Necessity of Reception

Kinds of Reception

Benefits/wages from effort expended
Entitlement from heritage/citizenship
Unmerited and unentitled blessing

Merit-based benefits are the proven and reliable method

The world attempts to subvert this truth and provide, apart from any effort or qualification

Problem – free gifts are often dishonored, ignored, and minimized.

In Christ there is reversal of the reception principle – free – entitled – enjoyed through application.

Christ – freely given/freely received/freely empowered with potential to become

John 1:12-13 (KJV) 12 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: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

What are we receiving? – right with God apart from any merit.

Romans 5:16 (NLT) 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.

The Gift – Right With God
Received – in Christ by faith alone
Reception by faith opens the door to becoming
Every benefit of the Gift is realized in how it is applied – not works, but valued application

In Him comes an identity of entitlement

Romans 8:15-17 (NLT) 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Galatians 3:9 (NLT) 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

Reception of Him is the reception of every promise by faith alone.

Galatians 3:18 (NLT) 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

Galatians 3:29 (TLB) 29 And now that we are Christ’s we are the true descendants of Abraham, and all of God’s promises to him belong to us.

For reception to take effect, there will be applied effort

2 Peter 1:3-10 (NLT) 3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. 10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.

Reception doesn’t equal reward that only comes through obedience.

Acts 7:53 (NLT) 53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”

Reception through transmission -

Acts 8:15-17 (NLT) 15 As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

In reception of the Word came the falling of the Spirit with their response as evidence

Acts 10:44-47 (NLT) 44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. 45 The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, 47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”

Danger! – Returning to a merit-based expectation of reception.

Galatians 3:1-6 (NLT) 1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? 5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. 6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

About reception – what is sinning? – Acting like God’s promises have to be earned.

Hebrews 10:26 (NLT) 26 Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins.

Application of a promise in prayer is received when every thought and movement demonstrate faith

Mark 11:24 (NLT) 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

The Spirit helps the necessary revelation of reception

1 Corinthians 2:12 (NLT) 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

Guard against any reception of another message.

2 Corinthians 11:4 (NLT) 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

Galatians 1:12 (NLT) 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

What we’ve received is a joint inheritance in Christ

Ephesians 1:11 (NLT) 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

Hebrews 11:39-40 (NLT) 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.