My title to this message comes
in the form of a question. Why are men condemned? It was not a red-faced hellfire
and brimstone preacher who said, why does the gate and broad is
the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in
there out, and straight is the gate, and
narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that
find it. Those are the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Many go the way of destruction,
the way of condemnation, where God will be condemning. And few go the way of Christ,
the way of the straight gate and the narrow way. Why are men
condemned? I know we've all asked ourselves
that question from time to time. Why are men condemned? Why does
God punish men? All men know intuitively that
God is and will reward the righteous
and punish the wicked. Everyone is born with that knowledge. Now, somebody may think, well,
I don't believe God is. Okay, but there was a time when
you did. Perhaps now you don't, but there
was a time when you did. All men are born believing that
God is. And not only are we born believing
that God is, we all intuitively have a sense of right and wrong. God's law written in the heart
according to Romans chapter 2. Everybody knows it's wrong to
lie. Everyone knows it's wrong to
steal. Everyone knows it's wrong to
murder. God's law is written in the heart
and we all have a sense of justice and fairness. I was watching
a commercial the other day. What kind of dude gets that to
stop? I was watching a commercial the other day and a man came
up to a little boy and a little girl, they were brothers and
sisters, and he gave the little boy a great big sucker And he
gave the little girl a little one. What do you think came out
of her mouth immediately? That's not fair. That's not fair. We all have a sense of fairness.
We all have a sense of what is right and what is wrong. And
I think it's interesting, even a two-year-old will come out
with this statement. I'm not being treated fairly.
This is not right. This is not fair. I'm not being
treated right. We all have this sense of right
and wrong. And intuitively we know that
God will reward the righteous and they will go to heaven and
God will condemn the wicked and they are under his condemnation. Now look back in our text, verse 18 of John chapter three. 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. That's why he's condemned.
Because he has not believed on the name of the only begotten
Son of God. And this is the condemnation.
Here's why he condemns that light is coming to the world and men
loved darkness. Rather than light, because their
deeds were evil for everyone that doeth evil hateth the light. Neither cometh to the light lest
his deeds should be reproved or exposed, seem to be what they
really are. Now, the word CONDEMNATION in
verse 19, and this IS the condemnation, is the word that is generally
translated JUDGEMENT. Judgment. It's the same word
used for JUDGEMENT DAY in the Scriptures. It's appointed unto
men once to die, and after that, the JUDGEMENT. You will remember
when the Lord said to that religious crowd, it'll be more tolerable
for Sodom in the day of judgment than for you. Now that is an
intense statement. He looks at these people and
he talks about the people of Sodom, the people who were known
for grotesque immorality and perversion. And he said, those
people will have it better on the day of judgment than you
will. The people who did not believe
the gospel. Now there is a place called heaven where the righteous are rewarded. And there is a place called hell
where the wicked are condemned. condemnation. And let me say
this about God's condemnation. It's just, it's fair, and it's
right. Turn with me for a moment to
Revelation 20. This speaks of the judgment. Verse 11, Revelation
20 verse 11. And I saw a great white throne.
and him that sat on the throne from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them,
and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and
the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the
book of life, and the dead, dead in trespasses and sins, Those
who are not saved, the dead were judged out of those things,
which were written in the books, according to their works. And this is so important for
me and you to understand this God's condemnation. He doesn't
send men to hell because they're not elect. He doesn't send men
to hell because Christ didn't die for him. He sends men to
hell because of their sin, because of their works. And hell is condemnation,
is God's fairness. It's his justice. Abraham said,
shall not the judge of the earth do right? He shall. And what
is amazing to me, I was talking to Lynn about this on the way
over here. It is amazing to me how every one of us are guilty
of sitting in judgment on God and calling into question his
fairness for what he does. In Romans chapter nine is the
great example of this. If you'll turn with me there,
Romans chapter nine. Verse 11 for the children talking
about Jacob and Esau being not yet born, neither having done
any good or evil that the purpose of God, according to election
might stand not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said
unto her, the elder shall serve the younger as it's written,
Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Now he talks about
these two twins. hadn't done any good or evil.
