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What does it mean for the word to be made known In a world filled with noise, ideologies and conflicting truth claims? How do we recognize the voice of God? In today's episode, pastor Harry takes us to John, chapter 1, verses 6 to 13, where the Apostle John reveals how the light entered the world and how it was both testified to and tragically rejected. We'll examine the divine mission of John the Baptist, the mystery of unbelief and the glorious truth of new birth that comes not from man but from God. These verses confront us with a question every soul must face Will you receive the light or will you turn away? Join Pastor Harry as he unpacks what it means to be a true witness, how salvation really happens and what it means to be born of God. Here's Pastor Harry Behrens with today's teaching.

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Hello, welcome again to the Takeaway. I'm your host, pastor Harry Behrens, and in today's episode we're continuing our journey through the Gospel of John with a powerful section titled the Word Made Known. We'll be exploring John 1, verses 6-13, a passage that holds both theological weight and personal application. This text not only teaches us about John the Baptist's mission, but also challenges us to consider the nature of belief, rejection and spiritual rebirth. Now, before we dive in, let's take a moment to reflect on where we've been In our first two episodes.

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We opened the Gospel of John with a bold declaration in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. We explored the eternal nature of Jesus, the Logos, who was not only present at creation but was himself the agent of creation. Jesus is not just from God, he is God. We then saw that in him was life, and the life was the light of men. We examined how Jesus is the giver of both physical and spiritual life. As Genesis reminds us, god breathed life into man and, in the same way, the life that Jesus gives awakens the soul. But we also saw the tension. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Christ is victorious, yet many still walk in blindness. That sets the stage for today's text. What happens when the light enters the world? How does God make himself known and how do people respond? Now let's turn to John's powerful insight into the one who's sent to prepare the way. In John, chapter 1, verse 6 to 8, we read there was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light. John the Apostle establishes a critical truth the light of the world, jesus Christ, did not arrive without testimony. God sent a forerunner, a voice crying in the wilderness, a man named John.

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In the Jewish legal system, truth required confirmation by two or three witnesses. We see this in Deuteronomy 19, verse 15. It says Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. John the Baptist was the first public witness to Christ, followed later by the Father. In John 5, verse 37, it says and the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. Jesus' own works. In John 5, verse 36, for the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, bear witness about me. And then the scriptures in John 5, verse 39. You search the scriptures. It is they that bear witness about me and the Holy Spirit in John 15, verse 26.

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John's role was not to generate light, but to point to it. What's remarkable is how far God went to affirm his son. The law required only two or three witnesses to confirm a matter and remove all doubt, but the father, in his abundant wisdom, went beyond the minimum. He provided not just sufficient proof, but overwhelming testimony. Five distinct witnesses are listed in John's gospel John the Baptist, the Father himself, the miraculous works of Jesus, the scriptures, and then the Holy Spirit.

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But there is yet a sixth one, not explicitly named in this passage, but powerfully implied in the unfolding and redemptive history the church, you and I. We are now called to stand as living witnesses of his lordship, his deity and his glory. So consider this divine pattern pattern John the Baptist, the forerunner, the father who glorifies the son, the works of Jesus, which only God can do, the scriptures that testify from the beginning, and the Holy Spirit, who reveals and convicts. And then the church, christ's bride made alive to reflect his glory. God did not merely meet the standard, he exceeded it, silencing every excuse and satisfying even the harshest skeptic. The only question that remains is will we bear witness or will we stay silent while the light shines? Acts, chapter 1, verse 8,. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.

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Now, the word for witness in Greek is martyria, from which we get the word martyr. This is not incidental. The call to witness is a call to sacrifice and to truth-telling, regardless of the cost. But sadly, in much of today's Christian culture we've traded the blazing fire of the true gospel for a flickering glow of comfort, prosperity and personal success. The message that once called men and women to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Christ has been repackaged into one of self-fulfillment and worldly happiness.

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But that gospel, if we can call it that, lacks power. It does not glorify God, it glorifies man. It places human desire above divine purpose and treats God as a means to an end rather than the end himself. But if we would just open our Bibles and believe what it says, we would see it's all about his glory, not ours. And God is glorified not in our comfort, but often in our suffering. Now that may sound heavy, but it is actually the gateway to hope, because our God is in the business of resurrection. When we suffer for Christ, we declare his resurrection power in two ways First, by suffering for the one who has risen and second, by knowing that we ourselves have already been raised with him.

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Now, I say already because that's the language of scripture. Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 4, says he chose us in him before the foundation of the world. And Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 6, says he raised us up with him, seated us with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. That's not future tense, that's present. Spiritually we are already seated with Christ. Yes, it's hard to grasp, I understand. Our flesh is here, still aging, still hurting, but spiritually, truly, we are in him and he is in us, as 1 John 4, 13 says. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit. So if he is seated at the right hand of God and we are in him, then where are we? In the flesh we're here, but in the spirit we are already in eternal fellowship with the Father. Past, present and future. We are known, loved and positioned in Christ. Now, if that's hard to grasp now, take heart. One day, when you shed this flesh and enter fully into the spirit, you'll see clearly what is now only seen by faith that he has always known you, that he formed you and that he saved you for a purpose. And that purpose is this to be His witness for and of His glory. We are not the light, but we are called to reflect it. A faithful witness doesn't point to self but to the Savior. Luke 1.13-17 and Isaiah 40.3 confirm John's divine calling. A voice cries In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

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God planned John's ministry from the beginning. His whole life existed to make Christ known. So let me ask are we living to make Jesus known or ourselves known? John, chapter 1, verses 9 to 13,. The true light which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not know him. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God who were born not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man but of God, nor the will of man but of God. Now, this is a staggering truth. The creator entered his own creation and was rejected by it. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him.

