Christ Came Not To Judge But To Save

Transcript

GR 342
12/23/1979
Christ Came Not to Judge But Save
John 3:17-21
Gil Rugh

Chapter 3 in your bibles John's gospel Chapter 3. The context of John 3 is the conversation which Jesus had with Nicodemus regarding the Messiah the coming kingdom of God. What is essential to be part of that kingdom, to enjoy a personal intimate eternal relationship with God. Who is in effect is Jesus Christ. What is the significance of him as a person and the work that he would accomplish? All this is involved in the discussion and is woven through the discussion - the first coming and the second coming of Christ are seen as having close significance. The first coming of Christ, his birth and his death are inseparable linked toqether.In the second coming he will bring in the kingdom Nicodemus was concerned about.

But his first coming is really the provision for men and women to be part of that kingdom that will be set up at his second coming. Now in his discussion with Nicodemus - the verses down through verse 13 - 14 - 15 Christ has emphasized the greatness of his person. He alone is the one who has been to heaven and come to earth so he can talk to men about heavenly things. He is the final ultimate absolute authority about spiritual reality because is the only one who has ever been to heaven and come to earth to tell us what is really truth.

That moved into- the discussion of verses 14 and 15 the significance of the work that he would accomplish. He is this person who has been to heaven and come to earth and he is seen in a type in the Old Testament in Numbers 21. Numbers 21, because of the complaints of the children of Israel God sent poisonous snakes through the nation and they bit the people and the people were dying. Gods provision for the people was Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole and stood it up and said that everyone that would look to this serpent would be healed from the poison.

The significance was when they looked to that serpent they were indicating they were going to trust God for his provision and remedy for their disease for their illness. The impending cure from death. That's what happened. Now the parallel is Jesus Christ has come to earth so that he might be lifted up referring to his crucifixion all who would look to him in effect look to him, God's provision for their sin would be cleansed from their sin and given eternal life. That's what verse 15 told us, in order that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. Eternal life is life that goes on endlessly. Life, the relationship. The bible death is separation. A person dies when he is separated from his body. When you die physically you as a person will leave your body. So death is a state of separation.

Life is a state of relationship, have eternal life, you have an eternal relationship with God. That is life in a personal relationship in the presence of God forever and ever.

With verse 16 that very familiar verse. We have explained how God worked out this provision. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. In order that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Throughout this context as you talk about the coming of Christ to earth the significance of His coming, you must talk in the context of life and death. You must talk in the context of forgiveness and condemnation. And the coming of Christ to earth and its significance will elude us unless we realize the contrast and the context.

With Him there is life and forgiveness. Apart from Him lifer is condemnation and death. So God gave His Son in love, that is the great demonstration of love. We can objectively talk of God loving us because we have historical evidence.
He gave His Son Jesus Christ. That is the proof that he loves me, that he loves you, that he loves the world. That he gave Son. The purpose that we might not perish but have life. John is familiar, not the word familiar. He was often - to make his emphasis. He uses positive and negative, we are going to see this in our study this morning. That they might not perish but have life, and usually he puts the negative first. That they might not perish but have life. Now one of the ways he uses to drive home a point and to make emphasis.

Now you must appreciate what is involved in perishing-to appreciate the life you have. When he talks about not perishing - what is involved there in the Bible we are told the penalty of our sin is death. I mentioned that death is separation when you die physically you as a person will leave the body. You will be separated from your body. Your body will be dead, you as a person will be alive and conscious. Now because of sin we are in a state of spiritual death. We are separated from God, we have no personal relationship with him at all. Because of sin. The Bible tells us that a person who is spiritually dead, separated from God and dies physically will be separated from God for eternity. In a state of conscious torment and suffering.

