wants to move down. The air conditioner
works here, doesn't work back there. If you want to stay hot, stay hot. What does it mean to receive
the Lord Jesus Christ? I know this, if I do not personally
receive him, I will not be saved. So what does it mean to receive
the Lord Jesus Christ? Most of what goes on under the
name of what is called Christianity, you know that word's not in the
Bible, Most of what goes on under the
name of Christianity makes the act of receiving Christ the act
of salvation. Now what do I mean by that? God loves all men and wants all
men to be saved. Christ died for all men. And God the Holy Spirit is calling
all men. But as to whether or not you're
saved, it's up to whether or not you will receive him. Thus the act of reception is
the act of salvation. If you receive him, you can pray
the prayer of the Pharisee. God, I thank thee that I'm not
as other men are. I received you. They had the
same opportunity I did. They didn't, but I did. Glory
be to me, I received you. I am the difference. These other
people who didn't receive you, they could have, but they didn't,
but I did. Thus making the act of reception
the act of salvation. I remember one time, this has
been a long time ago, I was trying to preach the gospel to somebody,
and I don't know whether I was muddy in the waters at the time,
I probably was, but I ended up with this. There's nothing any
man can do to save themselves. And this man objected. He said,
well, we can receive him. We can receive him. If I receive
him, I'll be saved. God desires everybody's salvation. He wills the salvation of all
men, but the difference is this act of reception. One man's willingness to receive
Christ and the other's unwillingness to do so. The act of receiving
Christ is the act of salvation. I'd say that would be true in
99% of the religious assemblies in Lexington, Kentucky. they
would agree with that. The act of reception is the act
of salvation. Your eternal destiny is in your
hands whether or not you decide to receive him or reject him. Now, that's false doctrine. That's
salvation by works. There is not a drop of gospel
in that message that makes your reception or your rejection of
Christ the determining factor of your salvation. You see, the
reception of Christ is not the act of salvation. It's not the
determining factor in salvation. It's the result of salvation. If God gives himself to me, I
will receive him. And if I fail to receive him,
he was never given to me. God doesn't give something and
somebody doesn't take it. That never happens. If he gives
you his son, you receive him. Now, what does it mean to receive
him? You know, I can remember times
when I've heard preachers say, receive the Lord Jesus Christ. And I've thought to myself, I
would if I knew what that meant. What does it mean to receive
the Lord Jesus Christ? A man can receive nothing. Except
to be given him from above. Let's begin right there. Don't
miss that. A man can receive nothing except
it be given him from above. And my dear friends, if it's
given to me or you, you know what? We will receive. Well,
what does that look like? What does it mean to receive
the Lord Jesus Christ? Verse 10. He was in The world. Now who is this one
who is in the world? Well, in the very context, verse
one, in the beginning was the Word. What a name for the Lord Jesus
Christ. The Word. Now when I speak words, or even a word, it's meaningless
unless there is action behind that Word. My words and my actions
may not be brought together. But the Lord Jesus Christ is
the Word of God. The Word of God is the action
of God. He doesn't have to do anything.
If He says it, it's done. and the Lord Jesus Christ is
the Word of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
action of God. He's the Word. As I said, this
means so much more than if I said, here's my words. Well, that doesn't
mean a whole lot. But when God speaks, that's His
action. It's done. I can say something
and it doesn't mean it's done, but when He speaks, it's done. He is the Word of God. He is what God says when what
comes out of His mind and heart comes out. He's the expression. He is God's Word. When God speaks, this is His
Word. What a glorious thing with regard
to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, a separate person. And the word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by him. This world that he came into,
he made it. All things, doesn't matter what
you're talking about, all things were made by him. And John puts a addition to this
to make sure we understand what he's saying. Without him was
not anything made that was made. In him was life. This one who
came into the world is life. He is life. If I am saved by
the grace of God, it's his life that's my life before God. That's
our boldness to come into God's presence, his life, not my life. HIS LIFE. I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH,
AND THE LIFE. NO MAN COMES TO THE FATHER BUT
BY ME. AND THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF
MEN. NOW THE ONLY LIGHT WE HAVE AS
TO WHO GOD IS IS JESUS CHRIST. LOOK DOWN IN VERSE 18. NO MAN
HATH SEEN GOD AT ANY TIME The only begotten Son, which is in
the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. All me and you
are ever going to know of God is Jesus Christ. He's the one
who is with God. He's the one who was God. He was in the world, and the
world was made by Him. And the scripture says, the world
doing not. Now I want you to think about
that. He made the world, he came into the world, and the world
knew him not. Now that means a whole lot more
than just they didn't know who he was, although they didn't.
It means they didn't love who he was. When he says to those
that he casts away, depart from me, ye that work iniquity, I
never knew you. It doesn't mean he didn't know
who they were, or everything about them, or what their names
were. It means, I never loved you. I never knew you to love
me. I never knew you to be united
to me. And what the problem is with
these people, and it's all of us by nature, he came into the
world, and the world was made by him, and the world had no
love for him. I don't know of anything that
could be more incriminating than that. God sent not his son into the
world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might
be saved. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save. That's why he came, to save sinners. And the world knew him not. No natural man will ever be able
to say, I love Jesus Christ. You know, Peter could say, Lord,
you know, all things. You can look straight right through
me. You know all things and you know that I love your person.
I love who you are. Now, as soon as we start thinking
about our love to Christ, obviously we're gonna think, I don't love
him as much as I should, and you're right about that. He's
infinitely worth more love than all of us could give to him,
but we do love him. We do love him. Don't think about
your love. You think about his person, his glory, his excellency. You'll love him.