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The Greek terms highlight this tragedy. His own refers to his own domain, the world he made, then his own people this would be Israel who had the prophecies and promises yet still rejected him. Isaiah 53.3 says he was despised and rejected by men. But here's the good news To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Now, that sounds like human choice, doesn't it? To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, many point to this verse to prove that it is our choice to receive him and believe. But verse 13 goes on to say nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

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When we get to John, chapter 3, we will see Jesus go into greater detail with Nicodemus on what it is to be born again. But as we see here, it starts with the will of God and it ends with the will of God. Not of blood, family history or genealogy. Not of the will of flesh. That would be something in us that wanted God, not of the will of man. That would be we chose him, but it says we didn't. If your will was free to choose, then why does it say here you didn't?

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This verse is clear and doesn't require any explanation to make it say anything other than what it says. However, many people will spend a great deal of time trying to explain why this doesn't say what it clearly says, which is that you and I didn't do or will to do anything, and that it was solely the will of God that saved us, chose us and ordained us to be what and who we are. That is the clear and straightforward reading of the text. So why did God do it this way? For his purpose, and that purpose is for his glory, not ours. This is the beauty of what theologians call monergistic regeneration that salvation is the work of God alone, from beginning to end. He is not only the creator of the universe, but also the sole initiator of our spiritual rebirth. Just as Christ brought forth physical life and creation, he alone brings forth spiritual life in our hearts, even the faith we need to believe in him. Yes, even that is a gift. We didn't wake up one day and decide to believe in Jesus out of our own intellect or will.

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Scripture makes it abundantly clear, ephesians, chapter two, verses eight and nine for by grace, you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Faith is not earned, it is not discovered, it is not mustered up, it is given. Romans, chapter 12, verse 3, says For by grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. Paul reminds us that not only is faith given, it is given in measure, according to God's wise and sovereign will. This guards us from pride and invites us into a life of stewardship. You may have more faith or less than someone else, but what matters is what you do with what you've been given. Faith is not a trophy, it is a trust, and each of us, one day, will give account for how we respond to what God has graciously poured into our lives.

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Now, before we close, there's one more vital distinction. We need to understand the difference between unbelief and unforgivable sin. In Matthew, chapter 12, verses 31 to 32, jesus gives a sobering warning. Therefore, I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

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Now, this is not about momentary doubt, confusion or ignorance. It is about a final, willful rejection, a full awareness of the truth and yet a hard-hearted decision to oppose the Holy Spirit's testimony about Christ. Let's be clear Unbelief in and of itself is a forgivable sin. The Apostle Paul is living proof In 1 Timothy, chapter 1, verse 13,. He writes though formerly I was a blasphemer persecutor and insolent opponent, but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. Paul's story shows that ignorance can be met with mercy.

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But once the light is fully revealed, once the truth of christ is made known by the spirit and a person knowingly, persistently and arrogantly rejects it, that's not mere unbelief, that's blasphemy against the Spirit. John 6, verse 44, underscores this truth. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. Now, no one believes unless God draws them. And without that divine drawing, every person would ultimately reject the gospel, no matter how clearly it was presented. But here's the grace when God chooses to reveal himself, he overcomes our blindness, just as he did with Paul in Acts 9, verse 15. Go for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. God didn't just forgive Paul. He commissioned him not because Paul sought him out, but because Paul was chosen.

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Persistent rejection, on the other hand, reveals a heart that has not been born of God. It is the fruit of the flesh, not of faith, and if Christ's atonement didn't cover unbelief, then no one could be saved. But praise God for what we read in Hebrews 10, verse 14 reminds us, for by a single offering, he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified Now. Who are those? Well, that's the elect, those whom God has drawn, redeemed and sealed as his own. So where does that leave us?

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Jesus came into the world to bring light. He is the light, and he has called us to witness of that light, just like John. But witnessing starts with worship, with wonder, with a new birth. We cannot testify to a light we've never seen. So I ask you have you received him? Have you believed in his name, not just intellectually, but with the kind of faith that flows from a heart reborn by God? Do you point to Christ, or are you still clinging to your own light?

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Let's pray, father God. We thank you for your word. Let's pray, father God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this message and the truth, to understand who you are and what you've done and for what purpose you have done. All things that we can discover how to enter into the light and live in the light and proclaim the light to glorify you and glorify you fully.

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God, I pray that you would open and soften the hearts of our listeners today, that, for those who are truly seeking you, god, that you would send your spirit into their lives, that they would be reborn and born anew and proclaim your greatness, understanding what it is they have been forgiven from. They have been forgiven of their unbelief, the rejection in which they were born in. They were born dead, serving sin and only sin, unable to come to the truth. But you set us free, god. You gave us a new heart and a new life and a new purpose to proclaim your greatness, to proclaim your glory and to take part in it, that we may have the fullness of our Lord's joy. Father, we love you and we thank you for this truth In Jesus' name, amen. As always, we thank you for joining us today and I hope this episode has helped you take a step closer in your relationship with Jesus and that you have a better and deeper understanding of just how much God loves you and wants you to know him.

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In our next episode, we're going to take a moment to pause and reflect on the last three teachings and dedicate the time to answering your questions. So if something sparked curiosity, stirred your heart or left you wanting clarity, I would love to hear from you. You could just use the text us link in the episode description to send in your questions and comments. Your input truly matters. It really helps us shape future episodes that speak directly to your walk with Christ and the things you're walking through, and remember. Every fourth episode in this series is set aside for exactly this to answer your questions and help you go deeper. So please don't hesitate to reach out. It's our hope that this ministry will continue to be a tool to reach the lost and equip the saints for a life that brings glory to God. God bless and we'll see you next time on the Takeaway. Thank you.