Title: Receive Jesus (John 1:6-14)
Contents
Receive Jesus (John 1:6-14)
There are robbers and rogues who take other people's things by force. Because of these people, society is confused, noisy, and anxious. People are getting tougher and more stubborn, so I worry a lot about what the world will be like in the future.
There is this story in Jesus' parable (Luke 20). A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to farmers, and had been away for a long time. When it was grape season, the master sent a servant to come and get his share of the produce. But the farmers beat him and sent him away. The same was true for the second and third species.
After deliberation, the master sent his son to be the heir. I wondered if my own son would do the same. But the wicked mercilessly killed him as his heir. In the end, they end up being judged by their master.
This parable was given with the crucifixion of Jesus in mind. At that time, Jesus Christ, the heir of God, came to the land of Judea, but the Jews did not accept him and killed him.
God's purpose in creating the world and man was to receive glory. Of course, you must serve God. But when humans stopped serving God and took over the land of God and pretended to be their own, he sent prophets at first. Still, they did not repent, so he sent his only begotten Son. This is the incarnation event in which God became human.
This text is written about the incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus came as the true light to this dark land, and people did not know him. You have to know and accept him to be saved, but that's a great thing.
The greatest blessing in life is to receive God's only begotten Son as our Savior. Then God will give you the power to become your children. If you receive and believe in Jesus who came in the flesh as the Word, you will receive blessings.
First, we must receive Jesus, who has come as the true light. In verse 9 of the text, it says, 'There was the true light, a light to shine on each one who came into the world'. The true light here refers to the light that perfects the dark and imperfect world. This light refers to Jesus, which means that Jesus came as the true light to save humans living in a dark world.
Because the true light has come, the world of sin has been exposed. Until then, evil things had not been revealed because of darkness, but since the true light came, they were revealed. If Jesus had not come to this earth, the world would be imperfect and full of lies.
Objects can only be seen properly when there is true light. For example, if you turn on a red light in a fruit shop, all the fruits will look red, so you may mistake unripe as ripe. You are being deceived by the red light, not the true light. That is why we need the true light, because only with that light can we judge right from wrong.
Thankfully, Jesus is the true light for us humans. Through Jesus, we can see our true self and know what kind of path is the right path. We have no choice but to wander forever, but Jesus shines with the true light and shows us the right way. No one can make excuses or turn away from not knowing Jesus.
But two thousand years ago, the Jews saw Jesus, but did not receive Him. They did not receive Jesus, who came to save them, and were caught up in the world's vain desires and turned away from the true light. They scorned Jesus by being bound by wealth, power, pleasure, and knowledge.
They betrayed God by living with what God gave them by grace. Rather, what God has given us has become a weapon against God. They knew that the world belonged to God, but when God asked for His own, they killed the prophets and even the heir, Jesus.
In particular, those with a lot of power took the lead. It is revealed in Matthew chapter 2. At that time, King Herod spent a lot of money and became king of Judea. He believed that his kingship would last a long time, but when wise men from the East told him that a king of the Jews had been born, he became very anxious and nervous. So, in order to maintain his kingship, he committed the evil deed of killing all the babies in Bethlehem (verse 16).
The same is true of the high priests and scribes of that time. They knew where Jesus was born. When the wise men from the East asked, "Where is the one who was born king of the Jews?" they correctly said 'Bethlehem in the land of Judea' (verse 5).
Nevertheless, they did not worship Jesus. The reason is that he thought that reality was heaven because he lived in peace with vested interests such as wealth and power. No, maybe he had an idea that heaven could be better than this. They did not receive Jesus because of their vested interests.
Even today, there are many people who turn away from God by living with what God has given them in the land of God. If it is because they are ignorant, it makes sense to some extent, but there are many people who do it knowingly.
Our problem today is also vested interests. If you don't have anything, it would be easier to accept Jesus, but you have so much that you can't accept Jesus to enjoy it. We need to reflect on ourselves when we see the wrongdoings committed by the Jews with vested interests.
Second, in order to receive Jesus, we must give up our vested interests. Verse 11 says, ?쏻hen he came to his own land, his people did not receive him.??His land and his people refer to Israel and the people of Israel respectively. Here, the meaning of one's own land is strong in God's possession. Although they are ignorant people who do not know the Creator, God has strongly declared that they belong to Him.
