Condemned Or Pardoned?
Are you condemned or pardoned tonight? Actually, you may protest and say that you’ve never even been to jail, so how can I ask you if you have been condemned or pardoned? I ask this question tonight because each and every one of us are condemned or pardoned. No exceptions. So I ask again, condemned or pardoned? Which is it?
Even if you have never served time in jail or prison, if Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior, then you are a condemned person. You are a spiritually dead man or woman (Ephesians 2:1-2). He that believes on him (Jesus) is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (John 3:18-20). He that believes not is condemned already. This is the condemnation, men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth (Psalm 34:16). Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned (Psalm 34:21-22).
Do Not Be Deceived
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. In other words, unrepentant sinners are condemned already. Oh, don’t continue going through life with God’s condemnation, His wrath abiding upon you over yours sins.
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul is talking to Christians. Please listen to what he says: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:1-8).
Do You Walk After The Spirit Or The Flesh?
Did you catch that? Those who are in Christ Jesus, those of us who walk after the Spirit are not condemned. So if you are not in the Spirit, but walk after the flesh, this means you are condemned! Those of you who are not followers of Jesus Christ, those who have not repented and surrendered fully and completely to Jesus are condemned. You are under condemnation from Almighty God! This should scare you. This should petrify you. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 states: And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).
Ask Again, Are You Condemned Or Pardoned?
So I ask you again, are you condemned or pardoned? If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, you are condemned. Don’t continue going through life rebelling against God. Don’t continue barreling down that broad road to destruction. Do not die in your sins and foolishly go to Hell. Do not suffer God’s righteous judgment and anger over your sins for all eternity.
Instead, seek a pardon! Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7).
Be pardoned; be forgiven for your sins. Repent and believe the Gospel. Truly surrender your life to Jesus Christ. When you repent of your sins and trust Jesus for your salvation; He nails your sins to the cross! And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
Be Forgiven For Your Sins
Oh be forgiven for your sins, come to Jesus Christ and be saved. You can’t earn salvation. It is the free gift from God. Receive the gift through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In you shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
And the law is not of faith: but, The man that does them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:6-14).
Unbelievers Are Condemned
If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, then you are condemned. You are a condemned criminal. All you are working for in this life is death – physical death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23). Not only are you working for physical death, you have the second death, or never ending death waiting for you after you die. That is, if you die in your sins.
Don’t do it. Be saved today. Receive eternal life. Pass from death to life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24).
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:12-13).
Now is the acceptable time, today is the day of salvation. Repent from your sins and surrender your life fully and completely to Jesus Christ the Lord. Willingly bow your knee; gratefully confess with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord. Call upon the mighty name of Jesus and be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).
Are You Pardoned?
Condemned or pardoned? Which is it? I have been pardoned. I have been set free. Who the Son sets free is free indeed. Don’t continue going through life as a condemned criminal Join myself, join the thief on the cross that was next Jesus when He died. Yes join this same thief and all other followers of Jesus, in Heaven after you die.
Do as the thief did; repent and believe in Jesus. Be condemned no more. Repent and trust Jesus. Be pardoned today. Be forgiven for your sins. Receive eternal life. Become a follower of Jesus – repent of your sins and believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved. God will remember your sins no more. He will cast them as far as the East is from the West.
Trust Jesus and no longer be condemned. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1). Come to Jesus through repentance and faith and become a follower of Jesus. Walk after the Spirit and no longer be condemned. Be pardoned instead and receive eternal life.
(This message was proclaimed in downtown Springfield, MO on November 1, 2019)