A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel – Part 2.

17^th March 2019 Sunday Worship Service

10:30-12:30 AM, Grace Derabassi Church

Text: John 1: 12-13

Title: A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel – Part 2.

Would you turn your bible to John1:12-14? We are continuing our series on “A Genuine Christian’s Response to the Gospel” from John 1:10-14, which we have started last Sunday. Apostle John presented Jesus in his book as the Son of God, the giver of eternal life. His main purpose in writing this book is for the reader to believe in Christ. John 20:31 “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

Everybody will die one day but will be resurrected again on the Judgement Day of Christ. Some will be raised to eternal life, where there will be no more sin, no more pain, no more sorrows, and no more evils. Some will be raised to eternal death, which means separation from God to a place where they will bear the wrath of God for eternity. Gospel John is written that we may have eternal life. Are you not tired of sins in your life? We kept on doing what we don’t want to do, and we don’t do what we want to do. We are bound to sin and live a miserable life. Eternal life in Christ is a sinless, blameless, and faultless life; a life of holiness, purity, and righteousness; a life of joyfulness and true worship!

Eternal life is offered to all in Christ, and you have to receive it. If you have this eternal life through Christ, you are a genuine Christian. Therefore, it is how we respond to this offer. Our response should not be the rejection of the message of the Gospel like the Jews and the rest of the world written in verses 10-11. They ignored the truth, they opposed the truth. And Apostle John described them in a very sad way, “they did not know Him.” That’s the indictment! And what we learn from that is TO KNOW CHRIST. Who is Christ? Last time we talk from verses 10-11 that He is the Creator, Sustainer of Universe and everything in it. He is the God who revealed Himself to the world in the best possible way by coming to the world as a man to bear the sins of the world.

And then in verse 12 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” He is the Author of Salvation. He is the One that births Christian. He is the cause of Christian, the source and the perfector, the security and the guarantee of Christian! So, the question we want to ask ourselves now is what do we do with this person Jesus Christ? Our responsibility is not only to Know Christ but we must Believe Him.

2. Believe Christ (12-13) (how?)

One cannot only know Christ. It doesn’t do any good. Knowing is the intellectual aspect. Believing is the volitional aspect. You must commit yourself to Him. You must put your trust in Christ. Verse 12-13. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Apostle John describes Christian in four different words; those who have received Christ, those who believe in the person and work of Christ, those who are born of God, and children of God. The first two descriptions show the Responsibility of man, and the last two show the Sovereign work of God. And in v13, he strongly asserts how one is not saved, how one does not become a Christian.

i.                   Your responsibility

While verse 10-11 is between Christ and the world, and the response is a Rejection of Christ; verse 12-13 is between Christ and Christian, and the response is a Reception of Christ. Verse 12 begins with a contrasting word “but,” and that makes all the difference.  And here is the blessed contrast. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” The world rejects Christ, but anyone in this world, irrespective of geography, skin color, language, culture, tribes, or communities, whoever receives Jesus Christ becomes a child of God – a Christian.

See! Christ did not come into the world to condemn us (John 3:16-20). He did not even come to ask us to do something. He just came to save us. He is a loving saving God. Our response is just to receive. How do we receive Christ? (He is back in Heaven now.) Obviously, not as we receive a material object, that we can touch, see and feel it. ESV and NIV help us to understand this verse better. They translated in this way, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” To receive Him is to believe Him. Believing Him demonstrates reception of Christ.

This belief is “in His name” – in the person and His work - what He has done for you for your salvation. The name Jesus means, Saviour, Matthew 1:21 “He shall save His people from their sins!” The name Christ means “anointed one” to deliver sinners from the wrath of God. It is believing that Jesus came to save sinners. The Scripture is consistent throughout the Bible.

Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Acts 4:12 “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 5:7-8 “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

See! Numbers of Scripture says what to believe, why to believe, and how to believe. Again, 1 Pet 1:8-9 “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”

By the way, many people used to say, “Do not judge someone’s faith. It is by one’s faith that one is saved!” That’s a lie from the pit of hell! You are not saved by your faith, (the subjective faith); you are save by the object of your faith. Let’s take for an illustration. Suppose, someone keeps poison in a Coca-Cola bottle, and you come along and drink that thinking and believing sincerely that it is a Coke, would that sincere faith saves you? No! No matter whether your faith is sincere or not; you are dead if you drink it. You see, it is the object that matters. You need to believe in the Biblical Christ, not the Christ of your imagination or your ideas!

How wonderful is that we are saved when we just believe in Him! That’s the difference between Christianity and all other religions. Other religions teach man to do good works to get into heaven. Bible says, No! You can never enter heaven by any good works. You enter heaven, not because of any good works done by you, the good, perfect, righteous work done by Christ. 2 Timothy 1:9 “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Believing is trusting. Based on your trust you enjoy. Doubt is not “believing” How many of you doubted that those chairs could support you before you sat on it? You didn’t! You just sat on it. That’s how you must trust Christ for your Salvation! I am telling you, those chairs will be broken someday, but Christ will never be moved. He says in John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

And the Bible says even Belief, Faith is, in fact, a gift (Eph.2:8-9). Also 2 pet 1:1. “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” We can’t even believe it. God must give us that faith to believe. And that is the reason why though many of us “believe” the Gospel but are not saved. True Faith or Saving Faith comes from God. Do you have saving Faith? And this reality leads us to the Sovereignty of God in Salvation.

