Jesus came to save John 3:17-18

Introduction

What does God want for you?

Have you ever thought about that question? How would you answer that question?

Some might answer He wants to ruin my life. He wants to stop me having fun. Others might say he wants to send me to hell.

All of these ideas are wrong. They are not true. In the verse before us the Lord Jesus tells us what God wants for each and every person here this evening.

I have said a number of times over the past couple of days that God wants the best for you. He has your best interests at heart.

This is what we see in the two verses which are before us.

Here we are told the reason why God sent his own Son. We are also told how each person can receive what Jesus accomplished for us in his death and resurrection.

I. The Reason Jesus came v.17

Firstly then we are told the reason Jesus came. Why did God send his Son?

v.17 “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Jesus explains in this verse he was sent not to condemn but to save.

But what does that mean for you and me?

Well first we need to understand what Jesus meant when he said that God sent his Son into the world.

These words show us that Jesus existed before he was born of the virgin Mary. We know this from other verses in the Bible too. Jesus is God, he is the second person of the Trinity. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One God in three persons. Jesus is God the Son.

He has always existed. Through him everything was created. He was in heaven, before he ever came to earth.

But the Father sent the Son into the world. Jesus left the perfection of heaven and entered our world that is filled with sin and suffering.

What did he send him to do? He sent him to live a perfect life, and then die on the cross in the place of sinners and to rise again from the dead on the third day.

The Father sent the Son into the world. But for what purpose?

Jesus says “Not to condemn the world.”

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world as guilty. Not to send the world to hell. He didn’t come to condemn guilty sinners, people who had rebelled against him and broke his laws.

But rather Jesus says “that the world through him might be saved.”

Jesus came not to condemn but to save. Not to push people away from God but to bring them to him. Not to send people to hell but to bring them to heaven. Not to separate people from God but to make him known among them.

People should be condemned because of their sin. But God is a loving and compassionate God. He said Jesus to save. To rescue people from their sin and the judgement they deserve.

This is what Jesus did when he died on the cross to take the punishment for the sins we have committed, he died on the cross not to condemn people but to save them. To forgive their sins. To give them mercy, to give them grace.

Jesus said this was done for the world. For every person.

Application

This is what God has done for you. You have sinned against God. You are guilty before him. You have rejected this loving God time and time again. You are totally corrupt before him, he sees your heart and he knows it is wicked. He knows about your lust. He knows about the pornography. He knows about the lies and the stealing. He knows about the blasphemy. He sees all your sin.

Yet in this verse we read these amazing words God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world. But that the world through him might be saved.

Jesus died for you. To pay for your sins. He died so that you might live. He died and rose again for your forgiveness. So that you might be saved from hell. So that you will no longer be separated from God, but rather that you will know him. That you will love him and be loved by him. That he might do you good.

Just look at the love of God displayed in this verse this evening. Yes you deserve the judgement of God but he wants to show you mercy. He calls you to himself this evening. He has done all that needs to be done for you to be saved. Jesus finished the work on the cross, God raised him again on the third day to show he accepted the price he paid. Won’t you turn to this God this evening. Won’t you put your trust in Jesus and be saved. Don’t you want to be happy, now and in eternity? God wants you to be.

He has proved it by sending Jesus.

So we have seen, the reason Jesus came. But after that the Lord Jesus makes a very important point. Some will receive what Christ has done but others will not.

II. The believer v.18a

In this next verse we have two kinds of people. Which one describes you this evening?

v.18 begins “He that believeth on him is not condemned.”

God sent his Son not to condemn the world but to save the world. Here we see it is the one who believes that is not condemned.

It is the one who believes who is forgiven for everything. It is the one who believes who is brought to know God, who is saved by his grace. It is the one who believes who escapes the judgement they deserve for their crimes against a holy God.

Jesus makes this point clear because it is what every person must do. God sent Christ to die for our sins, to rise again the third day. To give everlasting life. But it must be received. You receive it by believing in Jesus.

A person must repent, they must turn from living in sin and they must put their trust in Jesus to save them. They must give their lives to Christ.

