. We're sinners, right? And the text says that it's only those who believe in His name and who has received Him that receive that right to become children of God. Thomas Watson, the Puritan, says, God has made his children, by adoption, nearer to himself than angels. The angels are the friends of Christ. Believers are members of Christ. That's a beautiful quote to think about. And as we think about adoption, what is adoption? What is it to be adopted? It's a legal transaction, right? Our youngest daughter, there was a legal transaction some 10 years ago where she now has inherited all the rights and privileges of being in the Aaron family. Ephesians 1.5 says, he predestined us to adoption of sons set from before the foundation of the world. Galatians 4 and verse 4, but when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that He might redeem those under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Just think of that. Members of the family of God. Brothers and sisters as members, and we have a true inheritance. Romans 8 and verse 16, the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God. We believe it. The Spirit agrees with us. Verse 17, if children, then heirs also. Heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ. And then that mark, if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. Suffering with Him means bearing the marks of a child of God, of being one of the children of God. And as God's children, we enjoy so many privileges that we should thank God for every day. We share in His name in that we're called Christians. Christians. We share in that He provides for all of our needs. Seek first the kingdom of God. All these things will be given to you. Because we're prone to wonder, Lord, I feel it as the hymn says, He loves us enough. Those whom I love I what? Discipline and reprove. He trains us. That's the blessing of being His child. We share in His nature, 2 Peter 1.4. We have eternal life, right? It's different than God's eternality as attribute, because it keeps going way before and goes on. But for us, at a certain point, we have eternity, and we share in that. Have you believed in His name today? The promise is that you will be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. And that's the whole picture of Christ never sinned when he lived on this earth. He lived a perfect life. And those for whom he died, that imputed to us, so that when God sees us, he sees us as though we have never sinned. We don't need any phony false self-righteousness seeking to cultivate our own righteousness, as it said in Romans there. No, because we're clothed with the garments of salvation, Isaiah 61 and verse 10. We must renounce all self-righteousness, all confidence in the flesh, and believe on Jesus. To believe in Jesus is to truly love Jesus. To believe in Jesus is to rest in Jesus and to trust Him. Again, you don't need a certain amount of religious knowledge before you can be saved. You don't need the seminary degree to understand the Ordo Salutis and all of that and all of its complexities. No, just a simple faith of a child to know that you're a lost sinner and Jesus is a suitable Savior. It really is amazing grace how sweet the sound that God would save a wretch like me. Sadly, we all meet people that are introduced to Christianity, and they're inquisitors, and they want to study all the world's religions first, right? I'll come back to it, but let me try Eastern mysticism. Let me try this a little bit. Let me have a little bit of this. And, you know, it's like a smorgasbord. And sadly, what happens is many times these people end up deceived and ultimately rejecting Christianity. On verse 13, we see that salvation is of the Lord. These who were become the children of God, that genomai, it's the idea of being born, born again, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Divine sovereignty. Divine sovereignty. Right here in the prologue, he introduces the theme of John 3 of the necessity of the new birth, to be born again. In fact, in chapter 3, verse 6 and 7, it says, that which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, you must be born again. In fact, later in chapter 8, that whole scene with the Pharisees and descendants of Abraham, having physical descent at Abraham is no significance if you're not reproducing Abraham's faith in God. So that Jesus says this, if God were your father, you would love me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God. For I have not even come on my own initiative, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear my word." That's not may not, but cannot. In other words, inability because of depravity and the callousness of the heart. And so it's not about physical descent, right? Those who were born of blood, oh, Abraham's our father, or Moses, as it said there in John 9, but no, it's those who imitate that faith. James 1.18, in the exercise of His will, He brought us forth by the word of truth so that we might be the first kind of fruits among the creatures. Titus 3.5, He saved us. not on the basis of deeds which we've done in righteousness, but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and the renewing by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is of the Lord. Do we have a responsibility, human responsibility? Yes. We must receive Him. We must believe in His name and all that that encompasses. Well, a couple points of application as we wrap up. The God who caused you to be born again, if you're in Christ, will never let you go. you should have a rock-solid assurance. Peter puts it like this in his first letter, chapter 1, verse 3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the dead. He's the one that caused us to be born again. Supernatural power coming from God, goes on, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away. There's no expiration date like we saw on the sour cream yesterday in our refrigerator that it expired two weeks ago. It's imperishable, right? It's undefiled. It will not fade away. And look, look what it says, reserved You have a reservation in heaven reserved in heaven for you as a child of God. You will be preserved unto the end. You've got a reservation, as it were, this inheritance. Verse 5, "...who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." What is that telling us? That you will be protected by the power of God until that last day when you draw your last breath on this earth. It's a final deliverance. That's good news. It's such good news. Why do people want to reject that good news? Why do people today continue to reject the light? This church should be packed, and many other churches like it. Why? Because they want to suppress the truth and unrighteousness. There's a hatred of the light because it exposes the darkness of their sin. They hate to hear the gospel. They have a hardness even in our land. Look at the last five years and all these movements to seek to remove all vestiges of Christianity and the public sphere and renaming schools and all of this craziness. Sometimes people in their conscience, they feel a conviction. There's some level of conviction. It's not conversion. But they suppress that. And how do they do that? Well, they try to change the subject. How do they do that? They want to escape reality. That's why the metaverse is so appealing to so many people, right? There they seek pleasure and partying, music and video games, alternative realities, rather than facing the truth and being sober-minded and knowing you will stand before God. Why do people reject the light? Well, I've read it several times, but in 319, this is the judgment. Light has come into the world. Men love darkness rather than light. They have a love affair with darkness. They have a love affair with sin. Ephesians 2.1, they're dead in trespasses and sins. We should not be surprised when the world is indifferent or hostile to our testimony of the light. And we're not. Natural man cannot save himself. We can't talk them into becoming a Christian if God has not elected them. But we have great hope. And so, because we have the power of the gospel, we have the Holy Spirit on our side, that's why Reformed churches should be the ones that are the most zealous with evangelism, because we believe it's God the Holy Spirit that saves. It's not up to us how well we can articulate something. Have you believed in Jesus Christ? Maybe some say, I'm not sure if I really want to receive Christ. I don't want to give up too much. It's not how can you accept Jesus, but will he accept you? Another might say, I've sinned too much. You don't know my story. My story is dark. Joseph, of whom we prayed, his story is dark. And yet, God can save. It's not a matter of making yourself worthy. There's nothing we can do to make ourselves Christians. We are dependent on the Lord. Some say, I'm too weak. Don't look to yourself, look to Christ. It's His power. He is the power of salvation. But you must admit that you're a sinner, turn from your sin, and Jesus will receive you. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word today. We thank you for the gospel. We're just very much just still in the prologue. Lord, we pray that this would be profitable for our souls. Pray especially for any that has not received Christ, that you would have dealings with them, Lord, in the coming days and weeks. Lord, we know that salvation is of you, and so we ask that you would save. In Jesus' name, amen.