The Rejection and Receiving of the Light

I'll read the entire prologue again, chapter 1, verses 1 through 18. We will hunker down in verses 9 to 13, though, this morning. So John chapter 1, verse 1. 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 anything made that was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right, the authority, to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him and cried out, This was he of whom I said, He who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me. For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only God who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. Let us pray. Oh God in heaven, would you help these words to go from words on a page to words of life and our souls. God in heaven, that connection there of our souls to your truth, your word, that connection of them coming together we know is something that we cannot do.

Of our own flesh, of our own wills, Lord, we cannot do the work that is required, this strange work, this surprising work of receiving the word of God. but we know God as we'll learn even here in this message this morning through your word in chapter 1 of John that it is your work that makes the word received by our souls, by who we are. And so may we do so by the aid that you give. May we do so by the powerful work of Jesus.

May we look to him and believe upon him and his strength and his power and his goodness and kindness, patience. Let us, God, be people in which we rely upon Jesus in our weakness and rely upon Jesus in our strength. Rely upon Jesus in all our ways. For we know, Lord, that he is very good to us. God in heaven, help us in this hour, help us in this time to receive your word rightly.

We thank you and praise you for this work that you've done on this earth. May we celebrate you now in light of it. In Jesus' name, amen. So my family in the early 90s made the front page newspaper in Michigan, the Oakland Press, and it made the front page newspaper, and the headline, my brother, I believe, still has the newspaper, and the headline read something like this, family of nine makes it out of a house fire, and what happened was in 1989, there was a house fire where the same place where I grew up, the old house burnt down, and all my family was home at the time, but they all made it out.

Now, I wasn't quite, I wasn't born yet. I'd be born a year later in the new home that was built over it. But the old home burnt down and our family got out and it made the newspaper. What had happened is that the garage was set ablaze. There was a lot of smoke billowing out and a neighbor came and knocked on the front door and told my dad, you know, your garage is on fire.

And my dad looks out and by that time it's getting out of control. And thankfully we all got out. Even in the newspaper article, we kind of sound like hillbillies because it talks about all the animals, the birds, and all the stuff that my mom had. My mom loves animals, got out too. Everyone was safe. We all got out.

And it was thankful, we were thankful for our neighbor who made us aware. So, and of course that was during the day, so we had ample opportunity to get out. Because that's contrasted with, you hear the terrible stories of families that don't make it out, right? You hear terrible stories of it happening at night and not having the alert or the knowledge or the understanding that something bad is happening.

You think of carbon monoxide poisoning. It's a silent killer in which you have no idea it's happening and it can kill you even as you sleep. And we hear terrible stories of whole families dying, perishing in that way. What's the difference between, thankfully, my family in the late 1980s that got out and those families who do not get who perish even in their beds while they sleep?

What's the difference between those two situations? And it's not that one family desired life or non-death or being outside in fresh air more than the other family. It's not like one family just simply desired life and the other one did not. The fact is that one family was ignorant of the danger they were in and did not escape, while the other family knew of the danger and was able to escape.

Well, so far in the book of John, we have covered half of this prologue, in which we saw last week the word as life He is life of himself and created all things from his life We saw the word as light He gives understanding to man so that they can walk in creation and fellowship with him which is eternal life We saw darkness obscures this light, and so we walk in sin instead. And so we saw the need for witness from John the Baptist to reveal the light to the world. But what we're going to see today, what we're going to see now moving forward, verses 9 through 13, is we're going to see the light of the word and light of our sin is not just telling us how we need to live, but also the help we need in order to live rightly.

So in other words, the word of God is not, Jesus came as a word not simply just to be righteous, although that certainly was involved, but to show us how to be righteous or to give us help or to give us the help needed. And this morning as we cover 9 through 13, we will see the surprising rejection of this light, this rejection of the light to help in our darkness. And it's just like a house fire or a carbon monoxide leak.

It's not because safety outside isn't better, but because of the depth of the darkness and the ignorance that's involved with that causes us to even sleep and to die instead of follow the Lord of life. In other words, we're going to see in verses 9-13, it's not as if Jesus doesn't offer something objectively better. It's not up to discussion or debate whether or not what Jesus provides is better.

