Let us turn to God's Word once
again and I direct your attention to those verses that we've been
considering over the last couple of weeks in the Gospel according
to St. John chapter 16 and reading verses
8 to 11 John 16 verses 8 to 11 and when he is come he will reprove the world of
sin and of righteousness and of judgment of sin because they
believe not on me of righteousness because I go to my father and
ye see me no more of judgment because the prince of this world
is judged and so this morning we come in particular to this
aspect of the ministry of the Holy Spirit that is spoken of
in verse 11. Remember how the Lord is clearly
speaking of Him that was to come, a great subject matter really,
that is taken up in these chapters 14 through 15 and 16. Back in
verse 16 of chapter 14 Christ says I will pray the father
and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with
you forever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive
because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for
he dwelleth with you and shall be in you and Christ then begins
to unfold that ministry that is going to be exercised by the
one whom he will send even as he departs from his disciples
and here in verse 11 we have that particular aspects of the
ministry of the Spirit wherein He will bear testimony to Christ
and to the judicial power and the authority of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He will reprove the world of
judgments, says Christ, of judgments because the Prince of this world
is judged. We know that with regards to
that great work of judgment The Father has committed all authority
into the hands of the Son. In that chapter that we read
in chapter 5 of this Gospel, and there at verse 22, the Father
judges no man, says Christ. but hath committed all judgment
unto the Son, again at verse 27, and hath given him authority
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Marvel
not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that
are in the grave shall hear his voice, and shall come forth they
that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they
that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation and
that judgment is committed I say unto the Lord Jesus himself as
we read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ and now in the course of their ministry
we see the apostles bearing testimony to these things in Acts chapter
10 we have Peter there in the house of Cornelius and he speaks
of that judgment that is to come and that the Lord Jesus is that
One who is ordained to be the Judge. Verse 42, He commanded
us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is He
which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and death. And as with Peter, so also with
the Apostle Paul in his ministry there at Athens recorded in the
17th chapter of the Acts and verse 31 Paul
says concerning God he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained,
whereof he hath given us assurance unto all men, in that he hath
raised him from the dead." Why? The resurrection of the Lord
Jesus Christ is that assurance that He is to come again with
power and glory and He will come as that One who is to judge all
men and to make that final separation between the goats and the sheep. Again, look at the language of
Paul writing in the opening chapter of his second epistle to the
Thessalonians. He says, "...to you who are troubled,
rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven
with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them
that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction."
from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power
when He shall come to be glorified in His saints and to be admired
in all them that believe. He is that One there who is to
make that final judgment of judgment because the Prince of this world
is judged. However When we come to the passage
that we are considering here in verses 8, 9, 10 and 11, we
are to recognize that really the reference is not so much
to that great final day of judgment. There might be some allusion
to it, but it's not that final day that is really being spoken
of, rather Is it this present day? It is the day of grace that
is spoken of here. It's that current ministry of
the Holy Spirit that Christ is speaking of. As he says at verse
7, Nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you
that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send
him unto you. And when he is come, and has
he not now come, as we see in Acts chapter 2, the great day
of Pentecost, when he has come? He will reprove the world of
sin and of righteousness and of judgment. It is then the present
ministry of the Holy Spirit that is really being spoken of in
these verses. And what does he come to do?
Well, as we've seen, he has a threefold ministry. He comes to convince
of sin. of sin because they believe not
on murder but then also he comes to convince of salvation that
righteous work of the Lord Jesus Christ who has accomplished all
that the father had given him to do in the way of salvation
of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no
more but then also he comes to convince of that divine sovereignty
that is vested in the Lord Jesus of judgment because the prince
of this world is judged. We consider those first two aspects
of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the one who is the convincer
of men, who convinces them of their sin and particularly that
accursed sin of unbelief. But how remarkable is that work
of the Spirit. Yes, He convinces There is that
work that he does in terms of the holy and righteous and just
Lord of God and he makes a sinner to see that he is a transgressor
of that law. Or by the law is the knowledge
of sin, says the apostle. But is it not that sight of the
sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ that brings the true conviction
of sin. He comes as that one who is the
Spirit of the Lord Jesus. He takes of the things of Christ
and reveals them to sinners. As we see here in the following
verses. Verse 13, When He, the Spirit
of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. For he shall
not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he
speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me,
says Christ. For he shall receive of mine,
and shall show it unto you." Even with regards to the true
conviction of sin, the Spirit causes that sinner to see his
sin ultimately in the light of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look at the language that we
have back in the Old Testament at the end of that 16th chapter
in the book of the Prophet Ezekiel, that long chapter. God says there
in the last two verses, I will establish my covenant with them
and they shall know that I am the Lord that they may remember
and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of
thy shame when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou
hast done, saith the Lord. Oh, how is this great work of
pacifying accomplished? It is by Christ. He is the propitiation
for our sins. It's in those sufferings of Christ.
