Though each and every Lord's Day, we come together as the people of God to turn our attention to the things of God and His Word. Over the last number of weeks in adult Sunday school, we've been turning our attention to the more lofty things of God's Word, which we sang about in verse 3. I muse on their infinity. Those thoughts of God that so often are well beyond us and difficult to grasp. We've been musing upon those things together in our adult Sunday school. The knowledge of God the Creator. His work of creation. His remarkable works of sovereign grace that come and bring freedom to our damaged will. And this evening we turn our attention to a text that is in harmony with those things from John chapter 1. In John chapter 1, we have what is for many of us a very familiar list of verses from John. And if it's not familiar to you, if you would listen to the reading of this Word of God, you'll find it to be a rather beautiful expression of His saving plan for humanity. Before we read John chapter 1, let's ask the Lord to bless it for us. We do thank you for your word, dear Father, and confess that it is so often well beyond our understanding. Therefore, we ask this evening that as we read about your remarkable work in the world of men, That our ears would be opened, our minds would be enabled to understand, and that our infections would be inclined not only to be interested, but to love what we hear, and that our faith would be strengthened with what we find in Your Word. Help us, we pray, by Your Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen. John chapter 1, beginning with verse 1, reading through verse 18. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made. Without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through Him all men might believe. He Himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision, nor of husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only who came from the Father, full of truth and grace. John testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, This was He of whom I said, He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me. From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only who is at the Father's side has made Him known. These words of John, introducing the Gospel of John, introduce to us the person of Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh. And as we read these verses, we might wonder, what does it take to become a child of God? What does it take to become a child of God? Highlighting that question is some observation by commentators who see that verse 12 may very well be the center of these first 18 verses. And as the center may very well be a main point, if not the main point, a very significant point that John is trying to make regarding the children of God. And so it's worthy of us to pause this evening and ask the question, what does it take to become a child of God? There are some who believe that by virtue of creation, all men, all women, all of humanity are children of God without distinction. They believe that God views all people in the very same way. This may very well be the majority of our neighbors and friends today. There are others, however, who see that there is an important distinction made in the Scriptures between our relationship with God as Creator and one's relationship with God as Redeemer. These people, while believing that God is both Creator and Redeemer, they believe that God relates very differently with some than with others. In other words, they believe that the Scriptures make a distinction between the children of God and everyone else. That there is within the whole of humanity, from the beginning of time, some who are known by God as His own children, Others who are not. My question to you this evening is, what do you believe? What is it that you believe regarding our relationship to God? Is there any distinction between the whole of humanity and those described as the children of God? In our text this evening, we see that John is convinced there is a distinction. John shows us that there is a difference between the masses of humanity and the children of God. We see this particularly in verses 9-13, and that's where we'll place most of our focus this evening. In verses 9-13, not only does John emphasize this distinction between the children of God and those of the rest of humanity, he also highlights the difference. He shows us that this distinction is defined by a particular difference. And we'll see that together as we consider first the bondage of man. The freedom of man and the response. Or we could say the bondage of the children of God, the freedom of the children of God, and the response of the children of God. Notice first of all the context within John as he makes these points. He begins with verse 1 with the words, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The first phrase, at least, may be rather familiar to us. In the beginning might bring us back to the book of Genesis in chapter 1 and the idea of creation. John brings us back there when he talks about the beginning of Jesus. and he says that the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was God. One and the same. Very God of very God. Verses 3 and 4 go on to say that all things, all things were made through Him. In Him was life. John says and the life was the light of men just as with Genesis 1 and 2 John is painting for us a beautiful picture of creation and just as with Genesis 1 and 2 he follows this beautiful picture with a contrast the beauty of creation is contrasted with darkness and the reality of man's bondage is bondage to sin. In verse 5 he says, the light shines in the darkness and yet the darkness has not overcome it. This idea of darkness John uses to describe the bondage of man to his sinful fallen condition. It's used often in the Old Testament, the word darkness. Sometimes, interestingly, it refers to the wonders of God that we just can't peer into for they're shrouded in darkness. That doesn't seem what John is talking about here. And we find then that other times in the Old Testament, darkness describes the evil ways of men. The way of sinners. Proverbs 2 verse 13 talks about the ways of evil men. as being darkness and contrast to the light. And it's likely that that is what John