You better recognize!

John 1:10-13

You better recognize!


Listening to Pastor Dave’s sermon the other  Sunday I was inspired! Specifically, I was inspired to change my intro. Pastor Dave’s use of All up in the koo-aid and don’t even know the flavor, made me think of lots of fun 90s phrases that aren’t in the common vernacular anymore. 


All that and a bag of chips, which was a compliment, kinda. The person or thing being described is everything one could possibly hope for, and they come with a side dish. Because who doesn't want a snack for later?


Talk to the hand! Which was when you were done listening to someone’s nonsense.

As If, made famous by the cult classic, Clueless, the phrase “As if” was used as an alternative to “Whatever” and/or No way!” depending on the context. 


Props! meant you were giving proper acknowledgment to someone for doing something impressive. Mad Props if you were very impressed. 


Then, there’s the title for tonight’s sermon, you better recognize!  the phrase you said when you felt someone needed to acknowledge your proficiency or authority regarding a particular matter. Turn to John 1:10-13 and you better recognize!

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His ^[c]own, and His ^[d]own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the ^[e]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.


Last time we talked about John The Baptist aka John The Witness. Who was he a witness to? Everyone! Who was he a witness for? The Light! Specifically the light of the world, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 


He was in the world, and the word was made through him, but the world did not know him. He was here and walked among us. Lived among us for 33 years!  What’s the biggest compliment we say after meeting a celebrity? Oh they were the most down to earth person. Where do you think that phrase comes from? Right here! In which God came down to earth!

The same God in which it is written in Psalm 113:6 “Who humbles Himself to behold The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?” actually took on human form! He dwelt among us!


A mere glance downward is an act of humility for our God! Yet, we, His children, stink so much of pride we allow it to destroy all our relationships. 


We didn’t know him. We didn’t receive him! We didn’t recognize! 


For the majority us music is as important aspect of our life from the mid-teens through the early 20s. During that time for me I had an intense concert going phase. I saw in excess of 100 different bands across a span of roughly 5 years. I have some permanent hearing damage in my left ear that was totally worth it! I went to concerts all over NC & VA. I went to ones where there were 20,000+ people that required me selling a kidney to afford the ticket. I went to some where it was free for the 20 of us in attendance. One of the things I liked about it was when I met new people there it was easy to strike up a conversation since we both enjoyed this particular band. I met all manner of people from all over the world. I met a guy named Bruce, I think, that saw Stryper on the original To Hell With The Devil tour! 


In the fall of 1998 Me and two of my friends got tickets to see a Christian Rock Band named Bleach. We were fans. We owned both albums, knew all the songs by heart, seen the music videos! We got to the concert early and Jared was with us. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get Jared somewhere early? To this day I’m not sure how we did it! While we were waiting around we got to chatting with some of the other concert goes and met a super cool guy named Dave. We made small talk and went on our way. Later that night, after both opening bands were done, Bleach took the stage! Guess who the lead singer was? Our friend Dave! 


We had met and talked with the lead singer of one our favorite bands and we had no idea! We were so stunned! He didn’t look the way we thought he would look based on videos and album covers. He didn’t talk the way we thought he would talk based on musical albums. Had we only known! Had we only recognized him!


This is exactly what John is talking about! All of Israel since Genesis 3 had been hoping for, praying for, studying about, teaching about, looking for the messiah! Then He shows up! Not for quick small talk but lived among them for 33 years! Openly teaching, preaching and working miracles for the last three yet so many people did not recognize Him! 


We sit there and think. How silly! How stupid! How could they possibly be that dense! Yet, are we any different? You said we weren’t there. We didn’t meet Him. We didn’t see the miracles. Malarky! Most of you have a miracle in your hands right now! 


“The Bible is a reliable collection of historical documents written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in the fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.”


That the Bible got written is a miracle! That the Bible exists is a miracle! This one book contains everything you need to know about Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior! I know many of your testimonies and a lot of them involve ignoring God, running from God and avoiding God. All of us had a point where God stopped us, got right in our face and said “Child! You better recognize!” Then by the grace of God we did recognize! We knew Him for who He was. We knew Him as Master, Savior, Sustainer, Creator, the one who has authority to speak into every aspect of our lives. In that moment beloved, we were born again! 


who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.


We ride that Jesus high for a few weeks or months but slowly slip back into the old ways of doing things. To the old masters, back into the darkness. We start to think that these things happened as an act of human will, as perhaps emotional decision making but the reality is it’s not our will but His! 

John MacArthur says the following “ How? You were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. Only God can do this miracle. And here, we are introduced to the true nature of God with regard to the gospel. God is by nature a Savior. He is a Savior whose mighty power causes us to receive His Son and to believe in His name. He will have much more to say about this later on in the gospel, but at the very foundation we need to know that in this ministry of evangelism and gospel presentation and giving testimony and witness to Christ, God will work to give life to dead sinners. It is His heart to do that.

God our Savior, God our Savior, said the apostle Paul again and again and again. God, who is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe. He is a saving God. “Who is a pardoning God like you?” Read Ezekiel 36 and 37. God presents the New Covenant of salvation. Read Jeremiah 31. God is by nature a Savior. It’s in His heart to give life to dead sinners. This is what we need to know as the foundation, the bedrock essentials for Christians. We need to know that God by nature is a saving God who gives life to dead sinners.” 

As Christians we must daily recognize whose God and whose us.