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Scripture: John 4:3-32
I. Jesus went to Samaria:
А. Samaria was a place no one cared for — it was an undesirable and disliked region. In that place different nationalities and races were interbred and mixed. Thus, they were confused.
B. The Lord went to Samaria to the well. Water comes out from the well, so it represents something to quench man’s thirst. The Lord went to Samaria, which was a low (vile, base) and thirsty place. The important point seen about Samaria is the well. This shows us that the problem with the lower class is thirst.
II. The Savior — Jesus — related to the lower class:
А. The Lord sat by the well and was waiting.
B. This lower-class woman was confronted by the Lord. Their confrontation was because of the Lord’s waiting; it was not an accident or a coincidence.
C. Why did the Savior, Jesus, go to this well and wait for the Samaritan woman?
1. The Savior needs the sinner.
2. The sinner needs the Savior.
The Savior went to the well because of His thirst, as did the woman. The place where they met was the well. The subject of their conversation was the water, the cure for their thirst.
D. The position of the lower class as seen in the woman:
1. She is one who has no morality. No one has any respect for this kind of person. She has had five husbands and now is living with another man who is not her husband.
2. She is the “scum of the earth.”
3. She is probably not educated.
4. She is probably not too old.
5. She does not fear God.
E. The higher-class person, Nicodemus, went to find the Lord at night, while the lower-class person came to the Lord in the daytime, at noon. The higher-class person talked about proper behavior, but the lower-class person talked about the quenching of her thirst.
III. The realization of her need and knowledge of the Savior:
А. Jesus asked the woman for some water to drink. Why? He did this to make her aware of her own need so that she might then realize the Savior, Jesus, and His salvation. When the Lord first asked for water, she knew only that He was Jewish. She was offended that He, a Jew, asked for water from a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10). When Jesus spoke this, He wanted her to realize her need and then also to see who He was. The woman said, “Sir, give me this water” (v. 15). Jesus told her first to call her husband. With this, she realized that He was a prophet and finally that He was the Messiah, the Christ.
B. The Lord caused her to realize how to know the Savior and how to quench her thirst.
IV. How to meet the need:
А. The Lord caused her to know her sinfulness. When she saw her need for the living water and also realized that Jesus was the giver of this water, only then did she ask for the water. Then Jesus asked her concerning her husband. “Husband” represented the history of her sinful life.
B. She talked to the Lord Jesus about worshipping God. The Lord showed her that to really touch God one needs to be in the spirit.
V. The outcome of their conversation — she received the living water:
А. When the Samaritan woman got the living water, she immediately left her waterpot and departed from the well.
B. From that time on, she never could depend upon her own way to satisfy her thirst. Because of her past life, the fact that she had become fully satisfied was now a wonderful testimony to Jesus Christ.
Scripture: John 5:1-14, 21, 24-26, 39-40, 43, 46-47
I. The Lord went to Jerusalem:
А. Jerusalem is the foundation of peace, the dwelling place of God, and the capital city of the King — a place full of peace, joy, and honor.
B. The Lord went to Jerusalem in the time of a feast. A feast is for man’s happiness and rejoicing.
C. When the Lord came, it was the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is for man to rest. So this particular day was a time for peace, joy, and rest.
II. Jesus met the weak person:
А. In Jerusalem on that day, men should have been rejoicing, but everyone whom the Lord Jesus met was suffering; they were all lying in sickness and in pain.
B. Pain and weakness are due to sickness. The weakness caused by sickness in this man signifies the weakness of death caused by man’s sin. Sin brings in death. Death is the ultimate weakness; death is weakness to the uttermost.
C. We find that the weak man’s suffering is not only because he is sick; it is also because he knows how to do what is needed and what is right but cannot do it because he lacks the strength. Man’s suffering today is not only due to his weakness caused by sin but rather due to knowing that he should do good but being unable to do so. This is the agonizing weakness of people today. People know how to do what is good and what is right, but they cannot do it.
D. In front of this weak man is a way for him to be healed, the water from the pool. When the water is stirred up, those who step into it first get healed instantly. Although the way to heal him is here, because of man’s weakness he has no energy to do it. This signifies that although there is a way to be good, because of weakness man cannot do it. Brother T. Austin-Sparks says this man’s suffering on his back for thirty-eight years represents the people of Israel, who, after they received the law of God, just laid down in the wilderness for thirty-eight years.
