Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to John 12.31. John 12.31. I'd like to look at this one
verse. John 12.31. is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this
world be cast out." Untitled this message, his now
had come. Often our Lord said when some
would try to come and take him Scripture says he escaped. Why? Because his time had not come. The Lord Jesus had been speaking to a group of men concerning pattern evidence of his people. It said back in verse 26, If any man serve me, let him
follow me, and where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will
my Father honor. If any man is found to be a bond
slave, a willing slave, Let him follow me, denying himself, bowing
to God's light, God's way. And where I am, wherever he is, I know he's omnipresent,
but I'll tell you what, there's a special manifestation of his
presence when his gospel is preached. When His people meet together, there will my servant be. If you want to know where God's
servants are, I'm talking about bond slaves now, willing servants. If you want to know where God's
people are, I'll tell you, they're where He's honored. And if you want to know where
the people of God are going to be found, ask yourself this,
where is the gospel preached? Where is the gospel preached? If any man serve me, him will
my Father honor. Him will my Father honor. Him will my Father prize. Him will my Father fix the value
upon. Him will my Father esteem to
be valuable. Can you imagine what a reward? That the Father would fix the
value upon those that He has everlastingly loved, and here
is the fixed value on them. The blood of His Son. God forsaking God. What a value! What a price! Nothing that I've done! What
a price! To be with the Lord Jesus Christ,
crowned with honor. I'm talking about something that
this eye has never truly seen. By faith. I'm talking about something
being in the presence of God. One with Christ. His righteousness
robing me. I don't even know how to hear
that aright. I can't even enter into that.
Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath entered into
the heart of man those things which God hath prepared for those
that love Him. I don't even know how to rightly
say it. That makes me so glad that it's
not My ability to be able to preach His Word. He says He's
not going to return to the Lord. He's going to bless His Word. Honor to know Him. Honor to love
Him. Honor to hear Him. Honor to be
with His people. I'm just glad to be here. I'm
just glad to be with you. I'm just so thankful that Almighty
God would give me a heart to want to be here. Hear the truth. After these words that our Lord
spoke and related to that group, there were three things that
were to immediately come to pass. Three things right after He said
that. Three things that were imminent. Three things that were
eternally known and ordained, but now time had come. that we dealt with last week. And he said these words, Now
is my soul troubled. The beginning of his travail
was at hand. Now is my soul troubled. You know, our Lord, we know, was made sin. We know that our Lord is the
suffering substitute. But you know exactly when, exactly at what
point, I don't know. I mean, I've read speculation. People would say, well, it had
to have been just before God... I don't know. I know He was. But I know that right here, He
who walked in perfect peace, perfect obedience, perfect honor,
He who obeyed in all things, He said, now is my soul troubled. That's what He said in verse
27. And what am I going to say? What shall I say? Save me from
this hour for this cause came I unto this hour." From the depth
of the anguish that is described through the prophet Jonah, something
of what he experienced, now is my soul troubled. This is what
Jonah said, Jonah 2, 2 and 3, I cried by reason of mine affliction
unto the Lord. And I know that Jonah, speaking
these things, is a picture type of Christ. He said, and he heard
me, out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my
voice, for thou hast cast me into the deep, in the midst of
the seas, that is, of God's wrath. And the floods composed me about
all the billows and thy waves, passed over me. I can't inter-end. I don't know. I don't know what
He suffered. But I do know this, the exact
measure of judgment that was due, what He bore for me and
for every one of His elect, God spewed out an eternal wrath in
one sacrifice. One sacrifice. He bore an eternity
of wrath that was due. It was due. Never was imposed. Never even was charged. It was
always charged to Him. He was always the surety. As
I've said before, from that time, I speak foolishly because I don't
know how to speak eternally, From that time, from that moment,
eternally, that God Almighty looked upon, which was always,
looked upon the sheep in Christ, He always looked to the surety
of the answer. Never looked to them. Always
looked to the surety. Always looked to Him. Always
demanded of Him. Always looked to the Lamb. That
comforts me. But from the depth of the travail
of His soul, He cried forth. Now, let's consider these last
two points that were imminent. First, He said, now is my soul
troubled. Now, here's the next one. Verse
31. Now is the judgment of this world. In this portion of Scripture,
and the portion that we're going to view in just a moment, What
truly happened? Right now, according to our Lord's
Word, the world, He's getting ready to go to the cross. And He said, right now, right
now. Done. Done. You say, well, He's not there
yet. He said, right now. Again, let God be true. Let's
just do this. Let's just agree with God. And
whatever the Lord says, we'll say, Lord, as You say it is.
