He is not here to condemn you
Category: Peace & Assurance
Key Passage: John 3:16-21
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: December 3, 2024
And John chapter number three in God’s word, can you believe Christmas is here this season? And it’s December the 1st. Thanksgiving is over as far as a holiday, and it’s all about Christmas 24 days away.
How many of you have already gotten your Christmas tree up? You’ve already got your Christmas tree up? Wow, wow.
How many of you say it’ll be up within a week? It’s not up, it’ll be up within a week. All right, good, that’s us. Good deal.
How many of you say it’ll be up next year, you know? Got a couple of those. Yeah. Somebody said they already have it up. It’s been up all year round. There you go. Yep, yep. Good deal.
Christmas is here, and just kind of want to get our minds going the way of true Christmas. And if we’re not careful, we’ll just get focused on Santa Claus and gifts and all the other, and we’ll forget the true meaning of Christmas.
I want to try and just get our hearts and our minds going that way. By the way, work at that. You’ll have to work at it. In our busy day and time, get you some kind of tradition. It may be you’re the one that gets up first in the morning. You plug the Christmas lights in and during that time thank Jesus for being the light of the world. It may be you’re the one that… Or maybe you unplug the lights at the last of the nighttime. And just working it some way where you’re thanking Jesus for coming to this world. And daily, you’re working at this.
What is Christmas all about? I was amazed a couple years back. I was driving, I think, for a vacation Bible school. And I did not have a worker on the vehicle with me. And so, you know, it’s either you keep them busy or they’re going to keep you busy. And so I was trying to come up with something driving that, you know, the hangings. I was asking them questions, and I was shocked. This is several years back, vacation Bible school, and I asked the kids on the bus or whatever it was. I said, “Hey, who knows the true meaning of Christmas?” And I was a little bit, no, there were some that had the right answer, but not a whole lot. Easter, I was shocked. I don’t know if any of them on that bus knew the true meaning of Easter.
And just shows in our day and time how it is so marketed. And even the Christmas songs you hear, you know, wherever you’re out, just not much about Jesus. And so let’s work at it. Let’s work at it. And today, kind of along that line, he didn’t come—Jesus coming—he did not come to condemn you. We want to talk about that for just a bit this morning. John chapter 3, we’re going to start in verse number 16.
And probably the most, or one of the most popular verses in all the Bible, John 3:16. Would you please stand as we read God’s Word together? And I tell you what, I think many of you got it memorized. Let’s read or quote verse number 16 out loud, all of us, all of us on verse number 16. Here we go: “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.”
Verse number 17: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. 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. And this is a condemnation that light has come into the world. The men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light. He that cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. May he that doeth the truth come unto the light, that his deeds might be made manifest that they are wrought in God.”
And would you pray with me that God would speak to your hearts from his word this morning?
Father, Lord, would you make this scripture real? Father, help it not to be redundant. Help us to have a hunger for you to speak to us this morning. Father, Lord, I pray that this thing be very personal, very real to every single individual here, that you did not come to condemn us, Father. We’ll thank you for what you do. We’ll brag on you for it. It’s in Jesus’ name we ask. Amen.
The Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are all a little unique. Matthew describes Jesus as King of the Jews. Mark describes him as a servant. Luke describes him as a man. But John, more than the book of John, John describes Jesus as deity. He was God in flesh. That’s why we’re talking about Immanuel, God with us.
Very interesting. Luke describes him as a man, written by or penned by a doctor, Dr. Luke. It gives a lot of details about the birth, the human birth of Jesus Christ. Luke chapter number two is the scripture we often quote or think about at Christmas time. Very fitting for that.
John, the book of John, starts off with the very, very, very, very, very beginning, if there was a beginning: “In the beginning was the Word,” as Jesus, capital W, see? It starts all the way back, because Jesus always was. Luke really just focuses on his incarnation coming to Earth, but John focuses on how he always was.
Have you ever had a child ask you, “When did God start?” Anybody ever have? Well, they have some tough questions to answer there, don’t they? You know? “Well, he always was.” “Well, tell me about that,” you know. “Just shut up, kid. Listen to me. I’m telling you.” That type of thing. You know, that’s John. He describes Jesus as deity. And then in chapter three really just begins to focus, I think, a lot on why he came. What was the purpose of him coming? John chapter 3, it starts off with this man named Nicodemus. Look at verse number one there, would you? John 3, in verse number 1: “There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.”
Now, Nicodemus, in our day and time, he would be a little bit like a professor at a college and a little bit of a national leader. He had some influence in the nation of Israel. He was a Pharisee. He was coming to Jesus. Look at verse number two. Verse number two, very interesting.
And verse number two: “The same came to Jesus by what?” What’s the next word? By night.
Now, we’re not sure—you ever think about that—but most tend to think he was maybe a little bit worried about his reputation, worried about his position. He didn’t want everybody else to see it. He was kind of doing it in secret. And here’s the interesting thing about that, though. Nicodemus wished he was more bold about Jesus. You know, Jesus never rebuked him. He didn’t say, “Well, if you want to talk to me, come to me in the daytime when everybody else can see.” No, Jesus just took him. And he didn’t rebuke him for it. Isn’t that interesting?
