Not so much anymore, but in years
past, I used to see a lot of billboards, a lot of bumper stickers,
a lot of people holding signs on the side of the road that
simply read John 316. I saw a man just this past week
who was begging for money at one of the intersections here
in town, and he had that scripture on his sign, John 316. If you
would turn with me to John chapter three. John chapter three. And let me say before I get into
the message this morning that I have given a tremendous amount
of thought recently to the simplicity that's found in the gospel of
Christ. The simple message. The Lord
has dealt with me to strive to preach with urgency and with
simplicity. since the message of God, the
message of the gospel is a matter of eternal consequence, and it
is. It must be preached with urgency, and it must be preached
with simplicity in order for sinners to have no misunderstanding
as to what God is saying in this book. In Ezekiel chapter three,
I won't turn you there, but God Almighty had warned his shepherds,
his pastors, he calls them there his watchmen, Watchman into the
house of Israel and he instructs them to give sinners warning
from him. God said to those who were in
rebellion that they would die in their sin if they did not
turn from their wicked ways. But that's not all that God said.
The Almighty said to his watchman, to his shepherds, to his pastors,
that if they did not warn the wicked of the consequences of
their sin and their iniquity, that the blood of those lost
sinners would be on the hands of those watchmen that did not
warn them. I find that so alarming. In Ezekiel
chapter 33, God gives the same warning. And again, God said
to his shepherds, his pastors, I have set thee a watchman unto
the house of Israel. Therefore thou shalt hear the
word at my mouth. This is God's gospel. This is
God's message, friends. This is a message from God. It's
a warning from God. And I take this charge from God
very, very seriously. The gospel we preach is not our
message. Gospel we preach is God's message. It's the message that we hear
from His mouth. And the gospel we preach is a
great comfort to those whom God enables to believe it. I know
many of you are here this morning to be comforted by your God. But this is also a warning to
those who rebel against God's word. And again, God says, when
I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die. God
also says to his preachers, if thou does not speak to warn the
wicked from his way, they shall die in their iniquity, but his
blood will I require at thine hand. What a serious charge that
is to every gospel preacher, past, present, and future, I
might add. A tremendous responsibility it
is, a heavy burden does it bring. I can't tell you how many times
early, early on Sunday morning I awaken and can't sleep because
I'm thinking about the urgency and the responsibility of preaching
to you. Don't take it lightly and we
shouldn't. The word of God needs no explanation. The preacher,
the watchman, the one whom God has called to speak to the hearts
of men and women must tell and must warn sinners of the dangers
that their sin exposes them to. And it's the same word, the same
message, the same gospel that comforts God's people and yet
warns the unbeliever. No wonder the apostle Paul said
this, wrote this. He said, for though I preach
the gospel, I have nothing to glory of. And that is so true. The gospel message, as we've
already said, is God's message, and we have no reason to glory
in it. It's his message. But Paul said, for necessity
is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9 16. Now that
word there, necessity, means urgency. It means an obligation. It means emergency. The soul
without Christ is in a state of emergency. Paul said, woe
unto me, not just woe unto the sinner, but woe to the preacher,
grief, misery, heartache, agony, even torment is unto me if I
preach not the gospel, Paul said. Now this woe comes not to those
who simply don't preach, but to those who preach not the gospel,
the gospel being the good news of Christ and Him crucified,
and that message that is able to save sinners from their sin. Now, are you interested in that
message? When I consider these things, I see the importance,
I see the seriousness of my calling, and by His grace, I don't take
it lightly. And I'm so humbled when I consider
that the God of all grace is a God of mercy, He's a God of
mercy. He's a God of compassion. He's
a God of forgiveness. And that's why he sends his servants
to preach this message of forgiveness in Christ. Asking condemned sinners
that all important question, why will you die? Why will you
die? What a sobering question that
is. Why would anyone die if there's a way to live? But what I want
us to seriously consider this morning is the fact that we cannot
blame men's condemnation on God. There are many today who hate
the sovereignty of God and they blame God for the eternal death
of the wicked. Many seem to think that God chooses
and elects men and women to eternal damnation, and that is not so. God elects and chooses men and
women to salvation, but sinners have no one to blame but themselves
for God's eternal wrath and condemnation that's against them. Now here
in John chapter three and verse 14, our Lord did not say the
son of man shall be lifted up. He said, the son of man must
be lifted up and he must be. If the demands of God's holy
justice are to be met and to be satisfied, if sin is to be
put away, if God's elect are to be saved, Christ must die. He must. In verse 14, we find
the remedy for our sin. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man,
must be lifted up. That's the remedy. He must be
lifted up and we must look to Him. Just like Moses lifted up
that serpent of brass in the wilderness, those that looked
lived. We must look to Christ the same
way. In verse 15, we find the result of Christ being lifted
up on the cross. Whosoever believes on Christ
shall not perish, but have eternal life. That's the result of looking. Isn't that so simple? It's a
simple message, impossible to believe apart from the divine
intervention and revelation from God. In verse 16, we find the
reason. Our salvation was provided by
love for God so loved. That's a verse of scripture that
many can quote, but I am convinced yet few know what it really means.