III. The Lord’s salvation:
А. The salvation of the Lord was completely unexpected by this weak man. All his attention was fixed on the water of the pool. So he never expected the Lord’s salvation.
B. The Lord in His salvation was seeking out the man rather than the man seeking out the Lord. The Lord asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6). The man did not ask the Lord for help, yet the Lord healed him and became his salvation.
C. The reason the Lord’s word can save people is that there is life in His word. The reason weak people are so weak is that there is death in their weakness. The healing of the death depends on the life. There is life in the Lord’s word. Once man receives His word, the weakness is changed to strength.
D. The Lord’s saving is by His life. From a human view this man is in weakness, but from the Lord’s view this man is in death. So the Lord said, “An hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (v. 25). The Lord’s way to save man is to give him life and make him a “living” creature.
IV. The Lord’s saving power:
А. The Lord’s salvation was not only able to cause him to rise up and walk; it also caused him to take up his mat and walk. Formerly, he depended on his mat, so he was being controlled by his mat. But now he controls the mat. He governs the mat, rather than vice versa. For some people their mat is movies, wine, cigarettes, gambling, etc.
B. He not only made the weak man become strong, but He made him strong to the point where he could overcome all kinds of habits and obstacles.
V. The result of the Lord’s salvation:
А. Peace: Although it was a Sabbath day, this man was lying down without peace and without rest. After he rose and walked, he had peace and rest.
B. Joy: When you have God’s life, you have a real joy and a real feasting. Once you are saved, you have the feast of salvation. Then you can enjoy your salvation. You have God’s presence. God becomes your companion, and you are in Jerusalem.
Scripture: John 6:22-37, 47-58, 63
I. The dissatisfied human living:
А. In this passage John records that there was a great crowd on the seashore, seeking the Lord. The sea is where demons live. It signifies the world corrupted by Satan. The seashore represents the place where fallen mankind lives. The place where fallen mankind lives and the dwelling place of demons are adjacent to each other. Men’s sinful way of living on the seashore is very close to the demons’ life, if not exactly equal to it. In such a sinful living, nothing can satisfy men, and nothing can supply and sustain them.
B. They were seeking the Lord on the one hand and living a sinful life on the other. They lived in sins, expressing the dissatisfaction of human life. Emphasize that men live in sin and do not feel sinful; they only feel dissatisfied. Give real examples to prove how unsatisfying human living is. Tell them that each and every one of them is not satisfied.
C. These people who came to seek the Lord felt a need inside, but they did not know what their need was. They thought that what they needed was the physical bread. They did not realize that what they needed was the eternal bread. So the Lord spoke to them with many words and showed them that their real need was not the physical bread but eternal life. Friends, you may feel that you need something, but you do not know what that something is. Maybe some of you feel that you need a degree, a family, or something else. But even if you get all of these, someday you will still feel empty, because what you need is not these things but the bread of life.
II. The Lord is the bread of life:
А. That day the Lord’s words were to lead them to realize that only the Lord could supply their need, because their real need was not the physical bread but the bread of life.
B. The Lord told them that He was the bread of life that came down from heaven to give life to the world. The real need of man is the Lord Jesus Himself.
C. The bread of life is the life of the Lord Himself. It is also the Lord Himself coming as the life of man. Explain clearly that man’s real need is life. For example, without life all the human affairs will be terminated, because all of man’s desires and endeavors depend upon life. Because man lacks life, human living is fraught with shortages. Man’s life is a life of shortage and vanity; it cannot meet the need of man. The life of the Lord Jesus is abundant, eternal, and fulfilling. That is why His life can meet all the needs of human living. Only the Lord’s life can supply man in such a way, so He said, “He who comes to Me shall by no means hunger” (John 6:35). Not to be hungry means not to be lacking or empty.
III. How the Lord gave Himself to man:
А. The Lord is the “bread of life” (v. 35), which implies that He is for man to enjoy.
B. Anything to be taken in by man must pass through death. Things such as rice, wheat, and all kinds of vegetables and fruit must first go through death and be broken before they can be enjoyed by man.
C. For the Lord to become the bread of life, He must also pass through death. So He said, “My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink” (v. 55). Flesh and blood being separated signifies death. When the Jews heard that the Lord could be eaten as the bread of life, they were puzzled. But the way that the Lord gave Himself to man was by passing through the separation of death. When He died, His blood was separated from His flesh so that He could be enjoyed by man. Stress the Lord’s death. The Lord’s flesh and blood were separated on the cross so that He could be enjoyed by man on the one hand and so that His life could be received by man on the other.
