Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
One of my sons is about to head over to Europe for a six week holiday. He is very excited and counting the days until departure. And I am sure that most, if not all of us, can remember holidays that we looked forward to for a long time. But then the holiday arrives, and the days and weeks that we looked forward to for months go by and soon enough we are driving or flying back home to the cold, hard realities of daily life.
It is similar to climbing a hill or a mountain. Getting to the top is so rewarding and you can soak up the beautiful view and the sense of accomplishment. But of course, you can’t stay there forever; there comes a moment when you have to leave the mountain top and head back ‘down to earth.’
Well, it is a little bit like that with the passage before us today. Last week we enjoyed the ‘holiday’ or the ‘mountaintop’ of John 3:16-17. Wow! We called those verses God’s wonderfully mysterious, eternal redemption plan. We saw that the Jews of Jesus’ day had this very small, for us Jews only, perspective of the coming of Messiah. But Jesus spoke about God’s great love for the world – if people from any tribe and language and nation believe in Him, they will be saved and enjoy eternal life. So God is busy building this church as the years march on, and on the Day of Judgment He will present that church to His Son, Jesus, as His eternal bride.
But though it was good to ‘holiday’ or ‘enjoy the view’ of God’s wonderful plan of redemption, the time has come for us to come ‘back down to earth’ and consider the flip-side of salvation, which is condemnation. And I do not mean to suggest that condemnation is not wonderful and glorious, for it is as much a part of who-God-is as salvation. I am simply reflecting the fact that most of us, if we have a choice, would prefer to think about salvation rather than condemnation.
And this is certainly true of the world we live in. Another word for condemnation is judgment. And what is the one thing that we are not allowed to do today? Judge! How dare anyone judge another.
I am not sure exactly how long ago it was, but I remember a news headline that said: Worldwide shortage of safety pins. Does anyone else remember that headline? Safety pins were in short supply because there was this world-wide movement, especially among young people, to wear a safety pin on your top. The idea was that the safety pin broadcast the message that you were a safe person; you were non-judgmental; you were tolerant and accepting; you would not condemn.
Now, a person can certainly do a lot of damage if they run around telling people off and not listening and discriminating. The Bible is very clear that we are to be gentle people, and that we are to “speak the truth IN LOVE.”
But while the Lord Jesus was very gentle with the woman who had been caught in adultery, what were His last words to her? “Go now and leave your life of sin.” What that woman was doing was sinful, according to God’s word, and she needed to know this and the God-given solution for sin – Jesus Christ.
But she is not the only one guilty of sinning. The message of the Bible, as we shall see today, is that we are all sinners; we all deserve condemnation. The solution to the problem is what is described in vv16&17 – belief in the Lord Jesus; those who believe in Him are given eternal life. But that leaves us with an obvious question: What about those who do not believe in Jesus? And the second half of v18 answers that question: “Whoever does not believe in Him stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
- Now, a very important word here is the word already, “Whoever does not believe in Him stands condemned already…” Because eternal life has been mentioned in vv15&16, and because of the teaching in the rest of the Bible, it is clear that there is an eternal aspect to condemnation. Not every one will enter eternal life; there will be some, many, who are condemned to an eternity in hell. But we are told here that those who do not believe in Jesus as Saviour stand condemned already. Why?
- Well, this is clearly because of unbelief. The verse is quite explicit about that: “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” So Nicodemus and others were refusing to trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Many people since then and today also hear the Gospel but refuse to believe in Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
- But the Bible’s emphasis on Jesus as Saviour helps us see that even before a person hears the gospel or even if they never hear about Jesus Christ, they are already condemned. And vv19-21 help us see this as we see there that condemnation has to do with deeds that are evil, in other words, sinful behaviours, thoughts, and words. All human beings begin life deserving condemnation because they inherit a sinful nature from their parents and because of the sins they personally commit. In other words, all human beings need salvation from what the guilt of sin deserves – God’s wrath.
- I keep quoting these verses in Romans because they are easy to remember and they summarize our problem as sinful human beings in just a few words: Romans 3:23, “We all fall short of the glory of God.” No human being measures up to God’s standards, which are perfection; we all sin. And Romans 6:23 tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” Because God is holy and just, sin must be punished.
- And this should surprise no one. Here in NZ we have a court system. We have laws that must be obeyed. And when a person disobeys the law, what happens? They are tried in court and if found guilty, they are punished. Parents have rules at home. And if the children break the rules, what happens? They are punished. We see this ‘rule’ right throughout human society. And it is like this in society because we human beings are made in the image of God and God is holy and just. And so in every society, crime is punished. So sinful behaviour must be punished.
- And flesh is put on the bones of this truth in a passage like Galatians 5:19-21. There we read, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” To “live like this” means to continue in sin and not confess it and repent of it. And inheriting the kingdom of God is another way to describe eternal life in heaven. So those who do not repent of their sin and believe in Jesus will be condemned to hell.
- A couple of Sundays ago I mentioned the Australian rugby player, Israel Folau. He is in the news at present because of a comment he made on social media. Someone asked him about God’s plan for gay people, and he responded, “Hell, unless they repent and believe in God.” He has since released a public statement that explains his response in more detail and where he humbly acknowledges his own sins. I put it on the church Facebook page earlier in the week. It is well worth a read. But Israel Folau’s core message is exactly what the Bible teaches. Those who do not repent of their sins and believe in Jesus will be condemned to hell. And it is not up to him or me or anyone else to decide what things are or are not sinful; it is God who tells us that in His word. There are many things that society has decided are right and then later judged as wrong, or vice versa. But God’s word never changes. Condemnation is according to His standards. So while the world has now decided that homosexuality is OK, we have to say that just as God’s word tells us that adultery and gossip and lying and drunkenness is sinful behaviour that must be repented of, homosexual activity is also sinful behaviour that must be repented of.
