John

[0:00] If the Lord should be pleased to help me I shall call your attention to a subject you will find in the Gospel according to John Chapter 1 and the 12th verse But as many as received him To them gave he power to become the sons of God Even to them that believe on his name Chapter 1 the Gospel according to John And the 12th verse This is a word Which is a foundation true A word

[1:01] If grace is given to consider it Should lead to searching of heart Amongst us as a people As many as received him This word Is to do with the coming of Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners But when he did come into the world The context tells us He was in the world And the world was made by him The creator Came down As God incarnate Among his creatures In the world Which he had created The world was made by him In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth But when he came into it He who was the creator of it The world knew him not

[2:02] He came unto his own And that is He came Unto his own land Even the land of promise And for hundreds of years Not to say A thousand or two He had done wonders For Israel as a nation In that land And Israel Was his own chosen nation But this word tells us He came unto His own land And his own nation Therein Received him not And as it was In those far back days Even so it has been Down through the ages Since then The natural man Receiveth not The things of the spirit of God Neither can he know them For they are spiritually

[3:04] Discerned And now If that truth Is understood aright And believed Then It lays the axe At the root Of the dogma Of pre-will The natural man Receiveth not The things of the spirit of God Neither can he know them For they are spiritually Discerned And I want as the Lord To help me To look at this subject From two or three Viewpoints of it And I would like To be helped To say something Profitable To you To ponder in your hearts And how glad I should be If I could make it Plain to some of you That you are among The many As received him

[4:05] And that Your religion Is that Which is of God And as it came From heaven It would take you To heaven This is a wonderful Subject To contemplate And in the context It shows to us How godly John Was inspired by The spirit of God To leave His testimony Concerning Jesus Christ As the eternal Son of God In his divine Nature In the beginning Was the word And the word Was with God And the word Was God And then lower down In the chapter It is recorded And the word Was made flesh And dwelt among us And we beheld

[5:06] His glory The glory as of The only begotten Of the father Full of grace And truth And it makes A very Strong statement In this chapter Concerning Jesus Christ Which is very little Believed in the world At large All things Were made By him And without him Was not Anything made That Was made And how did he do it Did he do it Through a process Of evolution So that millions Not to say Hundreds of millions Of years Rolled Into eternity Before the world Came To be In existence How does the word

[6:08] Of God Begin In the beginning God created The heavens And the earth How did he do it He spake And it was done He commanded And it stood Past By the Word of the Lord Were the heavens Made And the hosts Of them By the breath Of his mouth He said Let there be light And there was light And again And again He commanded That this should be And that And you read Immediately And it was so Never let this Truth Go However much It may be Opposed By those Among whom You live And move Who do not Receive the word Of God As the word Of God All things Were made By him

[7:08] And without him Was not anything Made That Was made In him was Light And the life Was the light Of men And the light Shineth in Darkness And the darkness Comprehended it Not Ever since The son of Righteousness Arose with Healing in his Wings Satan And hell Itself Let loose As sought To oppose him As the light Of the world But the light Of the world Still shines The son of Righteousness Still arises With healing In his wings To bless To bless poor Sinners For time And eternity Too And neither Earth or hell Conspiring together Can put out That light That shineth In darkness And it will And it will Live And it will

[8:09] Live throughout Time and eternity Too The light Shineth in Darkness And the darkness Comprehended it Not There is another Interpretation of This scripture Which is linked Up to the word I've already Commented on He was in The world And the world Was made By him And the world Knew him Not And now Coming to Our subject In the background You must think Of The history Of Israel As a nation And when you Look through it As it is Recorded in the Old Testament You find That they were From time to time Departing from God with whom They had to do And they were A rebellious People

[9:09] Moses said To them You have been Rebellious Ever since the Day I knew You But The purposes Of God Remained Concerning Israel And He made Manifest His long Suffering Toward them As a nation Until the Time came That Jesus Christ Was born In Bethlehem And now Up to the Time That Israel As a nation Were carried Away Into Babylonish Captivity Their Great evil Had been Idolatry And they Worshipped Other little G gods And the Judgment of God came Upon them Because Of their Departures From him As Israel's God But after The Babylonian Captivity When They had

[10:10] Returned Many of The Captives Delivered by A miracle Wrought by God in Raising up Cyrus to be A deliverer When they Repopulated The land of Promise And dwelt Therein They no Longer fell Into idolatry But Their Great evil Then Was That Their Religion Was just Outside Show And they Depended on Being The children Of Abraham And whilst They still Looked As all Israelites Did Throughout the Years For the Messiah To come They Entertained In their Minds A picture Of how The Messiah Would come And what He would do When he Came To such An extent That their