IV. How to receive the Lord as life:
А. In principle, the way to receive the Lord as life is by eating and drinking. For man to receive any food for nourishment, he must take the food by eating and drinking. For man to receive the Lord as life, he must likewise take the Lord in. The Lord’s flesh and blood were separated so that we may take Him in.
B. As we believe that the Lord gave His body and died on the cross for us, we are eating His flesh. As we believe that the Lord bore our sins and shed His blood on the cross for us, we are drinking His blood. When we thus believe, we fully receive Him into us.
C. This kind of believing by eating and drinking is the believing of receiving the Lord as the Savior and as life. So in John 6 the Lord said that, on one hand, he who eats His flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life, and on the other, he who believes into Him shall have life. This points out that to eat His flesh and drink His blood is to believe.
Scripture: John 7:37-39
I. The thirst of human living:
А. It was the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. A feast is a day of joy.
B. On the last day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts...” (John 7:37). The last day of the feast is absolutely related to the thirst. Man is thirsty because the feast has its last day. A feast is a period of joy in the human living. But the last day of the feast is the termination of the joy. When the joy of human living reaches its end, man immediately begins to feel the thirst. There is an end to everything: a ball game, a movie, a birthday party, a wedding, etc. When the end comes, the crowd breaks up and each person goes back, exhausted. In any feast there is a last day, and when the last day comes, man begins to feel thirsty. All the joyous occasions only produce the thirst. The more you pursue the fashion of this age, the more fashion you have to pursue; the more you desire beauty, the more beauty there is for you to go after. But the end only makes you more thirsty and dissatisfied.
II. The Lord has the living water:
А. The Lord cried out and said, “If anyone thirsts,” because He wanted man to realize what man’s real need is. His crying was not only to make man realize that he is thirsty but also to show that He has the living water to quench man’s thirst. So He said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (v. 37). The feast cannot quench the thirst; only the Lord’s living water that is flowing forever can quench man’s thirst.
B. The living water of the Lord is the Lord’s life and the Lord’s Spirit.
III. How the living water flows out from the Lord:
А. The Lord’s life-giving water came out of His broken body through the death on the cross, just like the living water that came out of the smitten rock. As soon as the Lord was glorified after His death and resurrection, His life-giving water flowed out; that is, He descended as the Spirit.
B. The Lord’s life-giving water is in the Holy Spirit. It flowed out through the Holy Spirit. Today if you are moved by the Holy Spirit, the living water has flowed into you. If you receive it, this water will then be flowing inside of you.
IV. How to receive the Lord’s life-giving water:
А. The only way to receive this water is to drink. This is why the Lord said here, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”
B. To drink is to believe. After saying, “Come to Me and drink,” the Lord continued, “He who believes into Me” (v. 38). So to believe is to drink. Believe into what? The Lord said, “Believe into Me.” To believe is to receive the Lord into you, that is, to believe that the Lord died for you on the cross and released His life. When you thus believe into Him, you are receiving Him in, and His Spirit and His life will flow into you.
C. Such a believing not only results in the living water flowing into you but also causes the living water to become rivers of living water flowing out of you. Give examples to illustrate how a person is satisfied and happy when he drinks of the living water, the life-giving water. As a result of drinking, rivers of living water just flow out of him to meet others’ needs and to quench others’ thirst.
Scripture: John 8:1-11, 24, 34, 36
I. A sinful woman:
А. When the Lord was in the temple, those supposedly moral people brought an immoral woman to the Lord Jesus in order to question Him.
B. Woman represents man’s position before God. Man’s position before God is that of a woman.
C. The greatest sin of a woman is adultery. To be adulterous means to be impure. Man’s greatest sin before God is that man is impure before God. Man lusts for many things other than God. So, spiritually speaking, all men (women) have committed adultery. This immoral woman represents all of us who have sinned.
II. All have sinned:
А. Those supposedly moral people only saw that the woman sinned, but they did not see that they were just like her. Because they did not know themselves, they brought the woman to Him and questioned Him. They did not realize that their condition was exactly the same as the woman’s, and therefore, that they were actually bringing themselves before the Lord for judgment.
B. They said that according to the law such a woman must die. But they asked the Lord, “What then do You say?” (John 8:5). They were trying to put the Lord on the spot. But the Lord’s answer shut their mouths: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (v. 7). The Lord’s words were a judgment upon them. In essence He was saying, “You saw this woman committing adultery. But have you seen that before God you are committing the same sin?” Those who heard the Lord’s words were judged by the Lord.