And maybe he’s coming to him at nighttime there. Look at what he’s doing in verse number two, right there: “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi.” That means—that was just a very high title—master, teacher. Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
So Nicodemus, he’s there and he’s bragging on Jesus. He’s kind of flattering him. He said, “Boy, you’re smart, you’re intelligent, you look good today.” How many like to hear all those things? Somebody say all those things. The rest of you didn’t raise your hand, you need to come to the altar for lying there. You know, everybody enjoys that. And Nicodemus just flattering him a little bit.
But watch what Jesus does with it. I think this is so very, very interesting. And Jesus answered and said, “Keep bragging on me, flattering me. I like to hear all that.” Notice what he does: “Verily, verily”—that’s kind of like truly, truly, listen up, and I’m about to tell you the truth here—“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Instead of Jesus just enjoying the flattery, maybe getting caught up in the flattery, Jesus cut to the chase, if you will, and he said, “Let’s talk about you being saved. Are you born again or not?” By the way, the Bible says in Luke 19:10, “He came to seek and to save.” That was just to save. Not just to save—He is salvation—but He came to seek and to save. Jesus was a personal soul winner.
Nicodemus comes to him at nighttime, and he’s bragging on him a little bit, and Jesus says, “Hey, let’s get to what’s really important. Let’s talk about your soul. Are you born again or not?” By the way, praise the Lord, Jesus, He is salvation, but not all of that; He’s our perfect example, and He was a soul—He was a personal witnessing soul winner.
One of the last things Jesus did on the cross: Remember, He led a guide to the Lord right beside Him, the thief on the cross. Jesus was the person. You said, “Well, what would Jesus do?” Jesus would be trying to get people focused on their soul, where it’s going to. That’s what He did with Nicodemus, y’all out there this morning.
He said, “Well, is this a Bible thing?” Oh, yeah, it’s a Bible thing. Jesus was about it. He just said, “All right, Nicodemus, let’s talk about it. He must be born again.” I like that. He just got down to business on this thing here. And really, chapter number three is very clear about this subject of salvation. It’s just so very, very clear. I like that about it.
He uses this term. Let’s look at it a little bit. Look in verse number 15. We’re in John 3 there. Look at verse number 15. We didn’t read this verse here. Verse number 15: “The whosoever, what’s the next word? believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life: for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…” The whosoever, what’s the next word? “…believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Look at verse number 18: “He that what? believeth on him is not condemned: but he that what? believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Look at verse number 36, the last verse of the chapter: “He that what? believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: he that what? believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
That exact word “believeth” is found six times in this one chapter. Now, it’s more than just believing a fact, if you will. You say, “I believe that.” It’s stronger. James, the book of James, talks about the devils believe and tremble. They believe in there’s one God.
But it’s a little bit stronger than that. It’s not just believing a fact. Look, look back at some of these verses. Look back at verse number 15, if you would please. Verse number 15: “Whosoever believeth?” What’s the next word? “In him should not perish, but have eternal life: for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” The whosoever believeth? What’s the next word? “In Him should not perish, but hath eternal everlasting life.” Excuse me.
Verse number 18: “He that believe in, what’s the next word? On him is not condemned: but he that believe is not condemned already.”
Verse number 36: “He that believeth, what’s the next word? On him.” See, it’s more than just, oh, a mental, “I’m believing this fact that there was a Jesus.” It’s believing in or on Jesus.
See, there’s a difference there. How many voted election time? How many voted? Good for you. Praise the Lord for that. That’s awesome. That’s awesome. By the way, I was reading this week, someone said it to me about one—one of the reasons why the conservatives won is because so many Christians got out and voted. Praise the Lord for that. America needs to stay like that, friend. We are called to be the light and salt, amen. We’ve got to be that. And praise the Lord for that. It’s a wonderful victory, and I’m so glad God’s people got out and did what they should have done. It’s wonderful. Many hands up here today. I love it.
There was one hand that wasn’t raised, and they’ll be shocked when they leave outside the door there. I’m joking. I’m joking about it. I don’t know what hands were or weren’t raised. But you went there, and you had to sign that book and all that, and then you went over to this little booth, and they got buttons there, and you start reading, and the first thing comes up for the office of president: Who would you like to be? And you push a button beside the name you want.
Now, believing on Jesus is very similar to that, but you go to the voting booth, and it’s not who would you like to be for the office of president; you go there and it would be: Who would you like to be for the office of getting you into heaven?
Basically, there are two people you can vote for. By the way, when you vote, you can’t vote for both of them. You understand that? And same thing. And basically, the two people you can vote for to get you into heaven is one: yourself. It may be through a different type of religious system, but it’s you doing something to get to heaven. Either you’re voting for yourself.
By the way, if you do that, what is it saying? Verse number 18, John 3, verse number 18: “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.” You see, you’re condemned already because you’re a sinner. You’re born in sin. You have that sin nature that you got from Adam. See?