There it is that He bears the wrath of God. There it is that
he reconciles sinners to God. There we read of that new covenant
that God would establish in Christ, that thou mayest remember and
be confounded and never open thy mouth any more. not only
the language of Ezekiel but also that of the Prophet Zechariah
he says I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem that spirit of grace and of supplications and they
will look upon me whom they have pierced and they will mourn for
him as one mourneth for an only son and be in bitterness for
him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. All that ministry
of the Spirit Law and terrors do but harden, all the while
they work alone, but a sense of blood would pardon. Soon dissolves
the hearts of stone to see that sin in the light of those sufferings.
Of sin, says Christ, because they believe not on me. Oh, but that same Spirit who
shows us the awful horror of sin in all the sufferings of
Christ he also grants that sight of Christ's righteousness of
righteousness he says because I go to my father and he see
me no more this is that righteousness that
Christ accomplished by his obedience to all the will of his father
this is why he came down from heaven not to do his own will
but the will of him who had sent him and to finish his work and
that righteousness that was wrought as he was made of a woman and
made under the law subject to the law of God obeying the law of God honoring
and magnifying the law of God by a life of perfect, complete
obedience or it is that righteousness, is it not, that is imputed to
the sinner that righteousness that justifies the sinner as
it is accounted to his life and he is reckoned now to
be one who is righteous before God But this imputed righteousness,
of course, we know, is that which men are ignorant of. How ignorant men are concerning
these things. A natural man, he receives not
the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness to him,
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
He has no spiritual discernment, he has no spiritual knowledge.
He is ignorant. But not only that, he is so averse
in his pride. He wants his own righteousness,
he doesn't want the righteousness of another, as the Apostle says
to the Romans, they being ignorant of God's righteousness, going
about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted
themselves unto the righteousness of God, for Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness. To everyone that believes where
the Spirit must come and bear His testimony to this righteousness
of Christ and to show the sin of this. That He has no righteousness
of His own, all our righteousness, He says, Isaiah, are as filthy
rags. We do all fail as a leaf, our
iniquities like the wind, they carry us away. We're an unclean
thing, but there is a righteousness, and it is the Lord's. This is
the name whereby He shall be called the Lord. our righteousness
it is the Spirit who comes to reveal these things this is his
ministry when he is come he will reprove the world of sin and
of righteousness and of judgment of sin because they believe not
on me of righteousness because I go to my father and he see
me no more of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. And it is 11th verse that I want
really to concentrate your attention upon with the Lord's help this
morning. How the Holy Spirit must cause
us to have such a sight of Christ's reign as the Great Mediator. This is the consequence of course
of His obedience Wherefore God also was highly exalted in him,
and given him a name which is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow with things in heaven and
in earth and under the earth, and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is that one then who comes
to execute judgment. We read it there in that fifth
chapter. at the end of verse 27, to execute
judgment also because He is the Son of Man. Who is that One who
has been appointed the Savior of sinners? And all authority
is now given unto Him in heaven and in earth. Again, remember
the language of Peter as he preaches Christ there on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2.33 he says, Therefore,
being by the right hand of God exalted, having received of the
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this
which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into
the heavens, but he set himself, the Lord said, Unto my Lord,
sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool.
