I want you to look with me again
at John 3.18. I know that people outside the
church do not realize just how important
it is to believe the gospel and how serious it is not to
believe it and not to confess Christ. I know that people outside
the church do not realize the importance of believing and confessing
Christ and the seriousness, the seriousness of not believing
and confessing Christ. And I'm afraid that not many
people in here realize just how serious it is. Now, I want you
to listen carefully to this verse and see if you note something
perhaps you've never noted before. In John 3, 18, he that believeth
on Christ is not condemned. He that believeth on Christ is
not condemned. Now, you've heard that over and
over again, haven't you? To believe Christ, to believe
the gospel, is to be relieved and delivered from all condemnation. There's no condemnation to them
who are in Christ. But look at the next line. But
he that believeth not is condemned already. already condemned, already under
the judgment of God, already under the wrath of God. Not next
week, not next year, not when he dies and goes to the judgment,
not when he's cast into hell. He's already condemned. Look at John 3, 36, the last
verse in this chapter. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God at the judgment
is going to fall on him." That's what most people think. When
all nations gather before the great white throne and they hear
the voice of the Son of God say, Depart from me, I know you not,
then the wrath of God is going to fall on unbelievers. That's
not what it says. Our Lord Jesus says, He that
believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abideth on him. Right now, he's under the wrath
of God. Right now, he's condemned. Right
now. Unbelief's a serious sin. Unbelief's
a serious charge. People who are sitting right
here tonight who've never believed Christ, who've never received
Christ, who've never trusted Christ, who've never confessed
Christ, are already condemned. They are unbelievers and they're
under the wrath of God right this minute. Let me show you
a few verses concerning unbelief. Turn to Hebrews chapter 3. Listen
to Hebrews chapter 3. Now, this is just unbelief. This
is unbelief. Man came to George Whitefield
one time. Whitefield was one of our great
preachers, not only in England but in America, back in the 1700s,
had an orphanage down in Savannah, Georgia. Man came to Whitefield
one time and confessed to Whitefield that he'd been a great sinner.
He confessed adultery, he confessed drunkenness, he confessed cheating,
he confessed stealing and all these things. And when he got
through, Whitefield said, Is that all? And the man kind of
smiled and said, Well, isn't that enough? And Whitefield,
in a very serious manner, said, You haven't confessed yet the
greatest sin of all, of which you're guilty. And the man said,
What on earth is that? He said, You haven't believed
on the Son of God. The greatest sin in all this
Bible is unbelief. I'm going to show you that before
we leave here tonight. Look at Hebrews chapter 3, verse
12. It says, Take heed, brethren,
lest there be in any of you what? A heart of covetousness, a heart
of lust, a heart of theft? No, sir, a heart of unbelief
in departing from the living God. Look at verse 17. Listen to this, Hebrews 3, 17. But with whom was God grieved
for forty years? Was it not with them that had
sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom
swear he that they would not enter into his rest? Who was
it? It was them that believed not. That's who it was. And they
could not enter in. Why? Because they made a golden
calf? No, sir. Because they rebelled
against Moses? No, sir. Because they griped
about the light bread and the water? No, sir. They could not
enter in for one reason, unbelief. Unbelief. Verse 11. Let us labor, therefore, to enter
into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief. Unbelief. In Matthew, chapter
