I invite your attention back
to the twelfth chapter of John. The Lord speaks these words six
days prior to the Passover feast. At that time, he will institute
at the Lord's table at the Passover that he says to his disciples,
this is the Passover I have longed to take with you. The Lord's
table is a simple feast. It's ordained at the church.
It's one of the two ordinances of the church, three if you count
preaching the gospel. And as all ordinances are, they
are a commemoration of one thing. They are a commemoration of the
death of the Lord Jesus Christ. We'll gather here this afternoon
to pause and to worship and to ponder to meditate and remember
that blessed death which secured the salvation of God's elect,
God's chosen people. This takes place in Bethany.
The Lord has returned to Bethany to sit down for a meal with Mary
and Martha and a man who just a short time before was dead
and in a tomb and enwrapped. and has been set loose and now
sits at the table with his two sisters to feast
with the Lord Jesus Christ. Lazarus is one of the most interesting
characters in scripture. Very little is said about him.
Never hear any of his own words. There was an Arabian author who
wrote about Lazarus after he was raised from the dead. said
that he looked like a man who didn't belong. He looked like
a man whose life was elsewhere. We know that for four days as
he lay in that tomb, his spirit was in the presence of God Almighty.
What that must have been. And then to be called back to
this world. Maybe that's why the Lord wept. because he had
to call Lazarus back to this life. But he's there at the table,
sitting with our Lord, eating, having been raised from the dead. And Lazarus has become kind of
a novelty for the folks around there. Multitudes have come around
to see that man that the Lord had raised from the dead. And
I expect I might want to see that too. Wouldn't you? But he
had become a kind of novelty. But this had also become a thorn
in the flesh of religion and one of the things that stirred
the hearts of the Pharisees to desire the crucifixion of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The Pharisees had no idea that
the thoughts of their hearts were part of the grand scheme
of salvation. It was part of the plan. According
to Acts chapter 4, they were being herded gathered together
for to do whatsoever the Lord had ordained to be done. The
Pharisees, the Jews, the scribes, the Gentiles, Herod and Pontius
Pilate, all were being pushed and nudged and shoved and carried
and pulled and drawn to this place on God Gothis Hill where
they would gather together to crucify the Lord Jesus Christ.
But the Pharisees were losing influence Because in this area,
this wondrous miracle that the Lord performed in raising Lazarus
from the dead, caused men to follow Christ. It caused men
to believe on Christ. They looked to Christ and they
followed Christ around. The Pharisees were losing their
influence. And in this very chapter, they plotted to kill Lazarus. Now they just raised him from
the dead and lied for a little while. They want to kill him
again. Because men are following Christ, because what Christ has
done for Lazarus. If you look at verse 19, it says,
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye
how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the world is gone after
him. Look back at verses 10 and 11. But the chief priests consulted
that they might put Lazarus to death. because that by reason
of him, many of the Jews went away and believed on the Lord
Jesus Christ. So they wanted to kill not only
Christ, they wanted to kill any evidence that Christ had set
forth that he was God. And in this crowd was a group
of Greeks. And what it means by Greeks,
they were Gentile converts to the Jewish religion who had come
for the feast of the Passover which they themselves could not
partake of but could partake of the sacrifices and so forth
and prayers offered in the Gentile court. Now these Greeks had decided
to see Jesus. They wanted to see him. or be
introduced to him, or get close to him. We don't really know
what the word see means, but it says that in verse 20. It
says in verse 20, And there were certain Greeks among them that
came up to worship at the feast. The same came therefore to Philip,
which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sirs,
we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew
and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. So they relay the message
that these Greeks wanted to see Jesus. Many years ago I was a
member of a church and preached in that church a number of times
before I came to Cherokee and on the pulpit there was a little
brass plate engraved that said, Sirs, we would see Jesus. And
I thought that's an excellent thing. The only problem was that
when you looked up there was about a 40 by 40 picture, velvet
picture of this guy bowing at a rock with a halo around his
head and it always struck me as funny and when I preached
there I had to watch my mouth to keep from saying something
about that. Sirs, we would see Jesus, a good
request. It's a good request. Now whether
they actually met Christ or not is not recorded. They were told
of the situation. But the words of our Lord set
forth in absolute terms what one will see if he indeed sees
the Lord. Such will see him in the singular