Turn to Rev. Chapter 20. Rev. 20 - it sounds like a depressing subject, a gloomy subject to talk about when we should be happy and joyful, but really to appreciate and have the joy that comes because Christ has come to earth you have to appreciate what his coming has done. I appreciate the life I have in Christ all the more because I appreciate what he has saved me from. In Rev. 20 you have the context of the ultimate perishing, where men and women are sentenced to an eternity in hell. In vs. 11 of Rev. 20 a great white throne is set and all flee from before it - Jesus Christ is the one on this throne. The dead, small and the great come and stand before Him. At this judgement all those who have not believe in Jesus Christ are now brought before Him for sentencing. All those who were not believers from the time of Adam down to the close of this point in history.


The books are opened and they are judged according to their works. They are judged according to the works they have done for the purpose of determining where in hell they will be sentenced. Everyone in this judgement is going to hell. Everyone, so their works here are not to determine whether their works are good enough to get them to heaven, their works simply determine where in hell they will be sentenced. Those who had greater exposure to the truth of God who were exposed to the reality of the salvation God provided in Christ and refused to believe will have a greater condemnation than those who did not have such great opportunities. Everyone regardless of where they died and their bodies had been placed in vs. 13 is called. In vs. 14, death and Hades were thrown in the lake of fire. Death here refers to all those who had died and are now at this judgement. Hades is the place of torment where a person who has not believed in Jesus Christ goes immediately upon death. The place of suffering. It is described in Luke 16, and they await there until they are called before Christ on this occasion to be sentenced to hell, and you will note all those here who had died in Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death. Whoever was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Those who are in the book of life were those who believed in Jesus Christ. Remember John 3:16? In order that those who believe might not perish but have eternal life. They are in the book of life because they believe in Jesus Christ. Those who do not believe perish of fire, with the lake of fire is a place where they will be consciously tormented day and night forever and ever apart from the presence of God.

Rev. 14 talked about it as tormented day and night forever and ever. So that's the context back to John 3 when he talks about not perishing. That's all in view here. The consequences of our sins, the condemnation for our sin. Christ has come in order that I might not have to experience that. God gave his son for that purpose, that I might have eternal life.

Vs. 17 he goes on to develop this. He begins, God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world but that the world should be saved through Him. That question - Why did Jesus Christ come to earth? Why is there a time when his birth is celebrated? What is the significance of His coming?

John uses here that first states the negative and then the positive, to drive home the point he wants to make. This is why he did not come - this is not why he came - this is why he came. The negative and the positive.

God did not send the Son for the purpose of judging the world. That ought to cause a great sigh of relief. Jesus Christ did not come to judge me. Didn't come to sentence me to hell, that wasn't his purpose in coming. That's not why he came. Rather he came that the world might be saved through Him. Now John uses another way to make a point. To give emphasis he'll say the negative and then the positive. He'll also repeat something, a word or a phrase. Note the word world in vs. 17, three times "God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through Him." That emphasis on the world - cause two concepts are being corrected here for Nicodemus in the context and the Jews. One they believed that the coming of the Messiah would bring judgement. Now here that is corrected, Christ didn't come to meet? our judgement, that will occur at a future time. That was not the purpose when he was born at Bethlehem. He did not come to exercise judgement. Secondly, they believed that the Messiah would provide for salvation for Jews only, and here there is a stress God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved. The purpose of the coming of Christ was to render mankind saveable, to provide that we might experience salvation. He didn't come to judge me, He did not come to sentence me to Hell. He came to make a provision so that I might be saved, spared from hell, cleansed from my sin and brought into a personal relationship. The way its put God did not send the Son, that word send is the word that we get the word apostle from. It means to send on word a mission. The missionary, that we have comes from a Latin word that is the equivalent of this Greek word. To send on a mission, and God sent his Son on a mission, but it wasn't on a mission for judging the world it was on a mission of saving the world. This doesn't mean that everyone is saved, that is not what he says, that will be clear as we move through. He will tell us why not everyone is saved.
He did make a provision that is adequate to save everyone. It will encompass every one of all nationalities of all races. Its Gods provisions for everyone. To put it a little differently, over in Gal. 5, turn over there quickly. Gal. 4:4 when the fullness of time came, when the time was just perfect in the plan of God, God sent forth his Son born of a woman. Born under the law, in order that he might redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the placing or adoption of Sons. In Gods plan it was just the right time to send his Son to earth. His plan was that his Son would be born of a woman, a Jew, born under the law to provide redemption. That redemption as John 3 makes clear not only for Jews but for all mankind.

