Turn with me to John 3 this morning. John 3, verse 17. We'll just
look at this one verse and make a few brief comments on it. For
God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be saved. Now there can be really
no misunderstanding of these words. A reason is given why
God did not send His Son into the world, and a reason is given
why He did send His Son into the world. Is that clear? Whoever
the world is in this verse, God did not send His Son into the
world to condemn them, but that they might be saved. He sent
His Son into the world to save these people, whoever they are.
religion in general says that the world means every human being
that ever lived. As I've said to you so many times,
the scripture, when it uses the word world, never means that.
Never means that. If this world here is all people
of all ages, then several things are also true. If God sent his
Son to die for and redeem the entire world, meaning every person
of every age that has ever lived, then the Lord Jesus Christ died
for Judas in the same sense that he died for Peter. If that's
true, then what is the value of his blood? What did he accomplish
on the cross? The Lord Jesus didn't pray for
Judas. He told Peter, Satan hath desired you, Peter, that he might
sift you as wheat. He did that to Judas. Satan sifted
Judas like wheat, insomuch that Judas, when he realized what
he had done, he said, I've betrayed the innocent blood. And he went
out and hanged himself. And the Scripture says the rope
broke when he hanged himself and he fell down a cliff and
all of his insides burst out. What an end. But the Lord Jesus
Christ said to Peter, Satan hath desired you that he may sift
you as wheat like that But I've prayed for you, Peter." Now that's
the love of God in Christ right there. That's grace. The Lord
didn't try to discourage Judas from his evil work. In fact,
when Judas had it in his very heart to betray the Son of God,
the Lord Jesus Christ looked him in the eye and said, what
you fixing to do? Do it quickly. Secondly, if the
world here is every human being that has ever lived, then the
Lord Jesus Christ died for people that he knew as the omniscient
God. It says he knows the end from
the beginning. He died for people that he knew would never be saved. Is that true? Thirdly, if the
word world here means every human being that ever lived, then the
Lord Jesus Christ shed his precious blood for the purpose, the expressed
purpose according to our scripture of saving people who were already
in hell the day that he died. You see the foolishness of that,
the blasphemy of that, of sentimental religion that doesn't want to
hurt folks' feelings, so they lie to them. And they say that
God is somebody that He's not. People don't like a God that
hates sinners. Well, guess what? There ain't
but one God. And He said, I hate all workers
of iniquity. He said, I've loved Jacob. And I hated Esau. Fourthly, if
the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to save, to redeem,
to die for and save every sinner that ever lived at any age, then
he's a miserable failure because he did not accomplish that. You
see, this is not a game, folks. I'm not here to save your feelings. I'm here to tell you who God
is. And I'm here to tell you how He saves sinners because
there's only one way He does it, and it's by the Lord Jesus
Christ in His righteousness and shed blood for sinners." Are
you interested in the love of God? In God's purpose to save
sinners? His love and favor are in Christ
and in Him only. If you hate His Son, God hates
you. Is that clear? The word world
here was particularly significant to Nicodemus because of the first
part of this verse. It says, God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ
is speaking to a Pharisee, a Jew, a dyed-in-the-wool, natural-born,
proud of his heritage Jew, who believed that God Almighty's
favor was on the nation of Israel, the earthly nation of Israel,
that His condemnation was on everybody else, that God was
going to judge and condemn all of the world. except for the
Jews. And the Lord Jesus Christ said
He came to save the world, not condemn it. Not condemn it. The Jews particularly were interested
in the judgment and condemnation of the Romans at this particular
time because they were under their evil oppression. But they
thought that God's condemnation was on everyone except themselves,
those who were born of the nation of Israel. So you see the meaning
of the word world here. The Lord Jesus Christ is giving
Nicodemus an adjustment of his understanding of God's love and
mercy and grace in Christ. Revelation 5, 9 says this, and
they sung a new song saying, everybody in glory, singing a
new song saying, worthy is the Lamb. Thou art worthy to take
the book and to open the seals thereof." Why? Because you were
slain and you have redeemed us to God. He redeemed somebody
when He died on the cross. There is no potential redemption. There is no maybe-so redemption.