Application

If you do believe this evening then this verse is true about you. You are not condemned. Yes you have failed God more times than you can count, but the verdict given is not condemned. Not guilty. Your case has been acquitted because you have an advocate before the Father. Jesus has paid your penalty, he has cleared your debt.

You are not condemned. You are accepted in the beloved. You are a child of God. Not because you are good, but because of what Jesus has done for you on the cross.

If you do not believe this evening then as it stands these things are not true about you. But they can be. God calls you to himself this evening. He calls you to believe and be saved. Whats holding you back this evening? What ever it is it isn’t worth it. What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

In the first part of the verse we have the believer- not condemned. But what about those who do not believe? We have them the final part of v.18.

III. The unbeliever v.18b

Jesus continues “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.”

Here we have a complete contrast between the believer and the unbeliever. The believer is not condemned. The unbeliever is condemned already.

That means the one who rejects Jesus. The one who refuses to repent and believe that person is already judged as guilty before God.

This means that a person who rejects Jesus does not need to wonder whether God will accept them or reject them on the day of judgement. They are condemned already.

What we see from this verse is that the natural state of every person is condemnation. The state of each person from birth is separate from God. This is because of our sinful nature.

What people need to to be taken out of this state of condemnation. They need to be rescued. But the one who does not believe rejects their only hope of rescue.

This is what Jesus says in the last part of this verse.

They are condemned already… “because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

The unbeliever is condemned already because they have not believed in Jesus. They are perishing, on their way to hell because they reject the only way of salvation.

A couple of years ago there was a British lady, who was on a cruise ship 60 miles off the coast of Croatia. She was on the back of the boat when she fell off into the sea. She was stranded in the water for 10 hours. Thankfully she was rescued by the coast guards and taken to safety. I’m sure she was extremely relieved to see the coast guards and when they were lifting her into the boat.

But just imagine if the lady rejected the help of the coast guards. If she refused to enter the boat. She would have died. Why would she have died? because she refused to the only way to be saved.

That is what Jesus is saying people are doing when they do not believe in him.

They are condemned already, on their way to hell, because they are rejecting their only hope of salvation.

Application

I ask you very simply this evening; Is that what you are doing? If you do not believe in Jesus then that is exactly what you are doing.

You are rejecting the one who loves you. You are turning away from the only one who can save you. The one who wants to save you.

God loves you, he wants the best for you. He calls you to himself. If you come to him you will be forgiven for every wrong. You will be his child. He will be with you through out your live, he will never leave you nor forsake you. He will give you an eternal hope beyond the grace. A place in his kingdom a seat at his table.

If you believe in Jesus tonight you will not be condemned. You will be made righteous in God’s sight. You will be justified. Saved.

But if you do not believe then you are condemned already. You are on the broad road that leads to destruction. The devil has you right where he wants you.

Won’t you change that this evening. Don’t you want to pass from death to life? Don’t you want to be saved? Don’t you want peace with God? Don’t you want a clear conscience?

If you do then turn to Jesus. Believe in him. He came to save you, not condemn you.

Conclusion

We started with the question; What does God want for you? Depending on what people think about God they may answer that question in different ways.

The Lord Jesus in this verse tells us exactly what God wants for you. He wants you to be saved. To be forgiven. He wants you to be his child. He wants to give you eternal life. He wants the best for you.

Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save the world. He died to make dead men live. He died to pay for sin. He died to save people from hell. He rose again from the dead to defeat death and give hope beyond the grave.

So how can this take place? We saw in v.18 you need to believe. God wants you to be saved but you must believe. He wants to give you eternal which begins and lasts forever with him in heaven.

But you must repent and believe.

He who believes is not condemned but he who believeth not is condemned already.

The only reason you will not receive all that God wants you to have is because you have rejected the Saviour. Are you doing that this evening?

Are you resisting the grace of God? What if you don’t get another chance? God is a loving God, he offers you grace this evening. He offers you forgiveness in his Son.

Stop running from him and run to him.