It is better, just like being outside of a house fire is better. It's just a matter of the ignorance involved that causes the rejection of that light. The ignorance involved of the danger, the ignorance involved of the life that's found outside of that danger, the help that is given. That's what we'll see this morning. We'll see this morning the light's surprising rejection, because it is always better to follow the light.

And we'll see the light's surprising reception this morning. So let's start with the light's surprising rejection as we see this play out. The light's surprising rejection. Look at verse 9 again. We see again the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. So behold, notice the light's surprising rejection. You see in verse 9 again, the true light which gives light to everyone was coming into the world. This is the true light he talks about now, the true light. He just got done talking about the witness to the light, John the Baptist, in verses 6 through 8.

And so he's not saying that John the Baptist was a false light. He's just simply saying that instead of the witness to the light that John the Baptist was, the true light himself came into the world. It's like upping the ante. It's not just the witness now. It is the actual true light coming to the world. And Christianity is a unique religion.

It's the only religion that says true light or true God took on flesh and dwelt among us. It is the only religion that says such a thing, that true light took on true flesh and dwelt among us. The true light came into the world. We see all the heresies of Christianity, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses, they deny this vital truth that the true light came among us.

We see the false prophet Muhammad teach the same thing, which honestly, Islam is just a false offshoot of Christianity. And so we see that what John is teaching is that instead of just simply the message to the light, the witness to the light, true light itself came down from heaven and dwelt among us. Remember what light is when we're talking about light.

It is proper understanding to live in this creation in fellowship with God. And Jesus, as true God, enters into this world to give us understanding, but also to give us help or light to walk in the way that God has required. And so look at the surprising rejection of the world that the true light himself would come down and be rejected. Look at the surprising rejection of the light and the fact that it is a universal light.

Look at John 1.9, the true light which gives light to everyone. It's not like Jesus and his light that he offers, he tries to hide in a cupboard. anyone who is holy enough that got up early enough to see the sun come up notice when the sun comes up and there's nothing obscuring the obscuring the view the light goes to everything it reaches everything it's far reaching it there's nothing that it doesn't want to touch and so we see here the surprising rejection of light is that Jesus as a true light came to light everyone up he came to the whole world. He universally wants to touch everything on this world.

He's not trying to hide himself from anyone. So notice the surprising rejection of this light, that the true light would come and he would give light to everyone. And what's interesting about that, too, is that in the Old Testament community, the Old Testament era, the covenant community was kind of hidden in the corner of the world, Israel. They were kind of hidden.

They just hunkered down. But the nature of Jesus' true light coming on earth is that he gives light to everyone. There is an explosion. I must, we must bring Jesus to everyone around this world. We don't hunker down in the corner of the world. We go forth to everyone.

And so the true light, not just a witness, but the true light himself universally desires to reach across to everyone and notice the third thing here is the proper preparation. Notice he says, was coming into the world And so this is like he doesn say he came he was in the world He saying he was coming into the world Now in the next verse he going to talk about how he came to the world but in this verse he's simply saying he was coming into the world. That is, it was the preparation period to come into the world.

And I think what John is saying here is that all the Old Testament was all a time of preparing for the light to come. All the Old Testament, the law and the prophets, and we talked about this last week, was all a preparation for the true light to come. It was a preparation that lasted thousands of years. A king who desires to have a proper reception of himself when he comes to his subjects will give a warning, right?

Will send out a herald, the king will come at this time, be ready. And the entire Old Testament time period is that herald. The king, the light is coming for the world. Get ready. A party that you want to be well attended will give proper notice. If you want to throw a party and you want plenty of people to come, you're not going to tell them a minute before it starts.

You're going to give proper preparation invites. So we see here in what John 1.9 is saying is that the true light himself with a large universal reach was preparing to come into this world throughout the whole Old Testament period for thousands of years that preparation was in place. The light itself, a display of perfect righteousness with a promise of help to you, with a universal bent and thousands of years of preparation was coming into the world, you would think that such a light would be accepted with ease.

The reason why I want to press that is because we're used to living in a world in which the light is rejected and we think that that's the natural bent. But that's like, again, staying in a house when it's caught on fire. It makes no sense. It is a surprising thing that this true light with the universal bent prepared for thousands of years would come and then be rejected.