There is no He redeemed you if. He redeemed somebody when He
died. God sent Him in this world to do that. Our verse says, and
He did it. You have redeemed us unto God
by Thy blood. When He hung on that cross and
shed that blood, He redeemed some people. Out of every kindred
and tongue and people and nation. The Jews were the biggest believers
in limited atonement that there ever has been. But they had it
all wrong. All wrong. The Jews, generally
speaking, they had it all wrong. They believed that Christ came
to die to redeem just the nation of Israel. Well, He did come
to redeem a particular people, but not just those born of the
nation of Israel. They heard this truth that's
proclaimed in Matthew 121, "...she shall bring forth a Son, and
thou shalt call His name Jesus." Why? For He shall save His people
from their sins. He's going to save His people.
The Jews heard that and said, aha, looky there, he's going
to save the Jews and everybody else is going to hell. That was
their idea of salvation, the Jews. Well, there's no question
from this verse that he's going to save a particular people.
He shall save his people. There's no uncertainty in that.
There's no shooting into a flock of geese and hope you hit one.
He saved somebody. He came down here to save somebody,
but not the nation of Israel. What they didn't understand is
what Paul taught in Romans 2.28 where Paul said, He's not a Jew
which is one outwardly. When God uses the nation of Israel,
when He speaks of Israel, of Jacob, whose name He changed
to Israel, thou worm Jacob, I've loved you. When He talks about Israel in
His Word, He's not talking about somebody born of the nation of
Israel. Paul said, He is not a Jew which
is one outwardly. Neither is that circumcision
which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one
inwardly. And circumcision is that of the
heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is
not of men but of God." What Paul is saying there is God's
chosen people is not the nation of Israel in a spiritual sense. It's those who are His chosen
people spiritually in Christ, chosen in Christ, a Jew on the
inside. Galatians 3.6, even as Abraham
believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, God
saved Abraham by faith just like He saved you if He saved you.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the
children of Abraham. Do you believe God like Abraham
did? Then I don't care where you're born, you're a child of
God. Is that what he said? It doesn't
matter what nation you're born in. That's not what this is about.
The physical nation of Israel that God did choose, He said,
not because you were greater than any nation, but because
I loved you. I chose you. And He did choose them in the
Old Testament. And that's a picture, a type, a representation of His
chosen elect people. I thank God for you, brethren,
Paul said, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation."
Jew, Gentile, Greek, Hebrew, barbarian, Scythian, bond or
free, God has chosen you unto salvation. And that nation of
Israel in the Old Testament being chosen by God, just a picture,
a type of God's choosing His people in Christ. They are not
all Israel which are of Israel. God's Israel, God's true Israel
is His chosen elect people who He chose from the foundation
of the world in Christ Jesus. So Galatians 3 there, let me
read the rest of it. Know ye therefore that they which
are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham, whether
they were born from the lineage of Abraham or not. It's about
faith. It's about God's salvation. And
the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying,
In thee shall all nations be blessed." All nations. The world. The world. That the world through him might
be saved. So then they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham. Is that clear? I want this to
be clear this morning. Christ's work is limited without
a doubt to his people. He shall save his people." The
Jews had that part right. But who are his people? Not the
nation of Israel, but his chosen, elect sinners out of every kindred,
tribe, tongue, people, and nation under heaven. Not just Jews,
Nicodemus, but the whole world. The whole world. So now I understand,
don't you? Jacob have I loved and Esau have
I hated? I can understand. You know, you
can't hate somebody and love somebody at the same time. They
are opposites. You realize that. So it makes
sense now, doesn't it? Naaman, the leper. The Lord Jesus
Christ preached there were a lot of lepers in Israel. But God
sent his prophet to one leper that wasn't even in the nation
of Israel. That's what he's teaching Nicodemus here. It's not about
being an Israelite. It's about being God's elect,
being God's chosen people. that widow that Dee talked about.
