John 12:49-50 "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. (50) And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak."
Have you ever read something in the Bible and as the Lord begins to reveal it
to you, you suddenly say, "Ah ha! That's it!" ?
Well these two verses did that for me this morning. This isn't the first
time Jesus has spoken these thoughts, but for me it hit me right in the heart
where it is intended to be. By this time, I hope you are saying, "Well,
Steve, what is it you saw in these verses? Are you going to tell us, or
not?" Let me try to explain.
In verse 47, Jesus specifically said, "I came not to judge the
world." I slipped right past it back in chapter 3, because Jesus said to
Nicodemus, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:17) In
putting these two verses together, I ask, "Why did Jesus not come to judge
the world? Why did He not come to condemn the world?" The answer is found
in the Word of God. In the Garden of Eden, God had told Adam, "But
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17)
What does that have to do with you and me? I'm glad you asked. Let's look
at the words of God through the Apostle Paul, "Wherefore, as by one man
sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12)
Steve, I read these words, but I still don't get what you're trying to
say. Okay, let me try to put these verses together to show us the work of
redemption by Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come to judge the world, nor to
condemn the world, because we had already been judged guilty and condemned to
death because of sin. It wasn't just Adam's sin that condemned me. It was MY
sin that judged and condemned me. Again, see Romans 5:12 in the above
paragraph. I was dead in trespasses and sin because of my sin and
transgressions.
That being true, what did Jesus come to do? Let's go back to the Angel's
announcement to Joseph concerning the birth of Jesus. "And she shall bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people
from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) This is not something that might
possibly occur; rather, this is a definite statement from God through the Angel
to Joseph (and to you and me). Jesus IS GOING TO save HIS people from their
sins. He didn't say He would try to save, or that He would do all He could do
and the rest is up to us. He didn't come to judge, nor condemn, but He came to
SAVE! And He did just that when He died on the cross in our place. Praise
God, you and I are saved from our sins and it's all because of the work of
Jesus Christ. His shed blood has washed our sins away. As God looks upon us, we
are no longer guilty nor condemned, WE ARE SAVED!
I think of the song that was sung by the Gaithers..
Thank God I am free, free, free from this world of sin,
Washed in the blood of Jesus, I've been born again;
Hallelujah, I'm saved, saved, saved by His wonderful grace.
I'm so glad that I found out
He would bring me out and show me the way.