The True Light Has Come Into The World

John 1:6-13

Transcript

From the Gospel of John chapter 1 verses 6 through 13. There was a man sent from
God whose name was John. He came as witness to bear witness about the light that
all might believe through him. He was not the light but came to bear witness
about the light. The true light which gives light to everyone was coming into
the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him yet the world
did not know him. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But
to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh
nor of the will of man. But of God. Let's take a moment and pray together.
Father, thank you for this Christmas season where we are able to gather
together, worship you, and come under the authority and power of your word. And
as we as we read and hear, Lord, I pray for your Holy Spirit's work, opening our
hearts and minds, helping us to understand, helping us to see how these truths
that are seen here apply to our lives. So we pray for your illuminating work in
Jesus' name. Amen. I mentioned this last week, John 1 is not a traditional
Christmas story like we see in Matthew and Luke. It does not give us the birth
story of Jesus in that sense, but it gives us the theology or the understanding
of what Christmas is really about. Christmas is such a dominant part of our
culture. Some of you love it, some of you are exhausted by it, but really, from
like a just an advertising perspective, it takes about 20 percent of our
calendar. And it's very easy for us to kind of get lost in what the significance
in the significance of what we're actually celebrating. When you get Christmas
cards this year, you'll see different greetings on them. Merry Christmas or
season's greetings or happy holidays or peace on earth or peace and love or
merry and bright or all is well and all those are those are fine, those are
good. But John summarizes the meaning of Christmas for us in verse nine, much
better than what the way we're usually able to capture it. He says, the true
light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. John introduces
Jesus as the source of all light and all life. Earlier in John one, it says in
him, that's Jesus, was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines
in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. And now John is saying
that Jesus, the true light, was entering into our world. That's what Christmas
is about. It's what we call the incarnation. It's why we celebrate. And our
passage this morning is broken into three parts. The witness, the rejection and
the reception. I'm going to work through those three, the witness and the
rejection and the reception, and we'll see what John means when he says the true
light was coming into the world. Look at verses six through eight. This is the
witness. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness
to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. He was not
the light, but came to bear witness about the light. So we begin this passage by
talking about John the Baptist, Jesus's cousin, the man sent from God to prepare
the way for Jesus. Just so we're clear, John the apostle is the writer of the
gospel, but a second John, John the Baptist, is who we're talking about. And
John the Baptist is described as a witness. That word gets used three times in
those three verses. He came as a witness. His job was to bear witness about the
light. He himself was not the light, but his job was to bear witness, to point
people to the light. Jesus. So let's talk for a second about what that word
means, witness. When we think about it, we probably are familiar with it and
think about it in connection with a court of law. Witnesses serve to establish
what is factual. The more of them we have and the more consistent what they say
is, the more consistent their testimony, the more certain we are about what's
taken place. Witnesses help us to understand what's true. And John the Baptist's
purpose in witnessing was that so that all might believe through him. He wanted
everyone to know who Jesus was and to believe in him. And that corresponds with
John the apostle's entire purpose for writing this book. Remember, John's
purpose in writing his gospel was so that his readers might believe. At the end
of his gospel, he says, these things are written to you so that you may believe
Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in
his name. It's very interesting when you read the gospel of John as a whole,
there's a whole witness motif or theme. And there's some irony in there. John
records how Jesus's crucifixion is preceded by a sham trial when he's before
Pilate. And during Jesus's examination, there are false witnesses that come to
condemn him. But as he writes the gospel, John is actually putting the readers
on trial and providing repeated witnesses to who Jesus is. We see that first
with John the Baptist, but then as the gospel progresses, Jesus's miracles are a
witness to who he is. God the father testifies, this is my beloved son. We see
that the scriptures have been fulfilled as a witness that Jesus is the promised
savior. Jesus himself testifies about who he is. The Holy Spirit is a witness to
who Jesus is and the disciples as well. They all function as witnesses to help
us understand who Jesus is. So John is writing in this very purposeful,
determined way to confront his readers with the truth about who Jesus is so that
they might believe. That's the purpose of a witness. It's to persuade and to
convince. When someone is a witness in a trial, it's never just simply sort of
presenting neutral things to think about at a more convenient time. It's to
persuade. And the witness theme does not end just with John's gospel or just
with Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. After he has been raised, Jesus comes
to his disciples and says, in Acts one, you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea,
Samaria and the ends of the earth. Those who follow Jesus are empowered to
testify about him. So we actually learn quite a bit here in this passage about
what it means to be a witness for Jesus. Text says that John bore witness about
the true light, Jesus. He was not the light. But he came to point people to
Jesus. And that's a wonderful model for us. Our job as Christian witnesses is
never to say, look at me or look at us. It's to point people to Jesus. It's
true, of course, that when our example as followers of Jesus falls far short of
what we're called to, then we undermine our credibility. We damage our witness.
