To All Who Receive Him

​John 1:11-13 ~ “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.”
 
Oh, Christian, let us take this day—and every day—to remember our LORD Jesus and the promises we have from Him. Like the sun being hidden by clouds, often we are fogged in with the cares of this world and cannot see the Son of God as clearly as we desire. Even the great apostle said in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” But today let us remember what has been said of Him and what is given to those who have placed their faith in His name. Let me encourage you to open your Bible and read the first chapter of the Gospel of John.
 
As we read our text for today, we need to know who the “He” is. And we find Him in the first few verses of this great letter. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4). He is the Agent of creation, the Giver of life and the Illumination of all mankind. This is our LORD Jesus.
 
And, as we delve into the text for today, we discover that Jesus is at first the rejected One. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” They saw His power. They heard His words. All that was said of the coming Messiah from the Law and the Prophets pointed right to this One who came unto His own. The nation of Israel was formed that the Savior of the World would come and be the Ransom and Propitiation. In John 19:15 is the greatest rejection of all, “They cried out, ‘Away with him, away with him, crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’” The chief priests, those who were supposed to be the wisest and most studied in God’s word, rejected the rightful King and gave their allegiance to the wicked monarch of the earth—Caesar. And yet, today, there are those who will look upon Jesus and turn their backs to Him, and instead, swearing fealty to the world.
 
But we continue and learn even more. Jesus is also the received One: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name.” There is a blessed, open invitation to all who will listen that salvation is found, and found no where else but in Jesus Christ the LORD. Peter declares in Acts 4:11-12, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” If you are reading this and do not yet believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, your sins are not forgiven and salvation is not yet secured for your soul, I would implore you: do not turn away from such a gracious invitation. It does not matter who you are and how far down the gutter of sin you’ve fallen. Jesus will redeem all who receive Him by faith. And, beloved Christians, as you read this today, rejoice that you heard the invitation and responded, by faith, believing in Him.
 
And yet there is more. For we also know that Jesus is the restoring One. “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.” Dear ones, you did not take it upon yourself to be redeemed. It was not through any action that you performed which gave you this right of belonging to God Almighty. Jesus Christ the LORD did it all. He paid the penalty for your sins; He resurrected on the third day and He ascended into Heaven where even now He sits enthroned. But He would have you as a brother or sister—adopted through His sacrifice and given the rights of family. And though we bow to Him as King and Savior, even as Joseph’s brothers bowed to Joseph (see Genesis 50:18-21), we also know that we have received His restoring grace that we should always dwell with Him in peace and joy.
 
As you read this, take this moment to remember all that Jesus Christ has done for your salvation. Give thanks to Him, and bless His holy name.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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