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Not to Judge but to Save

Not to Judge but to Save
Words of Faith 1-11-17
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 12
[47] "As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. [48] There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. [49] For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. [50] I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

When we encounter Jesus, we need not do so in fear. He is clear that he did not come to judge. He came to save. But we also should not miss the fact that judgment on unbelief real. It is not arbitrary but it is inevitable should we choose to remain in unbelief.
The message of Christ, when refused, will become the condemnation of man in the last days since nobody who refused it can plead ignorance (John 3:18, Romans 1:18-20). But don’t miss this! The focus of Jesus is positive. Jesus' mission was intended to evoke belief and to rescue men from darkness, not judge or condemn.
The Father's sovereign purpose is to lift men out of helplessness and death and give them eternal life. Because Jesus speaks the message the Father commanded him to speak, he is the Word of God.
The issue is that we must not resist the command of the Father. To obey the Father is to come to eternal life. To reject the Father's word—which is Jesus' very word—is to abide in death.
Moses predicted the coming of the great Prophet-- One who would speak for God. Moses said, "You must listen to Him" (Deut. 18:15). Condemnation at the last day is the penalty for rejecting the One whom the Father sent (Deut. 18:18-19; John 3:18, 36; 5:24).
People do not go into an eternity of darkness and suffering because of some sin or mistake. They do so because of rejecting the One sent to speak for God, the Lord Jesus.
Jesus near to the end of His public ministry. But the message is the same as that from the beginning of His ministry. Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" (Mark 1:14-15).
God has made the way in Christ Jesus. The transformation of God from the inside out is available and at hand. We are called to believe and to repent—change the direction of our lives away from the world and toward God.

Father God, I give thanks for the good news of Jesus. I rejoice in the opportunity to believe. I take encouragement in the power and life of the Spirit. May I journey with You under Your transforming grace. In Jesus’ Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2017
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.