capacity of the substitutionary sacrifice and his glorious death. That's how he'll be seen. They'll
see him in his burial. They'll see him in his resurrection
and his ascension. Or they'll miss him altogether. Otherwise, he will be a novelty
to them, attack on in their lives, an addendum to their lives, a
thing supposedly that they can make to be something to them. Our Lord's words are the answer
to those who would see Jesus. Our text simply says this, that
he declared and he spake signifying what? Death. that he should die. The title
of my message this morning is What Death? It's a very distinctive
little use of the language there. The word what distinguishes this
death from all over, what death? This he speaks signifying what
death? He should die. This death will
be the significant death in the history of all humanity. He will
not die a death. That's what we will die. We will
die a death. He will die the death. The death. No other death in
the history of humanity will ever be counted and has ever
been counted as an accomplishment. our death will accomplish nothing
except perhaps will finally our silence in that casket will be
a final confession that our will has no power at all because surely
we willed to live and it didn't work. This death is the death that
Moses and Elijah, after they traveled across time, spoke to
the Lord Jesus Christ at the Mount of Transfiguration. They
said this, they spake of the death that he should accomplish
at Jerusalem. The word should here addresses
the word or the concept of intent. What death is this? This is the
death that he intended to die. That he intended to die. And
he intended to die in eternal purpose. For we read in Revelation
13.8 that he was the lamb slain from before the foundation of
the world. The word also addresses the manner
of his death. Crucifixion was the death he
intended to die. stranded, if you will, between
heaven and earth to be lifted up to die. That's the language
of the Old Testament. David said, they have pierced
my hands and my feet in Psalm 22. He also said, my God, my
God, why'st thou forsaken me? David was never forsaken of the
Lord. No human being that has ever walked upon this face of
the earth has been forsaken of the Lord. Not one. Except for Jesus Christ. He was forsaken of the Lord.
He intended to die on the cross of Calvary. This death, the death,
was a voluntary death. One which only God could accomplish
and the only death that could ever be called an accomplishment.
How did Christ die? Did men kill Him? No, they wanted
to. They crucified Him. They hung
Him on a tree. Did God the Father kill him when
he poured out his righteous and just wrath upon him in those
three hours of darkness? No. Well, how did Christ die? Scripture simply declares that
when he had said, it is finished, that speaking of the salvation
of the elect, he gave up the ghost. here, there, on Calvary's
tree, our Lord God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings
and Lord of lords, reign victorious, and he said, as only he could,
as the one who is life and gives all life and gives breath to
every creature, he said, I have finished the work of salvation,
my people are secure, I will now finish the one thing that
remains. I'll die. You and I can't do
that. We can say I'm just going to
die, but we don't die. But God could do that. God could
do that. And so he accomplished this.
Would you see Jesus? The Greeks wanted to see him.
Would you see Jesus? Well, you'll not see him in a
picture. You'll not see him on a carved or molded crucifix.
You'll not see him anywhere or anyway but in the manner in which
he signifies what death he should die. That's how you're going
to see him. That's how these Greeks saw him. They were standing by
while our Lord was speaking. Only in these words will the
discernment of Christ's body and blood come to our understanding
and find purchase in our heart. Would you see Jesus? You'll see him in this death. Ten things. Sounds like a lot,
but they're short things. Ten things. What is the significant manner of his death? It's important. A lot of people think he died
as a martyr. He didn't. A lot of people think he died
as an example. He didn't. A lot of people think that he
died to somehow express God's love, but in the same breath
say it didn't actually accomplish the salvation of his people.
That's not true, is it? What is the significance of the
manner of this death? Because he said he spake to signify
what death he should die. What is the significance? First
of all, the significance of this death is that it is ordained.
It is predestinated from all eternity. Our Lord said in verse
23, and Jesus answered and said, and this was the answer that
he gave to Philip and Andrew when they came and told him about
the groups. He didn't say, bring them on over and let's talk.
They said, we would see Jesus. And he begins to show how that
is accomplished. How that takes place. Jesus answered
them saying the hour is come. The hour is come. This is no accident, no mistake,
no trying, no effort to make salvation possible. This is an
hour ordained of old. This is no failure. This is the
purpose of God. This is why the Lord entered
the world. Try to even explain His name. Try to just explain
His name and you can't unless you understand that this is why
He came into this world. You can't say His name without
declaring His mission, without declaring the work that He accomplished.