[11:10] Judgments Were completely Walked So that When At length The son Of righteousness Arose When Christ Was born In Bethlehem And began To make Manifest His mission In the Earth What was Their attitude He came On to his Own And his Own Received him Not How can he Be the Messiah His father And his Mother We know Is not This the Carpenter We will Not have This man To reign Over us And yet All the While They were Just steeped In the Ritual Of the Mosaic Law And were As religious As could Be As regards Outside Show But Their Great Evil As a Nation Then Was Hypocrisy And when The Savior Dealt With the Pharisees Regarding It He told Them

[12:11] As he Alone Could Do That They Were Just Whited Sepulchers Whited Without But Within Like Sepulchers Full Of Dead Men's Borns And He Made Very Plain That He Considered Them To Be What They Really Were Hypocrites And Now That Is The Background Of Our Subject And It Says As Many As Received Him There Were Those Who When Jesus Christ Came Into The World Who Were Waiting For Him To Come And They Had Grace Given And Light From Heaven To Receive Him For Who He Really Was Verily God Verily Man And It Says As Many As Received Him To Them Gave He Power To Become The Sons Of God Even

[13:11] To Them That Believe On His Name When You Think Of This Word Many You Must Just Say Many If You Like You Can Say Very Many Or Better Still You Can Say Very Very Many But You Must Not Set A Limit To It It Is A Number Which No Man Can Number But It Is Declared To Be Many And How Many Do You Think It Is You Find In The Word Of God That Which Will Help You As Many As Received Him To Them Gave He Power To Become The Sons Of God And It Says In Isaiah And He Bear The Sin Of Many And It Is That Many Who Sins He Bore When He Died In Their Stead On Calvary's Cross Who Will Be Made Manifest As

[14:11] The Sons Of God Who Will Be Numbered With Them That Believe On His Name As Many As Are Led By The Spirit Of God They Are The Sons Of God And Now Let Us Start Afresh But As Many As Received Him And Now I Want You To Remember This That Ere You Die Or When You Do You Will Either Receive Jesus Christ In Your Souls Esteem As All Your Salvation And All Your Desire Or Else You Will Remain As You Were Born And To You He Will Be Despised And Rejected Jesus Christ Down Through The Ages As Ever Been Either Received Or Rejected And

[15:12] I Want To Make This Plain And Do You Seek Divine Aid Ever To Believe It And To Reduce It To Practice In Your Life If You And I Are Indeed Taught Of God Then We Have Got To Learn In Journeying On Through Life That We Must Ever Be Receivers Receivers A Man Who Is Taught Of God Has To Learn That He Can Receive Nothing Except It Be Given Him From Heaven That Seems A Very Simple Statement It Is A Very Profound One That You And I Have To Learn To Be Ever Receiving And

[16:13] If We Do Anything In The Way Of Giving We Can Only Give Out That Which God Pours In For Us To Do So Do Remember That Thus It Is That All The Glory Of A Sinner Salvation Is To Be To The Father The Son And The Holy Spirit All True Christians This May Boast A Truth From Nature Never Learned That Father Son And Holy Ghost To Save Our Souls For All Concerned As Many As Received Them And Now Following This Line Of Thought Have You Received Them You Let Your Consciences Tell You As You Are Here Before God Or Is It The Truth That Any Of You Are In The Attitude Of Worship And Jesus Christ Is Rejected Do

[17:13] You Say In Your Everyday Life We Will Not Have This Man To Reign Over Us Depart From Us We Desire Not The Knowledge Of The Or Thy Ways Oh That Is A Very Solemn Place To Be In And It Brings You In This Category And The World Knew Him Not Neither Do You And Yet The Truth Must Be Told This Wondrous Man Of Whom We Tell He's True Almighty God He Died To Save Our Souls From Hell The Price His Own Heart's Blood All That You Might At Length Be Found Amongst The Many As Received Him I Want To Look At This Receiving Him Say Say Something About It Whereby You

[18:13] May Be Helped To Thank God And Take Courage That You Have Had The Mercy Made Known To You And To Found Amongst The Many As Received Him But As Many As Received Him To Them Gave He Power To Become The Sons Of God Even To Them That Believe On His Name And Godly John Remember That He Was Inspired Of God Emphasizes This Great Truth Which Were Born Not Of Blood Nor Of The Will Of The Flesh Nor Of The Will Of Man But Of God Not Of Blood There Are Godly People And They Have Their Children And They Do Want To See Their Children Made Manifest As God's Children But They Have To Learn That It Is Just The Sovereign Grace Of God Alone

