Born of the Will of God
November 1, 2020
We continue our study of the Seven Blessing in the Book of Revelation, Last Sunday we looked at four (4) and five (5). It is important to understand the Resurrections to move forward in our understanding of Prophecy.
Revelation 19:9 the fourth blessing, Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
But my study led me to John 1:11-13. So many people are living in darkness regarding eternal life and so many are on the roadside of life uncertain of what to do or which way to go. I want to speak about that today. I will come back to these two Beatitudes next week if the Lord is willing.
John 1:11-13 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 1:12 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: 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
It is important in this passage as well as all the Word of God that you think about the meaning, considering what God is saying.
Those who received Him are the ones who first believed on His name, v12 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: When you are open to the Gospel, to the message of Christ, to the preaching of the cross, then believing begins to happen in your life, 1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Now I want to go to verse 13 and may I call attention to this phrase in v 12, "to them gave he power to become the sons of God to them that believe on his name". Focus on the word "Power", V 13 explains this power, "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. This is the new birth of which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about in John 3. It is the will of God that you believe on Christ and it is His will that all who believe have everlasting life. That power is His power given to any who is willing to hear His Word and believe on His name. Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Joh 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
His promise of eternal life is made to the world. Someone said to me after I was saved, "did you believe on Him for Eternal Life". I was thinking at that time what else would you believe on Him for if you were wanting to be saved. But my answer to him was no. Here is where I was at the time I was saved: I wanted to know I was saved and here is the understanding The LORD gave me from His Word: He saved me at the Cross more than two thousand years ago and God was not asking me to do anything but believe on Him whom He had sent, 1Jn 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. Christ promised me everlasting life, Joh 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I believe He took away my sin and sins as the Lamb of God, He gave me eternal life, Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
"In John 5:39-40, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. The Lord chastised His Jewish audience. They searched the OT Scriptures because they thought that in them, they had eternal life (v 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me). That is, they looked at the commands in the OT to gain confidence that they were good enough to get into the coming kingdom. The Lord then said, "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life" (v 40). Their unwillingness to come to Jesus, that is, their unwillingness to believe in Him (compare John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.)."
Their unwillingness to come to Christ prevented them from hearing His Word and believing on him. John 5:24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. "……and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
There is nothing equivalent to believing in Jesus except believing on Jesus. There is nothing equal to coming to Christ except coming to Christ. Jesus said, "ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." That is a very searching question for all mankind. To everyone who is searching to prove their right to heaven or seeking forgiveness for some sin they feel is unpardonable, let me say, be open and willing to hear His Word [Just as I am O Lamb of God I come]. He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. It is His Word that convinces you. You do not choose to believe; it is not like flipping a light switch. You can choose to be open and willing to hear His Word, and it is His Word that convinces you. [you can choose to not be open to the Gospel and you cut yourself off from the only message that can save]. Belief happens, when you are convinced of Christ. Christ is God {The Heavenly Father's} sacrifice for us and our sin {and we are sinners and we have sinned}.
Through the Grace of God, The Son of Man {God in human Flesh} died physically and spirituality for every person, But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. And this MAN, The GodMan, Jesus Christ made this promise, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. He never made a promise He could not keep and He never made a promise He did not keep. When you are convinced of Him belief happens.
But He never left you, He never leaves you. Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Through the wrong doctrine, the lie of the devil, and even the advice of well-meaning people many are left wondering, where do I stand as I have made wrong decisions and can I be forgiven? What hope do I have?
We must turn to the Word of God, 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. . Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
How does He do this? By appearing in the presence of God for us, Heb_9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: For our study here one of the things for which He is interceding is "pardoning grace to fallen believers;" Notice He appears in the presence of God for us.
We think of God's love in the past tense: "…..For God so loved that he gave……" but that is a present-tense love. See Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, a present love, "Unto him who loves you and loosed you from your sins in his own blood.
Here Christ's love for His own is pictured as continuing in the present. [1]This is the only N.T. instance where His love is so described. Usually, an aorist tense tells of His past love, [e.g., Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.]. That is not the same grammatical construction as in Rev. 1:5. Rev.1:5 is a present love for those who are believers in Him. HE ever Lives to make intercession for the one who believes in Him, Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Here is the Word of God about our High Priest, Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Back to 7:25, Consider the word intercession,[it has the idea of 'to intervene, interfere. it is not merely that our Lord is ever interceding for us, but that He is always meeting us at every point in our lives ] [2] "In Hebrews 2:18 it was his ability to help, in 4:15 his ability to sympathize, but here his ability to save." And it is a personal saving by Jesus Christ, He is able. Not only is it personal, but it is also He who is able! It is for all time for it is He whoever {always} lives.
So, let me say to the believer who is struggling with some sin, or some decision you desire to recall, or some trial in your life that evoked a less than favorable response. Maybe your sorrow in life left you depleted wondering and uncertain, So let me say to us all, Speak to your Saviour. Confess your need, tell Him in detail what He already knows: He is able, He ever lives, He appears in the presence of God interceding for you. Unto Him who loves us…Today, where you are.
"Blessed" is both now and forever, Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Being born of God brings blessing both now and forever. Salvation is not something that just happens. John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. God is not willing that any man perish and we see that Salvation is His work. The work we are to do is the work of beseeching others, Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. The Work of God is that mankind believes on Christ whom He has sent, John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
I always remember something a Mother said to me,[and I paraphrase] "I don't want the blessing of God if my children are not there with me". I have thought about that over the years. That is a very searching statement.
We are more concerned about things, and plans, and our self-righteous acts than we are following Christ. We are pharisaical in our attitude, Luke 18:9-14. Oh, we give Christ a token amount of our time and possessions but the Bible says we are "…..ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. I believe this is our number one priority in life. The eternal destiny of your family, those you love should be the burden of your heart.
Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. Those who feared the LORD spake often one to another: Who and what do you think they spoke of? Answer: They could have been some of the same people of verses 13-14, Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts? Or they could not have been!
The point is today – are you open and willing to hear the LORD? What do you think they spoke of? The LORD and His Word and promises. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. He is speaking to believers and using the children of Israel as an example, written for our admonition and learning. "Admonition" means calling attention to, [ That is why the Lord says, He that hath ears to hear let him hear].
Listen to the evaluation of the LORD, Deu 32:20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.
A ) Eternal Life is the Gift of God – It is received by believing His promise of life, 1 John 2:25. You know you have eternal life because He promised it to you. He never made a promise He could not keep and He never made a promise He did not keep.
B ) As a Believer on Christ start serving Him.
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