His name is Jesus. Why should you call Him Jesus?
Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people
from their sin. That's why you call Him that.
You can't even say His name without saying that He saves His people
from their sin. He has saved His people from
their sin. He's the Christ, the anointed
of God. The kings of earth gather together
and it's the Lord and His anointed, the Lord and His Christ. And
so we'll cast His bands asunder. We'll not have this man rule
over us. God said, I'll laugh at them and have them in derision.
Yet will I set my king on Zion's holy hill and give him the heathen
for inheritance. He'll rule them with the rod
of iron. Kiss the son. Kiss the son lest he be angry.
Lest his anger be kindled and he be done with you in just a
little bit. He's the Lord. How did he become
that? Well, he was the Lord in the
beginning, before the world began, as ruler and reigner over all
the earth, and creator and sustainer and consummator of all that is.
But also this title was earned as a human being. Remember those
old E.F. Hutton commercials on TV years
ago? Say, how did he get it? He earned
it. That's how he got it. Scripture says, for to this end,
or for this purpose, Jesus both died, rose, and resurrected,
that He might be the Lord of the living and the dead. He was
obedient even to the death of the cross, wherefore God is highly
exalted in Him, giving Him a name above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess
that He is Lord. We have a popular notion in religion
that you make Him Lord. You don't make Him anything.
He made you to start with. You know His creature here would
do with you as you please. You don't make Him Lord, He's
Lord. Say His name, Jesus Christ the Lord, and you've described
His salvation. You can't separate Him from His
work. You can't even say His name. This is according to the
hour has come. The hour has come. Now he's been
talking to his disciples a whole lot about this. Been preaching
about this hour for some time. Talking about going up to Jerusalem,
being betrayed of men and hung on a cross. They didn't want
to hear it. They didn't want to hear it in this very chapter.
He says, go find a foal of an ass, bring him down, I'm going
to ride him to Jerusalem. And the disciples scratched their
head, but they went and did it. But they scratched their head
and it says in this very chapter that they didn't understand until
later what the Lord was talking about. This is predestinated, predestinated
from all eternity. Secondly, this death is the glorification
of Jesus Christ and the glorification of God the Father. And that glorification
is this death. God was fully glorified right
there. In verse 23, it says in the latter
part, that the Son of Man should be glorified. Well, how's that
going to be? How does dying in humiliation, how does an ignominious
death ring as glorification? How does one hanging on a tree
looking like a slain beast, torn and shredded by human hands,
hanging there in agonies and blood, how can that be glorious? Because that is representative
of his death. It says, Verily, verily, truly,
truly, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall on the ground
and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. Right there is the death summarized.
The Lord Jesus Christ said He's that corn of wheat that's going
to fall on the ground and die. But from that death will be brought
forth great fruition, a number that no man can number, greater
than the sands in the sea and the stars in the sky. An innumerable
company of sinners saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's how that death glorifies God. Glorifies the Lord Jesus
Christ. It's in that death. That death. Thirdly, the death is a humiliating
and painful death. A humiliating and painful death. Verse 27 says, Our Lord says,
Now is my soul troubled. Now is my soul troubled as our
Lord looked to the cross. As he looked to the shame, as
he looked to the embarrassment, as he looked as a human being,
the best of the best, the only true human being that ever lived
on the face of the earth, a man who was modest, a man who loved
people, a man who did what he did for the good of people, a
man who honored God and loved the Father, a modest man stripped
down, bare-butt naked. He wasn't wearing a little canteen
towel like they show in these pictures. He was naked, hanging
on a cross, ripped and torn, humiliated. And then he must
forego something that you and I cannot even imagine. We can't
fathom the troubling of the Lord's soul. as very man of very man,
the perfect righteous one, the spotless man, the spotless Lamb
of God. Think of what it was for him
to consider and ponder the fact that he was going to be made
sin. He knew no sin. He never sinned. He never had a thought, word,
or deed that was sinful that came through his mind. And yet
he looked forward to that moment when God was going to lay all
the sins of all the elect on him and treat him as if he were
sin itself, corruption itself, and pour out his wrath upon him.