[19:14] Which Can Make Them Manifest For They Cannot Be Born Only As It Is Not Of Blood Nor Of The Will Of The Flesh Nor Of The Will Of Man But Of God Nor Of The Will Of The Flesh How Glad You Would Be If You Could Give Some People Grace Do You Realize That Everyone Whom God Ordains To Preach And Especially Does It Refer To A Pastor That When He Is Preaching The Gospel Of The Grace Of God That He Would If It Was In His Power To Do So To And To what it is, good tidings of great joy that they might taste and feel that joy in their own soul's experience but it is not of the will of the flesh. Our hearts overflow with good wishes and desires that the blessing of the Lord may be upon you but it is he alone who has authority and power to pronounce the blessing which will fit you for eternity, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man and then how useless it is for those who profess to preach the gospel and ask man to do that which the word of God says it is not in his power to do it is just futile it is God dishonoring nor of the will of man the will of man once was free

[21:07] Adam and Eve possessed a free will the only two creatures dwelling on the earth it ever did and they alas wrought irretrievable ruin as far as man is concerned in misusing their free will and from that day to this man has never had a free will to exercise only as it is vitiated by sin which means that he will ever declare when asked what think ye of Christ we will not have this man to reign over us nor of the will of man but of God and now that brings things down to a foundation truth as I said ye must be born again but as many as received him and now ere a sinner can receive Jesus Christ and feel as he wants to feel that matters are right between his soul and God there is that which God alone can do ere it is possible for him to receive him and make him welcome in his own soul's desires the apostle Paul wrote to the godly Ephesians that the eyes of your understanding might be enlightened and when a sinner is born again he is made aware as he is led into the truth that if ever my poor soul is saved tis Christ must be the way he knows according to how he feels none but Jesus none but Jesus can do helpless sinners good and his understanding is enlightened he believes what the Savior declared

[23:16] I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the Father but by me and that truth is received in his enlightened understanding and it is received into his heart but not the heart that he came into the world with when he was born no no I told you earlier on the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned then you must have a spiritual understanding a spiritual mind and there must be wrought in your heart a miracle a new heart will I give you a new spirit will I put within you I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh I will give you a heart of flesh oh dear friends if you are found in the attitude of worship week in week out and there is in your heart a concern to receive the things of God and to understand them and for them to be as meat and drink for your soul to feed upon the Lord has done great things for you and you should indeed be glad who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou dost not receive then there is another thought as many as received him received him in their understanding received him in their new heart given by the spirit of God then it means he is received into our consciences there he rules so that as you journey on through life what you do what you say where you go has to be done under this consideration what think ye of

[25:33] Christ and as you think of Christ so what you do what you say where you go will be influenced and it will be made manifest in your everyday life that you have been with Jesus because he reigns in your conscience the government of your life is upon his shoulder and you desire to live your life unto him yea and to live for him and you feel this prayer and this ambition mind living and dying to be dying just another thought about receiving him and that is Jesus Christ is received in our spiritual affections oh it is a great thing to find in our hearts such a feeling after God that the hymn writer refers to tis

[26:36] Christ the bright and morning star draws my affections from afar as many as received him so that there is a preparatory work ere any poor sinner ordained to life eternal can receive him as many as received him to them gave he power the margin reading is right or privilege to even to them that believe on his name to become the sons of God and now the next viewpoint of the subject is how Jesus Christ is received there are varied characteristics whereby you may weigh matters up before God as to whether you have received him in your own soul's esteem and now as many as received him or they receive him for who he is verily

[27:45] God verily man I have reminded you often I remind you again how often you read in the gospels how poor sinners who were wrought upon and whom Jesus Christ showed wondrous kindness in healing them when their diseases were altogether beyond human aid and incurable that in their approaches to him they received him as God think of blind Bartimaeus by the wayside on the Jericho road and as the multitude passed by he asked what it was and they said Jesus of Nazareth passeth by and he immediately reacts to it and says Jesus thou son of David and by that his meaning was great

[28:48] David's greater son Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me what wilt thou that I should do unto thee Lord that I might receive my sight and he receives Jesus Christ in his own soul's desires and owns him to be Lord and the saviour granted him his desire thy faith hath saved thee go in peace so it was with the dying thief there you see what was indeed an outstanding miracle for when the two thieves were hung first of all on the cross they both railed upon him wagging their heads the word of God says but God in his sovereign grace dealt with one thief and he found in his heart there was room made for that dear man who was dying on the center cross room was made in his heart to own him to be

