INTRODUCTION There are several themes that run through John’s gospel. Many of them are found here in what I would imagine to be the most often quoted chapter in all the Bible. "Witness," "testify," and "love" are frequently found. REDEMPTION and JUDGMENT is the theme we will persue today.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

I. REDEMPTION “Redeemed how I love to proclaim it, redeemed by the blood of the lamb …”

A. Redeemed means Recovery

Webster’s Dictionary defines redemption as a: “Repurchase of captured goods or prisoners; the act of procuring the de- liverance of persons or things from the possession and power of captors by the payment of an equivalent; release; as the redemption of prisoners taken in war; the redemption of a ship and cargo.”

1. Repurchased Prisoners Psa 102:19, 20 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

2. Deliverance From the Power of Captors Deu 30:1-3 And it shall come to pass, when … [thou] shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice … That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

3. Release of Prisoners Taken in War Mark 15:6, 7 Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired. And there was one named Barabbas ...

B. Redemption Means Ransom

Webster’s also speaks of “redemption” In theological terms as “… the purchase of God's favor by the death and sufferings of Christ; the ransom or deliverance of sinners from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God's violated law by the atonement of Christ.”

Col 1:12-14 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

You and I have redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. We are prisoners in this world, under the influence of the power of our captor, the prince of this world; condemned to death because of our sin, yet, redeemed by God’s grace through the blood of the Lamb!

II. JUDGEMENT Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Unger’s Bible Dictionary tells of eight judgments.

A. The Judgment of the Cross

Christ bore the sinners guilt and, as a substitute for all, he died, and sin was judged.

Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

B. The Judgment of Believers

Does God judge believers? He does. And when they need it, he chastises us. Heb 12:5, 6 … despise not thou the chastening of the Lord … For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

C. The Judgment of Self

I Cor 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

We need to take a good look at our life every now and then. We need to judge ourselves before someone else does. We need to purge ourselves of our sin every now and then.

D. The Judgment of Believers’ Works

You will not stand before the Great White Throne Judgment if you are a true believer. But you will appear before the “bema” seat.

This is not a judgment of believers’ sins, because those have already been atoned for. This will be a judgment of our service to the Lord, and, as a result, we shall receive rewards, or loss of rewards, as the case may be. We are storing up silver, gold and precious jewels in heaven along with our wood, hay and stubble. The “wood, hay and stubble” will be a loss. They are the worthless things we’ve done here while waiting for our homegoing.

E. The Judgment of the Nations

Matt 25:31,32 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

This is that judgment which involves the Lord dealing with the nations on the basis of their treatment of Israel. The “goats” will not fare well in this judgment.

F. The Judgment of Israel

Ezekiel clearly points out that Israel must come into judgment before being restored in the millennial kingdom. Prophecy teaches that there will be a general resurrection of all truly regenerated Israelites. Those who have the hope of the kingdom will see the kingdom. Those who don’t, wont.

Eze 20:33 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you:

G. The Judgment of Angels

I Cor 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Believers will sit in judgment of the fallen angels. Maybe, we’ll have full and perfect understanding then. Maybe we’ll get to meet the demon that has plagued us on the earth?

H. The White Throne Judgment .

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

This is the judgment of all unsaved of all ages. All who are not found n t “the book of life” are cast into the “lake of fire.” This is called “the second death,” which means final and complete cutting off from God’s presence. This is the judgment to be most fearful of.

CONCLUSION: John’s gospel addresses witnessing, loving, redemption and judgment. Some emphasize the “love” a little too much. Some not enough. Some emphasize witnessing too much. Some, not enough. Some love to talk about God’s grace and redemption … and I do, too! But let us not forget that John’s letter also emphasizes judgment.

If there was no judgment, redemption would not be necessary. The unceasing love of God would not be manifest. Witnessing would cease. Let’s remember …

Heb 9:27 … it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

[This is the third in a series of messages that will take us through the Gospel of John, chapter by chapter. A copy of this message is available in MP3 format by clicking on "DOWNLOADS!" at the right side of this page and selecting "John 3." If you are interested in obtaining a copy on CD, please e-mail us at randallrevrick@embarqmail.com.]