C. The Lord’s words touched their conscience. Each one of them acknowledged that he was a sinner by walking away, beginning with the older ones until the last. This indicates that both the condemned one (the woman) and those who were condemning were all sinners. Not only those who commit outward sins are sinners but also those who do not. Not only those immoral ones are sinners but also those who are moral. Not only the ones being judged in a court are sinners but also the judge. Not only the lawbreakers are sinners but also the lawmakers and the law enforcers. Not only the troublemakers are sinners but also those who keep the law and order. Not only the defenders are sinners but also the prosecutors. Not only those who steal are sinners but also those from whom things are stolen.
III. There is only One who never sinned:
А. After the Lord said, “He who is without sin,” everyone went away. There was only one left — the Lord Jesus.
B. The Lord did not walk away, because He never sinned and He could not sin.
C. So only the Lord is qualified to condemn others.
IV. The Lord would not condemn man for his sins:
А. Those who tried to condemn others were exposed by the Lord. They were sinners themselves. How could they, then, condemn others?
B. Although the Lord never sinned and was qualified to condemn others, He did not condemn man for his sin because He came to this world in order to save man from sin.
C. The Lord did not condemn man for his sin, because He bore man’s sins on the cross. He is the righteous God. According to His righteousness, He should have condemned man for his sin.
D. Because He bore man’s sins on the cross, He does not condemn man for his sins; rather, He saves man from sin.
V. The Lord can deliver man out of sin:
А. That day the Lord not only told the woman, “Neither do I condemn you,” but also said, “From now on sin no more” (v. 11). He wanted her to be delivered out of sin.
B. In the following passage the Lord said, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (v. 34). If a man does not believe in Him, he will die in his sins.
C. The Lord also said that only He can set people free. That is the real freedom. So the Lord can deliver man from sin.
VI. How to obtain forgiveness and deliverance from sin:
А. Confess that you are a sinner.
B. Believe that the Lord is the great I Am (v. 24). “I am” is the meaning of the name Jehovah.
C. Believe that the Lord is God coming as our Savior. By the Lord’s shed blood, we obtain forgiveness; by God’s coming into us as our life, we are delivered from sin.
Scripture: John 9:1-11, 35-41
I. Man is born blind:
А. The Lord met a person who was born blind.
B. Blindness is the absence of sight. A blind person cannot see anything. Although man’s outward eyes can see, his inward eyes are blind. Man does not know from where he came or where he is going. Man does not know what life is all about or what is his relationship with God.
II. The Lord is the light of the world:
А. Blindness is synonymous with darkness. As darkness prevents man from being able to see so also does blindness.
B. The Lord is the light of the world. Only the Lord can dispel man’s darkness; that is, only the Lord can resolve man’s problem of blindness and cause man to regain his sight. Only the Lord can dispel man’s darkness and restore his sight.
III. How the Lord causes man to see:
А. That day the Lord spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the eyes of the blind. The spittle signifies the words that proceeded out of the mouth of the Lord, and clay signifies man who was made out of the dust of the ground. The words entering into man and mingling with man through the moving and anointing of the Holy Spirit enable man to see clearly.
B. That blind person went to wash in the pool of Siloam. Siloam means “sent.” To be sent, one must first believe and obey. Whatever the Lord says to you, you must believe and obey. So here the washing includes both believing and obeying. Washing also signifies baptism. If you believe now, you should also be baptized now. The baptismal is the pool of Siloam. To wash in the pool of Siloam means that you believe and are baptized. At the time that the Lord asked him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, it did not seem very meaningful. There were many places with water in Judea. Why must it be the pool of Siloam? This commandment is to test and see if you are willing to obey. If you obey, your eyes will be opened.
C. The Lord not only healed the blind person so that he could see but also led him to realize that the Lord was the Son of God. So the real eye opening is to realize that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
The words at the end of chapter 9 can be included in this subject. You may mention briefly that although the Pharisees had eyes to see, they were blind.
Scripture: John 11
I. A man had died:
А. First, mention that a man was sick, and his sisters came to ask the Lord for healing.