And so if—let me say this—if you don’t vote at all, it’s a default; it goes to yourself. You’ll stand before God and say, “All right, how do you want to get into heaven?” God says, “You already made the decision. You didn’t believe on Jesus.” So you step in the voting booth in the office of getting you into heaven. Either you vote for yourself, or you vote for Jesus. You say, “I want to believe on Jesus.” That’s how you believe in or on Jesus. You take all your belief as far as getting you into heaven, and you place it on Jesus Christ. See? And now, when you believe on Jesus Christ, God says, “Oh, I’m going to put your name in the book. Your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” So very, very important.
Now, let’s go back to verse number 17. This is what we’re trying to get to if we get there fairly quick. Verse number 17. You’re in John 3, verse number 17. You’re all there this morning. Amen. Good deal. Verse number 17: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world.” Would you say that phrase out loud with me? Here we go: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world.”
I hope we kind of get that just into our minds and our heart. God’s purpose for sending Jesus—Christmas. And I hope you get that. That’s true Christmas. His purpose was out of love. How does it start off that verse number 16? Help me out. Help me out. Say it: “For what?” So loved. Yeah, that’s what we’re trying to. “For God so loved…”
Now, He didn’t send His Son to condemn the world because He was sending His Son out of love. Now, God’s a just and a righteous God, but He didn’t send His Son because of His righteousness and His justice and His holiness. He sent His only begotten Son out of love. He didn’t send His Son to condemn the world. Oh, no, that’s not His purpose. That’s not what He’s after.
You know, it’s very, very interesting, but sometimes we’ll say, “Well, that sin sent you to hell,” whatever may be, just a sin we’d talk about down here on earth. Can I say this? You’re going to think I’m preaching heresy here, but think about this. Y’all listen. Think about it. The only sin that will send you to hell—there’s only one sin that will send you to hell—is rejecting Jesus. That’s the only sin.
Look, look, let’s say, who was it? Oh, someone I was dealing with—a tragic accident, but they—we’re not sure everything about it—but they drowned, maybe a couple weeks ago, in a pool, a very small children’s pool, like a kitty pool. And my question was, and I was talking to, not the wife, but the sister of the wife, so I could maybe ask some questions. I said, “Well, do they know what happened?” And they said, “No, they’re running an autopsy on the body right now, trying to find out.” I’m thinking maybe something medical happened before, maybe a heart attack or something, you know.
But here’s the thing: Now, if an autopsy comes back, we’ll say that London here, he’s got it—what kind of disease you got, London? We’ll say that he’s got cancer, and it’s spread all the way from his toes. By the way, did you see his nice, shiny shoes? My goodness. I think he’s got new batteries in those things. Goodness gracious, man, you know. I’ve got to wear sunglasses up here in front of us. Look at the goodness gracious. Anyway, he’s got cancer from his toe to his head. He’s got cancer all over.
But not only that, but Brother Patterson back there, he’s a genius back there. Brother Patterson, raise your hand, and he’s a professor, he’s your genius, he’s a medical doctor, he works for Big Pharma, he’s got all of it together, and he has invented the cure for cancer. I mean, you pop this one pill in your mouth, if you swallow, boom, cancer’s gone, all right? Praise the Lord, you’d be a billionaire, and you come to our church, you’ve got a tie, we’ll be in that new building, amen, you know? Come on now. Anyway, and he’s given—he didn’t make, he didn’t charge it—he’s given that pill to London, right?
Now, London, he dies, and I’m, of course, teasing with London. They run an autopsy of his body, and they come back and say, “Well, he died because of cancer.” Well, he died because he didn’t take the medicine that was given to him. You understand? Same thing with sin, friends. Someone dies and goes to hell because they don’t take the medicine of Jesus Christ. By the best, it’s given to him; it’s free.
Typically, typically the reason why we don’t do that is because we don’t admit that I can’t vote on myself to get me to heaven. Pride, really. Because I’ve got to humble down and realize I can’t save myself. And what a sad, sad thing. Look, God’s the best doctor in all the world, and He loves you, and He’s got the medicine, and He offers it to you.
But I want you to think about that—that little phrase right there. Go back to verse number 17. Let’s read it out loud one more time, just that first little phrase, verse number 17. Would you read it out loud with me? Here we go: “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world.”
That’s good, that’s good. You got it, you got it. Y’all are on the ball this morning, man. I’ll tell you what. I want that kind of getting it. Yes, salvation. Yes, the context of salvation. But I want you personally, even if you are saved, to start thinking about that. God didn’t send Jesus to condemn you. Jesus comes to you in the morning time when you wake up, and he’s not coming to condemn you.
Saved or lost people. By the way, Jesus comes to every individual in the world. Look in chapter number one right here in John. Look at John 1:9. Look at what he said. This is an interesting verse. John 1:9: “That was the true light.” Now, who is the light he was talking about? He was talking about Jesus. “That was the true light which lighteth…” What’s the next two words? Which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
So how does that happen? Well, a couple different ways. One: creation. We talked about that last Sunday, I believe it was, Romans 1:20. Then on that, the Holy Spirit, it reproves the world of sin. Why? Because they’re not believing on Jesus, trying to get them saved. And Jesus in some form, some fashion, maybe through the Spirit of God, but He comes and He lights the heart of every single individual, everyone in the world. That’s very important what they do with that light.
