10 He was in the world, and the world was made
by him, and the world knew him not. 11
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Here are two important points that are not difficult to
understand. When God was walking in the
flesh on the earth He created in the world of men that world of men did not
recognize Him. The world, in most contexts, is a reference to the people who
inhabit the earth.
Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my
patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come
upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
So, this world, which we know today as the world systems;
education, entertainment, politics, economics, religion, etc. did not know the
Christ the Bible reveals then and does not know Him now.
When Jesus later said that you cannot serve mammon and God
at the same time…
Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either
he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
…He is using a Syriac word for money personified, or the
economic system, whether yours be capitalism, socialism, or some hybrid form of
the two, or even some type of barter system on a primitive level. If you
enslave yourself to that system in your daily practice, your head, or your
heart you cannot be a servant of God. You won’t hear too many Wall Street
tycoons expressing a total trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and a surrender of
their lives to Him and so many pastors and evangelists sound so much like
used-car salesmen or carnival barkers you have to wonder if they think that
technique actually leads to salvation or a sale.
1Corinthians 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that
not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things
which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to
nought things that are: 29 That no flesh
should glory in his presence.
With regard to religion He will warn His disciples that
religionists are deceived.
John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues:
yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God
service.
In fact, everything that man holds in high regard God
regards as an abomination.
Luke 16:15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which
justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is
highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Even when His people make long-winded prayers they are
expressing not the faith of God but the empty formalism of ritual as they
preach a sermon to the people rather than speak thoughtfully to God repeating
churchspeak over and over again in an attempt to impress someone with their
piety…
Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions,
as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking.
History shows the world rejected God and His standards a
long time ago. Just read, for a brief history of the world, Romans, chapter 1,
from here;
16 ¶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the
Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17 For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is
written, The just shall live by faith. 18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;…
…to here;
…32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they
which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have
pleasure in them that do them.
As we know, His own people, the Jews did not receive Him. As
they told the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate;
John 19:15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with
him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief
priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
Matthew 27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His
blood be on us, and on our children.
Even after Christ’s crucifixion the facts were presented to
their leadership by Stephen in Acts, chapter 7, one last time as a nation
because there was still an opportunity for repentance for rulers and their
people who sinned out of ignorance as Leviticus, chapter 4 tells us. But it was
not to be. Peter’s command for an act of national repentance in Acts 2:37-39
was a precursor to the chance the leadership had in Acts 7 as he made clear
this could have been the end of history in Acts 2:17.
Christ was rejected by the world and by the people through
whom He came, who, “knew him not,” and, “received him not.”
John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated
me before it hated you.
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