JESUS DEFENDS HIS AUTHORITY – John 2:18-22

Bible sermon, Christ, Gospel of John, John 2:18-25, New Testament sermon, Uncategorized

Are guarantees important to you? When you shop for an item to purchase, do you read the fine print in the contract and the guarantee forms? Maybe you can recall a time when you didn’t read all the fine print and wish you had. We all desire proof, not only that things live up to their claims, but also that people live up to the claims they make. The most fantastic claim that any person could possibly make would be the claim to be God. Jesus Christ wasn’t the first Person to make that claim, and there have been many others who have claimed it since then.

In the previous passage of Scripture, John 2:12-17, the Lord Jesus cleansed the temple. While doing so He declared: “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a house of merchandise.” By His actions and His words, the Lord Jesus was fulfilling an Old Testament prophesy and declaring Himself to be the Messiah, the Son of God. Now we see their response.

I. THE REACTION OF THE JEWISH LEADERS (verses 18)

In verse 18 the leaders of the Jews said to Jesus, “What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things.” They used that same expression at the end of Jesus’ ministry, in Matthew 21:23. They were angry, and probably shouted those words at Him. It may have sounded something like this: “Who do You think You are! Who gave You the right to do the things You just did.” They ask Him for a sign. I guess they felt they had the right to put Jesus to the test. After all, they considered themselves to be the guardians of the Jewish faith. I wonder whether or not they were trying to (incorrectly) apply God’s words to Moses in Deuteronomy 13:1-3. “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder comes true concerning which he spoke to you saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” But Jesus was not a prophet or a dreamer, He was God Himself!

The problem was that the Jewish people were always looking for signs and miracles. What Jesus says to them in reply is the greatest of all signs or miracles.

II. THE PREDICTION BY JESUS (verse 19)

Jesus’ answer to the Jews who were questioning Him was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” It was a statement they misunderstood, but they would never forget it. Three years later they quoted it at Jesus’ trial, and even used it to mock Him while He was on the cross. The word translated “destroy” is a permissive imperative in the Greek. His listeners didn’t realize it, but Jesus was giving them permission to kill Him in order that He might pay the price for the sins of the world. This was a new insight for me.

There are two Greek words that were used when referring to the temple. The Lord Jesus chose to use the word “naos”, a word that could also be used to refer to the human body. Speaking of the temple, Jesus said “I will raise it up”. The Greek word used here, “egeiro”, literally means “to rouse from sleep”. It occurs 141 times in the New Testament, and 70 of those usages refer to the resurrection. Obviously, Jesus didn’t point to Himself or make any other kind of gesture to indicate clearly to them that He was referring to His body. I don’t think that Jesus wanted them to understand what He was saying. Even His own disciples didn’t understand the meaning of His statement until after His death and resurrection. Can you ever remember receiving the following response when you asked someone a question: “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe it!”? I think those words also apply to this situation.

Often during Jesus’ public ministry, the Jewish leaders asked Jesus to give them a sign. But He refused to do so, except for the sign of Jonah, which depicts death, burial, and resurrection. In Matthew 12:40 Jesus said, “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

C.S. Lewis popularized the argument that Jesus was either a liar or a lunatic, or the Lord. Watchman Nee also expresses this argument clearly in his book, Normal Christian Faith:
“A person who claims to be God must belong to one of three categories: First, if he claims to be God and yet in fact is not, he has to be a madman or a lunatic. Second, if he is neither God nor a lunatic, he has to be a liar, deceiving others by his lie. Third, if he is neither of these, he must be God. You can only choose one of these possibilities.”

III. THEIR MISUNDERSTANDING (verses 20-21)

Judging from their response to Jesus’ remark, the Jewish leaders must have thought that Jesus was a lunatic. Their answer to Jesus is: “It took forty years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” They thought He was talking about the temple in Jerusalem. Josephus, the Roman historian, said that about 18,000 workmen were employed in that task, and that the temple wasn’t finished until 64 A.D. They are saying to Jesus, “You’ve got to be crazy if you think you can rebuild that massive, ornate structure in just three days!” Little did they realize that Jesus was going to do something even more astounding. He was going to bring His own dead body back to life after three days in a tomb!

The originator of a new religion came to the great French diplomat, Talleyrand and complained that he could not make any converts. “What would you suggest I do?” he asked. “I should recommend”, said Talleyrand, “that you get yourself crucified, and then die, but be sure to rise again the third day.” I don’t think he took that advice! Talleyrand must have recognized that it is the resurrected, living Christ that holds Christianity together and draws people to it. As the apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 15:14 and 17, “And if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain . . . . and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”

IV. THE DISCIPLES’ RESPONSE (verse 22)

In verse 21, the apostle John affirms that Jesus was speaking of the temple of His body. But John did not know that at the time. He says in verse 22, “When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this (over three years earlier); and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken.” They didn’t understand until they saw Him in His resurrected body three years later.

What is the “Scripture” that they believed? It must have been Psalm 16:10 because the apostle Peter quoted it at Pentecost (Acts 2:31), and the apostle Paul quoted it at Antioch; (Acts 13:35). Psalm 16:10 says, “For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.” That “mysterious” verse had been solved and fulfilled.

A little boy once taught his Sunday School class a lesson about the resurrection of Christ that they understood immediately and would never forget. Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday School class with several other eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in Leadership magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully.

The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought L’eggs pantyhose containers, the kind that look like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely spring day, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom they would share their new-life symbols, opening the containers one by one in surprise fashion. After running through the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one, whether a flower, butterfly, or leaf, the class would ooh and ahh.

Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, “That’s stupid!” “That’s not fair!” “Somebody didn’t do their assignment!”

Philip spoke up, “That’s mine.”

“Philip, you don’t ever do things right!” the student retorted. “There’s nothing there!”

“I did so do it,” Philip insisted. “I did do it. It’s empty, the tomb is empty!”

Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar, not with flowers but with their Sunday School teacher, each to lay on his casket an empty pantyhose egg.

Like the empty pantyhose egg, the Lord Jesus used the picture of the temple (His body) to describe His violent death that would be followed by His glorious resurrection from the dead (the empty tomb). This is the second picture that John records in his Gospel. The first picture was that of the Lamb of God, the unblemished substitute who would be sacrificed to pay the price for our sins. There is also a third picture which John gives in chapter 3 of his Gospel.