It's important that our lives are valid examples that we don't undermine our
message. But the message is about Jesus. Our message that he is the true light
who came into the world. In John five, John the Baptist gets referenced again by
Jesus and Jesus says he was a burning and shining lamp and you were willing to
rejoice for a while in his light. John was not the light. John was not the
light. But he was a smaller temporary lamp that pointed the way toward Jesus for
a short time. And even in that reference in John five, John is referred to in
the past tense. John was, he says he was a burning and shining lamp that
suggests that even by that time that John is already imprisoned or has died. But
John blazed for a little while in this temporary time bound way, pointing people
toward the true light. It's an example for us. We don't live forever. And while
we do live, whatever our other ambitions may be, whatever our other hopes and
dreams may be, there's nothing better that we can do than to point people to
Jesus. The true light. John's referred to as that burning and shining lamp.
Light from a first century lamp or lantern. It's not self-generated. So to the
extent to which we are a light to other people, it comes out of our own
relationship with Jesus. When we fellowship with him. We're filled with his
light outside of a relationship with Jesus. We're filled with his light outside
of a relationship with Jesus. Our attempts to persuade anyone else will simply
will just simply fade away and burn out. Now, we're not like John the Baptist in
terms of our place in redemptive history, but we are witnesses. We've been, if
we follow Christ, we are witnesses and given a message and it's a message about
Jesus. And the message that we've been given is called, it's referred to as good
news of great joy that will be to all people. That's the core content of a
Christian witness. It's the good news of the gospel. There's not anyone who does
not need to hear that Jesus has come to earth. That he was born of a virgin.
That he lived a sinless life and perfectly kept God's law. That he was crucified
and that he suffered in an atoning way in our place for our sins. That he
suffered as the innocent one and that he died and rose again by the power of
God. And he sits at the right hand of God, the father. We as the church are
witnesses of this gospel message. That Jesus, the true light is coming to the
world and that people, all people can be restricted. All people can be restored
to a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. So what we do, we can
point people towards the true light. In Luke's Christmas account, he talks about
the prophecy of Zechariah about Jesus who was to come. And Zechariah said that
Jesus will give light to those who sit in darkness, in the shadow of death. To
guide our feet into the way of peace. When we witness, like John, it ought to be
unapologetically. So that people might believe in Jesus through our message. Our
conversation, it ought to be respectful. It ought to be humble. It ought to be
prayerful. It ought to take in consideration the other person and what they are
thinking and feeling. There's no reason to be an obnoxious or an abrasive
witness for Jesus. And at the same time, we are trying to persuade. Let me just
give you a quick example of that. In the book of Acts chapter 26, the apostle
Paul gets a chance to talk to witness about his conversion experience with King
Agrippa. And after listening to Paul, Agrippa says, in a short time, would you
persuade me to be a Christian? He tries to deflect and put off Paul by saying,
you haven't given me enough time. You're being too direct, Paul. But Paul is
unapologetic in his response that he is absolutely trying to persuade him. Paul
said, whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all
those who hear me. On this day, become as I am, meaning become a Christian. John
came as this burning and shining lamp, giving witness to Jesus. And yet not
everyone received John and they certainly did not receive Jesus. Both were
rejected. And here's this this irony that John starts to describe the message
that John gave and that we continue to give today creates two separate
responses. It can be rejected or it can be received. So the witness can be
rejected or it can be received. And John first talks about rejection. If you
continue in this passage, starting in verse nine. The true light, which gives
light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world and the world
was made through him. Yet the world did not know him. He came to his own. And
his own people did not receive him. Every once in a while, a really famous
person will come to Buffalo. But it doesn't happen that often. Because we're
living in a mid-sized city, it tends to get Buffalo tends to get skipped over a
little bit. If there's a really popular band that you like or a comedian or a
traveling show or a musician or something like that. You often, if they are
popular enough, have to accept that you are probably going to have to travel to
Toronto or maybe New York City or go somewhere out of state because that person
might be too big, too big for Buffalo. Too big a deal. Too big a deal. Too big a
deal. Too big a deal to book a show here. Or every so often you'll hear about
someone that maybe the Bills or the Sabres are pursuing and this kind of counter
argument gets presented like, well, does that does he really want to move to
Buffalo? And the idea here is that this smaller or mid-sized city is a little