Again there is a clear emphasis here on the fact that Jesus Christ did not have his beginning in Bethlehem. Did not have his beginning when he was born of Mary. He was sent from God on that mission an entrance into the human race was by birth as a baby m a stable. But he is the one for all eternity had existed in the presence of God the Father. He is the one who is described in Is„'6 you remember - before whom the seraphim in heaven cried out Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. He is the one is left that position. Left that Glory and has been sent to earth by God the Father on a mission. A mission to provide salvation for humanity.

Back to John 3:17. That last phrase, in order that the world should be saved through Him. The world should be saved all mankind is in need of the salvation that God has provided. The world needs it, humanity needs it. Because every single person is a sinner. All have sinned, there is none righteous, no not one. This will be developed for us in a moment. Everyone thus, because of sin is under the penalty of death and condemnation. Thus, everyone has the need and God has provided that his Son would provide salvation for the world.

Important to see - the world should be saved through Him, this means that anyone who is ever saved regardless of nationality, race or anything else must be saved through Jesus Christ. This is Gods provision. That's amazing when you think of it. God has provided salvation through Jesus Christ and that salvation is adequate to save a Jew a gentile, a. protestant, a catholic, a Buddhist, it doesn't matter. Who, what, where they are. The provision that God made in his Son Jesus Christ is sufficient to save any in the world.

Vs. 18, that does not mean that the world is saved. That means the provisions has been made for salvation. He who believes in Him is not judged. Note how he goes negative and then positive. Not judged. But who does not believe has been judged already. Important to see this, we say well see I knew Jesus Christ coming to earth, didn't come to judge. People who talk about being judged - they ought not to do that. We are talking about love - yes Gods love is providing His Son Jesus Christ. Those who believe in Him do not experience judgement. They are not judged. Rom 8:1 - there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This word condemnation is the same word as judgement with a preposition on the front. Makes - brings its emphasis to condemnation. We are not judged and condemned, judged against, condemned, if we are in Christ Jesus.

So note - the one who believes in Him is not judged. The context there indicates that judgement if negative. Condemnation, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Vs. 3 of Rom 8 tells us what the law could not do weak as it was through the flesh - God did - sending his own Son in the like
sinful flesh as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. What the law could not do weak as it was through the flesh - what the law demanded was for me to perfectly manifest the righteous character of God in all that I did. Keep all 613 commandments of the law perfectly every day of my life.
Then I could go to heaven.

Problem, no one ever did it accept Christ himself. I was weak in the flesh, my sin kept me from doing it. So God provided salvation for me in the person of his Son, so you still have the two choices. You could be perfect everyday of your life from birth to death and you would go to heaven, or you can believe in Jesus Christ. Now the first is a hypothetical option because God already tells us that everyone is a sinner, and everyone is condemned. The only option is to believe in Jesus Christ and be removed from condemnation.

Why? Because Jesus Christ took my place experienced the judgement that I should have borne for my sin, so when I believe in Him God can justly declare me forgiven. Fantastic plan.

Back to John 3. He who believes in Him is not judged. What about Him who does not believe? Doesn't say - he who does not believe is neutral, like people like to think. You know I am just neutral in this issue. You note there is either positive or negative - there is no neutral position. You just think you are neutral. He who does not believe has been judged already. There is judgement that occurs and it is on those who have not believed. What does he say? Go on - because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. You note - if you do not believe in Jesus Christ you are judged. Because you see, you are a sinner, I am a sinner. The penalty for our sin is death, the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. So I am under condemnation if I do not believe. That's where I am I don't have to do anything to come under condemnation or judgement. I am there by virtue of the fact I am a sinner. A righteous and holy God must judge me for my sin. But the one who believes is forgiven and removed from that place because all sin is forgiven - the penalty has been paid there is nothing to judge me for.