It should shock us that such a thing would happen. in fact as John transitions to the actual appearing of the light in the next verse this assumption this surprising nature of the rejection is explicitly stated when he says in verse 10 of chapter 1 of John he was in the world preparation done he was in the world he was coming to the world now he's in the world and the world was made through him and here's the shock yet the world did not know him you see the shock there you can feel it can't you coming forth from the page that the one who made the world jesus the light did not come to a world as someone who didn't know the world or was some kind of had no idea about it like a king who conquers a foreign land jesus made the world as we saw last week and he comes into that world with a far-reaching bent for help for all the world, and yet the world did not know him. You got to imagine, when Jesus the light came to the world, everyone he saw, he knew in their mother's womb. He fashioned them in their mother's womb.

He came to a people that he knew intimately from the beginning, And yet, even though there's that affinity that should be there between the two, he was rejected by those same people. Can you imagine that for a moment? Creating these people in their mother's womb and yet rejected. What a surprising rejection that is, isn't it? Notice, rejection looks like what he says in verse 10, yet the world did not know him.

Now, one thing we've got to know, we get these words, we talked about this last week in John, light, dark, life, they're loaded with spiritual meaning that we got to understand. Know him is one of those words that's loaded. Know him does not simply mean, as we talked about the first week, just mental assent. Know him, to know Jesus, means to be intimately involved with him.

In fact, it carries in the scriptures to know something, we think of the first time it's used in Genesis 4.1, now Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord. And so knowing there meant literally sexual intercourse. That is an intimate knowledge or knowing one another. And so the knowing that John's talking about in chapter 1, verse 10, is not simply to mentally assent to something.

There's plenty, as we're going to read through John, there's plenty of people who mentally assented that there's something special about this guy, but they didn't know him. They didn't hold on to him dearly. They didn't intimately know him. And so when John talks about knowing, belief, receiving, he's not simply just talking about a fickle belief. He's talking about a knowing, a grabbing hold of with everything that's within your soul that leads to life.

So look at the surprising nature of the disbelief of the world. the most expected thing when the true light came to his own creation and his own created people was for them to know with deep love their maker who came to his own creation to help them. But instead, the tragedy of the story is they knew him not. And so the problem gets even more surprising, though, in the next verse, when John says in verse 11 of John chapter 1, he came to his own.

Again, if you read it right, you can kind of hear what John is expressing here. He came even to his own people, and his own people didn't even receive him. Behold the surprise. Remember how we said that the coming of the light had thousands of years of preparation and that preparation was revealed in the nation of Israel where we see the law and the prophets came from And so when John says he came to his own here he's referring to the fact that he came to his own preparation, to his own nation that he formed to prepare for his arrival.

Romans 3, 1 and 2, Paul says, then what advantage has the Jew, that is Israel, or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way, to begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God, with the words of God. The Jews were entrusted with it. As the light was preparing to come, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles for the preparation.

Romans 9, 4, and 5, they are Israelites, and to them belong the adoptions, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, the promises. To them belong the patriarchs from that race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever, amen. If anyone was going to accept the light when he came to help those in darkness?

It had to be Israel. But instead, what do we see? They did not receive him. So behold the surprising nature of the rejection of the light that came to this world. The true light with universal reach was rejected by his own creation and his own nation. But perhaps what is most surprising about the rejection of the light is when we see what the light provides to people.

So it's not like Jesus came and said, come over here so I can whip you over the head with a whipping stick. And everyone's like, no, I don't really want that. Jesus came to help everyone. So it's not as if Jesus came and said, I'm going to hurt you. He came to help. So that's what makes the surprising nature of the rejection all the more compounded.

Look at what he says in verse 12. Now this is getting into now the acceptance, the surprising acceptance of the light, but we're going to grab hold of it to still kind of give us teaching of the rejection of the light. Look at verse 12. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, look what it says. He gave the right to become children of God.

So Jesus comes to earth to give help, to say, I can give you the authority, the right, the power to become God's children. That is everything, beloved. There is nothing more important than to be a child of God. Jesus comes to give the greatest need that every single one of us have. And of all these things, the true light, universal bent, with help in his hands, to his own nation, his own world, yet rejected.