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God
hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and
Christ. We consider then his work now
in his exalted state as that one who is seated at
the Father's right hand that one to whom all authority has
been given all power is vested in him And the spirit bears his
testimony to him of judgments because the prince of this world
is judged. Considering then this morning
something of Christ's work of judgments, his sovereignty over
Satan, his sovereignty over all the powers of darkness in this
reign of grace. And we see it first of all historically
in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the way
in which he vanquishes all the powers of him who is the great
enemy of God and the great adversary of the people of God. Look at
what he says previously here in chapter 12 and there at verse
31 following He says, now is the judgment
of this world, now is the judgment of this world, now shall the
prince of this world be cast out, and I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said signifying
what death he should die. Here is the way in which the
Lord Jesus Christ has judged the prince of this world. And when the Lord Jesus comes
and commences his ministry we see how that all those powers
of darkness are very much aware as to what is now at hand. We
have him there in the opening chapter of Mark's Gospel as he
performs a miracle in the synagogue as he heals that man who is possessed
of a demon? What do the demons say? Let us
alone. What have we to do with thee thou Jesus of Nazareth?
Art thou come to destroy us before the time? I know thee who thou
art, the Holy One of God. Right at the beginning you see
of his ministry and throughout that ministry of course we see
him in his miracles delivering the people from all that evil
possession of the demons as he performs his mighty miracles
all the Lord Jesus Christ is that one who has come and has
triumphed and he has done that great work by his obedience and
his obedience unto death even the death of the cross all his
work is leading up to that how we see it as the time draws near,
he sets his face to go to Jerusalem. His determination to accomplish
that work whereby he will defeat all the powers of Satan and confound
the devil. How Christ has triumphed over
law, over sin, and over Satan. And Paul speaks of it there when
he writes in the epistles, writing for example in his epistle to
the Colossians, in Colossians chapter 2, see what Paul says here at verse
14, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against
us, which was contrary to us and took it out of the way, nailing
it to His cross and having spoiled principalities and powers, He
made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. That is, in
His death upon the cross. He has blotted out the handwriting
of ordinances. He has spoiled principalities
and powers. The Lord Jesus is that One who
has triumphed over law, over sin, and over Satan. That expression, the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us. Dr. Gill says that the reference
there is to the whole law of God. That is the handwriting
that was against us. That law that was written by
the finger of God in tables of stone Christ has satisfied that
law of the Ten Commandments of God and he has satisfied the
law in that twofold sense both in respect to its precepts and
also in respect to its penalties being found in fashion as a man
he became obedient unto death even the death of the cross. There is the obedience of his
life, the obedience to all the precepts of God's holy law, there
is the obedience of his death, wherein we see him obedient to
all of the penalties that the broken law demands. How God has
made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, says Paul, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him. This is the great
work that the Lord Jesus Christ came to do. He bore in his own
person that punishment that was due to those who were the transgressors. Oh, it's the great doctrine,
is it not, of substitutionary atonement. It is Christ there
in the place of the sinner, bearing in his own person that
punishment that was due to those whom he came to be a surety for. He was made of a woman, he was
made under the law. And do you know what that Holy
Lord of God says concerning the transgressor, the soul that sinneth?
The soul that sinneth he shall die. The wages of sin is death. God
cannot turn a blind eye to sin. Sins must be punished. Because
God is a holy God and a righteous God and a just God who will by
no means clear the guilty. Such is the character of God. But there we see in the cross
of the Lord Jesus Christ how that the God who is holy and
righteous and just is also merciful and gracious and loving. How
He has made provision in the person of His only begotten Son. Oh, the great love of God here
in Islam, not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sin. to bear in his own
person that wrath of God how God is angry with the wicked
every day but he meets out that punishment upon his only begotten
and his well-beloved son Christ then is there satisfying that
law, that handwriting of ordinances as he is punished as a substitute
as he dies in the room and in the stead of his people. But
then there's that other aspect wherein we see him satisfying
the law of God. He does it in terms of his life. He doesn't just bear the punishment
and so the sinner now is clear from every guilt of his sin No,
the law requires that positive righteousness. There must be
a doing of the commandments. And the Lord Jesus Christ came
to do, to obey. Remember the language of of the Lord of God as we have
it at the end of Deuteronomy chapter 6. Moses says it shall
be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments
before the Lord our God as he hath commanded us. There must
be an observing and a doing of all the commandments. And that's
what Christ did in that life that he lived. He was holy and
harmless and undefiled and separate from sinners. He perfectly obeyed
the will of His Father. Or was not this the business
that He came to accomplish? His meat was to do the will of
Him who had sent Him and to finish His work. And so He has. He has finished the transgression.
