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      JESUS' MOTIVE FOR COMING
      John 1:9-14
      Strong's Concordance
      Theme:       Jesus came to offer Himself to all men in order that they might be reconciled to God and thereby know the glory of God.

      I. HE CAME TO OFFER HIMSELF TO ALL MEN - 1:9-11

        A. THE INTENTION OF PROVIDING DELIVERANCE FROM DARKNESS - vv. 9-10

        1. "There was the true Light which, coming into the world, en-lightens every man."

        2. The world was hopeless in the darkness of sin - Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 42:16

        3. God's desire is for the hearts of men to be delivered from darkness, and brought into the light - cp. Acts 26:18; John 12:46

        4. Hence we see that God's heart is that every man possess the opportunity to be "enlightened" by His grace.

        B. THE INSOLENCE BY THOSE PERVERTED BY DARKNESS - v. 11

        1. However, "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came into His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him."

        2. Men, instead of delighting in the Light provided to deliver them from darkness, clung to their darkness and opted to embrace their darkness because of a love for their sin - cp. John 3:19

        3. Part of coming to the Light is to face the wickedness of their sin and repent; many refuse to do this because of a fear of being exposed - John 3:20

        4. Thus, Jesus was rejected by those He came to deliver - even as they "did not receive Him."

      II. HE CAME TO RECONCILE MEN TO GOD - 1:12-13

        A. THE MEANS OF RECONCILIATION - v. 12

        1. But, not every man runs away from the Light, some come to the Light and are delivered from darkness. "But, as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God,"

        2. This is the fact of reconciliation - being brought into fellowship with the Father - 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

        3. The emphasis here is on the fact that "he gave the right to become the children of God" only to those who "received Him."

        4. All men are not the children of God; there is not a universal brotherhood of man and Fatherhood of God.

        5. Those who have never "received Him [Christ]" have not been reconciled to God and are therefore facing the wrath of God for their sin - cp. Colossians 1:18-22

        B. THE MECHANICS OF RECONCILIATION - v. 12b -13

        1. However, how do people receive Christ Jesus and thereby be reconciled to God?

        2. The key is found here - "even to those who believe in His name."

        3. "To believe in His name" signifies more than merely mental assent to the reality of God, it embraces all that which His name represents - His deity, perfection, sacrifice, resurrect-ion, and benevolence to you.

        4. However, is this belief something that we can naturally pos-sess? What are the mechanics of saving faith.

        5. What saving faith is not:

            6. a) It is "not of blood . . ." - that is, it is not something that is received through natural reproduction - or inherited from parents;

            b) "Nor of the will of the flesh" - that is, it is not a desire that will arise out of the natural desires of a sinner;

            c) "Nor of the will of man" - that is, it is not of the action and plans of sinners.

        6. John states that it is simply "of God" - that is, that our salvation is something that is the work of God who reaches into our dead, darkened hearts and shed the light of the Gospel, quickening our hearts and minds to faith, giving us a new birth - Colossians 2:13-14

      III. HE CAME TO REVEAL THE GLORY OF GOD - 1:14

        A. GOD'S GLORY IS SEEN IN HIS CONDESCENSION - "And the Word became flesh . . ."

        1. This is why He came . . . that we might be reconciled to God - Luke 19:10

        2. Therefore, "the Word [who] was with God . . . and was God" - "became flesh, and dwelt among us"

        3. Although the fullness of His glory was veiled, He did demonstrate the glory of God's grace by "emptying Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men." - Philippians 2:7.

        B. GOD'S GLORY IS SEEN IN HIS CHARACTER - "..full of grace and truth"

        1. However, even in the glory of His humiliation, the character of God was clearly revealed.

        2. It is said that He was "full of grace and truth" - thus, portraying the glory of God

        3. This epitomizes the Son of God as the revealer of the Father - cp. 1 John 1:18

        4. It is in Jesus Christ that "grace and truth" are "realized" - cp. 1 John 1:17

        5. The only way you and I can ever realize grace and truth is by coming to faith in Christ Jesus through God's Spirit and "receiving Him," thereby receiving "the right to become to children of God, even to those who believe in His name."