We can't imagine that. What would it be like for him
who is God to be made a curse that we might be delivered from
the curse of the law? What would it be like to be forsaken
of God? These are things we cannot imagine
because we have no basis of comparison. He was perfect and holy and just
and good and harmless. And He looked forward to this
when He would be as if He were a mass of corruption. He was
never corrupt. He was holy and good. But when
our sin was made to meet on Him, as corruption as the source of
violence. My soul would be troubled, I
expect, but I don't understand it because my soul is so full
of sin already. I have no basis for comparison.
This was a painful and humiliating death. Fourthly, this death was
voluntary. It is the mission that brought
Christ down to this earth. Look at verse 27, the second
phrase. What shall I say? Father, save me from this hour,
but for this cause came I to this hour. Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory, came into this world to save His people by His
death. That's why He came. He didn't
come to start a kingdom. He didn't come to build some
giant edifice to his name. He came to die. That's why he
came. There's no other reason for him
to come. Why would God split heaven and
come down here and be born of a woman, except to be born under
the law to redeem them that are under the law? He came to die. He says, this is why I come to
this hour. Over in John chapter 10, if you turn back, our Lord
made that clear when He talked about laying down His life. Why
did Christ die? He laid down His life according
to His own words for His sheep. For His sheep. In John chapter
10 and verse 15, our Lord says, The Father loatheth me, even
so I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. Who
are the sheep? Who are they? They go by various
names in Scripture. In Isaiah 53, they're called
the people. of God, the many people of God
for whom Christ was stricken. In Ephesians 5, they're called
the church of God. In other places, they're called
the bride of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other places, they're called
the elect of God, the chosen of God. those severed out of
humanity, those pulled out of the multitudes that were called
His own from all eternity. I lay down my life not for the
world, I lay down my life for the sheep. Now people will jump
to John chapter 3 and verse 16 and say, but God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, and whosoever believeth
in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. See God didn't
love the world. God didn't love the world because in John 17
when He prayed to the Father before He went to the cross He
said, I pray not for the world. He's going to love the world
and not pray for it? He's going to die for the world and not
pray for it? That's baloney. He died for his sheep. He said,
I laid down my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, others outside the Jewish community,
the Gentiles, them also I must bring, they shall hear my voice.
And there shall be one fold and one shepherd, for he is our priest,
he has broken down that wall of partition between us and made
the two men one in twain. Therefore doth my Father love
me. Why? Because I lay down my life But
I might take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but
I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father. Why did Christ come? He laid
his life down voluntarily for his sheep. He came in this world
to die. He set his face like a flint
toward Jerusalem. Fifthly, the design and intent
and purpose of this death is to glorify God. It's to glorify
God. You do not glorify God unless
you glorify God in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. You
have no idea of what His glory is. There is a glory in creation,
but there's no salvation message there. I know people say, well,
the woods is my cathedral. Say it all you want to, stupid.
It's not. Nature has a vision of God and
gives understanding of His might and His power to some degree,
but it leaves me without excuse. Well, they refuse to acknowledge
God as He is, and God gives them over according to Him with a
reprobate mind. God has a glory in providence. He controls all
things. We wonder and amaze. We are wonder and amazed at these
things. Sometimes Debbie will be talking to me and she'll say,
gee, these two things, how this happened and this happened, and
all of a sudden this is here, you know. It's a wonder. It's
an amazing thing. Providence is God working all
things out to their appointed ends. God is controlling your
life and your breath and your family and your children and
your parents and all those things to bring things to an appointed
end. He had declared the end from the beginning. Before he
started, he already had it out in. That's why the children of
God are not disgruntled, unhappy people. It's because they've
read the end of the story. They know the end of the story.
I know how this story ends. I know things are going on that
look terrible, things that distress us all, but we know how the story
ends. One day all of God's elect will
be with Christ, enrobed in white pristine glory, and they will
stand before God Almighty accepted fully. That's how the story ends. Don't sweat it. That's how the
story ends. There is a glory in providence,
but there is no salvation message in providence. the glory is in salvation where God didn't stand back and
say this will be this and this will be this God got involved when he created the world he
said let it be and it was when he set priorities in order
he purposed it and it was done but for the salvation of our
souls he laid aside his glory and came down to this world.