You say, “Even people in a Muslim country?” Yes. I was at a preacher’s meeting in Hammond, Indiana, years and years ago, and right south of Chicago there. A man came up and spoke. They didn’t give his name because he was in a little bit of danger. And he grew up in a Muslim country, and his dad was very high up in the military, if you will. And he, for a while, was a prison guard of Jewish people. They hadn’t done anything wrong. But Muslims, typically, typically—not all of them—but the very… In fact, if you will, they don’t like Jewish people, and they have these Jewish prisoners. And the Muslim man—it used to be a Muslim man, excuse me, ex-Muslim man—gave a testimony. He said, “I was a prison guard, and I would watch them torture those Jewish people. And I think, why are we doing this? This isn’t right.” And there was something inside of him that was reproving him, and he took that light, and he said, “Hey, Lord, I want to know the truth about the situation.” Praise the Lord, he took that light. What happens when you take the light? God gives you more light, see. And he eventually got the light of Jesus Christ, was a born-again Christian, and was testifying to his preachers.
Now, Jesus—He lights the heart of every man in the whole wide world that they have a choice to make. But more often than not, the reason why we don’t vote for Jesus is because I want to vote for myself, and some religious system I can do to earn my way to heaven.
Hey, can I say something in our area that’s very popular that’s not true—a religious work I can do, a religious act I can do? It’s this thing up here called getting baptized. By the way, we had someone get baptized last Sunday night, and the water was freezing cold. I’ve checked that the back-up heater on the day—it is working today. The timer came on today. Probably won’t have any baptized, just what it works. But look, you can go up there and get baptized about 20 times. You know, the old country preacher used to say, you can get baptized so many times that every tadpole on the creek knows your name and social security number, and still die and go to hell. That’s a good thing after your say, but as a religious act or system, God wants it, a good work you can do, but good works will never get you to heaven. It’s not what I can do, but what Jesus did. That’s what saves.
Oh, friend, by the way, Satan is always trying to add works to our salvation. No, no, no, no. Not works that any man should boast. But you know, it’s interesting how our flesh likes to work. In Galatians 5, the works of the flesh. Fruit of the Spirit, but the works of the flesh. Our flesh likes to work, “Boy, I did this,” so we get the credit. It’s amazing how we’re prone to that. No, no, no, no. When I get to heaven, it won’t be me. Look at me. It’ll be Jesus. All Jesus. Everything, Jesus.
I remember witnessing to a lady in Chicago. I told my Northwest Indiana recently—just a minute ago, in Heaven, Indiana—but we go to Chicago on the weekends. And I remember witnessing to a Spanish lady; there was a language barrier. We were going through three different languages: Spanish to English to southern hillbilly, amen, you know. That’s hard to get it all in there, you know. And so we had a language barrier for sure, you know, and I have a language barrier sometimes with Yankees, you know. And what they say, and they say, “What do you say?” And my wife says sometimes we talk with marbles in our mouth, amen, you know. I’m guilty there, you know.
But anyway, I was talking to a Spanish lady; I tried to witness to her about the matter of salvation. And we were going through the Romans Road: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” those verses like that. And she kept saying this: She said, “I good, I good.” She went to her church. She practiced her religious system. And I was trying to get her lost, you know, what Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost, you know. And she kept saying, “I good, I good, I good.”
And really, I don’t think there’s anything special. I said just the Holy Spirit got involved, and she yielded to the Holy Spirit. It was amazing. Just boom, like that. She changed, and she started tearing up a little bit. And she said, “I’m not good. I’m not good.” And boy, right after that, she was ready to vote for Jesus. And she got saved that day. But it’s when I give up on what I can do, and I start believing on Jesus.
Now, after salvation, that’s when the work begins—not to get to heaven, but because I am going to heaven. Look over in Ephesians, if you will. You’ll know two of these verses, I’m sure. But Ephesians 2, and look at verse number 8. Ephesians 2, and look in verse number 8. Ephesians 2.
Verse number eight of God’s word right there. Look at that verse. He says right there, Ephesians 2, and verse number 8: “For by grace are ye saved through faith.” Notice that grace—that’s you getting something you don’t deserve. That’s God’s riches at Christ’s expense. “For by grace are ye saved through faith.” You’re putting your belief, your faith on Jesus Christ. “And that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Oh, you get up to heaven and say, “Hey, I did this out of order. I got baptized. That’s why I’m in heaven.” No, no, no, no. No works you did it saves you. But look at the next verse, verse number 10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto…” What’s the next two words? Unto good works. Yeah. Once you’re saved, then you’re created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Watch the last of it there: “Which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
He saved you, not just to take you to heaven, yes, but while you’re down here after you’re saved, He’s got some things He wants you to do. He’s already ordained, made you, created, and set you aside to do some good works for Him as His child. Works will never save you. Oh, no, no, no, no. I believe on Jesus, not myself. But once I am a born-again Christian, hey friend, He wants you working for Him.
