Believe, Receive, Become
John 1:10-13
Introduction-
One week ago we celebrated Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We rejoice that because Jesus arose from the grave that we can have resurrection over death too.
We have that because we have by choice accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior.
It is offered to everyone, but everyone will not accept it.
What can we learn from Scripture that happened the week after the resurrection of Christ and how did it affect the disciples and believers to follow?
What did they do that is an indication of what we should do?
We know that Jesus stayed here 40 days after the resurrection before His great ascension and His promise of a return. He spoke with many believers and instructed the disciples what they should do and what they can expect in the coming days.
What happen in those 40 days changed the lives of believers. They went from a scared bunch of confused men to a group of disciples that changed the world.
Peter before the resurrection denied Jesus 3 times. After the resurrection, Jesus provides a miracle catch of fish and sits Peter down for a heart to heart. Jesus says to Peter- Do you love me? In fact he asks him the same question 3 times in 3 different ways! Peter response is the same 3 times. Do you love me? You know I do! Jesus said then feed and take care of my sheep!
We as believers have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to teach, instruct, and guide the people that the Lord brings to us.
We have a responsibility to be plugged into the kingdom of God and to God’s church.
He says to follow me! That is an action word. With those instruction comes the surrendering of doing what you want and what is comfortable to you and doing what God has called us to do.
Jesus says-While you are following me, you should be inviting others to follow! That is not just a call to the preachers and full time ministers. It is a call to all who claim the name of Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.
Go and preach the gospel!
Go and be my witnesses!
Go in the power of the Holy Spirit!
Go and make a difference!
John 1:10-13 Read
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
With that right, comes a responsibility for each one of us.
We are given the privilege of being a child of God
BELIEVE, RECEIVE, BECOME
Write these 3 words down. I am going to talk about each one in just a minute
The last thing that Jesus did before he ascended into heaven was equip his followers to live a victorious life.
He also equipped them to be a witness to those that they came into contact with and to have the power of God to do more than we can do in ourselves.
The same power that raised Jesus from the grave is the same power that dwells inside the believer.
There should be some amazing things happening at Rosedale church and in the life of believers!
In my name (Jesus)
You will drive out demons
You will see the sick healed.
You will break addictions, habits, and be made whole again.
You will do things that are impossible in your own strength but possible with God.
In who’s name? Jesus Name!
By who’s power? The power of God!
In our text, John records that we have to believe in His name.
In believing in His name;
We are in truth believing that He will do what He said He would do.
We have to believe that He has the power to resurrect us like He was resurrected by God the Father.
We have to obey and follow like He commands us.
1. Believe
The word “believe” in the Bible means more than simply agreeing in our minds that something might be true. It means “trust”—that we believe so strongly in God that we are willing to commit our lives to Him and live the way we know He wants us to live. Believing in Jesus is an action word. You cannot just say it, you have to act on your beliefs.
Illustration-
Suppose you were walking along a path and you came to a bridge which crossed a deep canyon. You might look at it and believe that it would hold you, and you might even see other people walking across it so you know it would hold your weight. But so far, your “belief” in the bridge is only in your head. When do you really believe the bridge will hold you? You only really believe it when you are willing to commit your life to it and actually walk across it.
It is the same way with Christ. Yes, we can believe that God exists, but God wants us to come to know Him personally. And He has bridged the gap between us by sending His Son to remove the barrier of sin and become that “bridge.
” To believe in Christ is to commit our lives by faith to Christ—to trust Him personally as our Lord and Savior.
John 3:16-
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Present tense- believes, not past tense believed.
Christ Is Someone to Know and Trust- in an active relationship.
Religion Is Something “To Believe And Do”
Religion Doesn’t Change Hearts
Religion wants the Approval Of men rather than God.
Religion makes a hard life harder
Religion makes you think that you can earn salvation and that being good is good enough.
Belief in Christ is you in an active relationship with your savior and the only way that you are saved is because you have placed all your trust in what Christ has done for you and because you want to serve him, you have given your life to service for him.
Illustration-
The content of belief is important:
Jonathan Whitfield was preaching to coal miners in England. He asked one man, "What do you believe?" "Well, I believe the same as the church." "And what does the church believe?" "Well, they believe the same as me." Seeing he was getting nowhere, Whitfield said, "And what is it that you both believe?" "Well, I suppose the same thing."
Illustration
Balloon and a rock.
How many believe that I can hit that balloon with this rock?
How many believe it enough to hold the balloon?
How many believe it enough that they would hold it with their teeth?
We throw faith and belief around loosely. Faith and belief is vacated as soon as something better comes along or the going gets tough. Most of the time when faith and belief is tested, it changes.
2. Receive
“ Yet to all who received him”
So when we look at this verse in the sense of receiving Christ- it is by the definition of receive-
To acquire him
To permit him to enter into your life
To come into possession of him
To accept the gift that is being offered.
To take
Society today wants to know of Jesus as well as some forms of religion, but they never commit to Him. You have to take possession, permit Christ to enter into your life and understand and accept the gift of salvation that is offered to us.
Hear me! This is important. You do not have to understand all the Bible and be a scholar but you do have to understand that He made the sacrifice for you and that you surrender your life to him and desire to follow and serve him. Like I said a few weeks ago, you cannot follow Jesus from a distance and expect that your walk with Him will be good.
Receiving Christ is a choice that you have to personal make.
Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision you’ll ever make!
God’s Word promises,
“If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (13) For, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(Rom. 10:9–10,13).
By His grace, God has already done everything to provide salvation. Your part is simply to believe and receive.
Pray out loud, Jesus, I confess that you are my Lord and Savior. I believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!
The very moment you commit your life to Jesus Christ, the truth of His Word instantly comes to pass in your spirit. Now that you’re born again, there’s a brand-new you!
You should begin to see a change in your life!
3. Become
“He gave the right to become the children of God.”
It is a privilege to be a part of the family of God. Like I said before if God wanted to hide we would have never found him. He chose to make himself available and we responded. That is the only good thing we did concerning salvation.
2 Corinthians 5:17-
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”
There is a new birth that allows us to begin again with a new relationship with Him. The old things that shackled us, he wants to take out of our lives. The things that separated us from God. The new things that come into our lives is the new mind, the new priorities we have that draw us closer to God.
Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
When we allow God’s spirit to work in us, we can leave the old things behind.
God’s family and God’s church is not a social club that you attend. It is a family of believers that strengthen and encourage and reach out to the lost of the world.
Strangers in this land, we become citizens of heaven and try to reach the lost of this world.
Closing,
In the transformation process, a believer is given the power to overcome because He has become a child of God.
Some things will happen instantaneously!
Some things will be a process of you falling and getting back up- not because He fails but because we are weak.
Some things, it will be His will that we will deal with some things all of this life!
Jesus is not a flavor of the month- He is forever! He is to be trusted and He is to lead us and guide us!
Some things in us will have to die ‘ those things that are not pleasing to God- it will be painful!
It is necessary! It is only temporary.
Every area of our lives is fair game for the Lord to work with and to bless or eliminate. But His promise is that he has our best interest in mind. Not always what we want!
Believe, Receive, Belong!
A time of prayer
Amen.
