We Are Not Condemning You
My friends and I are going to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you. Some of you may think that we are judging you. Some of you may accuse us of condemning you. But I’m here to tell you that we are not condemning you. We are sharing Jesus Christ the Lord with you.
John 5:19-30 says: Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Jesus Is The Judge
For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Just prior to the verses quoted here, the Jews sought to kill Jesus because He made Himself equal to God. Jesus is the Son of the living God. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little (Psalm 2:12). Jesus is the Son of God. He is part of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. He was God in the flesh. He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven right now. He is Lord of all.
You Are Condemned Already
My friends and I don’t condemn you; you are condemned already if Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). If you have never repented and surrendered your life to Jesus, then you are still condemned. You are still facing God’s righteous judgment.
Jesus will judge you on Judgment Day and you will be found guilty, if you die in your sins. If you die as an unrepentant sinner. If you die in your state of rebellion. It doesn’t matter what that rebellion is; all rebellion is sin against God. Jesus said But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).
If Jesus Christ is not Lord of your life, then you are still on that list. We’ve all lied…many many times. You are guilty. All unrepentant sinners are unbelievers. If you have never turned from your sins and turned to Jesus, then you are an unbeliever. You are guilty.
Many things in the Bible are called abominable; they are detestable to God: lying, shedding innocent blood (abortion), homosexuality (called sodomy in the Bible), prideful persons (pride goes before the fall and God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble). The way of the wicked is an abomination to God.
The Unrighteous
The apostle Paul lists many of these wicked sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
If your sin of choice is on this list, then you are guilty. You are not a good person. You are a sinner who still loves their sins. You are an unrepentant sinner who is still rebelling against God and you are guilty. You are already condemned by Jesus Christ the Lord. You are guilty and you will be judged. Not by my friends and I, but by the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You are guilty and you are condemned.
Every single person who hasn’t repented and put their trust in Jesus is condemned already because none of us are righteous. We are all sinners. We have all gone astray from God. All unrepentant sinners do what they want to do. They do what they think is right. Everyone does what seems right in their own eyes. But none of us measure up to God’s perfect standard. No matter how right or righteous we think we are, we are not. Isaiah 64:6 says But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Our very best is as filthy rags.
You and I are not righteous. We are sinners and that’s why you must repent and put your faith in Jesus. You must totally surrender to His Lordship. He is the only Savior. He is the only way of salvation. There is salvation in no other. He is your only hope. It truly is repent or perish. Submit to the Lordship of Jesus and receive everlasting life or die in your sins and suffer the torments of Hell forever. It’s one or the other. It’s Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or it is Jesus Christ as Judge.
God Commands You To Repent
God commands all men everywhere to repent. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead (Acts 17:30-31). God , the great God of Heaven and earth commands you to repent! Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus because He is the righteous One. He is the only risen Lord.
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Jesus suffered, bled and died on that cruel cross for guilty sinners who repent and put their trust in Him. You cannot continue living for the devil and expect to go to Heaven when you die. Continuing in your same habitual, rebellious sinful lifestyle is not repentance. It’s not repentance, it’s rebellion. Rebellion against God and God will not be mocked. Whatsoever you sow, that shall you also reap (Galatians 6:7). If you continue sowing your sinful life then you will reap the whirlwind. For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7).
Don’t foolishly die in your sins and reap the whirlwind of God’s wrath for all of eternity. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (John 8:21-24).
Are You Living For God?
Are you living for God or Satan? Many people claim a belief in God, but they are deceived. They do not serve God. They do not live for God. No, they live for the pleasures of the flesh. What are you living for? Do you live to fulfill selfish desires? Are you living for the here and now to satisfy your fleshly, your lustful desires?
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God (John 8:42-47).
Jesus says that if you were a child of God’s, then you would love Him. Christ also said if you love Me, keep My commandments. Then He goes on to say that the devil is your father and the lusts of your father is what you do. Who or what are you serving. Do not be deceived, the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived tonight. You know there is a God. You know that you are a sinner. You know that you deserve eternal punishment over your sins. But you suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
Don’t continue doing this. Don’t continue frolicking down the broad road to destruction. You are lost. You love your sins. You continue rebelling against God and you are condemned. Not by my friends and I. We are not condemning you. The Righteous Judge condemns you and He is the only one who can clear your guilty conscience. He is the only Savior. Repent and trust Jesus. Do this today. Turn from your sins and turn to the risen Lord and Savior. Surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus and He will grant you everlasting life.
(This message was lifted up on the square in downtown Springfield, MO on June 17, 2016)