Here’s a difference. I remember years ago, some Mormons came by. I didn’t invite them in the house, but in the yard we talked for maybe an hour or two. And that was a pretty civilized argument. I mean, I think I ended up with a black eye—I got two of them, you know—got one guy, black guy, the other guy knocked a tooth out in him, you know. It was pretty civilized, no guns, amen, you know. I’m joking, of course, about that. But we did maybe an hour or two out in the yard talking. And I said, “Look, you know, I do the same thing you’re doing. I go down the street, I’ll go door to door often, trying to tell something about Jesus.” I said, “But there’s a big difference. You’re doing these things trying to earn your way to heaven. I’m doing these things because I am going to heaven. It’s already done. I’m going to heaven because of Jesus. And because He gave that to me as a gift, man, I realize He loves me, and if I love Him, I want to try to obey Him. But if it never goes over and never go down the street to tell him about Jesus, I’m still going to heaven because of Jesus.” Created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
Now let’s go back to John 3 and that first little phrase right there, John 3 and verse number 17, that first little phrase. We don’t have to read the whole verse. Let’s just get that first phrase there of John 3 and verse number 17: “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world.” Just that part right there.
Now, whether you’re saved or lost, He’s not coming to condemn you. Brother, if you get saved, He doesn’t flip-flop and say, “Well, I’m ready to condemn you now.” No, He’s not coming to condemn you.
Don’t raise your hands. But how many of you, over the Thanksgiving holidays, your schedule got mixed up, messed up, and out of whack, and people over at your house and all that—how many of you did not have your devotions like you ought to? Don’t raise your hand. How many of you didn’t have your devotion like you ought to over the Thanksgiving holidays? He didn’t come to condemn you. He’s not waiting up in heaven, “Why are you messed up? I’m going to get you now, buddy.” He didn’t come to condemn you.
Hey, when you get up in the morning and you see that Christmas tree and you see those gifts, thank Him for giving us the best gift in all the world, His Son. Think about it: He didn’t come to condemn you.
How many of you maybe you were planning to witness to your aunt or your uncle or your cousin or your co-worker? And God’s been convincing you about that. Maybe you were going to see them over Thanksgiving. It was a perfect opportunity for you to witness, but you just—you just did not step out like you ought to, and you didn’t witness to them like you ought to. Can I say this? He’s not here to condemn you. He’s not waiting up in heaven, “Why, you dirty crook, man? I’ve given you the ministry of reconciliation. You didn’t witness.” He’s not there to condemn you, friend.
Yeah, I praise the Lord for Jesus. Maybe you’re there and you say, “You know, I really—I’ve gotten out of spending my time alone with God, and I really haven’t prayed like I ought to the last week. And boy, my prayer life has been puny, just a little, just a very small portion of what it should be.” Friend, let me remind you, He is not there to condemn you. Oh, no. God sent not His Son into the world to condemn you. That’s not why He’s here. No, I want you to get that.
And by the way, after salvation, you’re still going to make mistakes. There was a committee asking a little girl that got saved. They wanted to find out if she truly got saved whether she could get baptized or not—believer’s baptism. And they asked the little girl, “Do you still sin?” And the little girl wisely said, “Yeah, I do.” And they said, “Well, what’s the difference? You know, before you were saved, now you’re still sinning.” And she said, “Before I was saved, I was always running to sin. Now that I’m saved, I run from sin, but it still catches me sometimes.”
Oh, but when you fall as a born-again Christian, He didn’t come to condemn you. When you said something you ought not to have said, and maybe it hurt someone—yes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words…” Well, what’s the last part? I can’t remember. “…will never hurt me.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. “Words will never hurt me.” That’s not true, friend. That’s a big fat lie. I mean, you break an arm and it’ll heal, but sometimes somebody says something, and you never really fully heal from it, you know. And maybe you’re the one that said it this time, and you feel so bad that you hurt them. Friend, can I remind you? He didn’t come to condemn you.
“He sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world.” No, He’s not about that business. What about the woman that was taken in adultery? I mean, they caught her in the very act and brought her to Jesus. What did Jesus say? “Neither do I condemn thee: Go, and sin no more.” Oh, no, He’s not in the condemning business. That’s not God’s purpose for it. God sent His Son into the world to condemn the world? By the way, the devil wants you to stay away from God. That’s what it’s all about. He wants you to just stay away from God. And boy, you mess up a little bit, and so you run from the light because you’ve got some sin.
But you know what, friends? If someone is going to have surgery, those surgeries—you know what they do? They turn off all the lights, and then they have surgery in the dark, right? Was that a kidney I just pulled out? Was that a toe? What was that? I just—maybe that was her stomach I just took out there, you know. Is that how they have surgery? I remember my second surgery on my hand, and they had put a tourniquet, and you’re kind of in a twilight zone, you know. But I still remember that room, and they had lights all over in that room. And while they’re working on that hand, they had all the bright lights. And you know what? You know how to get rid of that sin in your life? Keep coming to the light. The light’s not there to condemn you. He’s not waiting to beat you over the head and beat you down and discourage you. He doesn’t kick you when you’re down. He’s the one that’s going to help you win over that sin. But the devil will say, “Well, He’s there to condemn you.” And that’s why people stay in sin usually. But the person that realizes He’s not there to condemn me, and they get back to the light—it was a good day for me.