was thinking about when he refers to darkness because just a couple chapters after our text, in John 3, verse 19, he says that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. These evil deeds are associated with darkness. Darkness is an idea that John puts forward to describe the depravity of man and the bondage of man's will to his fallen sinful condition. And so just as in Genesis, John begins his Gospel with creation and immediately follows creation with this contrasting picture of darkness and this downward spiral is developed. Some say that the first 12 chapters of John describe how men's darkness led them to reject the Christ. That would be very parallel to the idea of darkness in Genesis 1 and 2 which following the fall, don't we see a record of the downward spiral of man's sinfulness and depravity until Paul in Romans 1 verse 18 says, summarizing the situation, that all suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness. And thus a demonstration of all's bondage to darkness and sin. In describing the bondage of man, However, John adds to the idea of darkness as if that wasn't dark enough. He adds to the idea of darkness what I call willful ignorance. Willful ignorance. We see in verse 10 that He was in the world, God was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. I mention this to be willful ignorance because John says here that He was in the world. The Word of God was in the world. The world was made through Him. And therefore, the glory of God is on display as in a beautiful theater for all to see. And yet, the world did not know Him. We can say the world refused to know Him. Just as in John 3, verse 19, we're told, remember that the world loved the darkness. And again in Romans 1, verse 18, they suppressed that truth all around them. They were in darkness. They were in willful ignorance. And John adds one more description to this bondage of man. In addition to darkness and ignorance, John brings us to the most striking testimony of man's bondage when in verse 11 he says that he came to his own. That is, Jesus came to his own covenant people. And what do we find? That his own did not receive him. Along with darkness and willful ignorance is outright rejection. Not by just anyone, but by His own people. Christ was there. The Word of God. God in the flesh was there with Him. With them. And yet, even so, with the light right in front of them. Able to touch Him. Able to hear Him speak. Able to walk with them. see His miracles. Even so, rejection of the light. Rejection of the Word of God. Rejection of the sovereign Creator of all things. The bondage of man. And yet our text contrasts that bondage, doesn't it? Our text contrasts that bondage and gives hope. There's an expression of good news for us this evening in verse 13. In the midst of this bondage, this darkness, ignorance, and rejection, we are told that some, there's some who were set free. There were some who enjoyed freedom from that darkness. The true light, the One through whom all things were made, the One who was with God, the One who was God, we are told that this Word of God became flesh. And Jesus Christ, He came and He lived in the darkness. And through Him there's hope. We are told, In John's Gospel and the other Gospels of how Jesus came to the captive, while He preached to all without distinction, He brought the good news to all people without distinction, didn't He? Nevertheless, most rejected Him. Yet there were others. There were others who received him and they're called in verse 13, the children of God. The children of God, those who are set free. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him, verse 12 says, but to all or as many as received him and believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 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. Now I need you to hang with me here as we move away from the order of the text. And I'll explain why in a little bit. But before we consider their response of faith, let us consider first of all how they were set free. How is it that some in the masses of humanity, while Jesus was rejected by those in darkness and willful ignorance, how is it that some received Him? Where did the power come from? Where was the source of their decision? Why is it that some of the most humble and lowly and insignificant of people, fishermen and tax collectors, why did they receive Jesus while so many of the wise and educated and the leaders rejected Jesus? What does our text say? What does our text say but those described as children of God? They were born how? How were these children born? Verse 13, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man, but born of God. A hard truth to swallow. But not if we understand the first point, that man is in bondage to sin. He's held captive. He's incapable of choosing for God. And therefore, those who are called the children of God are not born of blood or literally translated bloods. That is, a family line or one's heritage. It means nothing relative to being born again. It means nothing if we trace our natural lineage back to Adam, because we then can only prove that we're children of Adam. And the children of Adam, we see in point 1, are in bondage to sin. And so, the lineage of bloods of family tree inherited provide no comfort. No comfort. If we're to look for the privilege of being children of God. Not of bloods, and as if that wasn't clear enough, John continues to say, not of the will of the flesh. And he takes it one step further. They're not of the will of man, but what? Those who are born of God. Those whom Jesus describes in John 3 to Nicodemus are born from above. Who have been recreated by the sovereign grace and power of God. You see, at the very beginning of his Gospel, John wants us to understand that all who receive the Gospel have been born again. That is, they've been recreated by God. And so what distinguishes and defines the children of God from the rest of humanity is nothing other than the power of God breaking into our bondage and setting us free as His own children. The difference is that sovereign grace of God which brings freedom. Freedom from sin. Freedom from darkness. Freedom from bondage. And verse 12 describes this freedom as the right to become children of God. This freedom we