God loved one and did not love the other. He chose one and did
not choose the other. Now that's what the text says.
Now what does Paul anticipate our reaction will be? Verse 14. What should we say then? Is there
unrighteousness with God? Is God unfair? Is he unjust? Is he Being cruel in loving one
and the scripture says hating the other. Paul's answer, God forbid. God forbid. God forbid that we
would think of sitting in judgment on God and calling something
he does fair or unfair. We're unqualified. Me and you
are unqualified to make a judgment like that. And we ought to know
that. And whenever we question his fairness, we're out on a
limb of wrongness, of sinfulness. It's not right. Every one of
us are guilty of it. Every one of us have had that
response. Look what he says in verse 18 of the same chapter.
Therefore. Hath he mercy on whom he will
have mercy and whom he will he hardens. And once again, that's
the scripture. He can have mercy on you or he
can harden your heart so that you'll never believe like he
did Pharaoh. This is scriptural. I'm not giving
some strange point of view. I'm giving what the Bible actually
says. Now look what Paul anticipates.
Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who
has resisted his will? If he hardened me, how can he
hold me responsible when he's the one who hardened me? How
can he find fault with me? How can he charge me with what
he hardened me to do? How does Paul answer? I love
the way he answers this. He doesn't try to explain. He
just says, nay, but old man, who are you to reply against
God? Since when do you have the moral
aptitude to sit in judgment on God and say, I agree with this.
This is not right. This is wrong. You have no place.
And if you believe you're a sinner, you'll understand that you and
I are unqualified to sit in judgment on the God of glory. Why are men condemned back to
our text in John chapter three, they are condemned many. So the
Lord says many, why are they condemned? He that believeth
on him is not condemned. Huh? He that believeth not is condemned
already because he has not believed on the name of the only begotten
son of God. And this is the condemnation
that light is coming to the world and men love darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. Now, why are men condemned? Because they love darkness rather than light. Because they
did not believe on the name of the only begotten son of God.
Now, when we talk about condemnation, I want to give what the scripture
teaches regarding this thing of condemnation. We're actually
born condemned. Romans chapter five, verse 18
says by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. That's what the scripture says.
When Adam sinned and was condemned, you and I were as well. Now somebody says, well, how
could I be held responsible for what somebody else did? You're
not. Romans chapter five, verse 12 says, by one man, sin entered
the world and death by sin, so that death passed upon all men
in that all have sinned. You see, when Adam sinned, you
and I sinned. It's not that we didn't do it
and then it's charged our account. No, we actually sin when Adam
sinned. This is what the word of God
teaches. First Corinthians 15, 22 says for an Adam, all died
when he ate of the fruit, you and I died. And we were born
into this world under the just condemnation of God, but let
me Finish that verse, for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive. Now, just as Adam sinned, I sinned,
Adam died, I died, if I'm in Christ, When Christ lived and
obeyed, I lived. When he died, I died. When he was raised from the dead,
I was raised from the dead. Now, what this tells me, if I
can be condemned in Adam, I can be saved in Christ. That's the
gospel. That's the very hope of the gospel, that I am saved
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Look in verse 16 of John chapter
three, four, God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into
the world to condemn the world. The world was already condemned. But that the world through Him
might be saved. That was God's purpose in sending
His Son. that the world through him might
be saved. Verse 18, he that believeth on
him is not condemned. Now, do you hear that? He that
believeth on him, to him that worketh not but believeth. on
Him that justifies the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. He that believeth is not condemned
and let me tell you why he's not condemned because there's
nothing to condemn him for. You know when the Lord looked
at that woman who was guilty of adultery caught in the very
act and He said, woman where are those non-accusers? Hath
no man condemned thee? She said, no man Lord. He said,
neither do I condemn thee. Now there's only one reason He
said that. because there was nothing to condemn her for. It's what the Bible calls justification. My sin was paid for by the Lord
Jesus Christ. He bore it in his own body on
the tree and put it away and his righteousness is mine. Just
as much as my sin became his sin and he became guilty of it,
his righteousness becomes mine and I personally become guilty
of that righteousness. There is therefore now no condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus. If you're in Christ Jesus, if
I'm in Christ Jesus, there's nothing to condemn me for. That's
why I won't be condemned. I stand before God without guilt. But he that believeth not verse 18.