What a tragedy this is. he came saying i can give you the right the power to become god's child this is in the same vein as what was said earlier that jesus did not just come to be the perfect example of light although that's what he was he was perfect righteousness perfect fellowship with god which is what light is He didn't just come to be that. He came to help you to become that as well. He came to help.

Jesus came to help those in darkness. He came to give them the right and authority to no longer become, to be child of wrath, but rather a child of God. Now we're going to talk more about what it means to be a child of God in the coming months. But children, suffice to say now where we're at in verse 12, children denotes affection, likeness, and inheritance.

To be a child of someone denotes that you have their affection of the parent, the father. You have their likeness. And you have some form of inheritance. And humanity has a natural desire to be loved. To be better morally. And to be given things. it's because we're all given a natural desire to be a child of God we all desire God's affection who is the greatest of all lovers we all desire to be like him that's why we all desire even the unbeliever desires to just I wish I just was a little bit more morally sound because we all desire to look like God we all desire to be like him whether we want to admit it or not that is naturally deep lodged into our souls.

We all desire, again, to be loved, to be better morally, and to be given things as an inheritance. That's why people love things. Just sadly, they like vain things instead of the things that God can offer and give and liberally does to his children. Whether we know it or not, everyone wants to be a child of God. And it's expressed in the different ways that people sin.

We want affection. We want to be like him. We want affection. This is what it means to be a child of someone. I cannot express to you how it hurts me to see some of my children look like me in some negative ways. Likeness is involved with being a child of someone.

So we want these things, affection, likeness, and inheritance. Jesus says, I can make you a child of God. I came to make that possible. Instead of being a child of wrath. We have the light itself giving light to everyone prepared for the world for thousands of years that is ready to give what the world needs and wants and what is the problem. Why is there rejection?

The situation is like being in a house that's on fire. And Jesus comes and yells, you are in danger. Follow me to safety. why doesn't everyone jump up and follow the one who gives the right to become a child of god look at second corinthians go to second corinthians 4 4 this will give us the why Thank you. the Apostle Paul writes, in their case, the God of this world, that's lowercase g, notice, that is Satan, in their case, 2 Corinthians 4.4, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.

It's a very simple answer. Why such a surprising rejection would happen? It's because Satan, with darkness in his hand, blinds the world. So that when Christ calls out, there's a fire, follow me, there's help, the person, the world is asleep, receiving the smoke of the fire to their death. There's gas in the room, get out. satan has shrouded them in darkness to not hear the call of christ a beautiful wonderful call of christ and instead their lungs fill up with poisonous deadly gas john 319 jesus says this is the judgment the light has come into the world the light is coming to the world and people this is the shocking part love the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil Jesus comes and warns but it goes to ears that are asleep and not willing to wake up the devil keeps his people in the darkness of sin and lulls them to sleep comfortably to their death he says you can get affection from your sin you don't need affection from God as a child don't worry about being better you don't need to look better you're better than your neighbor don't worry about being in his likeness you're better than your neighbor that's good enough now I can give you all the desires of your flesh you don't need the good things that come from God as a child and it keeps them asleep it keeps the poison entering in their body it brings them to death and what's interesting is when sin doesn't provide these things because it never does and you all know it even those who are not in Christ right now who's hearing my words you know sin never provides what it says it's going to the lie that is believed then is that you just need this sin instead a vicious cycle meant to keep you asleep in bed as a poisonous gas runs through your lungs despite the fact that the light himself came to shine on all the people after much preparation in the old testament who came to his own creation and his own nation and called out for people to believe and receive the authority and right to become the children of god something everyone wants as badly as a person wants out of a house when it's on fire because of darkness that people are left in ignorance and continue in their sin instead.

And so, yes, it's a most surprising rejection of the light. Now, before we get on to the surprising reception of the light, before we get on to that, two application points with this. if you are an unbeliever now if you are an unbeliever now do not think for a moment you are making a logical, reasonable religion is good for you but not for me choice you are being a fool and you're breathing in toxin and you're going to die you are asleep right now as the gas fills your lungs you are being a fool if you are a believer and have the images of unbelieving people in your head right now that you wish to evangelize carry with you the boldness that you know what they actually want carry with you the boldness that you know what they actually they'll make up all excuses why they'd rather be a child of sin they won't say it like that but that's they make up all sorts of things but you know what they actually want the light and you have what they actually need and so be bold with love to your lost neighbor. With love.