have is the right to become children of God. We might translate right as authority. We might translate it as claim. However we translate it, it's not something we commonly think in terms of. To have the right or authority or claim to be children of God, but if you muse on it for a moment, is there any greater claim that one can make than to be of royalty? Is there any greater privilege or status to be had in the face of an enemy than to claim and to claim to be of the family of sovereign power? Is there any greater claim than you or I or anyone of all creation could have than to say, I'm a child of God. In the face of the devil, is there anything greater we could say than, away from me, Satan. I am a child of God. And when you deal with me, you deal with Christ. We have that claim as children of God. That privilege of being His own people bought with the blood of Christ. You see, that's why Jesus has the right to give us the right to become children of God. Because as John 17 verse 2 says, as Jesus prays for His disciples, saying to the Father, since You have given Me authority over all flesh to give eternal life to whom You have given Me. That is the right and authority of Christ to bestow on us the right of being with Him. Children, sons, Paul says, of God. And therefore, heirs of heaven. You see, that's why, gems, you don't only need to look to the past or only to the present because God has promised us through Christ that you are heirs of heaven. And therefore, there is power for you until you go home. When I go away from my family, I can say to my wife, I'll see you home. Because I know, though I may not come back to this home, I will see her there. As a child of God, we have that right and that privilege. We've seen the bondage. We've seen the freedom. And finally, we see the response. Verse 12 says that this power and this privilege is given to the children of God. That is, to those who receive Him, who believed in His name. This is the flow and the logic of the text. That there are those in bondage to sin who by the power of God have been born again called children who believe. That's the logic of the text. The who of verse 12 is defined by the who of verse 13. not the other way around the who of verse 12 is defined by the who of verse 13 in other words those whom God has born again are called children of God and they believe we don't go the other way around we don't say those who believe then are made into children of God and then are set free from their bondage. Faith follows the sovereign work of God. The sovereign work of God works within us the faith by which we receive His grace and His strength and the privilege, the knowledge of being those privileged children of God. And so therefore, it is by the sovereign grace of God that we receive Christ and believe in His name. That is the response of the children of God. Think upon that. John doesn't say those who receive Him and love Him, he could have, maybe. John doesn't say those who receive Him and serve the poor. He doesn't say those who receive Him and fear Him. The fundamental character that John ascribes to the children of God is faith. The response of the children of God to God's sovereign grace in their life is first and foremost and fundamentally faith in Jesus Christ. And friends, let us always remind ourselves of that truth. That we are not fundamentally defined by how good we are. We are fundamentally defined by faith that accepts how good Christ is. And it is in Him that we can have the privilege of being the children of God. And you see, there is through this faith incredible power to change lives. Consider the disciples and apostles of Christ that as their existence was redefined by the power and presence of Christ through faith, they went where He went. They did whatever He said. Their lives were redefined by His life. His apostles. Jesus preached the Word. They preached the Word. He ministered the Gospel. They ministered the Gospel. He lived to serve. They lived to serve. He suffered and they suffered. Their lives redefined by faith in Christ. It wasn't that they met Christ. It wasn't that they talked to Jesus. Countless people met Jesus. Countless people talked to Jesus. Scores saw His power and His miracles. But only those who believed were transformed by the power of His life. And by grace through faith then, they came to know the glory of being children of God. like those apostles whose eyes were opened to see the suffering servant soon to be the glorified King and the others described in Hebrews 11 who suffered mocking and flogging chains and imprisonment. They were stoned. They were sawn in two. They were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated. Why? Because by God's sovereign grace they believed and their lives were transformed. Their lives were transformed by faith in Christ so that the things of this present world really meant nothing to them. So that they could give up the things of this world like their families, their riches, their homes as God required. and still not lose sight of the glory of being children of God. A glory that in this life we have but a taste, but through faith in Christ we see the fullness of all that will come when He returns to take us home. Friends, we can only know the significance of this truth if we can first know the significance of our need as sinful people. And once we come to see the significance of our need, we can then see how the power of God works for us in Christ to bring us freedom. And then by faith, live a life that seems so radical and so foolish. And yet for us who believe the very wisdom and wonder and goodness of God. Let us pray for one another that we would be given by God that kind of faith as His children. Our Father in Heaven, we do thank You for Your Word, for the good news You tell us in it. And we pray that You might, dear Father, look upon us in our weakness and grant us the grace we need to have strengthened faith that we would live out the privileges of being Your children. To any who doubt whether this privilege is theirs, dear Father, grant them faith. Strengthen faith so that together as the body of Christ we would know what it is to live and the strength of being sons with Him, heirs of Your covenant. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.