is condemned already. And here are the words of the
Lord. And let me remind you, this is not some red-faced, screaming,
hellfire, brimstone preacher. This is the Lord Jesus Christ.
And he says, he that believeth not is condemned already, because
he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. Now, do you know what the greatest
sin there is? To not believe on the name of
the only begotten Son of God. Now, before I go on with this,
somebody's thinking, what about those people who've never heard
of him? They've never heard the gospel. Somebody's thinking about
that. There are a lot of people who
have never heard the gospel. What about them? Why would they
be condemned? They haven't heard. Can God condemn them even if
they've never heard the gospel? Well, let me put a scenario before
you. Let's say a man is a serial killer
and he murders many people and he hates the people he murders
and he does what he does willfully. Now if that man has never heard
the gospel would we say well he shouldn't be condemned then?
Of course not. He'd be condemned for what he
did but the greatest sin and this is why the Lord said It'll
be more tolerables for Sodom in the day of judgment. Sodom's
that place where all that perversion went on and that God destroyed
it with fire from heaven. He says, those fellas from Sodom
are gonna have it better on judgment day than you will, who've heard
the gospel and not done it. believed. To not believe. Now let's think about this. To
not believe on the name of the only begotten Son of God. Now the significance of the only
begotten according to Acts chapter 13 is Christ being risen from
the dead. God begat him. He died and he
was raised from the dead. This is speaking of the cross
and the resurrection. It's talking about the life,
the death, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now,
the life, the death, the death on the cross of the Lord, his
resurrection is a full manifestation of the character of God. The
cross is the most God-like thing God ever did. On the cross, he
manifests to us who he is. His character, who God really
is, is seen in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of his
attributes, his love, his justice, his mercy, his power to put away
sin, his wisdom to make a way for him to be just and yet justify
people who are guilty. His immutability, His sovereignty,
every attribute of God is revealed in the cross to us. And I tell
you, the only way we get a true view of ourselves is by the cross.
You're not going to find out how sinful you are by thinking
about the things you've done. or the bad thoughts that go through
your mind. There's plenty of them, no doubt, but what tells
us the truth about ourself is the cross. When God left man
to himself, man killed God. He became a God murderer. Now that is sin. And we're given the true character
of salvation the cross in the only begotten Son of God saved
by what he did period amen saved by what he did with no help from
us when he had by himself purged our sins he sat down at the right
hand of the majesty on high the cross and to not believe On the
name of the only begotten son of God is the greatest sin a
man can commit. We're all guilty of committing
the greatest sin a man can commit. Look in verse 19. And this is the condemnation.
Here's why men are condemned. This is the condemnation that
light is coming to the world and men loved darkness rather
than light because their deeds were evil. Light is coming to
the world. Now, I know exactly what this
is a reference to. I know God is light and him is
no darkness at all. But the Lord said in John chapter
eight, verse 12, I am the light of the world. And that was said
precisely after he said to that woman who was taken in adultery
in the very act and she'd committed that sin. And he said, I don't
condemn you because there's nothing to condemn you for. He's the
light as to how that is. The light has come into the world,
and you'd think men would be overcome with joy at that light! You mean God can accept me in
a way that honors His justice and make it to where I've never
sinned? Why, that's the best thing I've ever heard! You'd
think EVERYONE would have that response! I think it's interesting
when people first hear the gospel, they're so excited about it.