Look over in 1st John. I wasn’t planning on doing this, but look over in 1st John. This was a good day for me when God showed me this verse. I’d known parts of it, maybe just pointed out part of that. I really hadn’t noticed before. But 1st John chapter number 1—once you find that, what you find that, say amen for just a second. And you found it already? You’re still turning? You haven’t found it? Yeah, come on now. You know you’re there. 1st John chapter 1. Let me talk to you about 1st John for you. 1st John is the book of the Bible that really is kind of like Dad talking to the family of God. He’s kind of assuming—verse number 9, “If we confess our sins.” Verse 8, “If we say…” It’s talking to the family of God, the house of God. It uses this Greek term teknon. It’s kind of like, “My dear little children.” He uses that in 1st John. And it’s Dad, if you’re born again, a good Christian, Dad, talking to the family of God. And you say, “But then fellowship”—you see, the relationship, father/child—you get that of salvation. Nothing can change that once you’re saved. You’re always saved. But then fellowship is a day-to-day thing. And I’ve been taught that training and all that—that’s biblical, that’s right—but I used to have a little bit in my mind that I had to do everything exactly right to be closer, have fellowship with God. I had that in my mind. I’ve got to just be perfect. I’ve got to always get up on time, read my Bible, and witness and do everything just right. But I’m not just right. How many hit the snooze too many times here lately? Yeah, those people, whatever it may be. And I used to have that mindset, “Well, if I’m not perfect, I can’t be close to God.” And it was a great day for me when I kind of read over this. I think maybe I haven’t memorized it, but the Holy Spirit shined light on this little phrase in the Bible, and it was such a blessing for me.
Look in verse number—oh, we’ll start a little bit before. Look at verse number five. We’ll start there: “This then is the message which we have heard of Him and declare, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.” Here it is. Here’s what spoke to my heart—soul is such a blessing for me. Verse number seven: “But if we walk in the light…” It doesn’t say you’ve got to be perfect. It just says you just got to walk in the light. In other words, when I mess up, I said something I shouldn’t have said, I had just an ill feeling entered in my heart towards so-and-so. I don’t have to be perfect because I’m never there. But if I just walk in the light, “All right, Lord, I just messed up. Sorry. Lord, I don’t know what this thing entered in my heart. I know it’s not right, but Lord, this is where my heart’s at.” If I, just—all I have to do is walk in the light. Let me look at that. Verse number seven: “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
Friend, that’s the key: walking in the light. You’re never going to be perfect, but I promise you this, the more you walk in the light, the more light for surgery God gets the sin out of our lives. But I can’t just go off and—oh, no, I got to realize He’s not there to condemn me. He’s there to help me. I’ve got to get back to the light. That’s the key. And the more I walk in that light, boy, you know, He cleanses me and He gives me strength to win over that. But remember, Jesus—He didn’t come. God didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn the world. He’s not coming to condemn you. He’s light. He’s not going to change from anybody else. But, friend, He’s there to help you overcome. He’s not there to save you eternal salvation and day-to-day salvation. See? Oh, I didn’t send Him—didn’t send Him to condemn you.
Years ago, I had a new vehicle. It wasn’t brand new—for me, it was new, you know. And I had a new car. Well, I won’t say what it is. But how many of you know exactly how far that needle can go below the red? Anybody? You know exactly in your… Yeah, yeah. I mean, and sometimes you probably push it farther than you should, but once you push it, then you know how far it can go below the red, you know? How many of you are guilty out there? Come on. Having the rest of you are lying right now, you know. Yeah. I mean, and it was a new vehicle, so I didn’t know, you know. It’s kind of like, well, most vehicles you can go down pretty far into the red. It was a new vehicle for me, and I was busy. I had a—there was a meeting down in Murphersboro. A preacher was really burdened about America, and it never happened before, and he had rented a little conference room in that town. He invited a couple of us preachers there, and we were just going to go there and pray for America, have a meeting, and pray. And it was a great thing. Man, I wanted to get to that thing, you know, didn’t want to be late for that and whatnot.
So I was driving down there, and that needle was down there in the red, and I don’t know how far I could go in the red. Yep. That new vehicle—you can’t go below the red in that new vehicle. I mean, it started sputtering, and it didn’t sputter long, man, it just quit. And I’m on the side of the road. Dirty, big, back, side of the road, and, you know, but it’s not good, you know. Man, I wanted to get to that meeting, and boy, it goes to your mind: What should I do? I thought, “Well, I can call so-and-so, but for the next 30 years, I’m going to hear about it from them,” you know? You know what I’m saying? And I thought maybe I’m not too far if I can walk down to that meeting, and maybe I’ll make it there. It won’t be too late. Well, I’d be too late. And I’m thinking, and I thought, “You know, I got a good wife. Praise the Lord for it.” And I can call; she’ll bring the gas, and she won’t condemn me. She likes to help, but she’s so good about that. She likes to help.