It's all taken care of. That's amazing - you know it seems a little bit - it's almost too simple. That here I am condemned, destined for hell, Jesus Christ dies for me I believe in Him and it's all clean. I'm forgiven and I have a personal relationship with God that could go on forever. That's right..
The problem4is we want to do something. It's good that he did that but I ought to do something. The only thing you can do is believe what he did for you.
The last part of this verse is important. Because he is not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. Since we are talking about eternal issues, we are talking about having life a personal eternal relationship with God, that's what gives significant and meaning to life. You were created for this relationship. That's the very reason for your existence, but because of sin that relationship has been broken – thats the cause of the emptiness, the frustration, the hollowness on the inside of a man. That he cannot be satisfied
that he strives for something that is fulfilled when a person. Now the reason it's so simple is God did everything. We are brought into a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ.

These are the issues, life, death, heaven and hell. That is if you don't believe in the name of the only begotten son of God, that does not mean that you just say I believe in Jesus Christ. You must believe in the name of the only begotten son of God. Name in scripture stands for the person £ character and work of the one we are talking about.

You must believe in the Jesus Christ of the bible. By that I mean you must believe Jesus Christ - God*s son died to pay the penalty for your sins. I say this because there are people who claim to believe in Jesus Christ who do not believe he was Gods son. Who do not believe that he himself was deity? They cannot experience the salvation that is provided in Him.

The discussion going today in the Roman Catholic Church, about whether the Roman Catholic Church has the right to discipline a man, a dutch theologian named Schillabak, he has written a book where he calls into question the virgin birth and the deity of Jesus Christ. That is a crucial issue. Some say you are hindering scholarly research, because this man to be intellectually honest must deny the deity of Christ the church ought not to speak to that issue. Well, all I can say is the bible says that a man like that is not saved. He claims to believe in Jesus Christ but he does not believe in the Jesus Christ of the bible.

You must believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. You must believe in this one who himself is the unique Son of God, deity himself who died on a cross to pay the penalty for your sin. I didn't say you had to understand
it all. If that were the case none of us would be saved. Including this preacher. But you must believe it. It is a fact. I cannot deny - oh Jesus Christ was not virgin born, he is not the eternal son of God, he was not deity, he did not really rise from the dead, but I am saved by believing in him. Thats not the Christ of the bible you are believing in - you know we have taken a name but we have applied it to a person that is not the one the bible is talking about.

It is so important that you understand who we are talking about. We are talking about the one who is the unique Son of God. You must believe in Him whose name, that includes His person and His work, that he the divine Son of God died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins.

The contrast you will note how simple but clearly defined it is. Some believe they are not judged, some do not believe they are judged already. Important to see that. Thats the issue - you say well I am thinking about it. Thats fine - but while you are in the process of thinking about it, it is important that you understand that you are under the judgement of God. Thats it. You are guilty and condemned. People say the problem with that church is they judge people. The problem with that preacher is he judges people. I ought not to judge people, but I do want to share the fact of judgement with people.

If you do not believe in Jesus Christ you are already judged. You are already condemned. I am not judging you. God says it has already occurred. It’s just a question of whether you have believed in Jesus Christ or have not believed in Him. Vs. 19 - this is the judgement. That the light is come into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. Remarkable verse - you ought to connect it very closely with John 3:16. Because it gives you an explanation of the other side of the picture - John 3:16 says that God so loved the world. People say - oh if God loved the world so much why isn’t the whole world saved? I want to tell you there is no question about the love of God. He gave his Son, thats proof.

You know the problem in vs. 19, this is the judgement, the light has come into the world, men loved darkness - God loved the world but the world doesn't love God. Men love darkness - thats why men aren’t saved. That’s the explanation here. This is why they are under judgement and condemnation. They love darkness, so we say if God were a God of love he couldn't sentence anyone to Hell. The only ones he will sentence to hell are those who love darkness. Thats fair isn't it? If they love darkness ought they not to go where the Prince of Darkness will be? Ought they not to be sentenced according to the deeds that they love?