They think everybody's going to love this and they go tell
people about it and they find out it's not true. You see, men
love darkness rather than light because their
deeds are evil. The irreligious man. hates the
light because it says his deeds are evil. The religious man hates
the light because it says his good deeds are evil. Our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags. That's what the light exposes.
Our righteousness, the best things about us, are filthy rags. I
tell you what, if you believe that about yourself, it's gonna
make you run to Christ to be covered with his righteousness,
because you know you don't have any of your own. But people,
by nature, do not love the light. They hate the light. You think about this. God will
show mercy to you if you come by Christ. I don't wanna come
by Christ. How evil. How evil. That's why God condemns men.
because they hate the light. They have no love for the light,
but they love darkness rather than light because their deeds
are evil. Look in verse 20. For everyone,
no exceptions, that doeth evil hates the light. Now what a man
is is seen by what he loves and what he hates. Everyone that
doeth evil hates the light. Neither cometh to the light lest
his deeds should be exposed. You know, if I come into the
light, it's gonna expose all my deeds as sinful. It's gonna
take away any hope of self-salvation. Now, if you're hoping in yourself,
You're going to hate that. It's taken away what you're hoping
in to be saved. And you're going to disagree.
You're going to hate that. You're saying it's not fair. Why didn't come up with
all kinds of objections and so on. Verse 21, but this is the same,
but as, but God who is rich in mercy. I love this verse, but
he that do with truth comes to the light. that his deeds may
be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. He that doeth truth. And in the
original, the definite article is used, he that doeth THE truth. He that doeth THE truth. John chapter 17, verse 17, the
Lord said, sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Now, the truth is objective.
It's not subject to what me and you think it is. Someone says,
well, I think it's this. Well, it doesn't matter what
you think that or not. The truth is what it is. Whatever we believe about
it doesn't matter. It's an objective truth, the
truth of the gospel. The Lord said in John 18, 37,
I came to bear witness to the truth. And that means by his
death on the cross, he bore witness to the truth of who God is, who
I am, and how God saves by the cross. That is the truth that
he bore witness to. And when Pilate heard those words,
he said, truth? What's truth? I mean, is there
such a thing? And people would ask that today,
wouldn't they? Is there such a thing as truth? Okay. Let's say there is. Can I know
it? Can I say, I know the truth.
Why is it not that an act of presumption? What makes me, can
we actually say we know it? And as far as that goes, truth,
is it worth this? Is it worth going to the cross
for? Is it worth dying for? What is truth? He that doeth the truth. Now, the truth becomes subjective
when we become doers of the truth. Now, what's that mean? Doers of the truth. Well, let
me remind you the truth. Salvation is called coming to
a knowledge of the truth. First Timothy 2.4. Faith is called
the faith of God's elect, the acknowledging of the truth, which
is after godliness, repentance, If God will prevent your grant
them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth. Truth is objective and it becomes
subjective. We become doers of the truth
when we believe the truth. Now, let me give you four words
that are involved in doing the truth. That's when the truth,
the objective truth, becomes subjective to me. It enters my
heart. I believe it. Let me give you
four words that will describe what this thing of the doing
of the truth is. First, you hear the truth. You
hear the truth. You can't believe what you've
never heard. Ephesians 1.13 says, in whom ye trusted, After that, you heard the word
of truth. There's no trusting until after
that you have heard the word of truth. Faith cometh by hearing.