He got involved. Salvation is hands-on, my friend. It's hands-on. He glorified himself
in the salvation of his elect by the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Glorified himself. Look at verse 28. Father, glorify
thy name. Then came a voice from heaven,
saying, I have both glorified and will glorify. He did glorify the name of his
son, he glorified his own name and in a particular capacity
that was intended. He glorified him in his birth
when he was born, the angels of heaven, the multitudes of
heaven, the heavenly hosts sang glory to God in the highest.
and on earth peace and goodwill toward men. For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the
Lord. And the whole heavenly host began to sing glory to God.
Glorified Christ in His birth. At the baptism of the Lord Jesus
Christ, heaven opened up. The voice of the Lord spoke from
heaven. A dove descended on Christ as a representative of the Holy
Spirit. Christ was there, the triune Godhead there at the baptism. And the Lord opened up heaven
and said, this is my son. This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased, well satisfied, well propitiated. This is my
beloved Son. On the Mount of Transfiguration,
He glorified His Son. He glorified His Son. He opened
up heaven again and said, This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him.
At His resurrection, He glorified Christ because He was no longer
in that grave. At His ascension, He glorified
Christ. But there He gave Him a name that was above every name.
He glorified Christ. In His miracles, He glorified
Christ. In His Word, He glorified Christ. Christ said, My Word is their
spirit and their life. All these times God spoke from
heaven, and now He speaks here. Christ said, Glorify Thy Name,
Father. God opens heaven and says, I have glorified him, and
I will glorify it again. God was glorified in the salvation
of his elect, accomplished on the cross by the death of his
son. But in a particular way, how is God glorified? I know
people sing songs about the glory of God, but God is glorified
in this manner, and if He's not glorified in this manner, He's
not glorified in any way, really. In the high priesthood prayer
of our Lord Jesus Christ, in John chapter 17, our Lord spake to God, His Father,
concerning that glorious salvation. And even used this kind of language
here in John chapter 17. Now you're familiar with the
Old Testament on the Day of Atonement. Before the high priest went under
the curtains, under the four-layered curtain, with no door, with no
pull strings to open up the curtain that hung over the Holy of Holies.
He filled a censer with coals off the brazen altar and incense
and he stuck it under that curtain and he shook it. Smoke rose in
there and that was to shroud the Shekinah glory of God that
dwelt between the cherubim over the mercy seat of the Ark of
the Covenant. When he did that He made it possible
for that high priest who was a man and who would die, not
the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, but a high priest,
wouldn't die by looking at God. Theologians say that this 17th
chapter of John is that smoke in there, is that censer making
smoke and shrouding the glory of God. Our Lord said these words
speak Jesus. Now these words that he's speaking
of is John 13, 14, 15, and 16. And part of John 7 or 16. These are the instructions he's
given his disciples for when he leaves. So that's what these
words refer to. And after he spoke these words
in 13, 14, 15, and 16, he lifted his eyes to heaven and said,
Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, glorify me,
that thy son may also glorify thee. Now he's just said that
this glory is his death, but I cannot tell you. Glorify thy
son that thy son may glorify thee. So God's not going to be
glorified unless his son is glorified to glorify him. That's what he
said. Well what does that mean? Our
Lord explains it in verse 2. as thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that is, authority over all humanity. All flesh
serves this singular purpose. Whether you know Christ or whether
you don't, whether you're elect or whether you're a non-elect,
whether you're an infidel or whether you're a believer, you
all serve this purpose. Because Christ has power or authority
over all flesh, and he has that, that he should give eternal life
to as many as God has given him. This is the particular aspects
of that glorification. Glorify me. So when I go to the cross and
hang in agonies and blood and pay the sin debt of my people
and secure their salvation forever, do that for me. so none will
ever be lost. Glorify me for that so I can
glorify you who purposed it all in eternity. God has given us all spiritual
places in Christ and heavenly places in Christ. according as
he's chosen us before the foundation of the world that we should be
holy without blame before him in love having predestinated
us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself
to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he's made us
accepted in the beloved if you believe or you hold that Christ
died for everybody then this verse means nothing because Christ
was glorified by the Father to save his people, to give eternal
life to as many as God had given him, so in that work he could
glorify the Father. That's what this is about. That's
the design, and the intent, and the purpose. Our Lord goes on
to say in verses 5 and 6, And now, O Father, Glorify thou me
in thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before
the world begun. Why? I have manifested thy name
unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they
were. Thou gavest them me. They've
kept my word. They've kept my word. This death,
what death? The glorifying death. the glorifying
death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sixthly, this death was God's
word for his people. This is what God has to say to
us. Verse 29 and 30 back in our text, The people therefore stood
by, and they heard it. Some said that it thunders. Others
said an angel spake to him. Jesus answered, This voice came
not because of me, but for your sakes. but for your sake. This is the gospel. Christ in
Him crucified. This is why Paul said to a church
that was just so full of troubles and so full of factions and so
full of crazy people. He said, I determined to know
nothing of me, you say Jesus Christ in Him crucified. Why? Because you see this message
from heaven, not for Christ, it's for the people. for God's
people. Seventhly, this death is the
judgment of this world. It's the judgment of this world.