CONCLUSION AND APPLICATION:

The Lord Jesus’ description of Himself as a “temple” brings to mind several images from the Old Testament. The tabernacle in the wilderness was just a tent until it was consecrated and the Spirit of God came and filled it. Then it became the Tabernacle of the Lord, and the Shekinah glory shone out from within. The people saw it and worshipped God who now dwelt there. The temple of Solomon was just a beautiful building until it was consecrated, and the Spirit of God filled it. Then it became a temple where people were drawn together to worship the Lord.

Just as Jesus described His body as a temple, our bodies are temples also. Who, or what. is being worshipped in your “temple” (your body, your life)? Who is being glorified in your body? It’s not enough to believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins. It’s not enough to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, God incarnate. Those things are important to believe, but believing those things to be true is not the formula for becoming a child of God. There is also the need for consecration: repenting of our sins and devoting our lives to Him. Is your body (your life) an outward testimony of forgiveness and joy because of the death of Christ for you? Is your body (life) an outward evidence of victory because of the risen Christ who reigns in you, and the Spirit of God who fills and controls you? As the apostle Paul said in I Corinthians 6:19-20. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” Becoming a Christian is not a rental agreement or a lease. It is a permanent transfer of ownership of our lives to God our Creator. You couldn’t be in better hands, and the enjoyment never ends! I hope this is your experience. If not, I hope that you will make that choice and experience the wonderful, life-changing results very soon. You will be eternally glad if you do, or eternally sorry if you don’t. God wants you to be His, and the Lord Jesus paid the price to make that possible. If it is still unclear in your mind, please go to my “About page” where the Scriptures are given, or leave me a comment so that we can talk about this decision, and so that any questions might be answered.

CONSTRUCTION SITE: COMPLETED

JESUS CLEANSES THE TEMPLE – John 2:12-17

anger, Bible sermon, discrimination, Garden of Eden, Gospel of John, Jesus Christ, New Testament sermon, Passover feast, rip-offs, Sermon on John 2:12-17, temple cleansing, Uncategorized

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND (verses 12-13)

Have you ever been ripped off? Did you ever pay for goods or services that fell far short of their claims and advertising, or that weren’t worth what you paid for them? Have you ever been exploited by others so that they could make a profit at your expense? In our culture this injustice is called by many names, such as “cheated”, “bamboozled”, “shanghaied”, “fleeced”, and so on. Some of these injustices are performed by people who claim that they know God and are acting on His behalf. I imagine that most of us can think of a person, organization, product, or service that has left a bad impression in our minds. These rip-offs aren’t just common to our day. You might say that the first rip-off occurred in the Garden of Eden. Satan told Adam and Eve a half-truth. He told them that if they ate the forbidden fruit, they would “be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). They fell for his lie, and as a result, they did not become like God, but they certainly learned about good and evil, and experienced the consequences of their disobedience to God.

We humans aren’t the only ones who get ripped off. God gets ripped off sometimes too. This passage of Scripture, John 2:12-17, shows some ways that God can be ripped off by people. Verses 12 and 13 are a transition to Jesus’ appearance at the temple in Jerusalem. Verse 12 says, “After this (the wedding feast at Cana), He went to Capernaum, He and His mother, and His brothers, and His disciples, and there they stayed a few days.” A figure of speech called a “polysyndeton” is found here in this verse. The deliberate and repeated use of the word “and” is intended to draw our attention to each member of the group. From this passage of Scripture, as well as from the rest of the New Testament, we learn that Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather, died at some time prior to Jesus’ public ministry and that after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph had other children.

The city of Capernaum was to become the headquarters for His ministry in the region of Galilee. In this case, they were there only a few days because “the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” The Passover was an annual feast in memory of the time when the people of Israel were delivered from the slavery of Egypt and were led through the Red Sea and to the promised land. In Exodus 12, before His last plague on Egypt, God said that each family was to kill an unblemished lamb and put some of its blood on the outside doorposts and lintel so that the death angel would pass over their houses and not kill their first-born children. They were to roast the lamb and eat it with unleavened bread before fleeing from Egypt.

II. CORRUPTION IN THE TEMPLE (verse 14)

In verse 14 Jesus entered the temple, and we are told what He observes. “And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated.” In order to get to the sanctuary, a person must pass through four courts or courtyards. First, there is the Court of the Gentiles, then the Court of the Women, then the Court of Israel, and finally the Court of the Priests. Jesus had just entered the temple so He was in the Court of the Gentiles in verse 14.

God had called the nation of Israel to be a light to the nations. The Court of the Gentiles was meant to be a place where gentiles were to be welcomed, assisted, and instructed in the ways of the true God. However, because of their contempt for all things gentile, the religious authorities had decided to set up their animal market and the tables for the moneychangers in the Court of the Gentiles. Who knows how many interested, seeking gentiles came into their court, then left in anger, never to return.

Those animals were not supposed to be inside the temple, nor were the moneychangers to be conducting their business inside the temple. According to the instructions given to Moses in Leviticus and Numbers, the sacrificial animals were to be brought into the temple by the priests. These priests were to bind the animals, place them on the altar, slay them, catch the blood in basins and sprinkle it on the altar in the holy place. The body of the animal was burned and then taken out of the temple. The traffic jam in the Court of the Gentiles was impeding the procession of the priests in and out of the temple with the sacrificial animals, as well as keeping them from fulfilling their responsibilities according to the Law.

It had become a very corrupt system. For a few of the worshippers, who traveled a great distance to participate in the Passover Feast, it was a convenience to purchase an animal there at the temple. But there were many cases where the priest in the person’s hometown would approve of an animal, but when the person brought it to the temple, the officials would say that it was unacceptable. So the person would be forced to buy one of the temple animals. Alfred Edersheim, in his book, “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah”, talks about the enormous overcharges for temple animals. On one occasion Simeon, the grandson of Hilell the High Priest, interfered and brought down the price of a pair of doves from one gold denar to half a silver denar. That’s quite a reduction in price!