Second word, you believe the truth. You hear the truth and
you believe the truth. Second Thessalonians 2 13, but
we're bound to thank God always for you brethren, beloved of
the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. You hear the truth, you believe
the truth, but here's the third word, worship. The Lord said in John 4, God
is spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth. If hearing the truth and believing
the truth doesn't end in worship, I never really heard and I never
really believed. Now this thing of worship, it's
worshiping God for who he is. That's what worship is. I worship
God for who He is. And I love saying this. You'll
only worship a sovereign God. You'll only worship a God that
you're in His hands and He can do with you whatever He's pleased
to do. You can't manipulate Him. You can't get Him to respond
to you. You're in His hand. That God you'll worship. THEY THAT WORSHIP HIM MUST WORSHIP
HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH." You hear the truth, you believe
the truth, you worship through the truth, and the fourth word
is LOVE. Love. Paul spoke to the Thessalonians
and warned them about those who receive not the love of the truth
that they might be saved. Now, let's just talk about loving
the truth. It's one thing to believe the
Bible is the word of God. It's another thing to love what
God says in his word. All the difference in the world.
It's one thing to believe that the Bible teaches that God is
the first cause of all things and absolutely sovereign. It's
another thing to love that he is. It's one thing to believe that
the Bible teaches total depravity. It's another thing to believe
you're totally depraved personally. It's one thing to believe that
the Bible teaches that God elected a people. It's another thing
to be so thankful that God elected a people because, you know, you
wouldn't be saved if he didn't. You love election because it
glorifies God. It says salvation is by grace.
It's one thing to believe that Christ died to the elect, that
that's what the scripture teaches. It's another thing to find your
only hope in Christ saying it is finished and loving that,
knowing that all God requires of you, you have, because he
said it is finished. It's one thing to see that the
Bible does and teach. Salvation by grace, it's another
thing to love salvation being by grace and loving his irresistible,
invincible grace toward you. That's the love of the truth. You hear the truth, you believe
the truth, you worship, you love, that is doing the truth. Now let's, what it says in verse
21, this is a, Important thing for us to understand verse 21,
but he did do with truth. He comes to the light. Unlike
that person who doesn't come to the light because he hates
it. He comes to the light that his deeds may be manifest. He
wants everybody to say he wants God to see he's not ashamed to
come to the light. He's not ashamed to bring his
deeds to the light. He wants his deeds to be made
manifest that God did him. that God did them. Now, when
Jesus Christ obeyed God's law perfectly in his body, I obeyed God's law perfectly. The good deeds done in my body,
he did them, but they're mine, it's justification, and I'm not
ashamed to bring that to the light. I'm not ashamed to bring
what God did to the light. I'm not ashamed to bring my faith
to the light because it's the faith he gave me. I'm not ashamed
to bring my love to the light because it's the love he gave
me. Let's put it this way. Paul said, work out your salvation
with fear and trembling for it's God that worketh in you. both to will and to do His good
pleasure. Now I'll bring anything that
He did to the light and I'm fine with it being exposed. Because
all of my salvation is what He did. In every experience, I can't
take that too far, all of my salvation was wrought in God. It's what He did, and I can bring
that to the light. And not fear being exposed in
a negative way, because God's gonna accept what He did. You
see, all God requires and all He provides He accepts
and we can bring that to the light. I'm not afraid of standing before
God in judgment if I'm going to be judged by what He did. and that I'm simply found in
him. And I don't want it to be any other way. My soul, if I
was judged for any motive, God would send me to hell. Right
now, if I was judged for anything that I ever did, thought, if
God's holy, I'm sinful. I don't bring my sincerity or
my, Know, oh, that I may win Christ and be found in him. And I'm not afraid to bring that
to the light. Even in my experience, it's all
wrought in God. Let's pray. Lord, we confess How? We. We're right with Adam in
his rebellion against you. That when he sinned, we sinned.
Lord, we confess that we are guilty. We're guilty of murdering your
son. But how thankful we are that you raised him from the
dead. And that that's the way we're saved by what he did. Lord, enable us to hear the truth,
to believe the truth, to worship the truth, and to love the truth. Lord, enable us to come to the
light that our deeds might be manifest that they're wrought
in God. Bless this word for your glory
and for our good. Christ, we pray.