He has made an end of sin. He has made reconciliation for
iniquity. He has brought in everlasting
righteousness. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believe. And as He satisfied the law of
those Ten Commandments in terms of both penalty and precept,
so also Christ has satisfied the Ceremonial Law. He has fulfilled
the Ceremonial Law. Now with the Ceremonial Law there
is a constant reminder of sin. In the Old Testament in all those
laws that were to be observed, those Levitical laws, there was
constantly the reminder of sin. As Paul says, Romans chapter
10 and verse 3, in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again
made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Here is the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us. And Christ has blotted it
all out. Christ has fulfilled all those
laws and he has done it by that death that he died upon the cross. Of that cross is the Lord Jesus
Christ comes to the end of his days conscious of what lies before
him. He says this is your hour and
the power of darkness. this is your hour and the power
of darkness why it seems to be an end of everything he'd lived
that life wherein he had perfectly obeyed all the commandment of
God he had executed the work that had been given to him and
now he comes to die that cruel death of the cross seems on the
surface that all is now over, all is finished, but see what
happens as Satan overreaches himself. Oh, this is the devil,
he does overreach himself. He thought he had triumphed there
in the death of the Lord Jesus, but not so. Christ can say, the
prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in mind. Oh, the devil is confounding. as the Lord Jesus Christ comes
to make that great sacrifice but it was very much the power of darkness
all we see it in all that took place as he comes to make the
sacrifice as he's pouring out his soul unto death there in
the account that we have in Matthew's Gospel we're told of that great
darkness from the sixth hour That is from high noon. The 6th hour, the 6th hour of
the day would be high noon, 12 o'clock, 12 noon. From that 6th
hour to the 9th hour to 3 o'clock there was darkness over all the
earth. This is Satan's hour as it were. And yet, What does the prophet
say at evening time? It shall be light. Or in the
midst of all that darkness as Christ must die that cruel death
as he lays down his soul in sacrifice he is vanquishing all the powers
of sin, all the powers of darkness This is what the Lord Jesus Christ
has accomplished then, historically. But let us turn, as it were,
from the historic fulfillment of what we read here in the text
of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. In the
second place, I want to say something on what we might call the experimental
significance of these words and how important this is. Oh yes,
we're to understand the truth of God's Word, the historicity
of it, these things actually occur. This is real truth that
we're handling. But what does it mean to us?
How does it relate to us? Now when the Spirit comes, and
the Lord is very much speaking of the coming and the ministry
of the Spirit. When He comes into the individual soul, what
will He do? He will convince of sin, of righteousness
and of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. And
so in the second place here we see Christ's authority and his
sovereignty as judge over Satan when he comes to the conversion
of the sinner when these things are brought into the soul of
the sinner. of judgements because the prince
of this world is judged he has to be judged as it were in our
own hearts, in our own consciences and again in the passage that
we read back in chapter 5 look at the language at verse 21 Matthew 5.21, For as the Father
raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth
whom He will. For the Father judgeth no man,
but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. When the Gospel
comes, you see, and there's that judgment passed in the soul of
the sinner, when there's that quickening, and that sinner is
made to feel something of his sinnership, this is the judgment
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, look at verse 25, verily,
verily. If he fixes his teaching here
solemnly with that double verily, literally in the Greek it is
Amen, Amen. We might render it truly, truly.
The force of the Amen, so be it. So be it. I say unto you,
the hour is coming And now is, when the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For
as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to
have life in himself, and hath given him authority to execute
judgment also, because he is the Son of Man." Isn't he speaking
of the way in which Christ comes in the Gospel into the soul of
the sinner? He has authority. He executes
judgment. in the conscience of the sinner?
Oh friends, have we known anything of this? The Gospel comes and
coming to us not in word only you hear the Word of God, you
regularly attend chapel, you hear the preaching of the Word
of God. Week in, week out. But does it come without authority?