13. Turn to Matthew 13, verse 58.
Matthew 13, verse 58. Listen to this. And he, speaking
of Christ, did not many mighty works there. Why? Because the people were
poor? No, sir. Because the people were
more sinful than in other areas? Not particularly. They all came
from the same Father Adam, all practicing the same habits. Why
didn't he do any great works or miracles and great work, mighty
work? Because of unbelief. Now, the
Bible teaches that the unbeliever will be eternally separated from
God. We know that. The Bible teaches
that the unbeliever will be an object of eternal wrath. We know
that. The Bible teaches that the unbeliever
will be a participant in eternal punishment. We know that. For
he shall hear the voice of Christ saying, Bind him hand and foot,
and cast him into outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth, and whosoever is not found written in the book of
life shall be cast into the lake of fire, condemned eternally. But brethren, John 3.18 uses
a lot stronger language than that. John 3.18 does not talk
about the threat of future separation from God, of future condemnation,
of future punishment. John 3.18 does not talk about
a future possibility. And that's what most people here
and most people out yonder think tonight. Right now, they're sort
of living in a parenthesis. Right now, they're kind of living
in the eye of the storm. where everything is calm and
peaceful. Right now they get the idea that
they don't believe on Christ, and they haven't received him,
and they haven't confessed him, but they're sort of on trial
right now, and God is pacified, and God is sitting off somewhere,
and one of these days they can deal with God. But our Lord says
in John 3, 18, He that believes not the Son is already condemned. Already condemned. It is not
a future possibility, it is a present condition. Condemned. Not on trial, condemned. Not
on probation, condemned. Not under the smile of a pacified
God, condemned. under the wrath of God, under
the cloud of God's wrath, right this minute. That's what the
Bible teaches. He that believeth on the Son
is not condemned. The judgment has been lifted,
the condemnation has been lifted, God is reconciled. But he that
believes not the gospel, whether he's thinking about believing
it or planning on believing it or determining someday to do
something about it, he that believes not the Son is already condemned. He's like a man on death row
in the state penitentiary. He hasn't yet been executed,
but he's as good as executed because he's sitting in his cell
waiting on them to pull the switch. The day's been set, and he's
already condemned. And the man who has not believed
on Christ is not outside running around, he's already on death
row. He's already been judged, he's
already been tried, he's already been sentenced, he's already
been condemned, and he's awaiting final execution at the great
white throne. Now, you don't have to take my
word for that, you just read the Bible. He that believeth
not on the Son is already condemned. He that believeth not on the
Son, the wrath of God abideth on him. That's what makes these
signs on the back of these automobiles so silly. Smile, God loves you. This world is not under God's
love, it's under God's wrath. This world is not under God's
mercy, it's under God's judgment. It's already condemned. It's
already condemned. Now, let me show you something.
In what court has the unbeliever been condemned? First of all,
he's been condemned in the court of God's law. Turn to Romans
3, verse 19. In what court? You've got a right
to ask that. You say, Preacher, you say that
the unbeliever is already condemned. Who condemned him? In what court
is he condemned? I'll show you. First of all,
in the court of God's law. And this court is always in session. The court of God's law doesn't
meet once a year, or once a month, or once a quarter, or once a
week. It's in session twenty-four hours
a day. And it says in Romans 3.19, Now
we know that what thing soever the law saith. What does God's
law say? It says to them who are under
the law, and every son of Adam is born under the law, it says
to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped,
and all the world become guilty, guilty, guilty. That's what the law says. The
law has tried you, and the law has found you guilty, that every
mouth may be stopped, no excuse, no alibi, just guilty, guilty,
guilty. The law has found you guilty. That's what court you're condemned
in, first of all, in the court of God's law. Turn to James 2,
verse 10. In the book of James, chapter
2, verse 10, James says this, shall keep the whole law." Well,
I never have killed anybody. I never have robbed anybody.
I never have done this, that, and the other. Whosoever shall
keep the whole law and offend in one point, he's guilty. Guilty. Guilty of what? The whole
law of God. The whole law of God. My birth
is all wrong. I'm like Ezekiel's infant. Mother
was a Hittite. My father was an Amorite. I was
cast out into the field to the loathing of my person in the
day that I was born. My birth was wrong. My thoughts
are wrong. My motives are wrong. My deeds
are wrong. Like Belshazzar of old, the writing
is on the wall. You wait and found wanting. And
when the law of God weighs you and finds you wanting, the law
of God says, Guilty! Guilty. Guilty. That's the first court that condemned
you was the court of God's law. Guilty! That every mouth may
be stopped, that all the world may become guilty. All right,
what's the second court? The second court in which you've
been found guilty, my unbelieving friend, is the gospel court.
Turn to Hebrews chapter 2. You ever heard the gospel? Huh? Have you ever heard the gospel?
