THIS IS THE CONDEMNATION

John 3:16-21
16 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.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be
saved.
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.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in
God.

I. GOD HAD PROMISED TO SEND ELIJAH AGAIN.

A. The promise.
1. Mal 4:1-5
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall
be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither
root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall
go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall
do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
*4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with
the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

In God’s last communication with His rebellious people, He admonished them to remember the law of Moses,
which God had given. God’s closing words were that He would send Elijah to herald “the great and dreadful
day of the Lord.”

B. The reception. (of the Elijah whom God sent)

1. Matt 14:10 And he [Herod] sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

2. Matt 17:10-13 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first
come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I
say unto you, That Elias [Elijah] is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples
understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

II. GOD COMMANDS THAT ATTENTION BE GIVEN TO HIS SON OVER THE LAW AND PROPHETS.
A. On the Mount of Transfiguration.
1. Luke 9:29-35
29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
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32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his
glory, and the two men that stood with him.
33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here:
and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.
34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the
cloud.
35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him.

There on the mountain were Moses [the Law], Elijah [the Prophets], and Jesus, the Son of God. God
commanded, “This is My beloved Son: hear Him.” This is a clear statement that the covenant that was to be
put into place through the sacrifice of Jesus was meant to supercede the Law of Moses and the commands of the
Prophets – all that was not reiterated in the Gospel.

III. THE RELIGIOUS SITUATION AT THE TIME OF CHRIST’S MINISTRY

A. Ignorance.
1. Rom 10:1-3 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they
being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have
not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

B. Error.
1. Matt 22:23-29
23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up
seed unto his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no
issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

C. Worshipping in vain.
1. Matt 15:1-9
1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die
the death.
5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be
profited by me;
6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of
none effect by your tradition.
7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far
from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. [A current condition.]
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D. Violating the sanctity of God’s house, using it to profit.

1. Matt 21:12-13 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in
the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And
said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of
thieves.

The same things are happening today in the realm of “religion:” ignorance, error, worshipping in vain –
teaching for doctrine the commandments of men, and profiting from what should be God’s church.

IV. THE JEWS CONDEMN THEMSELVES

A. Jesus puts them to the test.
1. Matt 21:33-41
33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about,
and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the
fruits of it.
35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him,
and let us seize on his inheritance.
39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
[“What will God do to those who killed His Son?]
41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto
other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
[“He will utterly destroy us and open the Kingdom to the Gentiles.”]

V. CHRIST INDICTS THE JEWISH LEADERSHIP.

[Because “ …this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil.”]

A. For leading astray the people they were supposed to save.

1. Matt 23:1-7 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for
they say, and do not.
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves
will not move them with one of their fingers.
5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders
of their garments,
6 And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
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2. Matt 23:13-15
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men:
for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make
long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and
when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

3. Matt 23:23-28
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have
omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to
leave the other undone.
24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the
platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be
clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

VI. THE JEWS KILL THE SON OF GOD

A. The Jewish leadership plotted how to accomplish His murder.
1. Luke 22:1-2 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. And the
chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him [the Son of God!]; for they feared the people.

2. Matt 27:1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel
against Jesus to put him to death:

B. With the assistance of weak and corrupt rulers, they thought they had achieved their goal..
1. Luke 23:20-24
20 Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.
21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
22 And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I
will therefore chastise him, and let him go.
23 And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of
the chief priests prevailed.
24 And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

2. Luke 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified
him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

3. Luke 23:44-46
44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having
said thus, he gave up the ghost.
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They killed the Son of God because their deeds were evil and they hated the light.
We must love the light and hate the darkness, lest we be found to oppose God. We must obey Christ and
become part of the light.

Invitation: Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess Christ as the Son of God, Be Immersed for the remission of
sins, and then grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, remaining faithful until death.

If you are a Christian and have sinned publicly, then you are invited to remove your
separation from God by public repentance so that prayers can be offered for you.