There were a lot of widows in Israel, but God sent His prophet
to a widow in Sarepta, city of Sidon, and all the other widows
went hungry. I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy. That's the God that you're dealing
with and I'm dealing with this morning. It doesn't sound like
the crapshoot that religion calls an atonement, does it? I will
have mercy on who I will." God's going to have mercy on somebody,
and that's who He's talking about here. Now, Christ didn't need
to come down here to condemn the world. We were already condemned,
already sinful by nature, God-haters, children of wrath by nature,
even as others, Ephesians 2, 3. God could have put every one
of us in hell without ever sending His Son to this earth, and if
He had, He would have been doing the right thing. But having committed
Himself in love and grace to saving sinners, Christ's most
needs have suffered. That's just one way to save us,
friends. Christ's most needs have suffered. God sent His Son
that the world, Chinese, Africans, Americans, that little song that
the children sing, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious
in His sight. If you're talking about these,
then that's true, isn't it? Everybody that He chose precious
in His sight. All of His sheep, His little
lambs, all over this world. God sent the Lord Jesus Christ
into this world that they might be saved. Not that they might
have a shot at doing the right thing. When Adam, their father,
couldn't and nobody ever has. He came unto His own. His own
received Him not. God looked down from heaven to
see if there were any follow Him, come after Him. They were
all gone out of the way. That's what we do. We run from
God and we hate Him by nature. That's what we do. But God sent
His Son into this world that His people might be saved. He
shall save His people. God sent His Son, first of all,
made of a woman, made under the law, the Scripture says. Why? So that sinners made of
women, made under the law, might be saved. It says, He sent His
Son, made of a woman, made under the law, for a reason, to redeem
them that were under the law. Can He get it done? Galatians
4.4, But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth
His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them
that were under the law, that we might receive, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father." Not so that you would be sons, because you are
sons. He sent forth His Spirit into
your heart. We just saw it. The wind blows where it pleases.
You can hear the sound of it, but you can't tell where it came
from or where it will go. That's how it is with everybody that's
born of the Spirit. God sent His Spirit into my heart.
Why? Because I was His Son by grace,
by free, sovereign grace. And if a son, then an heir of
God through Jesus Christ. He sent His Son into this world.
Why? Born of a woman. Made under the
law. Christ is the Word of God. He
is the law of God. And He made Himself subject to
His own law that He might redeem us become a curse for us who
were under the wrath of His law by nature. Hebrews 2.17, wherefore
in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren. That's why He came down into
this world to be born of a woman. It behooved Him to be made like
unto His brethren that He might be a merciful and faithful high
priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation. for the sins of the people. You
see, everywhere His salvation is talked about, it says that
He came down here to do something. He either did it or He didn't
do it, my friends. Secondly, God sent His Son into
this world to save, to save, having promised to do it because
there was no other way to save us. God had purpose to save His
people. How is He going to do it? he's
going to have to send his son down here. Galatians 3.21, is
the law then against the promises of God? God forbid, for if there
had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. If God could have saved you by
the deeds of the law, then you'd be saved that way. God didn't
send his son down here just because he wanted to see him die. I read
a quote from Henry on the website recently. If there was another
way to save you other than sending his son down here to be nailed
to a cross and bleed out, then God is a monster. He sent his
son into this world not to condemn it, but that we might be saved. We're not going to be saved if
he doesn't. If there had been a law which could have given
life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the
Scripture hath concluded all under sin." The concept of salvation
by law is already a foregone conclusion. We're concluded under
sin that the promise by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ might be given
to them that believe. There's how salvation is wrought
in the heart of a sinner. Now, I do not mean to suggest
at all by this that God looked for another way and was limited
begrudgingly to this way, like you and I might say, well, we
did it that way because there just wasn't any other way to
do it. Not at all. That's not what we're talking
about. That's not the picture at all. I simply mean to impress upon
you that your salvation from start to finish is Christ and
what He did on that cross. There is no other way of salvation
nor anything that can add to or take away from this one. Salvation
equals Christ and Him crucified. Is that clear? He came down here
to save us because if He didn't come down here, we're goners. We're goners. Thirdly, that He
had not now come to condemn the world reminds us that He will
come one day for that exact purpose. God has made Him Lord and Judge
He will judge all things by His Son, Jesus Christ. And He will
come into this world one day to condemn it. To condemn it. Does that mean every person that's
ever lived? No. No. There's exceptions to
that, aren't there? His people. His people. But He
will condemn this world. And we're reminded in that He
didn't come this time that we're talking about here to do so. Fourthly and finally, how are
these ones who are called the world here? How are they saved? By Christ, how are they saved
by him? first of all blood redemption
blood Redemption he didn't come down here to show us how to live
He came down here to die for us. He came down here. He didn't
come down here to be our example Although he is the perfect example
in all things. That's not why he came down here
He came down here to die to redeem a people from their sin. And
without the shedding of blood, God said, there's no redemption.