Verse 16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. First, I would have you to notice
the tense of God's love here. God so loved. He's always loved
His people. There's never been a time where
God did not love His chosen people. It's an everlasting love. It's
without beginning and it's without end. Secondly, I would have you
to notice the magnitude of God's love. God so loved. A young man meets a young woman,
they fall in love, and he says, I love you so much. God so loved. The magnitude of God's love.
God loved so much. It's an infinite love. It's greater
love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friend. God so loved. Thirdly, I want
you to consider the scope of God's love. God so loved the
world. God's love wasn't limited to
the Jews only, but Christ redeemed us to God by his shed blood out
of every kindred and tongue and people and nation according to
Revelation chapter five. In this very familiar verse,
did you notice the nature of God's love? God so loved that
he gave. He gave. Real love, true love,
always seeks the interest and wellbeing of its object. Love
is unselfish. It always gives, it never takes. God gave the greatest gift of
all. He gave His only begotten Son. In God's love, we see His sacrificial
character. He not only gave His only begotten
Son, but His only begotten Son gave His life. God not only gave
Christ to live for chosen men and women, working out a perfect
righteousness for them, but God also gave Christ to die. Not just any death, the death
of the cross, which paid the debt of sin that they could not
pay. For God so loved that He gave. How beautiful are the words
of Paul who wrote of Christ and said, who being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself
of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and
was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. Now that's talking about God.
That's what God did for those he set his affection on before
the foundation of the world. Christ became obedient unto death
because you and I could not be obedient in life. And how glorious
is it that Christ made himself of no reputation? You think about
that. God made himself of no reputation. To become a man, he had to. God
took on the form of a servant. He had to take on the form of
a servant and be made in the likeness of sinners like you
and me to save us from our sin. It took great humility for God
to become a man, did it not? That he would leave his throne
on high and come for sinful men and women to die? My marvel of
marvel. it took boundless, profound humility
to die for his people, to die the death that we should have
died, the death of a criminal, the death of the cross. And because
Christ died, God hath also highly exalted him and given him a name
which is above every name. Did you notice the design of
God's love? What was it? But whosoever believeth
on him should not perish. That was God's will and purpose
in the whole matter. No condemnation, no judgment. None shall come to them that
believes and trusts in Christ to fulfill the law in their stead
and satisfy God's justice on their behalf. That's something
we couldn't do. It has to be perfect to be accepted
and we cannot provide the perfection that God requires. But our Lord
and Savior did. And here we see the benefit of
God's love. Those God loves, he sent his
son to die for. And those who believe that Christ
alone can put away their sin, they have everlasting life. I've been quoting this verse
since vacation Bible school when I was a child, but I'm just now
beginning at age 65 to understand what this really means. for God
so loved His people in the world that He gave. And He didn't just
give anything. He gave what was most precious
to Him, His only begotten Son. And whosoever, well, I thought
God only saved the elect. Well, we talked about that last
time. Whosoever will is whosoever God elects, isn't it? Whosoever
will. believe on him shall have everlasting
life. So I must ask you that all important
question once again, what think ye of Christ? In the end, it's
all that will matter. What think ye of Christ? Look
at verse 17. For God sent not his son into
the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him
might be saved. Again, to think that Christ coming
into the world was to condemn it is to be ignorant of God in
the scriptures. The coming of Christ was not
to condemn the world. The world was already condemned.
Paul was very clear on that in Romans 5, verse 18, when he wrote,
therefore, by the offense of one, that being Adam, judgment
came upon all men to condemnation. Christ's person and his work
for chosen sinners enabled God to be just and justifier of those
who believe. God can never save a sinner apart
from His divine justice. It can't be compromised. In order
for God to be God, He must be just. And in order for us to
be saved, He must justify us. Christ also had once suffered
for sins, the just for the unjust, that substitution, that He might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened
by the Spirit. Don't you love this gospel? In
God's word, we're told to believe. The word of God bids us to look.
Well, what am I to believe into? What am I to look? Well, verse
18, he that believeth on him, on Christ, is not condemned. I am to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. I'm to look to Him and Him alone.