This monopoly on the sacrificial animals and the outrageous charges tended to make the temple worship loathsome to the people. The sacrificial system was originally set up by God in the book of Exodus to allow the worshipper to bring one of his own animals that the person cared for since its birth and cherished. By giving this animal to be sacrificed, the worshipper was giving a part of himself and his work to God.

This was also the time of the year for the annual temple-tax to cover the cost of repairs to the temple. The temple officials would only accept payment with the sacred half-shekel of the temple, so all the local and foreign money had to be exchanged, and, of course, there was a substantial service charge! The temple had become like a circus! The sounds of the animal auction, the noise of the moneychangers, and the offensive smell of a barnyard distracted the people from worship. That’s what the Lord Jesus and His disciples experienced when they walked into the temple that day.

III. THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE (verses 15-16)

In Exodus 12:15 God tells his people, “on the first day (of the Passover celebration) you shall remove leaven from your houses”. Leaven, and everything with leaven in it, must be removed from the house in preparation for the Passover meal. Leaven was a symbol of sin and corruption. The Lord Jesus was about to rid His Father’s house of the sin and corruption that was in it.

Verse 15 says that Jesus “made a scourge out of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen”. I believe that the scourge was intended for the oxen. One dictionary defined an ox as a “lazy, reluctant creature” that needed to be goaded often to keep it going, and going in the right direction! Once Jesus got the oxen and sheep moving, the people would be moving out the door also to keep from being trampled by them. Either there wasn’t an ox goad handy or the throw-together scourge of cords was a better tool for the job. He also “poured out the coins of the moneychangers and overturned their tables”. You can imagine the scramble for all the rolling coins! In verse 16 we see the Lord’s restraint as He said to those who were selling the doves, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a house of merchandise.” He wanted the doves left in their cages, and the cages removed from the courtyard of the temple. There was no desire on Jesus’ part to do any physical harm to the animals or the people.

Jesus’ warning to them in verse 16 also includes His motivation, as well as a brief description of Himself. He says, “Stop making my Father’s house a house of merchandise.” He is proclaiming to them that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. Within minutes the Courtyard of the Gentiles was cleared. They just needed to pick up the litter, move the tables, and clean the floor! As several commentators have remarked: “Jesus ‘cleaned house’ that day!”

Did the religious leaders learn anything from this incident? Was there any conviction of sin, change of attitude, or change in behavior? No. After Jesus left the temple, they set up their tables, brought back the animals, divided up the coins, and were back in business again. The apostle John does not record a second cleansing of the temple by Jesus, but the other Gospel writers record a cleansing of the temple near the end of Jesus’ life (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark. 11:15-17; and Luke 19:45-46). I personally believe this was a second cleansing for at least two reasons. First, it avoids the hassle of trying to excuse John for putting this event in the “wrong place” in his Gospel. After all, he is outnumbered three-to-one! Secondly, Jesus has something different to communicate to the Jewish leaders by His second cleansing of the temple. Here in John 2:16 Jesus describes the temple as being “My Father’s house”. After His second cleansing of the temple, Jesus referred to the temple as “your house” (Matthew 23:38). God the Father had removed His abiding presence and His protection from “their temple”. Did this second cleansing get the point across to the Jewish leaders? Was a double-dose of reproof sufficient to turn their hearts back to the Lord, and their worship back to His guidelines? No. They ignored the words of the Lord and continued those same practices for almost forty more years. Jesus handed “their temple” over to destruction. That temple was destroyed by Titus in 70 A.D. and, after almost two thousand years, it has not yet been rebuilt. It was a high price to pay for their stubborn disobedience to God, and to the words of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

IV. LESSONS FOR HIS DISCIPLES AND FOR US TODAY (verse 17)

This incident in Jesus’ life made a definite impression on His disciples. It caused them to bring Psalm 69:9 to their minds: a verse from a Messianic Psalm, which says, “For zeal for Thy house has consumed me”. In this passage of Scripture it was predicted that, when the Messiah came, He would be utterly consumed with a passion for God. They had just seen Jesus manifesting an intense determination that the worship of God should be kept pure. The purity of thought, attitude, and action is given a high priority in the New Testament. One of the beatitudes given by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount was “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). The first characteristic of godly wisdom given by James is: “wisdom from above is first pure” (James 3:17).

Let us remember that as Christians, our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Lord Jesus was anxious that the temple at Jerusalem should be kept pure, so we should be careful that our bodies are turned over to the Lord for continual cleansing by confessing our sins to Him and turning away from them. Let us also remind ourselves that true worship is voluntary. It involves the consecration of ourselves, and all we possess, to Him. Have we given the Lord Jesus the place of ownership in our own individual lives? Are we being good stewards of all He has given us, using it for His glory as an act of adoration to Him? If so, it will be obvious to those around us. Are we consumed with a passion for God and a zeal for God? If so, we will reap an eternal inheritance, and receive His praise and rewards when we stand before Him in heaven someday.

CONSTRUCTION SITE: COMPLETED

Thank you for coming to this construction site: John 2:12-17 Please visit some of the other completed sermons when you have the time and the interest. May your worship of God be pure and free from unnecessary distractions.

THE WEDDING AT CANA – John 2:1-11

Bible sermons, John 2:1-11

Don’t you love weddings! They are such joyful occasions! I’ve heard people say that they didn’t like going to funerals, but I’ve never personally heard anyone say that they didn’t like going to weddings. There is the beautiful ceremony, the exchange of vows between the bride and groom, and those words: “I now pronounce you husband and wife . . . You may kiss your bride.” Then there is the reception afterward: all the good food and drink, the joyful conversation, the photos taken, and the wonderful memories.

THE SETTING (verses 1-2)

The setting for this passage of Scripture is a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Verses 1 and 2 tell us that “Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited.” Jesus and His mother must have been friends of the bride and groom. Notice that John uses the term “mother of Jesus“. He never calls her “Mary” in his Gospel. In all the Scriptures the place of preeminence is always given to Jesus and not to Mary.

First-century Jewish weddings differed in many ways from our typical American weddings, but the receptions were similar. The three stages of a first-century Jewish wedding are: the “betrothal” (for a year – somewhat like an engagement), the “procession” (led by the groom, who goes to her parents’ home and takes her to his parents’ home where the marriage is consummated), and “the feast”. This passage is talking about the wedding feast. This feast could go on for several days, a week, or even longer.