And I called my wife. Honestly, she could kind of poke at me a little bit and have fun with it, but she didn’t that day. She knew I was a little bit in a bad spot, and she said, “No problem.” And she came. Hey, you know, and then she—there’s no gas—and she came and she brought me gas. Hey, Jesus is not there to condemn you. You can call Him. And God didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn the world. No, no, oh no. He’s there to save you.
One last thought—we’re going to be done. Y’all still with me this morning? One last thought.
You know, John chapter number 20, Jesus said this, “As my Father has sent me, so send I you.” You know, we ought to be living to a higher standard as children of God. We ought to be an ambassador for Christ. We ought to let His light shine through our good works. But in that, we ought to be careful. We could get where we have a little condemning attitude.
How about your coworkers? Do they kind of have the mentality, “Well, Joe there, he’s—man, you do anything wrong? He’s pointing it out.” Do they think you came to condemn them? How about your spouse? Are you very quick to point out all the problems with your spouse? Well, Jesus didn’t come to condemn. It seems like we ought not be like that with our spouses.
You know, sometimes—sometimes I understand parents, and we talk about it, the “Roder Proof”—give it wisdom. “A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame,” and you know I preach about those things, but, you know, can sometimes—can it seem like a kid may be thinking, “Maybe they’re accurate, Mom and Dad is here to condemn me,” or do they think, “You know, Mom and Dad’s here to help me”? You know, it’s very important. Maybe the child can just talk to Mom and Dad. I understand. I understand. Discipline, I’m all for that. You know, sometimes as parents, we just need to listen. Let him talk a little bit. Not there to lay down the law and condemn. Jesus didn’t come to condemn.
How about your loved one? I know they have problems. I know they have a record and history and all the rest of that. I understand all that. And forgiveness is a must, but trust is earned. I’m not trying to deny all that. But are we just really quick to condemn? Jesus didn’t come to condemn. I don’t want to be like that. I hope if anything sticks in your mind from the sermon this morning, it is this: “God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world.”
I visited a man in jail. Oh, it’s been several years back, and it was—back when you could visit someone in person when they’re in jail. And it was at a different jail than I typically go to, and they would let me go back in there, and you’re close to the prisoners, and you’re sitting in a room with the other prisoners, basically, with the one prisoner I was to meet with brought out. And he came out, and I’ve known him very well, and it was a very open crime that he had committed. And so he came in and sat down, and we started talking. One of the first things I said: I said, “Hey, I want you to know I’m not here to condemn you.”
I was very glad. This is what he said back. He said, “Pastor Paul, I know you’re not like that. I know you’re not here for that.” I thought, “I’m glad he thinks of me like that.” Jesus is not here to condemn. That’s not why God sent His Son.
Many of you have heard me tell a story before, but years and years ago, we bought us a boat. We, um, we instead of going on vacation, we saved all of our vacation money, and we bought us an old boat. And it was sitting up in somebody’s yard. And y’all got time for another story? I’ll tell you a little bit. The long version is your short verse. Brother Frank says go for it. If it’s too late, it’s all Brother Frank’s fault.
We had met with a guy. We agreed on the price. The boat was broken down, and he had tried to repair the foot on the boat and broke down, and he said, “All right, I’ll just sell it like it is for such a price.” About two weeks later, we were going to have the money. We were saving it all up, you know, for vacation. And two weeks later came, and he had fixed the boat in the meantime. He said, “I wasn’t going to let that thing beat me. I fixed that boat. We’ve already agreed on the price, so he sold it to us for such and such amount.” Praise the Lord for God’s goodness, you know.
But here’s the thing: We bought that boat. I was a first-time boat owner. And, you know, the propeller—it’s trimmed up, but you can see the propeller on the back of the boat. And there’s this little brass washer. It’s got little tabs on there. And they weren’t bit down very good, but I just—oh, you know, no big deal, you know. And I kind of walked by that. Some of you boat owners are already laughing about that, you know. And they weren’t bitten down very good in these little notches on the nut below that. But I didn’t think much of it. We’re on the lake. Vacation, man, it’s just great. We’re loving it. It’s wonderful. And we had parked on the lake there, and we were swimming on Percy Preach Lake, whatnot, just enjoying ourselves and all that.
We got back in the boat, and we cranked the boat up and put it in gear. And it cranked up, and it went in gear, but it didn’t go anywhere. Well, no, what’s wrong? You know, it’s the gears. I put it in reverse. Reversed it. Do you think? Let’s race it up, and boom—mom, mom—I’m still not going anywhere. What in the world is going on? So, uh… Turned it off, began to trim that motor up, that back, where the propeller is, and we looked at it. I think one of the kids maybe, John and Sarah—maybe it was Sarah—Sarah said, “Dad, it’s just got a thing pointing up. Isn’t that where the propeller’s supposed to be?”
The propeller had fell off. That little brass washer was there to keep that thing from turning, you know, and it wasn’t all there good. And man alive, we’re in the middle of the lake, up towards Nashville. I never forget, we thought, “Well, we’ve got to get this propeller,” you know. We’re stuck in the middle of the air [lake]. So we started diving down there trying to get this thing. It was deep in that spot, you know, and then it is you try to hold your breath to go as deep as you can, can’t touch it. “Well, push me down. You push me down.” We tried everything, you know.
