The Unwanted Gift
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Intro: This week, we will celebrate Christmas. We will shop for gifts and buy gifts and exchange gifts.
JOKE: A family had twin boys whose only resemblance to each other were their looks. Opposite in every way, one was an eternal optimist, the other a doom and gloom pessimist. Just to see what would happen, on Christmas day their father loaded the pessimist’s room with every imaginable toy and game. The optimist’s room he loaded with horse manure. That night the father passed by the pessimist’s room and found him sitting amid his new gifts crying bitterly. “Why are you crying?” the father asked. “Because my friends will be jealous, I’ll have to read all these instructions before I can do anything with this stuff, I’ll constantly need batteries, and my toys will eventually get broken.” answered the pessimist twin. Passing the optimist twin’s room, the father found him dancing for joy in the pile of manure. “What are you so happy about?” he asked. To which his optimist twin replied, “There’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”
This morning, I want to preach on The Unwanted Gift. This gift was:
A. Perfect
- Luke 23:4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
- Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
B. Personal
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The gift that God gave the world was a “one size fits all.”
Not a single person ever born on this earth was excluded from the blessings of this personal gift from God.
Look in our text: vs. 9
John 1
- 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
- 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
C. Priceless
- 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
- Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
The Bible tells us in many places that Jesus was God’s gift to the world, but He was not wanted.
Isaiah 53
- 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
- 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
- Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Luke 17
- 24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
- 25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
Why is this wonderful, unspeakable Gift so unwanted?
I. Because of Its Inspiration
The unbeliever will always reject that which has its origination in the working of the Holy Spirit.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive…
LIGHT: Light was a product of the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Genesis 1
- 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
- 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Notice the world’s response to LIGHT:
John 3
- 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
- 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
SCRIPTURES: The Word of God is a product of the inspiration of Scripture.
2 Peter 1
- 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
- 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.
Notice the world’s response to the Word of God:
Zechariah 7
- 11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
- 12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
Jesus speaking to Nicodemus said:
- John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
Now notice how Jesus Christ was given:
Jesus Christ was conceived BY THE HOLY GHOST:
- Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
- Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Man does not want Jesus Christ the same reason they don’t like light and the Word of God – they were a product of the inspiration – the breath of God – the moving and power of the Holy Ghost.
II. Because of Its Implication
The implication of this gift is that man needed a Savior.
If man needs a Savior, then that means he is lost.
If a man needs a Savior, then that means he is a sinner.
Men do not want to acknowledge that they are in need of a Savior.
- John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Some people refuse to accept or believe that they are need of saving.
They have the choice to come to Christ, but they choose rather to reject him.
If there was ever a verse in the Bible that completely dismantles Calvinism, it is John 5:40:
John 5
- 39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
- 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
III. Because of Its Imputation
There’s no part of the unsaved man that desires righteousness.
Yet, when we received Christ, God imputed the righteousness of Christ in us.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Romans 4
- 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
- 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
- 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
- 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
- 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Even Christians struggle desiring righteousness.
SAME GREEK WORD: RECKON
Romans 6
- 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
- 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Once we get saved, God has to teach us as believers to desire righteousness. SEE TITUS 2:11, 12
Conclusion: verse 11 says “his own received him not…”
But John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:”
Though the world may reject Him, you don’t have to!
You can receive Him today.
John 12
- 46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
- 47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
- 48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.