Chapter # 1 Paragraph # 3 Study # 1
October 23, 2022
Broadlands, Louisiana
(Download Audio)
Thesis: The crucial things in life are those things that define the
character of our eternal destiny, and the most crucial thing in life is that thing that establishes the "
where" of our eternal destiny.
Introduction: In our studies to date, we have considered the reality of Jesus as "The Word of The Eternal, Infinite God" and the steps He has taken to make it possible for us to enter into the "Joy of Life". The focus has been upon
both the vast greatness of The Infinite God as revealed by creation,
and the "Light" He has provided so that the possibility (of man's participation in the glories of the Infinity that is coming) exists.
The Word has the positive intention of speaking Truth into our hearts and minds. This makes how we respond to the words of The Word the most critical issue of our time upon this earth.
This morning we are going to explore this issue of "response".
- I. First, "Response" Is An Inescapable Reality.
- A. Jesus' time upon the earth as a man initiated and established a "Light" that no man escapes.
- 1. John tells us that "the True Light" shines light upon every man who comes into the world.
- a. There are those who claim that the text should read, "There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man."
- b. But the grammar of the text ties the "coming into the world" to "every man", not to "the true Light".
- c. The point is not that "The True Light" enlightens by coming into the world; the point is that no man who has come into the world can escape the presence of "the True Light".
- 2. By coming, The True Light makes escaping the inescapable fact of responsibility impossible.
- B. Behind all of the words of "The Word" is one major, inevitable fact: it is appointed unto men to die and stand before the Judge of All The Earth (Hebrews 9:27) and, after that, to enter into an infinitely long final existence as thinking, feeling, creations of God.
- II. Second, "Response" Is The Foundation Of Divine Judgment.
- A. The Creator actually came into His creation as a human being to make "His Life" the "True Light" by which all who live in the world can have hope of an infinity of Life in the Light.
- B. The basis for Divine Judgment is revealed to be this "coming" that, effectually, turned up the brilliance of "The Light".
- III. Third, "Response" Is Defined In Two Ways.
- A. First, we are told plainly that the created world did not "know" its own Creator in spite of His actual, physical presence and the brilliance of His Light.
- 1. This is the first time "knowing" is mentioned.
- 2. As such it is the acknowledgment that "knowing" is critical.
- a. The "knowing" that the creatures did not possess is identified as the key to entrance into eternal life (17:3) in that this is a methodological definition, not a characteristic definition.
- b. If, then, there is no "knowing" there cannot be any "going" into "Life".
- 3. The issue of "knowing"/"not knowing" is described as both the "root" and "fruit" of how a person responds to the revelations of The Light as It shines upon him/her.
- a. That they did not "know" was rooted in the refusal to "gladly receive" (1:11; 14:3; and 19:17) Him.
- b. That they did not "gladly receive" Him was, itself, rooted in the fact that they did not "know" Him.
- c. And we are told plainly that those in the world upon whom the Creator had shown enormous, special care, did not "receive" Him.
- B. Second, we are told that there were some who "did receive".
- 1. We are not told how those that did not know Him came to "receive" Him, but we can only conclude that, in some way beyond simply Being and Shining the Light, "sight" was given so that those that did not know could know.
- 2. But, however it happened, we are told that there were some who "received" (lesser degree of 'receiving') Him.
- IV. Fourth, "Legitimate Response" Results In Being Re-created As Children Of God.
- A. The "creation" motif is continued by the use of "become" (1:12).
- B. The "point" is this: If a person "receives" The Word as God's message to us, he/she will be re-created into a child of God.
- C. Thus, the question is this: What is Jesus to you?