And I don’t know how many boats came by. And they said, “What’s wrong?” “Well, we got no propeller.” Well, that really helps to have a propeller, you know. Another boat comes along. “What’s wrong?” “Well, we lost a propeller,” you know. Man, did you see if that brass washer had those tabs down? No, we know that now, you know. So many comments. So many—a good number of boats. And, you know, as they’re riding away, you want to just shoot them in the bottom where they sink, you know, shoot the boat.
Finally, a pretty good size boat pulled up. He really didn’t even ask us that much of anything. “What’s wrong?” You know, “He broke down, whatever.” Didn’t say it. He just—he just, really, in this, honestly, pretty much it. And he tossed us a rope. He said, “Man, tie the rope up the front of the boat, I’ll pull you in.” He pulled us in. He never charged us to tow, and didn’t want any money. He just—he just pulled us right up. Now, so many of those other people there, they were condemning us. But that fellow said basically, he said, “I’m not here to condemn you. I’m here to help you.” That’s what Jesus is like. God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes, please?
Our heads bowed, eyes closed. You hear this morning, say, “Preacher, there’s been a time in my life that I put my belief on Jesus.” You might not remember the exact date, but you say, “I got a time in my life when I went and I voted for Jesus. I put my faith in Jesus alone to get me to heaven.” I’ve done that. I know I’m saved. I’m going to heaven. If that’s you this morning, you slip your hand up. Preacher, I’ve done that. I’ve been born again. I’m saved. I’ve accepted Jesus. It’s my only way to heaven. God bless you. Many, many hands. Many, many hands. Thank you so very, very much. Thank you so much. You can put your hands down. God bless you.
Maybe you’re here this morning and said, “Preacher, there’s never come a time when I voted completely 100% for Jesus. I’m going to believe on Jesus alone, pushing His button.” Never done that. I’ve known about Him. I believed He’s real, but I’ve never come to a time where I believed on Jesus. I’ve trusted fully on Jesus to get me to heaven. But I’d like to do that. I realize I can’t save myself, and I want to believe on Jesus. If that’s you right now, heads bowed and eyes closed, if that’s you right now, right there, you said, “Would you call on Him? In your heart, would you simply just reach out: Jesus, I admit it, I’m a sinner. Can’t save myself. Jesus, I’m asking You”—and by me asking, I’m believing fully on You—“would You pay for my sins? Would You save me? Would You save me?”
Our heads bowed, eyes closed. You said, “Preacher, I never have, but I just asked Jesus to save me. I just put all of my belief on Jesus to pay for my sins.” If that’s you this morning, you just did that, would you raise your hand? Anybody like that? Just slip it up. Just slip it up. I’m not going to call your name and I’m not going to embarrass you, but just preach. “I just called on Jesus to be my Savior.” Anybody? Anybody else? God bless you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Once you put your belief on Jesus, oh, He says, “I got it.” He’s, if you will, He’s elected to the office of your Savior, and He won’t leave that office. He’ll be there forever, never, never. God bless you. Thank you so very much.
If you prayed and asked Jesus to be your Savior, there’ll be a man standing down front, there’ll be a man in the back. Once we pray in the invitation, now would you go to them? Maybe you just need some assurance, or maybe you just got saved, they want to help you in that new journey with Jesus Christ. That’ll be a wonderful thing.
Maybe you’re here this morning, you say, “Preacher, I need to see Jesus, not as condemning me, but to save me, to help me. I got to get to Him quicker every time I mess up. I want to walk in the light. I want to get back to our Savior.” And God spoke to my heart about that: He’s not here to condemn me. God spoke to my heart about that. That’s you this morning, slip your hand up. Preacher, that’s me. Just slip it up. Preacher, I need to get back to Jesus. He’s not there to condemn me. He’s there to help me. God bless you. Anybody else like that? Anybody else? God bless you. God bless you. Thank you so very much.
Would you please stand? Would you please stand? We’re going to have a word of prayer. When God’s tugging at your heart, would you come get close to Him? Just come get close to Him. Would you do that?
Father, thank You for Your goodness. Thank You, Lord, that You didn’t send Jesus to condemn me. I’d have no hope. Thank You You sent Him that one might be saved. Father, help us to accept that light and walk in that light. And Lord, we’ll praise You for what You do. Bless our people, let them get connected to You.
Hey, listen, friend. All right, all right. You got some evil deeds? All of us do. But get to the light. He’s not there to condemn you. Get to the light. Not what you ought to be—that’s all right. None of us are. Get to the light. Get to the light. He didn’t come to condemn you.
Hey, this Christmas season, when you look at the Christmas tree or whatever it is, let it remind you about Christmas. For God, say it out loud with me. Here we go: “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world.” Remember that. I’m thanking, loving Him, appreciating Him. That’s why He came—to save, not to condemn. I’m so glad for it. Good to have you in the House of the Lord on this Sunday morning. Excited about you being here, and just excited about God working our hearts and lives. Love you.
Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar ＂He is not here to condemn you＂- Sunday AM 12⧸01⧸2024 [-Oj_hDR_PLo]