John 1:11-13

1. Intro.
   1. these verses teach us about a mysterious and invisible birth
   2. these verses should cause us to consider some radical truths
      1. there are many people in the world who are God’s creation, but not God’s children
      2. the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man
      3. why do so many "believing Christians" not accept the terms of true discipleship
      4. why are so many unwilling to turn their backs on everything worldly, for Jesus’ sake
      5. receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is an aggressive act, and not a passive one
      6. Christianity is on a dead-end street, if it accepts religious activity as a legitimate proof of spirituality
   3. in this text, God informs us about certain people being born
      1. Jesus uses the natural birth to teach about a birth on another level
      2. He says that it is a birth that does not have anything to do with blood or bones or tissue
      3. this birth is not the result of the urges of the flesh, or the social arrangement called marriage
2. an act of God
   1. this invisible birth is an act of God
      1. when we were born into this world, those around us could see, and feel, and hold us
      2. this birth of which John speaks has nothing to do with the flesh; it is of heaven
      3. this birth is of the Spirit, it is a birth of another kind
   2. a spiritual birth is altogether different from the kind of birth that anyone knew in the physical sense
      1. if Jesus only talked about people being born physically, He would never have been listened to
      2. these people experienced a birth, not of the body, but of the heart
      3. they were born not into time but into eternity
      4. they had an inward birth, a spiritual birth, a mysterious birth
3. this invisible birth is a special grant of God
   1. it was altogether different from and superior to the first kind of birth
      1. this new birth is one that gives an unusual right: the right to be born into God’s household
      2. therefore we become a child of the Father
   2. we believe in the Fatherhood of God
      1. He is the Father of the whole family in heaven and on earth, who go by His name
      2. God is not the Father of the sinner
      3. God is not the Father of the murderer or the immoral, but He is the Father of those who believe
   3. we believe in the brotherhood of man
      1. all who are born into this world are born of the same blood, though our skin may be different
      2. we may differ from each other in appearance, but all of us descended from Adam
      3. by his sin came death and all its fruits into this world
4. a brotherhood within the brotherhood
   1. the brotherhood of the saints of God
      1. the fact that there is a broad human brotherhood does not mean that all men are saved
      2. not until they are born again, do they enter into the brotherhood of the redeemed
   2. there is a brotherhood that comes by the first birth, and another that comes through the second birth
   3. it is by the grace of God, that we dwell in that sacred and mysterious brotherhood of the redeemed
   4. it is a mysterious birth, and it gives us a particular privilege - John 1:12
      1. it is a gift; God gives us the privilege, the legal right, to become children of God
      2. this is not poetry, this is theology (what the Bible teaches)
5. this birth is newsworthy
   1. a person who is a creation of God, becomes a child of God only when they are born of God
   2. this is a right and a privilege that even the angels do not have
   3. the promise that is given to us: what Jesus is, we will be - I John 3:2
      1. not in the sense of deity, but in all the rights and privileges
      2. in status we will be equal to Jesus - Romans 8:17
6. how to have the privilege
   1. they believed, and they received - John 1:12
      1. many go around "believing," but never really get very much
      2. those who were born again, believed; they were not cynics, or doubters, or pessimists
      3. they took an optimistic, humble, trusting attitude toward Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Savior
   2. this word "receive: is not passive
      1. passive is when we receive the action; active is when we perform the act
      2. the Bible knows absolutely nothing of a passive reception; the word "receive" is not passive but active
      3. we have turned the word "receive" into "accept," we ask people, "Will you accept Jesus"
      4. this makes a salesman out of Jesus Christ, as if He is waiting to know whether we will buy from Him
      5. we need what He offers, but we act as if we are doing Him a favor by receiving what He offers
   3. we have been taught that passive acceptance is the equivalent of faith, when it is not
7. "receive" is an aggressive act of the total personality
   1. it means to "take" rather than "accept"
      1. receiving Christ, to be saved, is an act of the total person
      2. when speaking of a teacher, it means to acknowledge, embrace and follow his instructions
      3. it is an act of the mind, and of the will, and of the affections
   2. our text does not infer that we can sit and quietly accept, but rather that every part of our being become a hand reaching forth for Jesus Christ
   3. they took Jesus as Savior and Lord with all of their will, and affections, and feelings, and intellect
   4. do not let the crowds, the bustle of religious activity, fool us into thinking that there is a lot of spirituality
   5. this is why the meaning of the word "received" is so important
      1. "As many as received him," actively and aggressively took Him
      2. this means, a determined exercise of the will, and to not deny any condition that the Lord lays down
      3. they did not come to the Lord and try to make terms, but they actively took Him on His terms
8. we must meet any condition He lays down
   1. the child of God: one who meets any condition the Lord gives, even the forsaking of family and friends
   2. many would protest and say, "that is radical"
      1. maybe so, but did you ever read the words of Jesus in Luke 14:26
      2. Jesus is asking us to place our love for Him, before that of wife, husband, or children
      3. the living God demands our love and our loyalty, and some would call that demand cruel
      4. actually, hell is so hot that God is still doing all that He can to arouse us and stir us into action
   3. Jesus does not offer us salvation as though it is a decoration, or a bouquet, or some addition to our garb
      1. He says, "Throw off your old rags, and let me dress you in the clean robes of My righteousness"
      2. if it means loss of money, lose it; if it means loss of job, lose it; if it means persecution, take it
      3. in the churches of this degenerate hour, we are guilty of making it as easy as possible for the double-minded person
         1. "just believe on Jesus and accept Him, and then you can be as you were before"
         2. this is the kind of marginal Christianity that is being passed along in too many circles
         3. as a result, we have a Christian religion that is not much better than paganism
9. the popular way is wrong
   1. it may be a popular idea in our day to give people something to make them happy
      1. tell them they can have eternal life and never lose it by "accepting Jesus," then they can do as they please
      2. we can have big conferences built on that; even Bible colleges, and great groups of busy Christians
      3. it is an error, for the Bible says that as many as received Him (took Him aggressively with their whole person) to them He gave the right to become sons of God
   2. those who think that the Lord should humor them, and let them continue on as they are, and still say in the end "Come, faithful servants," are fools
   3. someone needs to tell them so now