Don't be a jerk. But no, I know exactly what you need. You need the light. And the fact that you reject it is a surprising thing indeed because you're in darkness. You know what they want. You know what they need.

Boldly give them the gospel of peace, of light, of Jesus Christ who offers his hand to help. Do not think that their unbelief is somehow quote-unquote rational or excusable. It is not. In love with patience yet boldness give them the light of Christ. This is the light's surprising rejection that we see from John. But then we see in light of why the light surprisingly is rejected, darkness is shrouded over all the world. what then our mind should go to is that it's shocking or surprising that the light would be accepted or received and yet john goes there if you read 9 and 10 in almost uh 9 10 11 it almost seems like there's not going to be anyone who believes the world rejects his nation rejects but yet we have a strange or surprising uh acceptance of it in verse 12 but to all who did receive him who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of god and it's surprising because of the pervasive nature of the darkness that the devil has placed over the entire world like a land that is enduring a severe thunderstorm you guys ready for that by the way when we have like tornado watches every single night like a land that is enduring a severe thunderstorm Are you guys ready for that by the way when we have like tornado watches every single night Like a land that is under a severe thunderstorm with thick black clouds, how can light shine through that?

But nevertheless, here it is, a surprising acceptance of the light. In verse 12, But to all who did receive him who believed in his name. there are a people who see the light of christ it penetrates their soul and they respond in true reception believing and knowing loving now there are two options before us to explain the surprising acceptance despite the darkness there's two options before us either those people are strong and good enough to get through the clouds get it out of the way to receive the light and that's just as impossible as if and imagine this would be perfect if it was a thunderstorm out but it isn't it's sunny i think but imagine if dark clouds imagine having the ability to kind of be like okay let me get the sun you can't do that it's foolishness to think so and it's just as foolish to think that by your own power you can somehow receive the light when satan has shrouded the world in darkness that's why a surprising acceptance of the light should be on your heart and mind as you realize the darkness that Satan has brought over the world. So again, either we are strong enough to dispel the clouds, dispel the darkness ourselves so we can receive the light, or be back to darkness imposed on the world, or the light is strong enough to pierce through the darkness of Satan and engulf their souls.

It is either our power that enables belief or God's power. The darkness is far too dark for us to overcome. It can only be conquered by the power of God. Since light's reception come from a power without us, it is a surprising reception indeed. Since it is a power that is without, it ought to surprise us that, oh, that I could receive the light at all.

And this is what John goes on to say in 1, 12, and 13. He says, But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. And look how he describes how that light is received in verse 13. Who were born. You see that in verse 13? This is how he describes how it happened.

Despite the darkness, despite the surprising rejection, the darkness of Satan, this is how it can happen anyways in verse 13. Who were born. he uses the word born there to explain true belief. Jesus explains someone truly believing as being born again. And we heard Levi read that earlier. You remember in John 3.3, look there, a couple pages over, John 3.3, Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

So that's how he describes true belief. the ability for the light to pierce through the darkness into the soul that is shrouded in darkness that unless you're born again you cannot see the light the kingdom of light, the kingdom of Christ the kingdom of God and remember Nicodemus' response he says in verse 4 how can a man be born who is old can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born and we know Nicodemus later on Jesus says are you the teacher and you don't know these things but there is a level to where it's like this is a surprising thing belief is this miraculous event of rebirth that has to happen it's a surprising reception of light that would come through this miraculous means jesus then talks about how it is impossible for man but with god it is not he says in verse 5 in john 3 he says truly truly i say to you unless one is born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of god he cannot see the kingdom of God. He cannot see the light. He cannot see Jesus.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. So do not marvel at what I say to you. You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. I don't think Jesus is saying don't be astonished at the work of salvation.