That's where it is right there. Now is the decision revealed. Now is the justice for or against. Right now. is the judgment of
the world. Right now is the condemnation. The Word of our Lord reveals
that by His death, the condemnation of God is going
to be passed. The foundation of it, the truthfulness
of it, the reality of it, His condemnation is going to be passed
upon all the earth. You say, well, yeah, but the
unjust, those that die in unbelief, they haven't been condemned yet. Oh, yes, they have. He that believed
it not, he's condemned already. He's
already condemned. Walking around under the condemnation
of God right now, They just don't know it yet. Condemnation for the guilt of
His people poured out upon the Lord Jesus Christ because He
laid down His life for the sheep. The judgment of His elect right
now. That's it. He shall spoil the dominion of
the power of Satan's sins of his people by the shedding of
his own blood, by his substitutionary work. All that the Father has
eternally loved and beheld in Christ is never going to come
into condemnation. Why? Because now is the judgment
of this world. I know it is. I laid down my
life For the sheep, there is therefore now no condemnation
to them which be in Christ Jesus. And His people have always been
there. Those who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. That is who believe God. Trust
in Christ. And now is the judgment of this
world also means that judgment for all left to themselves. If Christ put away the judgment of God, the wrath
of God, and He did for His elect, if that one sacrifice is the
only sacrifice, is the only merit, is the only standard, is the
only hope of being and having any peace
with God. That one sacrifice, that's it!
No other sacrifices, that's it! When Christ said, I lay down
my life for the sheep, for all outside of Christ, they're condemned. They're condemned
already. Because there is no other hope.
There is salvation in no other. The Lord said, I'm the way, I'm
the truth, and I'm the life. And no man comes to the Father
but by Me. When He laid down His life and
paid the debt of His people, Almighty God passed judgment
right then. His people. And their guilt and
their sins put away. Cast as far as the east is from
the west, behind the back of God, cast into the sea of His
precious blood. But how about those without Christ? Condemned. Now is the judgment
of this world. The day of judgment is going
to be the day of revelation of it. The day of God's judgment
will be the day in which all of it is revealed. That's why
I said a while ago, all the books are going to be opened. And the
book, the book of life. And all found, not written, in
the book of life. And when was it written? Before
the foundation of the world. That's what Revelation 17 says.
That book was written before the foundation of the world.
Nothing's ever changed. Everything's always been set. And here's the last now. Now, shall the prince of this
world be cast out? Following the course of this
verse, we're told that at Calvary, Satan's hold upon this whole
world was dealt with. Satan's hold was dealt with through
the sacrifice of our precious Savior. His hold was dealt with. What I mean is the reason or
the foundation of His casting out, being cast out, was established. The Lord spoiled principalities
and powers, having made a show of them openly. Triumphing, the Scripture says,
over them. By His death, Satan is justly cast out. Justly cast out from having any
reign. Whenever we were born, believers,
God's elect, were born into this world. They were in delusion just like
anybody else. They were held in the bondage by their old nature. Blinded. Blinded. But what happened
was Christ entered in, now shall the prince of this world be cast
out." Christ came in to the strong
man's house. Here it is. Here is the strong
man's house. This world of sin, deception,
the God of this world, Deceiver. Liar. He came into this strong
man's house. This world that because of sin
and Satan's temporal usurped authority, he's as a roaring
lion. He's not. He's only as able as
God gives him ability. The Lord of glory came into the
strong man's house and bound the strong man by the shedding
of his own blood, bound the strong man and took that which was bound
in trespasses and sins, who were always the Lord's. His people
redeemed them, paid the debt owed. and received His own. Rescued Him. That's what salvation
means. Shall be saved. Rescued. Rescued. Came in and spoiled those that Satan held in the
bondage of unbelief, sin, blindness. God gave them light. Told them
who they are. Told them what happened. This
is children. That's what He's doing right
now. He's teaching them. Tell them, this is what happened.
This has always happened. I've always loved you. They never
knew that. Tell them this glorious message
of redemption. They never knew that. They never
knew that they were His elect until He told them. Called them. Revealed to them. Told them how
He did it. Came into this world. Laid down His life. Gave them
a heart of love for Himself. And they believed Him. They believed
Him. They still believe Him. Made willing in the day of His
power. That hard heart of unbelief justly removed. Gave Him a new
heart of love and trust. Follows after Him. Now, the Prince of this world be cast
out. What about those that don't know
Him? When Almighty God in the day
of judgment is going to cast Satan and hell, the grave, everything
into the lake of fire, He said right here, here's the foundation
of it. Almighty God is justly going to put Satan in the lake
of fire under His eternal judgment. That which happened at Calvary.
Now is the judgment of this world. All judgment is going to be taken
care of right here. Right here. In the day of judgment,
it's all going to be revealed. Sheep on one side, goats on the
other. Don't separate them. These are they that I've everlastingly
loved. Judgment is taken care of by
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when Almighty God, the Lord
Jesus Himself, the Judge, judging according to His Word, when He
casts Satan out, He's going to do it in absolute justice. Lord,
teach us a fresh, of your eternal now. The blood that you now view. The sacrifice that you now view. The grace that is now. That eternal now, our Lord. Lord, teach us afresh for His
honor and our good and comfort.