too insignificant for a person who is a big enough deal for a truly famous or
significant person. Well, this is much more extreme than that. There's a
tremendous irony here in what John's saying. Jesus is the one through whom God
created the world. That's what verse three says. All things were made through
him and without him was not anything made that was made. Jesus is God's creative
power that created and upholds and sustains the world. Through him was not
anything made that was made. To come to Earth, it's not really possible for me
to be to describe how far below that what that is from the glory of Jesus and
yet in his incarnation, the world did not recognize him. In fact, they rejected
him. The true light was coming into the world. God was taking on the form of man
as a little baby humbling himself. But it was rejected. The world did not know
him. In other words, the world was indifferent and did not receive him, didn't
recognize him, didn't welcome him. There's two groups, it's very interesting,
there's two groups here that did not, that both reject Jesus, that did not
welcome him. First, John says the world, the world did not know him, did not
recognize him. Second, he says his own people. So Jesus was rejected by both the
religious and the irreligious, by people who were moral and respectable, and by
people who were depraved and spiritually dark. The world did not know him
because as John says later on, the world hates the light that Jesus brings. John
3 19 says, this is the judgment. The light has come into the world and people
love darkness rather than light because their works were evil. For everyone who
does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his work
should be exposed. That's the evil of sinful humanity. We see it in our culture,
we see it in our own lives. We run away from the light because it exposes us.
And rebellious people reject Jesus because they're committed to their own way of
life and they do not want their deeds exposed. That's called loving darkness
rather than light. That's part of the rejection of Jesus. But the text also says
he came to his own and his own people did not receive him. That's referring to
Israelites who were supposedly awaiting the Messiah, God's promised one. These
are the moral religious synagogue attending people. Think about these people,
the children of Abraham, the ones who celebrated Passover every year,
remembering how God let his people out of Israel. They knew that the prophets
foretold the Messiah and that the scripture said that God would send someone who
would sit on the throne of David forever. But when Jesus came, they didn't
receive him either. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him.
So some people reject Jesus in the light that he offers because they would
rather stay in darkness. But there are also moral and religious people who
reject Jesus, not just then, but today as well. And as you read the gospels, you
realize they did not want to be in need of a savior. They wanted power and
control and glory for themselves. There are some people that want love darkness
because they are spiritually dark and that's where they want to keep living. But
other people in John's gospel, it's the Pharisees and religious leaders, love
darkness in a different way. They trust in their own morality and they think
they are better than everyone else. And they cannot be humbled to say, I am a
sinner and I need a savior. It's a warning for us because you can reject Jesus
as a religious person and as an irreligious person. Both can reject Jesus. But
whoever you are and wherever you fall on that spectrum, the invitation to reject
Jesus is a warning. The invitation to receive Jesus is for you. So we've talked
about the witness of Jesus and the rejection of Jesus. But now let's look at
what happens to those who receive Jesus. Verses 12 and 13. But to all who did
receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will
of man, but of God. And that word receive speaks to all who did receive him.
That speaks to genuine saving faith. Receiving Jesus is more than agreeing that
he existed or reading about him or hearing a sermon and thinking, that's about
what I think as well. That is more like simple acceptance. To receive Jesus
means believing in who he is and then trusting in him and submitting to him. To
believe in his name means you put your trust in who he claims to be. And as the
one who can save you from your sins. And the text says to all who did receive
him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. He
gave the right. That speaks to privilege, the highest order of privilege. Think
about some of the most exclusive privileges in our world. If you're a child, you
might think about the last time that you read or you watched Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory, in case you need a refresher. In that story, every child in
the town wants to visit Willy Wonka's world famous chocolate factory. The only
people who will be able to go are the five children who received the golden
tickets hidden inside the Wonka chocolate bars. Children are rifling through
hundreds, thousands of candy bars in search of that golden ticket. Everyone is
tearing the wrappers off their chocolate bars to find that exclusive golden
ticket and only those five are going to be able to gain access to this magical
world that exists behind the walls of Wonka's chocolate factory. If you're like
me, you're a little older, there are other exclusive things that you hope for.