You say, sure I've heard the gospel. Did you believe it? Well,
thus far I haven't. Then the day you heard that gospel
and the day you rejected it was the day God's gospel court found
you guilty. and condemned you in the sight
of God." Now listen, Hebrews 2, verse 1, "...therefore we
ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have
heard, lest at any time we let them slip. For if the word spoken
by angels," what word was that? That was the word from Sinai's
mountain, The Scripture says in Deuteronomy 33, verse 2, and
Acts 7, 38, 39, that when God came down to give the law, he
came with ten thousand angels and gave that law. And if the
law which was spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression
and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how shall
we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first
began to be spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ, and was confirmed
unto us by them that heard him." If you think God's judgment is
upon Israel, who heard his law at the mouth of ten thousand
that law which was steadfast and sure, and every transgression
and disobedience received a just recompense of reward." If you
think that was stern, and if you think that was steadfast,
and those who refused it were condemned, what do you think
about those who heard his gospel and didn't believe it? Hebrews chapter 10. Watch this,
Hebrews 10 verse 28. He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy. Hebrews 10.28. Listen to it. Do you think it's a small thing
to sit out here and listen to the gospel? I preached the gospel
this morning in this church, and there are people here who
are not saved, who listened to it and turned and walked away.
Do you think that's not serious? I'll show you how serious that
is. Listen to it. He that despised Moses' law and
rejected it and would not hear it died without mercy before
two or three witnesses. Of how much sore punishment,
suppose you, shall he be thought worthy who has walked under his
foot, the Son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith
he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite
under the spirit of grace." Boy, you think God wiped out those
people who wouldn't listen to the law. You ain't seen nothing
yet. You wait till he deals with those
who wouldn't hear his gospel. That's what Christ said. Why,
he said it's going to be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the
Day of Judgment. than for those that heard the
gospel, and counted it an unholy thing, and done the spite unto
the Spirit of the living God." You're condemned in the gospel
already! God condemned you this morning! God put you on death row the
first time you heard the gospel. Already condemned. That's true.
And then I'll tell you somewhere else you're condemned. You might
not like this too much, but you're condemned in the court of God's
church. You turn to the book of Mark.
Mark, chapter 15. You're condemned in the court
of God's church. Ministers are commissioned and
sent to preach the gospel. I know a lot of them don't, and
that's their fault, and they'll answer fine. But some of them
do. Ministers are sent to preach the gospel. And when the command
to preach the gospel is faithfully carried out, the results are
final. Now, you listen to this, Matthew
16, 15. And he said to them, You go unto all the world, and
you preach the gospel to every creature. That's your business.
Now, he that believeth and is baptized will be saved. And he
that doesn't believe you, God says, I'll damn him. That's Perseus,
isn't it? You go preach the gospel, and
he that believes you and is baptized, God says, I'll save him. And
he that doesn't believe you, God says, I'll damn him. That's
the code of the gospel and the code of the church. And our Lord
said to Peter, he gave authority to those apostles, he gave authority
to the church, He said, Peter, Peter said, Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. He said, Peter, blessed are you.
Simon Barjona, your name will be Peter, a little stone. And
upon this rock, not Peter, Christ didn't build his church on a
man, he built his church on a confession, on faith in him as Lord, upon
this confession, upon this foundation, upon Christ the chief cornerstone,
I'll build my church. Whatsoever you bind on earth,
I'll bind it in heaven. And whatsoever you loose on earth,
I'll loose it in heaven." So, preacher, what does that mean?