There's no remission of sins. He came down here to shed His
blood for us. He is God's sacrificial, sin-atoning
Lamb. He is the Lamb of God which takes
away the sin of the world. Secondly, righteousness. If you can remember these four
or five things here, you'll know the gospel. You'll know something,
at least up here, that very few people in this world have any
idea about. Oh, I know they go into church, but I'm telling
you, they've got no idea how God saves a sinner. Righteousness. He came down here to fulfill
the law. He came down here to do what
we couldn't do, never have done, can't do now, and never will.
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. He came down here
to do, to keep the law. Not one jot or tittle, He said,
will pass from God's law till all be accomplished, fulfilled
in Me, the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only did He come down here,
you see, this is what I'm saying, not just to pay for what I did,
but to do what I couldn't, you see. Sin offering, righteousness. Thirdly, remember this word,
satisfaction. Satisfaction. He came down here
not just to do something for you, you see. He came down here
to do something for God. He came down here to honor the
law of God and to pay our sin debt satisfactorily. God sees
my sin. and he sees the sin offering,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and his justice says, I'm satisfied.
That's why he came. Now, satisfaction, what does
that have to do? Him doing something for God,
what does that have to do with my salvation? Everything. Everything. If God's going to save you and
be God, he's got to do something for himself. He's got to be satisfied. Romans 3.25, whom God hath set
forth to be a propitiation, a sin offering, through faith in his
blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that
are passed through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at
this time, His righteousness, that God might be just and the
justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Without this sacrifice,
without Him coming into this world, if God's going to be just,
He's got to put you in hell. But Christ came down here and
did something for God. so that God could be just, be
God, His justice honored and not compromised in any way, and
He can still save you. That's why satisfaction, the
Father is satisfied with that sin offering. And so He's satisfied
with you. If He's your offering, and that's
what we're going to talk about later, is a your offering. You
read the account of Cain and Abel in the Scripture. It says,
God had not respect unto Cain in his offering, But he did have
respect to Abel and his offering. It doesn't say he had respect
unto Abel. He had respect unto Abel and
his offering. Is Christ your offering? He came
down here that whosoever believeth. That's Christ going from being
a sin offering to being your sin offering right there. Believeth. That's what that word is. It's
me laying claim to Christ. It's what Tommy's going to tell
us this morning in picture and type that God has ordained. He's
going to say when Christ died and was buried and rose again,
he died for me when he died. He was my representative when
he rose from the dead and because he lives, I live. You see that
he's my identification with a person. That's what this is. Whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish. Believe that He is that righteousness
and sin offering for you. He's not just the righteousness
of God and a sin offering. He is my righteousness and my
sin offering. It is to own Him as your Lamb. Let me read you Exodus 12, and
I'll be through. It says, "...speak ye unto all
the congregation of Israel..." This is God instructing His people
regarding the Passover. saying in the tenth day of this
month they shall take to them every man a lamb. Go out and
get a lamb, not just any lamb, according to the house of their
fathers, a lamb for a house. And if the household be too little
for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house
take it according to the number of the souls. Every man according
to his eating shall make your count for the lamb." And then
verse 5 of Exodus 12, he says this, Your lamb shall be without
blemish. A male of the first year, you
shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall
keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the
whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the
evening." Did you notice the word your in that passage? Your lamb. Your lamb shall be
without blemish. Is the Lord Jesus Christ your
lamb? Are you standing before God Thinking that He's going
to have mercy on you because of something that you did, because
of a decision that you made, because you're religious, because
you've been good to Mama all your life and you've done some
good thing. Your good outweighs your bad or some nonsense like
that. We have no good. The Apostle Paul is a better
man than you. And he said, there is no good in my flesh. In my
flesh dwells no good thing. And I've got news for you. He's
better than me and you by God's grace. Or do you stand before
God with an offering, with a suitable, satisfactory, God-appointed,
spotless, without blemish offering to God for sin? You see, when
Christ died on that cross, He didn't die to show you how much
He loved you. We see the love of God in that,
absolutely. Hereby perceive we the love of
God. And herein is love, not that
we loved Him, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the
propitiation for our sin. But He came down here to satisfy
God for you because He loved you. I may not ever know much about
the love of God. It is unsearchable, Brother D.
It's unsearchable. But I know this, what the Lord
Jesus Christ came down here to do was because God loved me and
He saved me from my sins like His name signifies in all of
His people. He accomplished what God sent
him to do. He didn't come to condemn the world. If he had,
guess what? Guess where we'd be right now.
But that's not why he came. He came to save. And guess what? He did it.