[29:57] Lord and he makes his dying testimony he rebukes his fellow thief and tells him we indeed perish justly but this man hath done nothing amiss and then Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom and oh what a welcome the saviour gave him I say unto thee this day thou shalt be with me as a saved sinner in paradise as many as received him think too of the Canaanite woman then came she and worshipped him saying Lord help me and she received him worshipped him as Lord and now there is one thing comes to my mind which I will just turn aside to make a comment on many years ago when

[30:58] I had more time to study than I have nowadays I went through the gospels and searched out how many poor sinners there were that you could reckon up who were dealt with by the Lord Jesus of whom the gospels told and the number I arrived at was 150 and yet you find the apostle Paul in the first epistle to the Corinthians tells us of a memorable meeting after Jesus Christ rose from the dead and he says there that he was seen of above 500 brethren at once so you must remember what I told you about this many in our text and not put any limit to it in your mind never limit the spirit of God never limit the grace of God that must have been a wondrous meeting in Galilee afar off when that 500 brethren were there and all who participated in that meeting never forgot it as long as they lived it was a sweet blessed memory to them but

[32:13] I just named that to show you that the many is many more than you are likely to think it really is you must set no limit to it as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God and all who do receive him they receive him as Emmanuel God with us oh they acknowledge him to be verily God verily man God incarnate and you know what happens in your own soul's feelings when you are exercised unto godliness you really want above all things to see Jesus and say of him my Lord and my God and that shows that you have received him in your heart in the felt need of him to be your

[33:16] God your friend your saviour and that matters may be made right between your soul and God as he is exhibited as the mediator between God and man it is a great mercy to have such an exercise of mind feel like one hymn writer says we humbly for thy coming wait seeking to know thee as thou art we bow as sinners at thy feet and bid thee welcome to our heart as many as received him oh they receive him I say as Lord desire him to be Lord in their life and serve him as the Lord Christ but then I must hasten on as many as received him and now if you have grace to receive him you will receive his word you will receive the word of

[34:18] God in its entirety you will believe beyond all questioning all scripture is given by inspiration of God God breathed God spake all these words and you will want to live your life inside the covers of the holy bible book divine you will receive the word of God in its authority you will believe what the hymn writer says the scriptures and the Lord bear one tremendous name the written and the incarnate word in all things are the same you will receive the word of God I say in its authority thus saith the Lord will be to you a word that you will desire to heed and reduce to practice as grace is given not only so you will receive the doctrine set forth in the word of God as the doctrine of grace you will receive the truth in the love of it and desire to live it because you love it not only so you will receive the word of

[35:42] God as regards its origin and that is the author of it is the spirit of God and you will receive it believe it revere it yes and sometimes as you search the scriptures you will have in your hearts a petition divine instructor gracious Lord oh be forever near help me to read thy sacred word and find my savior there and you will have this feeling too see if you have ever felt it make me to walk in thy commands for it is a delightful road nor let my head or heart or hands offend against my God but as many as receive them oh every one of the many receives the word of his grace in the fullness of it and desires to live in the light of what saith the scriptures and

[36:55] I said you will receive the truth in the love of it and now you must keep this in mind dear friends that when you receive the truth in the love of it does not always mean just comfortable truth not all truth is comfortable to hear and to receive in your soul's experience some of it is very uncomfortable in as much as instead of being comforted you are condemned but you will receive it because of he whose word it is I like that word of the saviors he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God and in the word of God there are not only words of comfort words of conviction words of rebuke and it is good to learn reproofs and instruction are in the way of life much might be said under that heading you will receive the truth in the love of it even when sometimes you feel that the truth strips you and you go on your way cast down wondering what you are where you are but you still have a petition left leave not my soul destitute make not my soul there as many as receive him and then it means to receive the gospel of his grace and that is said to be and is good tidings of great joy you can remember some of you how long you lived and you never heard the gospel for yourself you think it over when you get home ask

[38:54] God to help you to weigh matters up and you know you lived how long and you never heard the gospel for yourself but you heard sermons by the hundred not to say thousand and you never heard one it could not be said to you then blessed are your ears for they hear but there came a day when the ears of the death were unstopped when that word was fulfilled to you in that day shall the death hear the words of the book and you found the word of God was penetrating in and it came to you your conscience was enlivened by it your heart was wrought upon and from that day to this you have had to live a different life to what you had lived before you had lived before outside the covers of the word of