B. When he was sick, the Lord would not come to heal him. This is to say that if a man only admits that he has some problems but will not admit that he is dead, the Lord will not come to save him, because the Lord’s salvation is not to heal but to cause the dead to resurrect. The Lord’s salvation is not to cause man to be healed but to cause man to be enlivened. Healing is a matter of correction, whereas enlivening is a matter of life. The Lord’s salvation is not to correct man’s problem but to enliven man that man may receive His life. This point needs to be emphasized.
II. The Lord is life:
А. The need of the dead is to receive life. The only way for a dead person to be healed is to receive life. Only life can vanquish death.
B. Give examples to prove that man is dead:
1. A dead person is weak and impotent in doing good.
2. A dead person has no consciousness in doing evil. The fact that man is weak and impotent in doing good and yet has no consciousness in doing evil is a proof that man is dead.
3. A dead person is in bondage. The dead Lazarus was bound with burial cloths and confined in a tomb. Many today are bound in a theater, and the theater is their tomb.
C. The Lord said that He is life. Only the Lord can meet the need of the dead.
III. How the Lord causes man to receive life:
А. The Lord’s life is in His words. The basic principle in gospel preaching is to cause man to receive the Lord’s life. So you must cause man to believe in the Lord’s words. The Lord’s words are the Lord’s voice, which is the Lord’s gospel. Today the gospel is being preached to you so that you may believe in His words, for in His words there is the Lord’s life.
B. What caused Lazarus to be resurrected from death that day was the Lord’s words, saying, “Lazarus, come out!” (John 11:43). The dead Lazarus heard the Lord’s words and was quickened. John 5:25 says, “An hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
C. Today the words of the gospel are the voice of the Lord. Friends, if you will listen to this voice, you will live. Those who believe are the ones who have really heard His voice. Some of you here may have heard these words superficially, but you still do not believe. The reason you do not believe is that you have not heard. Those who have really heard the words are the ones who believe. Quote to them the verses in the Bible regarding how to obtain the eternal life.
IV. The result of obtaining the Lord’s life:
А. Lazarus lived when he heard the words of the Lord, and he came out of the tomb. Today as you hear the gospel, you have also heard the words of the Lord, and you live. Because you are living, you will surely come out of the movie theaters and other sinful pits.
B. Freed from the bondage. Eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling are all bondages. They cause you to be unable to move an inch. When you receive life, you will be freed from the bondage.
V. Remarks:
The story about the resurrection of Lazarus in chapter 11 and the miracle of changing water into wine in chapter 2 are similar in figure. In Cana there was a wedding feast, signifying the joy of human living; the center of the feast was wine, signifying life. This means, likewise, that there was joy in the house of Bethany, and the center of the joy was dependent upon life. But the life of Lazarus and his two sisters was as weak as the reed. When Lazarus’s life was terminated, the joy of human living was gone, just as when the wine ran out. John 2 is a picture, whereas John 11 is a description of that picture. The following is a comparison between these two chapters.
1. There was joy in the house of Bethany.
2. Lazarus was dying.
3. Martha, Lazarus’ sister, came and told the Lord that Lazarus was sick.
4. The Lord did not act according to Martha’s words.
5. The Lord acted in Bethany according to His own will.
6. Lazarus was absolutely dead and buried in the tomb.
7. The Lord caused Lazarus to resurrect from death and to receive life.
1. There was a wedding feast in Cana.
2. The wine was running out.
3. Mary, Jesus’ mother, told the Lord that the wine was running out.
4. The Lord also did not act according to Mary’s words.
5. The Lord also acted in Cana according to His own will.
6. The wine ran out. Only six stone waterpots remained. Water typifies death.
7. The Lord changed water into wine, and caused men to obtain the joy of life.
Scripture: John 3:16
I. God:
In this point we should prove the existence of God.
А. Prove it from the existence of the universe.
B. Prove it from the existence of men, that is, from the physiological and psychological aspects of men:
1. Physiologically, illustrate the wonderful structure of the human body.
2. Psychologically, explain that in men there is a hunger for God and there is condemnation in the conscience.
C. Prove it from the heavenly principle:
1. The universe is ruled by God. If men disobey His rule, they defy the heavenly principle. Men will then be peaceless or even die.
2. If men walk according to the heavenly principle, they will have peace and blessing. This shows that there is a Ruler in the universe. The Chinese concept of the heavenly principle emphasizes the ethics and the recompense of good or evil.
II. God loves:
А. God is love.
B. God’s heart is love. His love centers on men and has men as its object. His creation of air, sun, and food for men proves that God loves men.
III. Men:
А. Men are lost.