The authority of the apostles, the authority of the Church,
the authority of the gospel. They bound men to repentance
and faith. They bound men to believers'
baptisms. They bound men to the priesthood
of believers. They bound men to the authority
of the Scripture. They bound men to faith in Christ. They bound men to individual
liberty. They bound men to these new things. And they loosed men from ceremonial
law. They loosed men from circumcision's
token. They loosed men from holy days
and feasts. They loosed men from a Levitical
priesthood. They loosed men from the sacrifices,
and they bound them to Christ. And Christ said, Whatever you
loose down here is loosed in heaven, and whatever you bind
down here, I'll bind it in heaven. I'll bind it in heaven." All
right. He that believes not on the Son is condemned in the court
of God's law. Guilty, the law says, guilty. Whoever believes not God's Son
is condemned in the gospel court. The gospel's been preached, and
men rejected it as they rejected that law. And God says, that
he that despise not, that despise Moses' law, if you think they
died in a terrible way, you wait until you see those who are condemned
in the gospel court. And then they're condemned in
the court of the Church. The gospel's been preached, and
you do not believe it, and God says they shall be damned. And
then turn to Psalms 50, one of these days. The decisions of
these lower courts are going to be ratified by that higher
court. One of these days, you may scoff
at these lower courts. You may say, well, the law doesn't
trouble me too much, and the gospel doesn't trouble me too
much, and I don't have much for the church. Well, you wait. God says here in Psalms chapter
50, verse 21, these things hast thou done. And I kept silence. I didn't say much. And you thought
I was altogether such a one as yourself. You rocked along through
life, and you despised the gospel, and you despised the church,
and you despised the minister's warning, and you despised the
minister's invitation. You despised these things. You
didn't believe them. You didn't have much use for
them. You criticized God's people, and criticized the gospel, and
criticized the church, and you said, nothing's happened to me
so far, and you thought I was altogether like you. That's what
you thought, God said. I kept silence while you did
these things. I kept silence. And you walked
along for about fifty, sixty, seventy years. And you thought
I was altogether such a one as yourself. You thought I'd put
my tongue in the cheek and I'd overlook these things. But,"
he says, "'I'll reprove you. I'm going to set them in order
before your eyes. Their footholds slide,' he said,
"'in due time.'" They're already condemned. The man sitting on
death row, awaiting execution in the gas chamber, the electric
chair, sits there and laughs and laughs. There was a young
boy up in Ohio. I had the clipping. I looked
at it again just the other day. It was yellow with age. It was
an old clipping. I don't remember his name. It
was something like F-R-O-E-H-E-R, a young man, 19 years old, that
had raped and murdered a young girl. And he'd been sentenced
to die in the electric chair in the state of Ohio. This was
years ago. I guess they've done away with
that now. But he laughed and mocked and ridiculed. If anybody'd
come see him, he laughed about it. He said, I'm not afraid. I'll die like a man. When the
day came, that newspaper article I was reading just the other
day, when the day came for him to be executed, they had to literally
drag him out of his cell. He screamed and he cried and
he begged and he said, I don't want to die. And finally the
chaplain had to put his arms around him and said, Don, that
was his first name, Don. Don, die like a man. You said
you were going to die like a man, Don. down like a man. I can't,"
he said. I'm scared. I'm scared. Well, you're not scared right
now. God said, while you did these things, while you laughed
at my gospel, and while you laughed at my son, and while you laughed
at my church, and while you ridiculed my people, I kept silent. And
you thought I was altogether such a one as yourself. But God
says, I'll reprove you. I'm going to set these things
in order. Now consider this, you that forget God, lest I tear
you in pieces. You better consider this, lest
I tear you in pieces, and there'll be none to deliver. You may scoff
at these courts now, but God says the day will come in Revelation
chapter 6 when they'll cry for the rocks and mountains to fall
on them and hide them from the face of him that sits on the
throne. Now then, secondly, why is the
unbeliever already condemned? Why is this so serious? I want
you to listen to me now. When a sinner does not believe
the gospel, when a sinner does not believe the gospel and confess
it, believe the gospel of Christ and confess it, you know what
he does? You know what you're doing? You're offering the highest
insult to the divine trinity that a creature's capable of
offering. Now, what you're doing? Now,
I'll show you that. Number one, you make light of
the great love of God. What if a woman was sitting in
her living room and her husband was at work and he worked hard
and he didn't make much money and for several weeks he'd saved
up a little bit out of the pay every week? He wanted to buy
his wife a gift. And he saved up a little bit
every week, every week, and finally had about $20 saved up after
weeks and weeks and weeks. And that afternoon on the way
home from work, he'd gone by a dress shop before, and he'd
picked out a dress he thought would look so good on her. and
looked so nice, and he'd worked so hard, and he'd saved his money,
little bit at a time, finally had enough, and he went by and
bought that dress. And he was so pleased and so
happy with it. And he came to the house, and
he opened the door and walked in and laid it in her lap, and
he said, Look what I bought for you. This is a gift of my love. And in her anger, she ripped
open the package and saw that dress and picked it up and threw
it on the floor and said, I don't want your old gift. Would you be greatly surprised
if he got angry? Would you be greatly surprised
maybe if he didn't give her any more gifts? Would you be greatly
surprised if he perhaps walked out the door and didn't come
back? God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son. Greater gift can no man give. And yet, you, unbelievers, sit
here tonight and say that that gift is unworthy of your faith,
and unworthy of your notice, and unworthy of your acceptance.