[39:56] God but when the word of God was made a reality to you when the gospel reached you with thus saith the Lord then you desired evermore to live inside the word of God and that your life should be actuated by its blessed teaching blessed is the people that know the joyful sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance what a divine harmonious sound the gospel trumpet gives no music can with it compare and the soul that knows it lives do remember that the soul that knows it lives as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God and now another thought is this as regards receiving him you will not only receive the word of

[41:01] God you will not only receive the truth in the love of it you will not only receive the gospel of the grace of God but you will receive its people irrespective of any denominational label and do remember that you're not allowed to pick and choose about the people you will receive no you have to learn if you are taught of God to say grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and that there is a sweet feeling you remember a sermon or two ago I told you a little about Barnabas and it is a sweet feeling to feel as Barnabas did who when he came to Antioch and saw the grace of God he was glad you must never never belittle those whom you meet whom you believe to be the people of

[42:07] God because they do not exactly see eye to eye as we do as a people as regards church order one thing is essential nevertheless the foundation of God stand it sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his you remember John and James were taught a lesson which they never forgot when they came back to the Lord Jesus and reported Lord we saw one casting out devils in thy name and we forbade him we told him he must not continue in such a work he had got no authority to do that he followeth not with us oh but how the Lord Jesus opened their eyes and their understanding forbid him not there is no man that can do a miracle in my name but what he is on our side forbid him not yes and so you must seek divine aid to receive people of every kindred tribe and tongue as you may come to know about them and thank

[43:21] God that you can sometimes read of those far off beyond the sea who have lived their lives laid down their lives lived lives of great sacrifice too that they might preach the gospel and God has owned and blessed their labors and blessed them in doing it and you should feel glad to know that the kingdom of God is coming on the earth like that and is being extended here and there and everywhere and you must still pray great God thy kingdom come with reverence we would pray may the eternal three in one his sovereign scepter sway and you must not dictate to God where his kingdom is to come you can ask him that his kingdom might come among us but you must not dictate to him that it is to be here or there yonder no no thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven do remember that as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of

[44:37] God and how good it is to receive his people and you look at some of the people the Lord Jesus received and they who were wrought upon by the Spirit of God received them too as brothers and sisters in the Lord oh I often think about it at the Lord's table and when you think that God is worshipped worldwide and that people of every kindred tribe and tongue dwell on his name with sweetest song it is a beautiful picture earth it is just what the gospel was sent down from heaven into the earth that it might be brought to pass and that God should have such a people gathered out of every kindred tribe and tongue and you if you receive him you will receive his people as you were brought to be in touch with them whoever they may be and wherever they come from as ye have therefore received

[45:48] Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him you will receive his people we know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren you will receive his servants it is a great thing to receive those whom God ordained to preach the gospel and do you remember what the saviour said pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest and then there is just another thought as I come to the amen as many as received him and now if you receive him you will receive his cross I know you think it is your cross and so it is but you will receive your cross as his cross you will not dictate to him what your cross should be but whatever cross he ordains for you you will receive it desire desire to carry to your do remember that the apostle

[47:03] Peter emphasizes that truth here unto are ye called Christ also suffered for us leaving us an example that ye should follow in his steps and whatever your cross is do receive it as the gift of God what he has allotted to you and seek divine aid to carry it that your soul shall be profited thereby and you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and not dwell in that line of things in everyday life I am the man that has seen affliction as though nobody else from Dan to Beersheba had got such a cross as you have given unto you to bear but remember if you receive him it is enough for the disciple that he be as his Lord did

[48:04] Christ my Lord suffer and shall I repine his way was much rougher and darker than mine to as many as received him oh they receive his grace they partake of his spirit and they take up their cross daily and desire to carry it for his sake as well as their own one other thought is this which you can think of as you go home and when you get there as many as received him and now if you have received him you will receive what it is always ordering of your life if you are living it you will remember what I have quoted and the government should be upon his shoulder and your life as you live it aright must be lived like this all all my times are in thy hands all events at thy command but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of

[49:18] God even to them that believe on his name and what did godly john say a little later on in the word of god regarding this wondrous privilege and right to be sons of god behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of god therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not beloved now are we the sons of god and it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him so we shall see him as he is as many as received him oh have you received him or is he still despised and rejected he that rejected me and my words that one that judges him the word that

[50:21] I have spoken it should judge him at the last day the lord help you to think on these things amen where these are these things