SERIES: Advent: A Light Has Dawned
TEXT: John 1:6-13
MESSAGE: “In God’s Family”

“Jesus dying on the cross for me is my gift. I get Jesus. Being a designer and being on Project Runway is just grace upon grace upon grace. It is what I get to do, not who I am.” — Merline Labasierre

“To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” — John 1:12

“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.” — John 1:9-11

• “Jesus came as the light, but the world was blind and could not see it. The one who created the world was in the world, yet the world did not recognize him. Jesus made our eyes, yet we refused to see his glory. Jesus made our ears, yet we refused to listen to his words. Jesus made our heads, yet we refused to bow before him.” — Matt Carter and Josh Wredberg
• “…when John tells us that God loves the world, far from being an endorsement of the world, it is a testimony of the character of God. God’s love is to be admired not because the world is so big but because the world is so bad…If Jesus is the Savior of the world, that says a great deal about Jesus, but nothing positive about the world. In fact, it tells us the world is in need of a savior.” — D.A. Carson

TEXT: John 1:6-13

Q: How do we become a part of God’s family? There are three words that John identifies in this passage: (1. Receive 2. Right 3. Rebirth)

1. Receive (v.12a)

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name…”

“There are two kinds of people that go to church: there’s religious people and real Christians. And the way you can tell the difference is that a Real Christian is somebody who sees everything that comes as a gift. In other words a real Christian sees that you are totally in debt to God, but a religious person is someone who is working hard and making an effort and trying to be good, going to Bible studies and just saying “no” everywhere, and denying themselves a lot of pleasures, and so forth, and a religious person is someone who is trying to put God in their debt. That is the difference. A religious person is someone who is trying to save themselves through their good works. A religious person is somebody who thinks they are putting God in their debt since they have tried so hard. A Christian is somebody who sees themselves as in God’s debt.” — Timothy Keller

2. Right (v.12b)

“…he gave the right to become children of God.”

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises…” — 2 Peter 1:3-4

3. Rebirth (v.13)

“…who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

“People will only experience the new birth if God chooses to regenerate them. Upholding every decision to believe is the foundation of God’s sovereign grace…Many people don’t like this teaching because it detracts from man’s efforts. That’s exactly the point! The truth that God chooses sinners and those sinners simply respond (not the other way around) elevates God and humbles us. And humility is exactly what we need. Everything that has happened to a Christian for good, especially his salvation, is directly attributable to the work of God in him. Nothing in him merited salvation. Even when he exercised faith, he did so because God gave him that gift.” — Matt Carter and Josh Wredberg

TAKEAWAYS: How do we live as children of God?

• Believe we are not the light (v.8) — “He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.”

• Believe the eyewitnesses (v.7) — “He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.”

• Believe you are sent (v.6) – “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.”

“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” John 1:11

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” — Luke 2:6-7