What would be one of the worst things that could happen at a marriage feast? What would cause the most embarrassment for the families of the bride and groom? What would provoke anger among the guests and cause many of them to leave? Running out of food and drink, right? That would destroy the joy of this happy occasion because it would be saying to the guests, “We don’t want you here any longer!” “Go home!”

II. JESUS’ CONVERSATION WITH HIS MOTHER (verses 3-5)

Mary may have been helping with the feast because she knew that they were out of wine before the guests realized it. In verse 3 she said to Jesus, “They have no wine”. Was Mary expecting her Son to perform a miracle? I don’t think so. The apostle John tells us that this was His first miracle (see verse 11); so Jesus did not perform any miracles during His childhood. Based on her previous experiences with her Son, I think she had a different reason for bringing this need to His attention. In Luke’s Gospel, chapter 2, and verses 41-52, Jesus is 12 years old and went with His parents to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. Afterward. without their knowledge, He stayed in Jerusalem. When they searched for Him, “they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” When His mother expressed their concern, Jesus said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” Jesus did return with them to Nazareth, and “Mary treasured all these things in her heart”. Verse 52 says that “Jesus increased in wisdom”. I believe that Mary brought this need to Jesus because she was convinced that He had the wisdom to come up with a solution to this problem. I don’t think that she was expecting a miracle from Him. That’s my opinion. If it is right, Mary witnessed much more than she expected.

His response is, “Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.” This is a very controversial passage of Scripture. I read it in 20 English versions so far. Many of the translations and paraphrases seem disrespectful on the part of Jesus, and a few of them are brutal. This is not the first time that this expression appears in the Scriptures.

After studying verse 4, I’ve personally come to the conclusion that this was a private conversation between Jesus and His mother. John records it because he was there at the wedding, always stayed close to Jesus, and must have witnessed that conversation. He wrote it down because this was the first of Jesus’ signs, pointing to His true identity as the Messiah, the Son of God (John 20:30-31). Mary did not make a request of Jesus. She merely presented a need. His response was respectful and, judging from her reaction, she realized that Jesus was willing to do something about that need. I believe that Jesus always did the right thing. Rather than trying to imagine the exact meaning of His words and the tone of His voice when He said them, I am content to treat verse 4 as a private conversation, spoken in Hebrew, and look, rather, at the results of it. Let’s move on to verse 5 and see what happened.

In verse 5, Mary obviously understands, from His response to her concern, that Jesus is willing to respond to this situation. So she tells the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Those are Mary’s last words spoken in the Gospel of John. Her words are good advice for us today, aren’t they? “Whatever He says to you, do it.” By saying those words, Mary was stepping back so that the focus would be on Jesus, and so that He could deal with the situation in His own way.

III. THE MIRACLE ITSELF (verses 6-10)

I agree with Warren Wiersbe when he says that this is a “quiet miracle”. Mary, His disciples, and the servants may have been the only ones who witnessed this event and realized that Jesus performed a miracle. It’s quite a contrast to the last miracle of Jesus recorded in John’s Gospel: “And He cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth’. He who died came forth . . . “. Let’s take a look at this miracle here in John chapter 2. It raises some questions and teaches some lessons. Verse 6 says, “Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.” There is a reason for John’s detailed description of the waterpots. These pots were part of a religious tradition. The Mishnah was a collection of the traditions of the elders passed on from generation to generation and then put into written form in six large volumes. The largest volume was devoted entirely to the subject of ceremonial washing of hands and vessels for eating, not to remove dirt but to make them “ceremonially clean”. They had to perform these washings before and after every meal. The Scriptures did not require this practice. Only the priests were to cleanse themselves (Leviticus 22) before offering a sacrifice or eating consecrated food, and only if they had come in contact with a leper or an unclean animal or person. So the Jewish traditions had expanded God’s Law way out of proportion, and they insisted upon their observance very rigidly. A Rabbi named Rabbi Akiba, who was imprisoned by the Romans and given scarcely enough water to sustain life, preferred to use all that water for his ceremonial washings and to die of thirst. This may seem like a long side-track but you will see how it fits into this passage of Scripture soon.

In verse 7, “Jesus said to them (the servants), ‘Fill the waterpots with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim.” Those six waterpots now contained a total of 120 to 180 gallons of water; maybe even more since they were now filled to the brim. That’s a lot of water! If you drank a gallon of water a day (and most of us drink about half that much in a day), the water in those pots would last you from four to six months, or even longer! Jesus had a reason for telling the servants to fill those pots to the brim. He wanted there to be no doubt that there was “only” water in those pots, and that there was no room to add wine to them. There was no way that those servants, or any people nearby, could come to the conclusion that this was a trick, or that wine had been added to the water.

When those servants completed their task and had returned to Jesus, He said to them in verse 8: “Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter.” The Scripture says, “and they took it to him”. They obeyed Jesus’ request, but can you imagine what they must have been thinking to themselves and saying to one another as they were taking this “water” to the headwaiter for him to sample? “Is he going to be angry with us and make fun of us for bringing him water to taste?” That brings up my first question: When did the water become wine? John does not record that Jesus touched the water, or spoke words such as “become wine”, and he doesn’t record any “waving of the hand” by Jesus to indicate the moment of transformation. When do you think it happened? We don’t know for sure, but I’ve changed my personal opinion as a result of my study of this passage. I now believe that it didn’t become wine immediately after they filled the pots. It didn’t become wine when the servants drew the water, nor as they were on their way to the headwaiter. I personally believe it became wine an instant before the headwaiter tasted it. I have reasons for this personal belief. For one thing, I don’t think there was a smell of wine after the vessels were filled. I think that six vessels holding a total of 180 gallons of wine would have given off quite an aroma (or “bouquet”). I also don’t think it was wine when the servants were carrying it to the headwaiter. If I were one of those servants, I would try to hold the ladle or cup up near my nose to smell it, and also look at it to see if there was a change in color. If I could get away with it, I might even take a sip, and that’s a no-no! So the suspense must have been unbearable as they watched the headwaiter bring it to his lips, take a swallow or two and call out to the bridegroom, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. But you have kept the good wine until now!” So I personally think that the water from the waterpot didn’t become wine until just before the headwaiter tasted it. Verse 9 says that the headwaiter did not know where it came from, so he was able to be impartial in his response. His proclamation to the bridegroom indicates that Jesus not only turned water into wine but into aged wine; performing in an instant what would normally have taken many years to happen naturally.

