FBC Sunrise Beach
Born of God: Our Identity in Christ
  • Victory In Jesus

      • Ephesians 1:7CSB

  • It Is Well with My Soul

      • Galatians 2:20CSB

  • Who Am I
  • Amazing Grace

  • Bible Passage: John 1:6–13

    Summary: This passage introduces the concept of Jesus as the light of the world and emphasizes the importance of believing in His name to become children of God.
    Application: This sermon encourages Christians to embrace their identity as children of God and rely on His grace rather than their own efforts. It reminds them that regardless of their past or circumstances, they have the opportunity to start anew through faith in Christ.
    Teaching: The sermon teaches that true belonging and identity come from being born of God rather than from human lineage or achievement. It underscores the power of faith in Jesus to transform our lives and establish our relationship with God.
    How this passage could point to Christ: In this passage, Jesus is presented as the light that shines in the darkness. Throughout Scripture, Christ is the fulfillment of God's promise to redeem His people and give them new life—a theme that resonates from Genesis through Revelation.
    Big Idea: To be born of God is to embrace our identity as His beloved children, freed from the bondage of sin and called into a transformative relationship with Christ.
    Recommended Study: Consider exploring the differing views on what it means to be 'born of God' within the early church context using your Logos library. Look into commentaries on John to gain insight into the theological implications of regeneration and how faith in Christ produces a new identity. Additionally, examining the historical background of John's gospel may provide a clearer understanding of its audience and intent.
    John 1:6–13 ESV
    6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
    John 1 can be identified as the: Prologue to the Promise

    1. Paving the Path to Light

    John 1:6–8 ESV
    6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
    Today we start with fulfillment of prophecy
    Malachi 3:1 ESV
    1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
    John the Baptist is the foretold messenger
    He is the one to pave the way for Jesus
    John is the the one who will set the stage for the Messiah
    John the Baptist is Jesus’ opening act!
    We could make john the Baptist the equivalent of the first evangelist
    John had a purpose since birth
    He would come as a witness
    John would be a witness for the world to encounter Jesus
    a witness to tell the world about this great Messiah
    an example of the witness the world should have for the rest of time
    John had a goal to bear witness about the light
    We know to this point we have discussed Jesus being the Word
    being around since the beginning
    In this instance we have left v. 5 with Jesus as light
    John now states that JTB is bearing witness to that light
    for the purpose that all might believe
    remember Jesus has not died and risen yet
    instead the message of faith is so important John is proclaiming the way
    But here we have a clarification
    all of what John has put in this Gospel to this point has been for a specific reason
    to point out Jesus
    In this passage he shares about John the Baptist
    a key way paver for Jesus
    that deserves recognition
    but it seems that John had an ulterior motive
    it was to point out the true light
    we see this here in V. 8
    John is not the light!
    he came to point out the light!
    John was part of God’s plan but absolutely was not the light
    he merely represented the light
    You could highlight John's role as a witness to the Light, emphasizing that each believer is called to testify about Jesus. Although John was not the Light, he paved the way for Christ, teaching us that our identity in Christ is secondary to His greatness. This offers assurance that we are important in God's plan, not by our merits but by His calling.

    2. Present Amidst Rejection

    John 1:9–11 ESV
    9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
    Now John moves to the true light
    John shifts focus away from this is not the light
    to this is the light
    Jesus was making entry into the world
    Jesus was about to change the course of human history
    Jesus was the answer these people had all been waiting for
    John the Baptist has told them about Him
    The prophets have told them He was coming
    Everyone in Jerusalem has been told to this point about the Messiah in some way
    They may not know its imminent but they know the prophecy and the promise
    Verse 10 is a huge standpoint for Jesus
    Jesus was in the world
    Jesus had become flesh
    He was living amongst them
    but not only was He the one living amongst them
    He had created them
    He had been there at the dawn of existence
    And John utters some sad words
    Yet the world did not know Him
    The creator was walking amongst them
    and they missed Him
    Jesus had entered the building
    the Lamb of God
    To Messiah
    Yet they did not know Him
    specifically
    He came to His own and was rejected
    This is a summary of the life of Jesus
    this is the prologue of the promise
    Even the Israelites rejected Jesus
    you see since the dawn of time
    humanity has struggled with truth
    they have struggled with God’s design
    they have struggled to obey God’s commands
    This is a spiritual fact
    and in all of that Jesus still came to offer salvation
    embracing Jesus leads to a true identity
    and a true transformation
    which gives us:
    Perhaps consider the rejection of Christ despite being the true Light. This illustrates humanity's struggle with sin and rejection of divine truth. Encourage listeners that embracing Christ as the Light leads to true identity and transformation. Jesus coming into the world as the light reveals the profound opportunity to accept Him, despite previous rejections or disbelief.

    3. Power to Become Children

    John 1:12–13 ESV
    12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
    Here we have the promise
    whoever received Jesus
    believed in Him
    He gave the right to become children of God
    Believers in Jesus have eternal inheritance
    We have an inheritance that we do not deserve
    and verse 13 makes a great promise
    In this new identity we are reborn as Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3
    in that rebirth
    we were not born of blood
    not of the will of the flesh
    not of the will of man
    we are born of God
    through His son!
    can I get an AMEN?!?!
    we are given spriitual rebirth
    the greatest gift ever offered
    the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
    we are born unto Him
    we are His and He is ours
    Praise God
    Maybe focus on the profound truth that receiving and believing in Jesus grants us the right to become children of God. This underscores the significance of spiritual rebirth, not through human effort or lineage, but God's grace. Instill hope by affirming that our identity rests securely in God's loving adoption through faith, transcending earthly definitions of belonging.

      • John 1:6–13CSB

      • John 1:6–8CSB

      • Malachi 3:1CSB

      • John 1:9–11CSB

      • John 1:12–13CSB

  • Just As I Am
FBC Sunrise Beach
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