Boy, you're condemned already. God's angry. God sent his Son
to save sinners, and you sit there and say, I won't confess
him. I won't receive him. Your good is in hell, let me
tell you that. The wrath of God's on you. Secondly,
you not only make light of the love of God, you make light of
the sufferings of Christ. Now, Christ suffered as no man. Somebody came out the door this
morning, was telling me how that Christ said, My soul is exceedingly
sorrowful, even unto death. But you say, there's no reason
for Christ to have agonized in Gethsemane's garden. There's
no reason for him to give his back to the scourge. There's
no reason for him to give his head to the crown of thorns.
There's no reason for him to hang on that awful tree. His
death means nothing to me. You make light of the sufferings
of our Lord, and then thirdly, you make light of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost is sent into the world to convince men of sin,
and you say, there's no sin in me. The Holy Ghost is sent to
convince men of the righteousness of Christ, and you say, I don't
need his righteousness, I've got my own. The Holy Ghost was
sent down to show the beauty of Christ, the glory of Christ,
and you say there's no beauty about Christ, that I should desire
him. That's what unbelief says. And
then in 1 Corinthians 1, you listen to this. Why is the unbeliever
condemned? 1 Corinthians 1 verse 18 says
this, "'For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness.'" Foolishness. Boy, I tell you, when a man mocks
the divine wisdom of substitution, when a man mocks the divine wisdom
of God's grace, When a man mocks the glorious gift of God's Son,
when a man calls foolishness the sufferings of Christ, it's
no wonder that he's condemned already. It's no wonder that
the wrath of God is upon him. The world is a fool to tell him
to smile. God loves him. He's got no reason
to smile. He's walking on rotten boards
over hell that's moving up to meet him at his coming. I'll
tell you another thing about unbelief. Turn to 1 John 5. You
listen to this. 1 John 5. In 1 John 5, verse
10, listen to this. Not only does unbelief mock the
love of God, not only does unbelief mock the sufferings of Christ,
not only does unbelief mock the Holy Spirit, not only does your
unbelief render foolishness the wisdom of God and his salvation,
but by your unbelief, you're calling God a liar. Look at 1
John 5, and he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness
in himself. And he that believeth not God
hath made God a liar, because he believed not the record that
God gave of his Son." The language of unbelief. You say, Preacher, I went in
a park one day and I heard a man stand on a soapbox and shake
his fist at heaven and say, there is no God. Oh, he said, I wouldn't
do that. Are you a believer? No, sir.
You're doing worse than that. You're doing worse than that.
I'd about soon say there is no God. It's to say there is a God
and he's a liar. Just about soon. It's six of
one, half a dozen of another. I say the man in the park who
stands on the soapbox and lifts his eyes to heaven may be out
of sincere ignorance, saying there is no God. But the man
who says there is a God and says he's a liar, he's the biggest
fool this side of heaven." That's right. And he that believes not
on the Son. Everybody here who has not believed
Christ has made God a liar. He made God a liar. You talk about going to the picture
show and stealing a watermelon, that ain't nothing, not compared
to calling God a liar. These preachers preaching up
and down the country saying they're preaching against sin, they don't
know what sin is. They're preaching to a bunch
of people who are sitting out there mocking God's love, sitting
out there ridiculing God's Son, sitting out there making light
of the sufferings of Christ, sitting out there making light
of the wisdom of God and calling God a liar. And that preacher's
trying to get them not to play cards. Now, you think about it. And I'll tell you something else.