Second question: How much of all those waterpots full of water actually became wine? We don’t know that for sure either, but I have my recently-formed opinion on that question also. I don’t personally believe that any of the water in any of those pots became wine until it was drawn out for use. Whatever was not drawn out for use remained water. That may sound ridiculous, but based upon Warren Wiersbe’s comment that this was a “quiet miracle”, if Jesus performed the miracle in this way, the only people who would have known that this was truly a miracle would have been His mother, His disciples, and the servants. The headwaiter and even the bride and groom may not have known that a miracle was performed by Jesus. If His miracle had been performed in this manner, there would be no traces of a miracle left behind – no stone waterpots still full of wine, and no empty waterpots having the smell of wine. Maybe this was part of the intent of Jesus’ words to Mary in verse 4 – “My hour has not yet come.” It wasn’t the time yet for some people to be proclaiming that He is the Messiah while others are seeking ways to kill Him.

Does this theory still seem farfetched? You may want to read chapter 6 of John’s Gospel. The five barley loaves and two dried fish were being multiplied as Jesus was breaking them up and putting them into baskets for the disciples to distribute. Once again, the miracle itself was not visible to anyone except His disciples. Only the results were visible to others. Amazing, isn’t it? I think it makes the miracle even more amazing if it was truly performed by Jesus in this way.

IV. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION (verses 11-12)

Verse 16 says, “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.” It appears that the Lord Jesus’ primary audience for this miracle was His disciples, who were with Him and watched the whole event up-close. The intended, and actual result was that they saw a manifestation of His glory and “believed in Him”.

You may be wondering when I’m going to keep my promise and return to the topic of purification: the ceremonial washing of the hands and vessels for eating – the reason those large waterpots happened to be there. Is there more to be learned from this miracle of Jesus? Let’s find out. Psalm 104:14-15 speaks of God’s goodness and generosity to mankind. It says, “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the labor of man, so that he may bring forth food from the earth. And wine which makes man’s heart glad . . . ” Wine represents joy, celebration, and festivity. That’s why it was so important to the wedding feast. But there was no true joy in Palestine at that time. The daily ceremonial washings and other rituals made life tasteless for the people. It took their focus away from their personal relationship with God. Have there been times when going to church and attending Bible studies has been little more than a ritual for you? Have there been times when it seemed that there was nothing to be joyful about? We’ve all experienced those moments, haven’t we? If we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we have every reason for joy. What we need is a fresh realization of the glory of God. Psalm 16:11 says, “In His presence is fullness of joy . . . “. He is always present with us, and in us if we are His children, and He always desires to have fellowship with us. When unconfessed sin, or circumstances, people, things, or worry rob us of joy, let’s pray David’s prayer in Psalm 51:10-12 and allow the Lord to put our lives back into proper focus: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, . . . Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.”

Amos 9:12-15 and Joel 3:18 tell us that an abundance of wine is also a symbol of the presence of the Messiah. That was certainly true of Jesus’ first public appearance! “The mountains will drip with sweet wine”. Let’s remind ourselves of His coming, why He came, what He did for us and what He is continuing to do for us as our High Priest. Let’s also remind ourselves that the greatest wedding and wedding feast is soon to come. Revelation 19:7.9 says, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. . . . Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” Participation in this marriage and marriage feast in heaven is by invitation only, and the joy of this event will last forever. Is your name on the invitation list (The Lamb’s Book of Life)? If not, become a child of God through a life-changing faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today (John 1:11-13).

I’d like to see you there, at the marriage supper of the Lamb. That is my prayer. “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:21)

CONSTRUCTION SITE:

Thank you for visiting this construction site. I hope you will come back to view some of the other sermons on this site. May the joy of the Lord be your strength today.

JESUS CHRIST, IDENTIFIED AND MAGNIFIED – John 1:15-17

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Have you ever had something really wonderful happen to you and you could hardly wait to share it with your family and friends? As you write the letters, send the emails, or make the phone calls, in your excitement you begin with the big picture, the main event. In just a few action-packed and emotion-filled words you release your excitement. Then you begin to explain the details: what led up to the event, the event itself, and what has been happening to you afterward. You might also talk about the effects it might have on your future. Does that sequence of events sound familiar to you?

The apostle John has reached that point in his gospel. Verses 1-18 are his prologue, the introduction to his book. He has been describing the “logos” in order to gain the attention and interest of his Greek-speaking audience. In verse 14 he comes to the exciting main event: “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us“! In his excitement, John is saying, “Isn’t that amazing!” “Isn’t that exciting!” He spends the rest of his book telling them, and us, about it.

I. THE TESTIMONY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (verse 15)

To verify his statement, John directs our attention again to the words of John the Baptist, for a brief moment, because John the Baptist was the first person to publicly identify the Logos. Though John the Baptist was six months older than Jesus, he says of Jesus in verse 15, “He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” He shouted those words as loud as he could because he wanted to get everyone’s attention. He wanted everyone within earshot to hear from his lips who Jesus truly was, John the Baptist is referring to Jesus’ eternal existence, and therefore His deity. He will have much more to say about Jesus in the next passage of Scripture that we will be studying – verses 19 and following of John chapter 1.

Some people consider Jesus Christ to be only a man, and indeed He is a man. Some people point to Him as an example, and He is that also. But if that’s all you can see in Jesus Christ, then your view of Him is incomplete and contrary to the Scriptures. For the first and most important thing said about Jesus Christ is that He had no beginning, and that is the same as calling him God.

The Old Testament, which was completed 400 years before the birth of Christ, contains many occurrences of His appearing to people. The terms “the angel of the Lord” or “the angel of God” are used often in the Old Testament to refer to an appearance of Christ. He appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18 and is referred to as “the Lord”. In John 8:56 Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” He appeared to Jacob in a dream in Genesis 31 and introduced Himself as “the God of Bethel”. Jacob wrestles with a man in Genesis 32, and the man says, “You have striven with God”. Jacob then says, “I saw God face-to-face”. In Exodus 23:21 He appears to Moses and is identified by God as having the power to forgive sins because God says, “My name is in him”.