The problem is not with the love of God. The problem is with the love of man. This is judgment. Light has come into the world, light here refers to Jesus Christ. He is the one who is the full and complete revelation - light makes known - light reveals things - we have the lights on here. We turn the lights out, everything would be in darkness, and none of us would see anything. The room has no windows, it would be pitch black. The lights are on to reveal. They make known. Jesus Christ is the light he is the one who reveals and makes God known.

It also has that ethical connotation of holiness and purity which is a natural result of Gods character - God being light. Now light has come into the world - Jesus Christ. The one who is the Son of God, we will see this in another passage a little bit later.

Where the one who has seen Christ has seen the Father, not the physical form, but the character - the nature - the attributes are manifested in Christ. Light has come into the world, men loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. Interesting, men loved darkness. Thats the word
Agopoto*- the same love we have been talking about of God here. Its a self-sacrificing love. Its love that puts a value on an object for the object alone, not for any benefit derived. Men have placed their value on darkness. They love& darkness - thats the focal point of their life, and they have no interest in loving the light and in coming to the light. Why? They love darkness because their deeds are evil. They are doing evil, wicked things, and they do not want to be exposed to Jesus Christ in his truth because that reveals them to be what they really are. Sinners. Thats why people don't particularity want to hear about Jesus Christ. It amazes me when I talk to religious people. Oh fine - you're a preacher - everybody thinks that a good morale occupation for some reason. Thats wonderful, the world needs more preachers. I was talking to someone last week on a trip, and they thought that was just wonderful - I was a preacher. But you know where the problem comes in? Then you start to tell them the truth about Jesus Christ, the truth about the word of God, isn't it amazing how they are no longer interested in talking about these religious things. You know what that reveals? Loving darkness.

Now be careful here, now wait a minute. I don't murder, I don't do immorality, some of these gross things? Would be included in loving darkness, those deeds are evil. It also includes things like arrogance and pride, which characterize men. You know*a humbling thing to come to acknowledge that I am a sinner and bow before God, place my faith in Jesus Christ and my pride won't let me do it. There is an arrogance about it. So we need to be careful that we don't see this and say well I'm not that bad. I don't love darkness, I'm not glad people get killed, or raped and on and on. No, but loving darkness deeds are evil. You know what the sin of Satan was? It wasn't immorality. It wasn't murder. It was pride.
I want to be like God. I would be like the most high. Yet men in their arrogance do the same thing.

God says they are lost, on their road to hell. They say I am not. They are sinners - I am not. What is that? That is arrogance. That man would stand up to God and challenge God, that is another way of saying - I'll be God, I'm playing God in my world. I'll tell you what I am like. Well men love darkness. Their deeds are evil. They are arrogant, they are proud. They are unwilling to bow before Jesus Christ, acknowledge Him as the Savior they need and rely upon Him for their salvation.

He goes on to develop this in vs. 20. Everyone who does evil hates the light, does not come to the light least his deeds be exposed. Darkness carries that connotation that ethical connotation in scripture - of wickedness and sin.
It's the same today. When do most robberies occur? They don't wait for the sun to come out. They do it at night. Mens sinful deeds. We’ve talked about this. There are streets that you would walk down in the daytime that you wouldn't walk down in the nighttime. Why? I mean, day and night - its the same street, the same air, but we know that people under the cover of darkness do wicked things.

This is the picture spiritually. When I am involved in sinful things. I do not want someone to tell me from the bible that it is sin. I don’t want someone to talk to me, needing to be forgiven by faith in Christ. So I avoid the light. I want to avoid that kind of exposure, because it convicts me. It causes aggravation and tension. I don't want to hear it so those who do evil hate light. They don't want to come to the light that will reveal them to be what they are.

Every single person, not a person in the world, if they come to the light of the revelation of the word of God is not revealed to be a sinner. Not revealed to be deficient in righteousness. Not one single person in the entire world out of the billions of people in the world, if they are examined in the light of the word of God is not found to be a sinner under judgement and condemnation. So men try to avoid the light. That doesn't mean they try to avoid religion. They try to avoid the light.