Like it came to those Thessalonians. They receive the Gospel not in
word only, it says, but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in
much assurance. The Lord Jesus has come, you
see, to destroy the works of sin and of Satan in the souls
of His children, even those that the Father had given to Him in
the Covenant. And the promise there in the
110th Psalm, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy
power. This is the day of Christ's power,
the gospel day. And the prince of this world
is judged. Satan is that one who has been vanquished by the
great works of the Lord Jesus. Look at the language again of of John in that first general
epistle in chapter 3 and verse 8 he says, "...for this purpose
the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the work
of the devil, whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for
his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is
born of God." So here is the purpose of God and see the connection
here He comes to destroy the works of the devil. Where does
he destroy the devil's works? When that sinner is born of God. All that seed that is planted
within that new nature, the new nature never sins. The new nature
never sins. But where there is that new nature
there is a conflict, there is still the old nature. how the believer feels his awful
conflict with him the good that I would says Paul I do not the
evil that I would not that I do or a wretched man that I am who
shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord out in all that conflict the believer
is constantly thrown upon the Lord Jesus Christ as the only
one who can who can save him, not just being saved at the beginning
when he's born again, he needs constant experience of that grace
of God, he needs to be constantly being saved in all that dreadful
warfare with Satan. Now, Satan, you see, does overreach
himself, as we've said. Why he comes, does he not, so
often, and he tempts? He tempts us. The Lord Jesus
could say the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing
in me. There was nothing he could take advantage of, there was
nothing of sin in Christ. He was preserved free from every
taint of original sin by that great mystery of the incarnation
and the virgin birth. It was the holy thing, that human
nature that was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of
the Virgin Mary. free from every taint of sin,
and in his life he was sinless, he was holy. The prince of this
world cometh, says Christ, and hath nothing in him but the believer.
Alas, we have that sinful nature that we've inherited, inherited from Adam. Our sin
has come through the generations. sinful parents giving birth to
sinful children who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean
not one. David says he was conceived in
sin, he was shaped in iniquity. And the devil comes and he finds
that he can take an advantage and he tempts us and we fall.
And then what does he do? He turns accuser. He's the accuser
of the brethren. Accusing them day and night before
God. All but Christ you see. Christ
is that one who answers the devil. In spite of all his great enmity
and hatred of the sinner, how the Lord answers him. O death
where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin, the strength of sin is the Lord,
but thanks be to God. O thanks be to God who giveth
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. What a wonderful
example we have of it there in those opening words of Zechariah
chapter 3 speaks of the high priest Joshua.
He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel
of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuketh thee, O Satan.
Even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuketh thee. He is
not this, a bran plucked out of the fire. Now Joshua was clothed
with filthy garments and stood before the angel. And he answered
and spoke unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away
the filthy garments from him, And unto him he said, Behold,
I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will
clothe thee with change of robe. And here it is, you see, the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have caused thine iniquity
to pass from thee. Christ has borne that punishment
of sin. The sin is gone. But not only has he removed the
guilt of sin, I will clothe thee with change of rain. And I said,
Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair
mitre upon his head and clothed him with garments. For these are those robes of
righteousness, that of the Lord Jesus Christ, brought by the
obedience of his sinless life. And the angel of the Lord stood
by. the Lord Jesus when he comes
into the heart of that sinner why he accomplishes for that
sinner such a complete salvation that is what is applied the work
of Christ in all its parts sin gone and no more a sinner but
accounted righteousness as clothed in the righteousness of Christ
The Lord Jesus is that one. He is stronger. He is stronger
than the strong man armed. Look at the Lord's own words
in the course of his ministry there in Luke chapter 11. Verse
20 he says, If I with the finger
of God cast out devils, no doubt, the kingdom of God is come unto
you. when a strong man armed keepeth
his palace his goods are in place but when a stronger than he shall
come upon him and overcome him he taketh from him all his armour
wherein he trusteth and divideth his spoils all this is the Lord
Jesus he is stronger he is stronger than the strong man armed why
even with the finger of God He's able to cast out the devil. Or that we might know, friends,
something of that gracious ministry then that belongs to the Lord
Jesus, that the Spirit Himself might come and bear His own testimony
in our hearts and convince us of the truth that is set before
us in these verses when He has come. He will reprove the world
of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin, because
they believe not on me. Of righteousness, because I go
to my Father and He see me no more. Of judgment, because the
Prince of this world is judged. The Lord grant His blessing then
upon His own world. Amen. Let us now sing our concluding
praise this morning 683. The tune is Saint George number
59. M683 great God thy kingdom come With reverence would we pray,
may the Eternal Three in One, His Sovereign, step this way. May grace, triumphant reign,
and Christ exalted be, sinners deserving endless pain, by great
salvation cease. 683.