He's simply saying when I tell you that this is how it happens believe it it is an astonishing surprising thing that belief would happen at all it's because it is a power that comes from without to cause the person go from darkness to light by being born again after the spirit to become a child of god just like we were powerless in our first birth we are powerless in our second birth too it is a work of god through his spirit to cause us to be a child of his this is the impossibility the surprising nature of it is why he marks down and going back to chapter 1 verse 13 the three negatives of how it doesn't happen he again the surprising rejection because of darkness and now the surprising acceptance because of god's power and rebirth and he marks down three ways it doesn't happen he says not of blood in verse 13 nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man. What do all those three things have to do with one another? They're all the power of man.

So John is highlighting the darkness is so thick no way can you in your own power and ability cause yourself to be born again it must be done by a miraculous powerful surprising work of God in you Not a blood he says not a blood that means your lineage right He says it doesn't happen this way, that the power of darkness can be taken away by any kind of work of lineage or producing physically. Not a blood. What he's saying is that's something that you can physically be born into.

Now the reason why he highlights that is because in the Old Testament, how did you join the covenant community in the Old Testament of Israel? You were born after Abraham, your parents, Abraham, and then you were circumcised and you entered into the community. So it was based off of your birth, who you were born after. Born after Abraham. And here John's saying, no more.

The covenant community is no longer found in who you're born after. in Matthew 3.9 just listen as I read it John the Baptist makes a point to make this point clear and do not presume to say to yourselves we have Abraham as our father for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham to enter the nation of Israel you had to be after the bloodline of Abraham to enter into the new covenant community you have to be born into God's family not physical birth but new birth spiritual birth. So it's not after the blood. By the way, this is a side thing, that's why infant baptism is wrong.

This is John, as explicit as you can get, saying infant baptism is not true. You do not enter into the covenant community by your birth, but by new birth via believing upon Jesus. That's a side note. Men will live in the dark and also, you'll hear this all the time, men will live in the dark and try to say, and I've heard it in evangelizing, they'll talk about how their parent was a pastor.

And so somehow they use that as a, now I'm good. I'm not sure. And then when I press them on it, it doesn't take long for them to realize that it doesn't make any sense. But what that's in their darkness, what they use. My parent is pretty godly and they had me read the scriptures a lot. I know a little bit of the Bible.

I think that'll be enough to get me in. That's bloodline. They think bloodline somehow will do it. And it's weird. A lot of times I hear my parent, my mom was a pastor. It's weird.

I've noticed that. My mom was a pastor, which I find that to be fascinating, but that's a whole different discussion. Bloodline will not get you in. A work of man, physically, will not get you in. That will not expose the darkness or get the darkness away for the light to come. He says in verse 13, nor of the will of the flesh.

Nor of the will of the flesh, he says. That's another negative. That won't do it either. Flesh has to do with the natural or fleshly desires of man. Now, usually when we see flesh in the Bible, it's in the dominion of sin, our flesh, the natural desires that we have is for sin. But here, I don't think John is really so much saying so much the negative side of it.

He's just simply saying that our natural appetites will not get us to believe upon Jesus. The natural functions of our affections and the way we feel and desire will not lead us to Jesus. This is why people in their darkness did not want Jesus, because their natural affections and desires and everything actually caused them to want to go away from Jesus.

And so true belief, because of darkness, cannot be our natural affections. It will not lead you to Jesus. You cannot rely upon your natural desires to do so. This is why constantly Satan lies to the world around us to say, follow your heart, it's never wrong, and to just do what makes you happy. That is a purposeful, we see it on the Big Macs and everything like that, that is a purposeful philosophical statement by Satan to keep you following your own desires so you will not go to Jesus.

It's a very serious thing. I know it's like, it's a Big Mac, take it easy. But there's a serious thing that's being said by this philosophy that if you just follow your heart, do what makes you happy, somehow things will work out just fine. It will not. It will lead you away from Jesus. Not by the work of the flesh will the darkness be expelled.

It doesn't work that way. and what's interesting about that is literally all you do to survive physically is to follow the urges of your flesh have you ever noticed that you know why you eat because you feel hungry you know why you feel you go to sleep because you feel tired you drink because you feel thirsty but if you follow these fleshly desires when it comes to receive in the light it will always draw you away that is why for those who do not who do believe in the light is a surprising belief indeed because it goes against your natural fleshly desires. You normally follow those to survive, but yet when it comes to leaving the house that's burning down, you need to deny the fleshly desires to follow Jesus. And finally, he says, nor the will of man in verse 13.