B. Men are sinners.
C. Men are dead.
IV. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son:
А. Starting from Genesis, explain how that after man’s fall He came to seek and save man.
B. God loved men to such an extent that He even gave them His only begotten Son.
V. That everyone who believes into Him would not perish, but would have eternal life:
А. God loves men, and in return He wants men to believe in Him. His love is His giving, and our believing is our receiving. Love is the issue of God’s heart, and believing is the issue of our heart. Giving is the expression of God’s hand, and receiving is the expression of our hand. Love causes God to extend His hand to give to us, and believing causes us to extend our hand to receive from God. Love compelled God to give His Son to us, and believing causes us to receive God’s Son. There are two hearts in the universe — love and believing. There are also two hands in the universe — giving and receiving. Love is God’s heart, and believing is our heart. Giving is God’s hand, and receiving is our hand.
B. Originally, men were all sinful and were destined to die and to perish. But since the Lord bore our sins and died for us, if we believe in Him, we shall not perish.
C. Eternal life is the life of God. Once we believe in the Lord, we have the life of God.
Scripture: John 3:18
I. Men all have sinned:
To prove that men have all sinned, pick up two or three important sins, such as telling lies, stealing, and so forth.
II. Men are all under the condemnation:
А. Since all men have sinned, they are all condemned before God. Because God is righteous, He cannot reckon those who have sinned as without sin.
B. Men are also condemned in their own conscience. Friend, today do you have peace in your conscience? Many people have tried to suppress their conscience. They can be at peace for a short while; nevertheless, when they are alone at night, the sense of unrest rises up again.
C. Condemnation of the conscience is the evidence of the condemnation of God. For example, when a man is condemned by a police station, he is also condemned by the country.
III. The Lord Jesus bore the sins of men:
Speak on the redemption of the cross.
А. God should condemn our sins, but since He loves men, He has accomplished a saving way for us. His saving way is to lay all our sins on His Son.
B. The Lord Jesus did not die on the cross as a martyr but rather, to be our Substitute to be judged by God. Therefore, the blood that the Lord Jesus shed on the cross is able to cleanse us from our sins.
IV. He who believes is not condemned:
А. What should you believe? First, believe that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and came to be our Savior. Second, you should believe that the Lord Jesus bore our sins on the cross, shed His precious blood, and then rose up from the dead to be our Savior.
B. As soon as a man believes in the Lord Jesus, that is, receives Him, all his sins before God are forgiven. God’s judgment has passed over him. Therefore, his conscience will not condemn him any more.
C. So men are saved from the eternal judgment and perdition. (The word condemned in John 3:18 in the original text also means “judged.”)
V. He who does not believe has been condemned already:
А. Since all men are sinful, they are condemned before God.
B. Since God had the Lord Jesus bear our sins, if we do not believe in Him, we would naturally remain under God’s condemnation.
C. Therefore, all those who do not believe are condemned already. They can only wait for the eternal judgment and perdition.
Scripture: John 3:36
I. Eternal life:
А. The eternal life is not just a blessing, but even more it is another life.
B. The eternal life is a life that is eternal. It is God’s life. Only God’s life is an unlimited life, a powerful, holy, bright, loving, and righteous life.
II. Man’s life:
А. Man’s original life is a fragile life. Being hit by a car or taking a little too much tranquilizer will immediately terminate it. It is also a limited life. Men live fifty, sixty, eighty, or even one hundred years and die. The life span is limited, and life soon vanishes away.
B. Man’s life is also evil and is destined to die. Speak on sin and death.
C. Items I and II are the comparisons of God’s life with man’s life.
III. How to obtain eternal life:
А. The eternal life is in God’s Son. It is the life of God.
B. In order to have the eternal life, men must have the Son of God.
C. The Son of God is God and is also the Spirit. In order to have Him, men must receive Him with their spirit, that is, believe in Him.
D. After receiving Him with their spirit, after believing in Him, men will have the eternal life. As the Scriptures say, he who believes into the Son has eternal life.
IV. The consequence of not believing:
А. Men who do not believe will not have eternal life, because the eternal life is in God’s Son. If you do not believe, you will not have eternal life.
B. If you do not believe, the wrath of God is upon you. The eternal life is in the Son of God, whereas the wrath is according to God’s righteousness. If you believe in the Son of God, you will have eternal life. If you do not believe in the Son of God, you will remain under the wrath of God. God’s wrath is like the thunder ready to roll. When it rolls, men will perish.