- So, the good news of the gospel, the free gift of salvation, is simply Repent of your sins and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. You would think then that everyone would repent and believe. Right? I mean, hell is awful heaven is great, and all you must do is repent of your sins and believe in Jesus. But many are unwilling to do this. Why? Well, verses 19-20 help us see why. In these verses, Jesus is pictured as light and human beings as those who prefer the darkness. “Men loved darkness instead of light … everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”
- The Jewish leaders were classic examples of this. They thought they were law-keepers. But then Jesus came along and His perfect obedience revealed just how much they broke the law. And they hated Him for it. Have you ever known someone who was what we call a goody-good? Did you like him or her? Usually we do not because they make us look bad!
- Well, in a similar way the law of God exposes our sin. In and of ourselves, we are quite happy being selfish or hateful or greedy or homosexual or gossips or engaging in sex outside of marriage or lying or being unloving husbands or lazy employees or harshly critical of others or hypocritical or divisive, etc, but God says, This is sin and it must be confessed and repented of. And people do not like to be told this.
- I mean, come on congregation, it’s hard enough in the church! We don’t naturally like to have our sins exposed by the preaching of the word, for example. We love grace sermons; no one ever complains about them. But law sermons? Application in sermons? Sometimes we Elders have to visit members who profess faith and admonish them about their sins. But very often we just hear excuses and denials, that is if we are even allowed in the door.
- But none of this should surprise us: “Everyone who does evil hates the light.” Sinners do not naturally like to have their sin exposed!
- Now, again, God has also told us the way of escape; the way of deliverance; the way of salvation. It is not be perfect and you will then deserve heaven. It is what we read in John 3:16&18a: “Whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life … Whoever believes in Him is not condemned.” He tells us this also in the other half of that Romans verse I quoted earlier: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And this is not just a way of escaping hell. It is the doorway into a life of fellowship and joy and meaning and purpose! Life with Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is the best life!
- But those who refuse to repent of their sins and who do not believe in Jesus Christ are under God’s wrath; they are condemned already and they will be condemned to an eternity in hell on Judgment Day. And that is not my opinion, or Israel Folau’s opinion; it is what God declares in His word as you can read for yourself. And if I did not tell you this, I would be more guilty than the person who sees someone walking towards the edge of a cliff but does not yell out a warning. If you continue in your sins and do not turn to Jesus Christ in confession and faith, you will spend eternity in hell.
- Now, because I have mentioned homosexuality a couple of times, I want to tell you again about Rosaria Butterfield. She was living in a lesbian relationship and she was an LGBT activist. One day she wrote an article criticizing a Christian organization for its gender views. She received a letter from a Christian Pastor asking questions about her own views and inviting her to call and discuss this matter. Eventually she called and was invited to dinner. For two years she visited this minister and his wife and they visited her. And then, on February 14, 1999, as Rosaria describes it, she “emerged from the bed of [her] lesbian lover and an hour later was sitting in a pew at Syracuse Reformed Presbyterian church.” Rosaria had come to understand that she was a condemned sinner whose only hope was to repent of her sins and believe in Jesus Christ as her Saviour. Lesbianism was just one of many sins that she had come to see in herself. And every believer here will testify to the fact that the whole Christian life is a journey of having new sins and old sins continually exposed that must be dealt with by confession and repentance and faith. The Christian community is not a community of the perfect; it is a community of those who daily confess their sins and trust in the finished work of Christ.
- Well, by way of conclusion, verse 21 talks about those who come into the light. As we have seen in ch. 3, it is the Holy Spirit who converts; it takes the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit to take away the nature that prefers the darkness of evil deeds and replace it with a nature that loves the light. That is what He did with Rosaria Butterfield. That is what He has done with all who have a living faith in Christ. But He does it as we share the gospel with people. We must tell them that they are condemned and why they are condemned, and that whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned.
- And if you are someone who has not yet repented and believed in Jesus, please don’t put it off until later. In his early days, the preacher and evangelist Dwight L. Moody preached to a large crowd at a hall in Chicago. He was preaching about Jesus’ trial before Pilate. And at one stage Pilate asks, “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” But because it was late, Moody ended his sermon by encouraging the people to take the text home with them and ponder it over the week so that they could come together again the next Sunday and decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Well, Moody left quickly for another appointment. It was that night, though, that the great fire of Chicago swept through the town, burning down many buildings, including Moody’s hall, with many who had stayed behind trapped inside. And Moody later called his sermon ending the greatest mistake of his life. Do not put Jesus off until next Sunday or even tomorrow or even later today. None of you know what the next hour holds. Now is the time to believe in Jesus. Now is the time to cry out and confess your sins and believe that He died on the cross for you!
Please pray with me – Spirit of God, please help anyone here who has come to see their sin and guilt pray to God and confess their sins, and believe that Jesus died on the cross for them. And cause them to know that as they do this they have eternal life. Thank you for giving us your Son as our Saviour. In His name we pray, Amen.