Many will go to church, but they dont want to go to church if they are going to hear they are sinners. They don't want to go to church if they are going to have to hear that Jesus Christ died for their sin and they must believe in Him. They are avoiding the light.

But he who practices the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. An interesting verse - it says that he who practices the truth comes to the light, we would expect it to be the other way around. He who comes to the light practices the truth.
That is not what it says. It says the one who practices the truth comes to the light. What is here drives home the point, if it wasn’t for sin we would have no hesitance, no reservation about coming to believe in Jesus Christ.

We have all kinds of reasons that we have built up that we won't believe in Him. You know what the bible says? If you were really practicing the truth you would come to Him. There would be no problem. That really is a concrete evidence that you are in love with the darkness. Have you come to believe in Jesus Christ. Have you come to Him who is truth. No. You know that the bible says? You love the darkness.

You say, now wait a minute, that’s not it. I have some intellectual disagreements. No, that’s your evaluation.
God's evaluation is you love the darkness, and I personally will take His evaluation. He’s right - 101% of the time. Every time. He who practices the truth comes to the light.

People say I am searching for God. I'm searching for God in my own way. You know what they are saying? Not that I am searching for God in my own way, I am searching for my own God. As soon as I get him constructed I plan to worship him. You say, well let me bring your search to a conclusion, let me lead you to the true God. The bible says you are a sinner and Jesus Christ Gods Son died for you.

Wait a minute - I don’t want to hear that. I'm searching for the truth. You're not searching for the truth. He who does the truth comes to the light. It is particularly significant when Jesus talks in the context of people like Nicodemus, those who were really allowing God to work in their lives, when Jesus Christ came they believed in Him. John the Baptist believed in Him, the followers of John the Baptist believed in Him, they came to the light. The others like Nicodemus they weren't really doing the truth, they were doing religious deeds, carry on religious activity, they weren't really interested in coming to the truth. Because if you are doing the truth you are happy to come to the light to be revealed for what you are, it's God working in your life. It's made clear here you don't originate good works - God does. So if you were really doing the truth, it would be God working in you, if it were God working in you there would be no resistance
Would there? or problem of coming to His Son Jesus Christ.^ It's amazing how
simple God lays it out. Yet how perceptive what the scripture. It says as it goes right through. That's why when it is there we are uncomfortable with the word of God, I dont want to hear it, it just like a knife that goes right through. It reveals me for what I am. The exciting message here is this is what we are - now if that was all there was to it - now we think it is negative to ialk about sin and condemnation and judgment - No. It's exciting to talk about that because we have a cure a remedy. That's like someone would walk into you after you have an examination at a doctor’s office and say let me tell you have a horrible disease ravaging your body, eating away your insides, you are being consumed. You're going to be in a terrible situation in four more days. This is just hopeless -
I want to get out of the room before I catch it. By the way we have something, if you will just drink this glass it will be all cured and you’ll be on your way with no after affects.

Now you say that is negative - that was positive. Exciting. You know I appreciate the cure because I knew how bad the disease was. I really appreciate the coming of Christ, the significance of this event transcends anything else that ever occurred anywhere else in history. That God became a man so he could redeem sinful humanity. So it's not depressing for me to talk about sin, not depressing for me to talk about judgment, there’s a cure, there’s a remedy. God has provided forgiveness and salvation.

Now the tragedy in it all is that there are some whom God loves who loves darkness. God loves the world but men continue to love darkness. Isn't that mind boggling? What did darkness ever do for you? What did sin ever do for you? Take hold of your life, ruin your health, ruin your-marriage.

Destroy any joy and happiness you have. And yet men are in love with darkness. And here God loves them, provided salvation for them, so they could be cleansed, forgiven, brought into eternal relationship with Him. A significant message, the most significant message that can ever be proclaimed.

