“He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.“
John 1:11 NKJV
In prophetically describing the Suffering Servant, Isaiah speaks of One Who is rejected by those for whom He suffered.
“He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.“
Isaiah 53:3-5 NKJV
Rejection hurts. But if you are being rejected because of your relationship with God through Jesus Christ, remember, He was rejected first. Jesus put it this way:
““If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
John 15:18-20 NKJV
Indeed, as we see in today’s portion of John 1, Jesus was rejected by His own, just as Isaiah had prophesied. Yet, that rejection did not keep Him from pouring Himself out for our sins.
Friend, let us not be guilty of living in such a way that we are rejecting the very One Who sacrificed it all so that we might have eternal life. Rather, let us welcome Him to enter in and live His Holy life through us!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
12 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.”
John 1:10 NKJV
At one point, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked them who people were saying He was.
“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.””
Matthew 16:13-14 NKJV
After they offered their answers to His question, Jesus turned that very important question to the disciples, personally.
”He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.“
Matthew 16:15-17 NKJV
It was at this point that Peter gave the revelation by way of the Spirit of God that Jesus was the Christ. He was God’s son. And with those words, the foundation of the Church had been laid.
You see, even Jesus’ disciples didn’t immediately know Who He really was. Indeed, Paul—an apostle out of season—in his letter to the church at Corinth, comments on the fact that Jesus was not immediately recognized as being the Christ of God.
“Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.“
II Corinthians 5:16 NKJV
In addressing the leaders of the synagogue in Antioch, Paul commented on the fact that those in Jerusalem, because they did not know Who He was, had Jesus condemned to death.
“For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.“
Acts 13:27 NKJV
Imagine, as we see in today’s portion of John 1, the One through Whom the world was made, came to His own creation, amongst His own people, and they didn’t know Who He was.
Indeed, many were blinded by their own agendas, their own estimation of how things should be.
Sadly, even those who now think that they rightly know Jesus, may be allowing parts of their unrenewed minds and emotions to paint the Lord in the image of their desires.
Let us ask the Holy Spirit of God to reveal to us anew Who Christ is. As well, let us seek to make our lives a living testament as to Who He is until that day when we see Him as He truly is and are completely transformed into His very image.
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
I John 3:2 NKJV
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
“That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.“
John 1:9 NKJV
Deceivers have always been around. They certainly were around during Bible times. Indeed, the apostle Paul labored in his spirit over the churches he had established. You see, false teachers were trying to worm their way into the flock of Jesus Christ.
The church at Corinth was apparently being subjected to false apostles; this was Paul’s instruction to them:
”For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.“
II Corinthians 11:13-15 NKJV
Oh, there it is! Satan often presents himself as being the “light.” Satan, as well as those who follow his ways of being and doing, present “new revelations,” “higher knowledge,” whatever they’re currently calling their doctrine of demons offering a better life outside of Jesus Christ.
The church of Galatia was apparently moving away from the simplicity of Christ, leading Paul to sternly warn them against this different gospel.
”I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.“
Galatians 1:6-9 NKJV
Any “new revelation” offering a better way, or an alternate way, to everlasting life than Christ and Him crucified, a better light than the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, is not only cursed, but brings that curse on those who follow after them.
Jesus warned that there would even be those who would stand before Him, and pretend to be of the Light. But the reality is, they are of darkness, and as such, are cast out.
”Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’“
Matthew 7:22-23 NKJV
As we see in today’s portion of John 1, only Jesus is the true Light, the only Light that leads to everlasting life. And praise be to God, that Light is offered to all who will follow after Him!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!