This is man trying to will past his fleshly desires. Okay, fine. Then you're telling me it's not my fleshly desires. I'll just will it to overcome my fleshly desires to get better. That's legalism. I'll just will it.

Make sure I just am really good. And there are many people that are stuck in that even as they don't know it. I'm just trying to make my own power, my own strength, will it as hard as I can to expel the darkness and to be in the light. That's the person who, the person told that his desires lead him astray so he tries to overcome it and be better but the will of man is so shrouded in darkness that it will always lead to disappointment and failure Therefore because of darkness not receiving, believing, knowing is the most natural result.

That's what makes the fact that there are true believers surprising indeed. And that is because it is not our power but God's power without that causes the new birth. Or what he says in chapter 1, verse 13, but of God. If we go back to 2 Corinthians 4, verse 4, what does Paul say again? In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel and of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

But then he goes on to the surprising reception for what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ is Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, let light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is his power that expels the darkness and allows a surprising reception of light.

Behold the power of the word and creation in creating all things. Behold the goodness of the word in providing light to man to enable us to enjoy creation truly. Behold the patience of the word as the people made in his image fell into surprising darkness. and behold the love of the word to provide a witness to his light and then to enter his own creation and be the true light yet rejected.

And behold the power, goodness, patience, love, and grace of the word to overcome his people's surprising darkness and shine the light of life to provide a most surprising reception for man. Praise be to God that we are the people that were sleeping in our beds. when death had its grip on our souls, we were the people sleeping in our bed, filling up with poisonous gas. And our dear Lord Jesus Christ came in with a light so bright that it woke us from our slumber.

And he in love beckoned us to come to him. He shouted, just like he shouts to Lazarus, and Lazarus was not going to still lay in the tomb dead. We rose, and by his power we follow, and we are alive. this is the power of Christ in salvation. This is the power of the light. A most surprising rejection because it's what everyone needs. And yet a surprising reception because it's not by our power but by the power of God.

And so now as Christians and people of light, we live a life of expecting weakness in ourselves but expecting great things and power in Christ. Expecting sin deep lodged rooted in our heart but expecting the power of Christ to root it out, bring it out, and bring us unto fuller revealing of light. We are a people who accept our weakness, no longer pridefully try to defend it.

We say this is the surprising work of God, that he would root out my darkness and bring about a work of light. Behold the power of Christ Jesus, our dear Lord. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for the light. God, we thank you, Lord, that you have revealed yourself in so many beautiful ways. You've created all things, and to be enjoyed, we know that you've created, you've revealed, I should say, your word, your law, your will.

We know in our darkness, it's so overwhelming that we reject it every time, and even when the light, righteousness itself, himself, the God, true God, taking on true flesh, when he stood as true light, we rejected. What's even more amazing is that this light that came forth was declaring, I can make you a child of God, through forgiveness of sins, through his death and resurrection. But Lord, what a surprising rejection, that even though this is what we all need in our own power, we reject.

But thanks be to your great, powerful work of grace, that although it's not according to our blood, to our flesh, to our will, it is according to the power of God that you overcame that darkness. and you enabled us to hear, believe, and see and follow Jesus Christ, to leave the dangers that we are in and to enjoy the great life that you have for your people. Thank you for this powerful, surprising light. Oh God in heaven, may you pierce the hearts of your people to see that they are weak people.

We are weak people. That is who we are. We were brought out as weakness and we stay as weakness, but our strength and comfort, power, is found in Jesus Christ our Lord so that that darkness can continue to be expelled out of us by his power and work. For those, Lord, for the unbelievers who are before me who are still foolishly sleeping in their bed as their house crumbles around them, oh, would you even, Lord, by your power, wake them up?

And would you cause them to believe upon Jesus Christ the light. Would you awaken them and to see their need. Their only hope is found in Christ Jesus. Would you cause them to know him and love him and adore him. God in heaven, may you be glorified in all these things. And may we respond accurately and well to your word.

And may it be by the power of the spirit that you give to your people. We praise you and thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.