In the beginning, God created the Garden of Eden in order to establish a kingdom that He will rule. However, the people who were created in God's image reject it, and God's rule is broken. So you set up Israel again and gathered your people together, but that too has gone awry.
It is well prophesied in Isaiah 1:2, 3, 'I brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. said As Israel did not receive Jesus, who came as the light, Israel remained a dark house. The glory of being called as the chosen people has only faded.
So, God finally gathered His possessions back one by one through Jesus. Anyone who believes in me has been saved. We must know that God's purpose for sending Jesus to this earth is to restore God's possessions.
If we leave it alone, the whole world will become dirty and worthless, so God has given us great grace. At the time of Jesus' coming, the world was noisy and quarreling with each other. And because of the tyranny of the strong, there were too many unjust people. That is why God sent His Son into the world.
When we see Jesus coming to this earth, we can know the will of God. He came to the lowest and lowest manger and came as the son of a poor carpenter. The reason why he did not come while receiving the glory of the luxurious and large royal palace was above all to be a friend of the unjust. If Jesus had come in glory to a luxurious and large royal palace, then powerful and wealthy people would have come and welcomed him.
In this way, the meaning of Jesus coming into this world is lost. He came to a very low and low place, so those who had the hope of heaven and the poor came and greeted them. And the fishermen who were ignored at the time became disciples.
Because Jesus came for these poor and poor people, we became their friends. People who think they are smart and handsome do not need Jesus, and there is no reason to welcome those who are proud and proud of themselves as the best. There are people you can meet, not everyone.
People who know their weaknesses and shortcomings can be right, and people who are like children who are innocent and pure and innocent will be right. Those who want God's absolute protection will welcome Jesus.
It is the same today. It is not easy for those who are rich, wealthy, and powerful to welcome Jesus. It is not easy for those with vested interests. When Jesus first came to this earth, it is no different from what the established rulers of Judea turned away from. Anyone who does not give up on himself can never receive Jesus. We must accept that there is nothing more precious than Jesus in the world.
Third, to receive Jesus, you must believe in the name of Jesus. In verse 12, it says, "To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
When the people of Israel refused to accept Jesus, now they have opened a way to personally welcome them. Soon, the Jewish religion became a world religion, open to all. Anyone who receives Jesus will receive the authority to become a child of God. Israel as a nation refused to accept Jesus as king, but we must personally accept Jesus as king and live.
To receive it is to believe in its name. The greatest person in the world is the one who believes in the name of Jesus. It is a privilege, a privilege, an honor, and a blessing to believe in the name of Jesus. The reason is that if you have the name of Jesus, you will have everything. One name of Jesus is enough.
Indeed, there is great power in the name of Jesus. First, man was saved by that name. Romans 10:13 says, ?쏻hoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.??
Also, in John 14:14, he said, 'If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it'. I told you to ask for anything in my name. You can find wealth, position, knowledge, and health. The problem is not to ask in the name of Jesus, but if you ask for it, you can get everything.
Just as a rich person goes to a bank and just signs the money, the money comes out. If you pray in the name of Jesus, you can get everything.
Also, in the name of Jesus, you can heal. In Acts 3, it is recorded that Peter and John healed a lame man in the name of Jesus. As they went up to the temple, the lame who was sitting at the tailgate begged. Then Peter said, 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.
Then the crippled man immediately gained strength in his feet and ankles, and jumped and walked, praising God. Heal the lame in the name of Jesus.
Also, in the name of Jesus, you can be comforted. There is no greater comfort than calling on the name of the Lord in difficult times. A long time ago, there was an indescribable pain in the family of our alumni. You have lost a loved one in an unfortunate car accident. There were no words to comfort all of us, and there were no tears in the eyes of the parents who lost their children.
After some time had passed, one day, it was after the early morning prayer meeting. Everyone sat alone in the church where they had finished praying and wept and cried to the Lord, but it was so pathetic. I kept saying Lord, Lord, Lord, and only calling on you. He must have endured pain and received comfort by calling on the name of the Lord.
If you had not known the Lord, how would you have overcome that pain? I felt that the name of the Lord was a comfort and a hope for him. Thus, the name of the Lord has the power to solve all our problems.
But above all else in the text, he said that he gave the right to become children of God to those who believed in his name. The authority of the children of God is the authority to inherit the heavenly inheritance. Anyone who receives Jesus and believes in His name will receive this blessing.