Every year, I enter the lottery to win top tickets to the Masters golf
tournament in Augusta, Georgia in April. Actually, I enter the lottery not to
win the tickets, I enter the lottery to win the right to buy the tickets. It's
the hardest ticket to get in professional sports. Unless you have some very
unusual connections, the only way to get a ticket is to play the lottery. I
enter every year, I have been doing this for a very long time. So do more than
two million other people and so far every year I get the email thanking me for
participating, but telling me I did not win those exclusive tickets. We search
for these things that represent exclusivity and privilege. We love the social
media, we love the social media, we love the social media. We love the status
that exclusivity represents. If you go online, you can spend hours, days reading
about what it takes to get access into, say, some of the most exclusive colleges
or universities in our country. Parents start talking about this, dreaming,
planning for this before their children are in kindergarten. What does it take
to gain access to school X, Y, or Z, Yale, or Harvard, or Stanford, or Notre
Dame? What do we need to do? What do we need to sign up for? How much money is
it going to cost? What are the extracurriculars we need to get on this child's
resume? Sometimes people admit, honestly, that it's not even about the level of
education that those institutions represent, it's the exclusivity that they
represent. When we think about these highly exclusive places or organizations or
experiences, what everyone usually wants to know is, what do I need to do to
gain access to these places? This is one of the ways where the gospel is so
different than the values of our world. Look at the text again. For all who did
receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God. That's just the grace of God through faith. It's not about human
accomplishments or background or character. It's about the connections or merit.
It's not earned. It's simply faith in Christ. It's the greatest privilege that
we can receive, and it's not exclusive. It's the gift of grace through faith.
And through that faith, we're given the privilege of adoption, the right to
become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. That's what John refers to as being
born again, spiritual rebirth. It's not of blood. It means it's not related to
your ethnicity or your background. For the Israelites, that means it's not
because you're children of Abraham. It's not related to who you are or who your
parents are or where you come from. You can have Christian parents. You can grow
up in the church. It does not mean you're born again. It's not the will of the
flesh. It means it's not human effort. It's not good behavior. It's not the
right things that you do. No level of achievement can get you there. All the
other exclusive things that I just talked about, well, not the golden ticket,
but many of them can at least possibly be attained if you have the right
connections, or if you work hard enough or you study long enough. You can at
least maintain hope that maybe those doors will swing open for you. Adoption
into the family of God is not like that. It's the free gift of grace for all who
trust in Christ. The great Christian author and teacher J.I. Packer said that if
we had to squeeze the New Testament into three words, he said the best way to do
it would be adoption through propitiation. In other words, it's the atoning
sacrifice of Jesus through that, that we have access to the Father and be
welcomed into the family. It's not through anything that we can do. It's simply
by grace. And when that grace is received, think with me about the privileges
that come from adoption. It's through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the
cross that my sins are forgiven. He satisfies God's justice. He keeps God's law
when I've broken it. He wipes the slate clean. That's called propitiation.
That's atonement. But what I receive does not stop just at forgiveness. He gives
us the right to become children of God. And that moves beyond God's justice and
brings us into a new familial relationship with God. We're restored. Now I have
his love and his blessing and his name and his inheritance. I belong to him and
I have all the rights and privileges connected with that. There's not any
membership or exclusive privilege that's greater than that. And it's all the
kindness of God. Now I can come to God knowing that he is the loving Father who
welcomes me, that he's brought me into his family. Now I can look forward to the
life to come because I have an inheritance that's connected with my adoption,
that's been secured for me and I know the best is yet to come. Now I have
security because God does not change his mind about who he's adopting. It's a
relationship that cannot change. Now I can go forward and I can pray to God with
confidence and I can move past my sins because I can live in obedience because I
want to obey the one who loves me. And my identity as a child of God becomes the
whole basis for my Christian life. To all who did receive him, who believed in
his name, he gave the right to become children of God. The message that we
celebrate at Christmas time is that the true light, the genuine light, which
gives light to everyone, has come into our world. That's what we celebrate
That's what we celebrate and that's the message that we proclaim. Let's pray.