Turn to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians, the second chapter.
Now, let me show you something. What's this all about, anyhow? God creating this world, and
God permitting man to fall, and God sending his Son down here
in the flesh to save sinners. What's it all about? You know
what it's all about? Read Philippians 2. Verse 7 says,
He made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form
of a servant For my Christ ye were 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.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name which is above every name, in order that at the name of
Jesus Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess in heaven,
earth, and hell that he's Lord. That's what it's all about, that
Christ might have the preeminence. And the unbeliever says, I'm
not going to give him the preeminence, not me. I'm not going to bow,
I'm not going to confess. Now that might be God's design,
but that's not my design. What is the chief end of man?
To glorify God, to exalt Jesus Christ and to give him preeminence. And you are, by your unbelief,
opposing God's grand design of the whole universe. You're not
going to pose it long, but you're setting up a little roadblock,
a little stumbling block. Christ summed it up in the parable
of the great king. He said a great king had one
son, and he wished to honor that son. And he sent out invitations,
and he says, Come and honor my son. And they laughed at it,
and they wouldn't come. And he sent his servants out
and said, Destroy And Almighty God has sent out
an invitation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the grand design
of that gospel is to honor his Son! And bless God, that's what
I want to do. That's what I want to do. I want
Christ to have the glory, the tears. And then unbelief is the
greatest sin. Of all the sins which Israel
committed in the wilderness, the final charge was they could
not enter in. They could not enter in because
of unbelief. Now, brethren, why? Actually, all sin comes from
unbelief. Why are men proud? They don't
believe the word of God, which declares that they're poor, naked,
miserable, and blind. Why are men covetous? Because
our hearts are set on this world, and we do not believe the world
to come. Why are men unmerciful? Because
they do not see themselves as objects of mercy. Why are men
at peace in sin? Because they do not believe the
wrath of God is against sin. Why do men ignore the Bible?
They do not believe the Bible is the Word of God. Why do men
neglect prayer? They do not believe that God
hears prayer. Why are there hypocrites in the
church? They do not believe in reality and vital union in religion. Why do men take God's name in
vain? They do not believe that God
is holy and that God will not hold him guiltless to taketh
his name in vain. You say, Preacher, I don't want
to be condemned. How can I get out of condemnation?
Join the church? That won't do it. How in the
world can I get out from under this cloud of God's wrath? Memorize
doctrine? That won't do it. Turn over a
new leaf? That won't do it. In Romans chapter
8, verse 1, it says, There is therefore now no condemnation to them who in Christ. That's
where it is. It's to run, when you see the
storm, run, hide in the storm cellar. And that's Christ. When
you see the wrath of God run high in the city of refuse, that's
Christ. When you see the fiery serpent
bite, run to that blazing serpent, that's Christ. When you're thirsty
and weary, run to the rock, that's Christ. Run to the manna, that's
Christ. God in Christ is a reconciled
God. God hath reconciled the world
unto himself. God in Christ is a promising
God. In Christ all the promises of
God are yea, yea, yea. God in Christ is sitting on the
throne of grace. God in Christ is a pardoning
God. Though your sins be as scarlet,
I'll make them white as snow. And God in Christ. Turn to Hebrews
7, 25 and read this. God in Christ is an inviting
God. In Hebrews 7.25, wherefore he
is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
What's the way to God, preacher, through Christ? Just believe
on Him, just receive Him, just trust Him, who said, I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but
by me. Our Father, bless the Word to
our prophet, to thy divine glory. Help poor, unbelieving sinners
to see that wrath's not a future possibility, that outside of
Christ, wrath is already here. Judgment and condemnation is
already here, but you will be reconciled in Christ. You will
pardon and forgive in Christ. You will give us all the mercy
and grace we need in Christ. We thank thee for Christ our
Lord, our Savior, in his name. Amen.