The object of faith to a sinner is Christ Jesus. No man can come
to God, but by Him. That's what our Lord said. He
said, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life. He's everything.
And no man cometh to the Father, but by Him. No man, woman, or
sinner can come to the Father except, boy, I'm glad that word
was put in. I'm glad the Lord used except
there. He's the exception. Except the father which sent
Christ draw them, except it were given unto them of the father,
none would be saved. A sinner cannot know their election
until they first believed on Christ. And it's the father's
will to elect and you cannot come directly to God. You've
got to have a mediator. And there's one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus. You've got to deal with Him.
Men and women also look within to see if they have certain feelings. Folks think that feelings prove
whether or not they're saved. I did for years. There are many
who feel saved that are not. And there are many that don't
feel saved that are. I'm just convinced of that. Men
and women are saved one way only, and that's looking to and trusting
in Christ and Him alone. Doesn't have anything to do with
how you feel. Now, most of the time, I don't feel saved. And
the reason I don't feel saved is because I look within to find
some reason or some feeling to prove that I am saved. And if
we do that, I'm convinced that we'll never find any hope or
assurance of being saved. Christ in you, Christ in me is
the only hope of glory. Only the perfect work of Christ
alone for us is the foundation of our hope. Faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the word of God. Faith comes by hearing the gospel
preached. And a sinner's sense of need
comes by hearing what God says about them. How is it that sinners
like you and me come to know that we're lost and ruined? Because
that's what God tells us about ourselves in this book. How is
it that we're driven by the sense of our ruin to take hold of Christ
who's been restored? The answer and reply is always
the gift of God. For by grace are you saved through
faith. And that's not of yourself, it's
the gift. not by works, lest any man should
boast." It's the work of the Holy Spirit. And again, I remind
you that no man comes to Christ except the Spirit draw him. No man comes to Christ except
it be given to him of the Father. And how is it that the Spirit
of God teaches some to see their need and not others? How does
one see their need of Christ and look to Him and others don't
see their need and go on in their self-righteousness and perish? And the only answer really I
can give you from Scripture is even so, Father, it seemed good
in thy sight. The Lord hath hidden these precious
truths from the wise and the prudent. Lay down your carnal
wisdom and lay down your pride and trust in Christ. He's revealed
these things unto babes. We've got to come to Him as a
little child. Our Lord said, my sheep hear
my voice. The Bible doesn't say you're
not my sheep because you do not believe. Our Lord said, you believe
not because you're not of my sheep. Believing and trusting
in Christ doesn't make a sheep. We believe and trust in Christ
because we are His sheep. Our Lord Jesus said, all that
the Father giveth me shall come to me. You can write it down. If they don't come, it's clear
proof that they never were given to Christ. Those who were given
to Christ, God the Father knew, He chose, He predestinated, He
called, and then justified to one day glorify them. And all
God's elect are led by the Spirit through a sense of need. Man,
I remember the first time I heard the gospel. Man, I got plum lost. I knew I was lost. And then that
preacher told me about Christ who loved me and gave himself
for me. Oh, all God's elect are led by
the Spirit through a sense of need to come and lay hold of
Him who is life. The apostle Paul wrote And you
know the verse well. This is a faithful, sane, and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. Between that word save and that
word sinners, there is no adjective. It doesn't say that Christ came
to save repentant sinners. It doesn't say that Christ came
to save awakened sinners, or sensible sinners, or grieving
sinners, or alarmed sinners. It only says sinners. And I'm
so glad because that's what I am, a sinner saved by grace. I qualify for God's salvation
because I'm a sinner. And I'm most certainly and definitely
that. And that's who Christ came into
the world to save. I came to Christ as a sinner
with nothing in my hand, nothing in my hand I bring. That's how
sinners come to Christ, just as they are. And I'm convinced
that free will religion has ruined a good hymn. Just as I am without
one plea. I have no righteousness of my
own to plead before God. I come just as I am. I don't
have any plea, but thy blood was shed for me. That's my only
hope of redemption. Oh, that thou bids me to come
to thee. God finds no pleasure in the
death of the wicked. O Lamb of God, I come. I have
no plea of my own righteousness. I have no good works of my own
to bring. God's spirit bids me to come. It's Christ's blood that enables
me to do so. I come to God just as I am, poor,
wretched, blind. Does that describe you? Sight
and riches and healing of the mind, all those things I need
in Christ I find. O Lamb of God, I come. The Lord
Jesus stood on that day and he said, all you that labor in a
heavy laden, come unto me and I'll give you rest. That's where
rest is found, Sharon, coming to Christ. Won't you come? That's
why we've come. Christ does for us what we can't
do for ourselves. I was poor, wretched and blind
and only Christ could give me the riches of His grace. Only
Christ can heal my wretched and carnal mind. Only Christ could
give me sight to see these spiritual things. I come to Him for these
things. And I come to Him just as I am
with nothing but my sin, seeking Him to put my sin away. And if
you come to Christ this way, He'll accept you. How do I know? Because He said so. He said,
Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Look at
verse 18. It says that if I believe on
Christ, I'm not condemned. But it also says that he believeth
not is condemned already. Why is that? Because he hath
not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. Did
you hear what the Lord said? He that believes not is already
condemned. We are born condemned because
we're born in sin. It's sin that condemns us because
our sin is against Him and Him only. We enter in this world
with the curse of sin upon us. By nature, we are the children
of wrath, Paul said, even as others. And if a man or a woman
hears the gospel and believes not, I'm convinced that they
sustain even greater condemnation upon themselves through their
unbelief. The sinner that does not trust,
that does not believe in Christ to put away their sin will not
have their sin put away. Why do men and women remain condemned? Verse 19 tells us why. And this
is the condemnation that light is coming to the world and men
loved darkness rather than light. And why did they love darkness
over light? Because their deeds were evil. What's the cause of man's unbelief?