ii.                God’s Sovereignty

Ephesians 2:1 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,” Ephesians 2:5 “even when we were dead in trespasses.” The Bible diagnoses us that we are dead people. Can a dead man believe? No man seeks God (Rom 3:11). Scripture says natural man is hostile to the spiritual thing. Can a natural man believe? Thus Salvation is of God alone. That’s what it means when verse 12 says, “He gave the right to become children of God.” It is God that made one a Christian.

a.     How one does not get saved

Last Sunday I mentioned about four common misconceptions about becoming a Christian: Some people think they are Christian because they grow up in a Christian family. And some people do not care because they think they are going to heaven because God should be good enough to let them in. There are other groups of people who think they can become Christian sometime later. And unfortunately, there are also people who think God is responsible for all our sins and destiny to hell

This magnificent verse 13 refutes all such thoughts and arguments in verse v.12-13. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Apostle John describes who Christian really is and how one becomes. He refutes the common misconception of most of the professing Christians. No one is Christian by birth, he must become – become by spiritual birth. You were not, you are not, the text says you must “become.” As Christ said to Nicodemus in Jn 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” A Christian is he who is born of God by the Spirit.

And then the text says, “not of blood.” Christian is not a birthright. Sin is (Ps 51:5). You may have born to a godliest family in a godliest church in a godliest society, but, you are not a Christian – not of blood. By the way, friends, God is really good, better than you have or can ever imagine. But, that is why He would not let sinner enter heaven. Even the Justice of this world punish the criminals, God the Justice of Universe has to punish sinner much more. The only way to heaven is to believe that Christ received your punishment, and you receive the garment of His righteousness to cover yourself before the throne of God!

For those of you who blame God for sins and evils, and hell. John 3:17 says, you shall die in your sins. For Christ came to the world not to damn you but to save you. Yet you love sins and darkness and therefore shall die in darkness!

And then the text further says, “nor of the will of the flesh.” You cannot convert yourself. You cannot make yourself Christian. There are some people who say, “I’ll become Christian next year.” You cannot; “nor of the will of the flesh!” It’s not your ability. Can dead man decide to spring up from the grave? Does a dead man have “will?”

And then the text further says, refuting all arguments, “nor of the will of man.” Not even other can make you Christian. No man can convert you, nor can anyone decide for you. I cannot pronounce you a Christian. Your pastor cannot make you Christian. Then how does one become a Christian? The text says, “born but of God.” You must be born of God. It’s a passive voice. Somebody, God must birth you.

That’s the reason why Christian must obey the Scripture when it says you must not marry a non-Christian. Some people have a very brilliant idea that they can convert their spouse. This idea is from the pit of hell. You cannot convert anyone. Conversion is the Holy Spirit’s Job. Your job is to obey. No compromise! Period. Don’t try to have a better idea than God your creator.

b.    How one gets saved

Then we may ask, how do I believe then? Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” It is through Hearing the true Biblical Jesus from the Bible or Biblical preaching. It is Hearing the gospel. When you are hearing the Gospel, the Holy Spirit works in your heart, mind, and soul. That’s why we need gospel preaching. Gospel is the only means to salvation (Romans 1:16-17). Without hearing the Gospel, nobody is saved! And that’s why God has started the work for your Salvation from before you were born! He sent His Son to the Cross. Jesus sent His Apostle to the ends of the Earth. And today we are hearing the Gospel again. This is how saving faith, true belief is received from the gospel.

When we believe, God has “given” us the right. We do not earn, we just receive what is given. God offers to all. He continues to offer us till today. Will you receive Him? Will you commit yourself and trust the Lord saying, Lord, I believe you have died for a wretched sinner like me. Thank you for saving me! Thank you for making me your own now! I am crucified with Christ in the Cross. All my sins of past, present, and even my future sins are all crucified in the cross! I am free. I am forgiven! I have become the child of God. If you confess that with your mouth and believe in your heart, my friend, you are a born-again Christian, you are a genuine Christian. Is not that simple? I plead you to receive Christ! Apostle Paul says, “Behold now is the favorable time; Behold now is the day of Salvation!” Would you believe in Jesus, the Christ?

Hymn writer Augustus Toplady writes:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

Shall we pray?

Lord, we thank you for this glorious truth you have given us through your servant John! You the eternal God came to this world to save wretched sinners that we may become the children of God. The world did not know you, nor do they know the privilege we have in you. Lord, I pray you to grant repentance and faith to my brothers and sister here through the hearing of the gospel today, that they may be saved and receive eternal life. For we cannot convert anyone nor ourselves to you. For Lord Salvation belongs to you. Glory and Honor belong to you forever and ever.

Oh! Lord, we rejoice in this truth that you have justified us when we believe in you. Oh! That we are your children, who can snatch us from your eternal love, care, and blessings. Oh! Now that we are covered by the garments of Christ’s righteousness, as our filthy sinful rags are nailed to the cross, we have this confidence to approach you as Father and receive all the spiritual blessing that you have poured out on us! even then, Lord, we pray you again, that you will help us to live worthy of your Gospel, for your fame and glory and honor we pray, Amen!