There are many other references to “the angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament. It’s interesting to note that this “angel of the Lord” never appeared during the lifetime of Jesus Christ on this earth. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the “angel of the Lord” making an “extended appearance” for thirty-three years as a human being.

II. CHRIST’S SUFFICIENCY (verse 16)

In verse 16, the apostle John continues where he left off in verse 14. He said that the Word was “full of grace and truth”. Now he adds, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” We might ask the question: “What is it that we have received from Jesus Christ?” A better question might be: “What is it that we have not received?” From Him we have received a new life, peace, joy, God’s Word, the Holy Spirit, and all that the believer needs for this life and for eternity.

Have you ever filled a glass or bucket to the brim with water and then tried to walk while carrying it? You couldn’t keep it from spilling the water all over the place, could you? The apostle Paul, in Colossians 1:19, says of Jesus; “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.” Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus was “that you may be filled with all the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:19). The great preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, declared, “I have heard our Lord compared to a man carrying a water pot. As he bore it upon his shoulder, the water, yielding to the movement of his body, fell dropping and spilling about so that one could easily track the water-bearer. So should all of God’s people be carrying such a fullness of grace that everyone knows where they have been by the tracks they leave behind.”

The apostle John describes this “fullness” as “grace upon grace“. Out of Christ’s “fullness” we have received one grace after another. It is an inexhaustible supply of fresh grace. I lead worship services at several healthcare facilities and we have been studying the miracles in the Old Testament. I think that the miracle we studied this week is very appropriate to this verse of Scripture. In I KIngs 17, after Elijah told King Ahab that there was going to be a drought, God told Elijah to hide at the brook Cherith and He would provide Elijah with food daily. Many of you are probably familiar with the “Meals On Wheels” program. For a modest fee they will bring a hot meal to the door of a person who is unable to prepare a good meal for himself. I think that God had an even better idea. I call it “Meals on Wings”. Twice a day ravens brought Elijah meat and bread — airmail, special delivery! This continued for months, maybe for a year or more. What a demonstration of the continuing, faithful grace of God!

When John describes how that fullness is bestowed upon us, he uses the Greek preposition, anti, which has been translated into English in many different ways. The most popular translation appears to be “grace upon grace“. However, there are several other translations such as: “grace for grace”, “grace on grace”, “grace after grace”, “grace in place of grace”, “grace over against grace”, as well as many paraphrases of those words.

Which translation of “anti” is correct? Do they all convey the exact same meaning? What was the literal meaning of that word in common usage during that period of time? My own conclusion, so far, is that the Greek preposition “anti” usually means “instead of” or “in place of”. It does sound awkward to say “grace instead of grace” or “grace in place of grace”. There needs to an explanation so that we can put the phrase into understandable English. I think I found that explanation. It makes sense to me and I hope it will make sense to you as well. Joanie Yoder gives the following explanation and illustration in an Our Daily Bread devotional:

Years ago, Amy Carmichael shared some helpful insights about the phrase, “grace for grace.” Drawing from the writings of Bishop Moule (1841-1920), she wrote that the Greek word translated “for” literally means “instead of”. He illustrated the meaning by describing a river. “Stand on its banks,” he wrote, “and contemplate the flow of waters. A minute passes, and another. Is it the same stream still? Yes. But is it the same water? No.” The old water, he explained, had been displaced by new — “water in stead of water,”

The same is true of grace. Your life today may carry yesterday’s problems, but remember, God’s grace is new each morning, exactly what you need to meet each new challenge. It is an inexhaustible and ever-fresh supply.

Thank you, Joanie, Bishop Moule, and Our Daily Bread Ministries for those insights. As the prophet Jeremiah said in Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness (RSV). I personally like the translations “grace after grace” and “one grace after another”.

The following illustration describes grace in terms of “dollars and cents” if that gives you a clearer picture. A generous man decided to give a thousand dollars to a poor minister. (This illustration was written back in the day when a thousand dollars was a lot of money; when one hundred dollars a week was the average wage of a blue-collar worker.) Thinking that it might be too much all at once, he sent fifty dollars with a note which said, “More to follow“. A few days later he sent a similar amount with the same message. At regular intervals he sent a third, then a fourth, and a fifth, and so on, all accompanied by the same promise, “More to follow“. The surprised and happy minister soon became familiar with those cheering words and his gratitude to God overflowed each time he read them. In the same way, every blessing God gives us in Christ comes with a reminder, “More to follow“.

CHRIST’S FULLNESS BY COMPARISON (verse 17)

In verse 17, John contrasts this grace with the Old Testament law when he says, “For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The law was “given“. It was engraved on tablets of stone by the finger of God. Grace and truth “came“. They were wrapped up in the Person of Jesus Christ. People saw and experienced His grace. Peter said, “Jesus went around doing good” (Acts10:38). The Lord Jesus also spoke the truth, and with authority. In the gospel writings you will notice that the Lord Jesus often used the words, “Truly, truly, I say to you”, or “I tell you the truth”. In John 7:32 the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to seize Jesus. They returned empty-handed. When asked why they didn’t bring Him, the officers answered, “No one ever spoke the way this man speaks.” (John 7:46, NIV) Grace and truth were Jesus’ essential perfections. They set Him apart from the rest of the world. Those two attributes, grace and truth, need to come together in our own lives also. It is difficult to receive, and impossible to really enjoy, a gift that comes from someone we don’t trust. Are there people who don’t trust you? By the grace of God, what are you going to do about it?