He loves darkness and he hates the light. It's not only that
men are in darkness, it's because men love that darkness. They
prefer darkness. They prefer ignorance. They prefer
error. They would rather remain in darkness
than come to the light of the truth. And that's what our Lord
said. He said, you will not come to me that you might have life.
This is the proof of men and women's depravity, and the person
of Christ is found perfect holiness, perfect righteousness, perfect
love, perfect truth. Why, He's the perfect man who
came and dwelt among imperfect men and women, and what was our
reaction to Him? With wicked hands, we took and
crucified the Lord of glory. And just like the mob that day,
we would have been right there yelling at the top of our lungs,
crucify him, crucify him. We hated him without a cause.
We will not have this man to reign over us. Verse 20, for
everyone that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to
the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. but he that doeth
truth, now look at this, but he that doeth truth cometh to
the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are
wrought in God. You know, everyone that loves
and practices evil hates the light. They hate the truth of
God and they hate the Christ of God without a cause because
they won't come to the light. Why is that? Because if they
came, their deeds, their error, their sin, their wickedness would
be revealed and judged. God's word condemns us. God's
word convicts us. But God's word also shuts us
up to the mercy and the grace of God in Christ. Thanks be to
God. He that doeth truth cometh to
the light. Now, what is it to do truth?
I'm about finished, but hear me on this. What is it to do
truth? You ever thought about it? It's
to believe on Christ. Everyone that believes on Christ
comes to Christ, who is the light, and their deeds are benefited.
Now, what does that mean? Well, the Holy Spirit here gives
us a hint. I don't think I ever saw this
before. He tells us that these deeds are wrought in God. Do you see that? They're wrought,
they're worked in Christ. These deeds are. That means that
when I come to Christ, Christ has already done perfectly all
that the law of God demanded of me and all that His holy justice
required of me, Christ is already satisfied. That means that I
stand perfect before God. That perfect righteousness that
Christ wrought for me as God, He gave to me when He took my
sin upon Himself and died to pay the wages of all my sin against
God. The most amazing transaction
of mercy and grace ever made, and it was made before the foundation
of the heavens and the earth. Boy, I tell you, any comfort,
assurance, hope, direction, or help that I have is now found
in my Lord and in my God, in my substitute and in my sacrifice,
in my King and in my priest, in He that is just and the justifier,
the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only hope I have.
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Christ is a solid rock. And by
God's grace, that's where I'm gonna stand on him. How about
you? How about you? This is the gospel
message from God's mouth. Christ is all, he's all in all. Christ is all in all. In closing,
I take the words of the beloved John, who in 1 John 5 wrote this. He said, this then is the message
which we've heard of him and declare unto you that God is
light and in him is no darkness at all. How is sinners like you
and I unholy, wretched, hearts that are deceitful and desperately
wicked above all things, how are we gonna stand before a thrice
holy God? Only one way, Lou, only one way,
and that's in Christ. Oh, the apostle Paul said it
best, for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness
had shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We got to look
to him. So again, I ask, what do you
think of Christ? Do you see who Sonny is? The
glory of God is found in the face of Jesus Christ. And we
know that only because God commanded that light to shine in these
dark, cold, dead hearts of ours and give us life. You know it's
so, child of God. You've experienced it. Thank
you, Lord, for revealing Christ to me. Thank you. I can never thank you enough.
Never let me, Lord, take that for granted. Lord, I believe,
help out my unbelief. May God be pleased to add his
blessings to the preaching of his word.