Interesting, go over to John 12. The public ministry of Jesus Christ closes with this same message. So in John 3 we are early in the ministry of Jesus Christ, with John 12 we are at the close of the public ministry of Christ. John 13 relates material on the last supper. We are at the last night of the life of Christ. So His public ministry is over with John 12 and note how he closes in verse 44.

Incidentally, those verses just proceeding verse 44 tie the verse I quoted you earlier from Isiah 6, where Isiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, the seraphim crying out "Holy, Holy", that's where John says Isiah saw Jesus Christ on that throne. In verse 44, Jesus cried out and said "he who believes in me does not believe in me, but in him who sent me. He who beholds me beholds the one who sent me." You note how inseparable it is, there is not a place or person on the face of the earth who believes in God who does not believe in Jesus Christ. I’m talking about the one true living God. Men who do not believe in Jesus Christ do not believe in the one true God.

I do not say they don't believe in God, or worship a God, but Jesus says that He and the Father are inseparable. You believe in Him you believe in the Father. You behold Christ, you behold the Father. As far as his attributes, his character and so on are concerned.

I have corned, verse 46, as light into the world that everyone who believes in me may not remain in darkness. You know that is where you are, you are in darkness, what he does is remove you from the domain, the kingdom of darkness and place you in the kingdom of light as Col. says.
And if anyone hears my saying and does not keep them, I do not judge him, for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. There’s no judgment - no that is not what he says. He who rejects Me does not receive my saying as one who judges him. The word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own initiative but the Father himself who sent me has given me commandment what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life, therefore the things I speak I speak just as the Father told me.

That's the message. If you don't believe it you will be judged on the basis of this message at that judgement we read about in Rev 20. Jesus said if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. That's the only alternative. Believe in Jesus Christ, or die in your sins. I am the way,
the truth, the life. No man, no man comes to the Father but by me. There is one God and one mediator between God and men - the man Christ Jesus. One go-between. But that's all we need, isn't it? I don't need four salvations, I only need one. I don't need ten people to die for my sins, I only need one qualified person. You know what - God has provided Him. That's the glorious message of the birth of Christ. He came for a purpose. Not to condemn me, I know I'm a sinner, I have the load of guilt that I bear - you know what? That's gone. Because I have been forgiven, I've been cleansed, He’s taken it all away - you know why? I've come to believe that Jesus Christ - God's Son died for me. The moment I did he forgave me my sms, brought me into a person relationship with himself that gave meaning and purpose and vitality to my life. That relationship will go on forever. That's the message I proclaim to you today. That's the invitation I give you. Christ died for you. God loved you enough to have His son die.

Why should you go on loving darkness? He loves you. You have the glorious privilege of loving Him because he first loved you. All that is involved is that you believe that you are a sinner and Christ died for you. The moment you believe in Him - that instantons transaction occurs, you are forgiven right where you are - you won't have to join this church - you don't have to give any money - you don't have to be baptized, confirmed, work, anything - just believe in Him. You will be forgiven at that moment in time. And that relationship that begins at that instant will go on forever and its called eternal life. Those of us who have ought to be rejoicing every day. Occasions like this time of year, special cost, ought to be reminded again that we can praise the Lord, day in and day out, Christ has come and because of that we have life forever.

Lets pray together. "Father we praise you this morning for the greatness of our salvation. Lord that we who were under condemnation and judgement, we who deserved nothing else, nothing better, yet Lord in love you had your Son come to earth on a mission of salvation to provide redemption for those who were hopelessly lost in their sins. Lord what great love - we thank you for it. Lord pray for those who have come this morning whether they are here Sunday after Sunday or visiting today for the first time, Lord if they have not yet come to believe in Christ, I pray that the spirit might work in their heart and mind even now. To cause them to understand and believe that they personally are sinners for whom Christ died. That they might know the joy, the happiness that comes from having sin forgiven, guilt removed and being brought into a personal relationship with you. Lord for us that have experienced that may your joy and peace and happiness characterize us day by day and moment by moment. We continue to walk with you.
For we pray in Jesus name. Amen