CONCLUSION:

There is joy and excitement in the New Testament, especially after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the focus is upon “the grace of God” and “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ”. It was continually in their minds of the apostles, as well as on their hearts, in their speech, and in their writings. Get out a concordance, look up the word “grace” and see how many times it is mentioned in the book of Acts and in the epistles. Look at the opening paragraph and closing paragraph of the epistles and see how many times it is there. It appears to me that this is the way the first-century Christians said hello and goodbye to each other. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think about those words and say them often enough. I can never think about them or say them often enough. When I turn off this computer I’m going to write the words, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” on a piece of paper and put it on my refrigerator, where I’ll see it several times a day. I have a little wooden “pocket cross”, a gift from a friend. I’ve stopped putting it in my pocket, but it is going back in it again. Every time I put my hand in my pocket to get my keys or warm my hand, I want to be reminded of the grace of God. If you have reminders that you use, I would appreciate hearing from you about it. Let’s be of encouragement to one another.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO “RECEIVE CHRIST”? – John 1:12-13

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Many different answers have been given to the question, “What does it mean to ‘receive Christ’.” Many passages of Scripture have been used and many interpretations have been given. Many illustrations have been used to try to visualize and explain what these two verses are saying.

As we begin our study of John 1:12-13, let’s lay aside previous building materials for now. Let’s start anew by clearing the land and digging deep to lay a firm foundation based upon the Person of Jesus Christ and the words that the apostle John is saying under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Let’s keep his purpose for writing in mind, as well as his reading audience: their culture, historical background, and belief system. By God’s grace let’s turn this plot of ground into a work of art that is straight and true, well-defined, attractive, and above all, glorifying to God.

I. THE TRANSITION:

Verse 11 sounds like a sad ending to a story, doesn’t it? “The world did not know Him” and “His own did not receive Him.” John’s approach seems to be: “First the bad news, then the good news.” Verse 12 begins with the little word “but”. John Phillips calls this little three-letter word a “hinge”. The door to this conversation may seem like it’s shutting but that “hinge” keeps the door open to even greater truths, revealing the power and sovereignty of God. What John said in verse 11 may have been true of “the majority”, but it was not true of “the totality”! We are seeing a shift from the unbelievers to the believers.

John now tells us who is invited to receive Christ. He uses the Greek word, “hosoi“. I personally like the translation “whoever“. Every person, without exception and without distinction, is invited to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. That includes both Jews and Gentiles.

I. THE PROCESS (verse 12)

The word translated “receive” in verse 11 is a different word from the word translated “receive” here in verse 12, though the two words are similar. Here in verse 12, the Greek word is “lambano”, whereas the word in verse 11 is “paralambano”. The word ‘para” means “beside” or “alongside”. We get our English word “parallel” from that word. For example, parallel lines go alongside each other and do not intersect. Why the use of this form of the word? It reveals a major reason why the Jews at the time of Christ did not receive Him. The apostle John will be sharing more examples of this failure to receive Christ on the part of the religious leaders and their followers as we study his Gospel. Literally, verse 11 is saying “His own (people) did not take Him alongside”, That doesn’t make any sense unless we realize that, over the years before the Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth, the rabbis had been putting their studies of the Law of Moses, along with their interpretations and applications of that Law into written form. They also added personal practices that became traditions. These writings and traditions, such as the Talmud, had become more important than the Law of Moses. They were often used to interpret the Law of Moses and were sometimes used in place of it. They could not “take Jesus alongside” these traditions because He intersected with them, and this led to a growing opposition to Christ. I hope this explanation adds clarity rather than confusion.

Before we seek to determine what it means to personally receive Christ, let me present you with a situation that should be seen as a stark contrast. I rented a private room and bath in a private residence for a couple of months and learned the meaning of an “owner-tenant relationship”. The rules included paying the rent on time, keeping my goods in my assigned places in the refrigerator and kitchen cabinet, staying in my own area and common areas, cleaning up after myself, and not playing the music too loud. There were parts of the house that were understandably “off-limits”. As I hope you realize, receiving Christ is not the beginning of an owner-Tenant relationship (notice where I put the capital letter). Such a person has a misunderstanding of the meaning of these two verses, and Jesus Christ does not enter our lives under our terms and conditions.

In my quest to gain a better understanding of the word “receive” in verse 12, I’ve been refreshing my knowledge of Greek grammar. I believe that a basic lesson in Greek grammar will benefit us all. There are significant differences between Greek and English. In the English language, and in most other languages, the tense of the verb usually refers to the time of the action of the verb (past, present, or future time). In Greek, however, the primary consideration is the kind of action that the verb portrays. For example, the aorist tense conveys a simple occurrence in the past. It is like a snapshot because it captures an action at a specific point in time. The imperfect tense denotes continuous, ongoing, or repeated action in the past, like a motion picture or videotape. The perfect tense depicts a completed action in the past with results continuing into the present, somewhat like a snapshot that is followed by a video.

The word translated “receive” in verse 12 is the Greek word, elabon, the aorist tense of the word “lambano”. Therefore it conveys a “one-time, individual, personal decision”.

I’ve been working on an illustration to describe what it means to “receive Christ”, but I’m having some difficulty fitting all the pieces of the illustration together. I just realized why I can’t describe it to you yet: In order to understand what it means to “receive” Christ, we must first understand what it means to “believe in His name”.. As verse 12 says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (NIV). The believing comes before the receiving, even though the wording of the text seems to imply that the two responses occur simultaneously.

Now I’ve come to a potential “bend in the road”, so to speak, in this construction project. I’ve reached a point in my study of verse 12 where I’m asking myself questions about the term “receiving Christ”. Is it Biblically correct to use the term “receive Christ” or “accept Christ” when sharing the gospel message? What is the biblical justification for the use of those words? Can the use of these words be misleading and give a wrong understanding of what it means to become a Christian? Is praying a prayer and asking Christ to come into your life what the gospel message is all about? I’ve used John 1:12 almost every time I’ve shared the gospel message, and it was a verse that was used when I became a Christian. The reason I’m asking myself these questions, and sharing them with you, is that I’ve just come to the realization that the term “receive Him” is used only here in the New Testament. The context of verse 12 is the nation of Israel. The nation as a whole did not “receive Him”, that is, “welcome Him as their Messiah”, but there were exceptions among His own people who did welcome Him. We don’t find those words used again in John’s gospel, the other gospels, or the epistles. There is some question about whether 1 John 5:11-12 or Revelation 3:20 might communicate that concept and I will be studying those passages also. The Scripture puts the focus on “believing” (repentance, trust, and commitment to Christ as one’s Lord and Savior). I invite you to consider these observations and questions also. Let’s get to the heart of the gospel message and follow the scriptural guidelines for communicating it. I do know that there are thousands of people who have “prayed a prayer to receive Christ” and their lives have not changed. I believe the greatest danger in evangelism today is not over-stating the gospel message, but diluting it. I also believe that, in most cases, it is being done unintentionally, but that is no excuse for continuing to dilute it.

With that in mind, let’s leave the word “receive” and study the word “believe” here in verse 12. The word is a participle, “believing”, and it defines and explains the word “receive” which came before it in the sentence. “Believing in His name” identifies the Object of faith. “His name” is not referring to the name Jesus. That was His earthly name. His eternal name is Lord (Yahweh, Jehovah), the Lord of heaven and earth. As the apostle John says near the end of his Gospel, “. . . that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” The word “believe” is a word of complete trust and commitment to Him as Lord, because that is Who He is.

I think that the following two illustrations, when seen together, give us a picture of belief in the sense of trust and commitment.

During the terrible days of the Blitz (World War 2), a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father’s voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, “I can’t see you!” The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, “But I can see you. Jump!” The boy jumped because he loved and trusted his father, and landed in his father’s arms. (shared by Donner Atwood)

An evangelist was trying to help a woman understand John 1:12 and what it means to receive Christ. “Your last name is Franklin, isn’t it?” he asked. “Yes”, she said. “How long has it been that?” “Ever since my husband and I married 30 years ago”. “Tell me”, he said, “How did you become Mrs. Franklin?’ She paused, and then the realization came. “It was at the wedding. The minister said, ‘Will you take this man to be your lawful, wedded husband . . . ? And I said, ‘I will’.” (Our Daily Bread)

I hope that these two illustrations, taken together, have given you a clearer understanding of the word “believe”, as the apostle John uses it in this passage of Scripture. Of all the illustrations I read, these were the ones that communicated trust and commitment most clearly to me.

Here in the United States of America, we need to have this concept of belief explained to us clearly because we usually don’t understand the cost of making that decision to commit our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ until later on. We don’t comprehend the cost to Jesus’ disciples when they made the decision to follow Him. In many other countries of our world, making the decision to believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him is a very costly decision in terms of the personal sacrifices that are made. When they choose to believe, they are counting the cost of the things they will probably lose: their jobs, their families, and even their own lives.

I became a Christian while stationed in Thailand in the Air Force. While in Thailand I had the privilege of sharing my testimony at a Thai church. I learned that these Thai Christians were disowned by their Buddhist families who had a funeral service for them and considered them dead. Most of these Christians lost their jobs also. But I was so amazed and impressed by their joy, their love for the Lord Jesus Christ, and their love for one another. They shared that what they gained by believing in Christ was much greater than any of the things they lost.

II. THE RESULT (verse 12)

The result of salvation, given here in verse 12, tells us more about what true belief encompasses. When we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord we are entering into a relationship where we become “children of God”. The Greek word, tekna, refers to “little children”, children who are still totally dependent on their parents. That is the relationship we are entering into when we become children of God. As Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV) As God’s little children, we will always be dependent upon our heavenly Father for everything, just as Jesus was totally dependent upon His Father while He was here on this earth. True belief means a commitment to exchange your life of independence for a joyful life of complete trust and dependence upon God for everything. I know that this biblical perspective has not been communicated very clearly in my presentation of the Gospel message. How about you? Is this your understanding of saving faith?

III. THE DIVINE PERSPECTIVE (verse 13)

In verse 12 the apostle John has given us a glimpse of the faith process and its result. He will be giving much more detail and has recorded many examples of people who responded to Jesus Christ by placing their faith in Him. Here in verse 13, John wants us to understand the new birth from God’s perspective. The new birth through faith in Jesus Christ is a work of God from beginning to end. He uses a series of negatives in order to emphasize his point. Then he ends the verse with the only true source of the new birth in Christ.

“not of blood” – the new birth is not based on human descent. Just because my parents are God’s children does not make me one of God’s children.

“not of the will of the flesh” – it’s not based on human desire. No amount of wishful thinking can make me a child of God. I might wish I were the child of a millionaire, but wishing doesn’t make me one. I may even live in a fantasy world where I convince myself that I am a child of a millionaire, but it’s still a lie.

“not of the will of man” – it’s not based on human methods. My parents may have me baptized as a baby, but that does not make me a child of God. I may try with all my might to live a good life and perform my religious duties, but those things, no matter how earnestly and fervently they are performed, will not impart new life.

“but of God” – We must be “born of God”. We must come to Jesus Christ on His terms, as He has told us here in His Word. Genuine repentance, acknowledgment of Christ as our Lord, and placing our trust in Him and our lives in His hands are all spiritual miracles of God, and the resulting changes in our lives mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually are all evidence of those miracles (Ephesians 1:7-8; 2:8-10; II Corinthians 5:17; and many other passages of Scripture).

THE APPLICATION TODAY:

As was the case with many of the Jews during the lifetime of Christ on this earth, many people in the world today do not want to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and follow Him. They are either in love with their sins and don’t want to change, or, in their pride, they think they are good enough to go to heaven and don’t want anyone to tell them otherwise. But there are people today whom the Spirit of God has convinced of their sinfulness and need for a Savior. Maybe you are one of those people. Don’t put it off! Admit your sin and your helplessness to God. Decide to turn from your sinful ways. Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the God-man, the Lord of Heaven and earth, trust Him with child-like faith and let Him take control of your life and change your life more and more into His image and likeness. Only then will you experience the freedom of forgiveness and the joy of being a new person and having a new life. Only then will you experience what it’s like to be a true child of God.

If you are a Christian, please don’t give up on people. Even if others criticize or make fun of you because of your faith in Christ, continue to pray for them and let the light of Christ shine out unhindered by you. When you have the opportunity to share the gospel of Christ with others, make sure you clearly explain from the Scriptures what it means to “believe”, and let the terms “accepting Christ” or “receiving Christ” be dependent upon genuine belief and be the result of belief (John 3:14-15; 11:25-27; I John 5:13).

Let’s reflect upon the words of the apostle John in I John 3:1, and be amazed and forever grateful: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God.”