Everything changed there on Calvary. Everything. Everything changed. The world, the rudiments of the
world, the elements of the world, the whims and ideas and notions
of the world, the wisdom of the world, it was all judged right
here. That world where men think that
they can by their words or their will or their works marry the
righteous standing before God, that's done away with. It's gone.
It's judged and condemned by Christ by His death on Calvary
Street. Look what He said back in John
chapter 9. He speaks these words to very religious folk who believe
they are indeed folks who actually understand and see what God's
doing But they don't. In John chapter 9, verse 39,
our Lord said, And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this
world. That's why I come. What does that mean? That they
which see not might see. Those that can't see anything.
Those that are blind judicially. Those that are blind by birth.
those who have no spirituality, those who are dead in trespasses
and sin. He says, I come to the world
to judge this world, that those who don't see, I'm going to give
them eyes to see. To those who the religion said,
there ain't no hope for that fella, I'm going to give that
fella some hope. To the sinners and the public and despised by
the religious world, He says, I'm going to give those folks
eyes to see and ears to hear. I came not to call the righteous,
but bring sinners to repentance. The whole need not a position
with them that are sick, but blind folk. Blind folk. And this is the judgment. And
that they which see, or say they see, or even believe they see,
shall be made blind. Those in religion who believe
that they've merited a righteousness before God, who try to rule everybody's
life, control everybody's life, The Pharisees, the scribes, the
religionists, God said, I'm going to cut the light off. And he
did with Christ's death. Three and a half hours he cut
off the light when he punished the Lord Jesus Christ. Then he
caused earthquakes, rocks ran in twain, the veil in the temple
was rent from top to bottom. Everything changed. Everything
changed. Now some of the Pharisees, you
see, which were with him heard these words. And said in the
end, are you saying we're blind? We're the ones who have the Bible.
We're the ones who write it down. We're the ones who tell people
how to live. We're the ones who straighten people's lives out.
We sit in the Moses seat. We make long prayers in public.
We do all these things. You say we don't see? You say
we're blind? The Lord said, yep, that's what
I'm saying. Jesus said unto them, if you
were blind, really, if you admitted you was blind, if you had confessed
your blindness, you would have no sin. Why? Because I'm going
to take it away. But now you say, we see. Therefore, your sin remaineth. For judgment I am commendment. to this world. Eighthly, this
death cast out Satan. This death cast out Satan. It
bruised the serpent's head as the serpent bruised his head,
stripped him of his right to rule over the people of God.
You see he's the prince of power there and God has allowed him
to run the lives of people, even the lives of his elect for many
years. Given him the right and the authority
to do so. He's called a dignity in the
book of I know men talk about running
Satan out of town. I don't want to mess with him to be honest
with you. I don't want to study him. I don't want to look into his
character. I don't want to try to find out what his wiles are
because that will lead to utter oppression and darkness and the
occult. I've seen it happen to many fine
people in their ministries like that trying to figure out how
Satan works. He works really well but you
don't know. He's a liar and a deceiver and you can't figure him out.
We're not told to study a lie, we're told to study the truth. This rule that he has over his
people. The Lord said, now is Satan cast
out. Now is Satan cast out. Now is
the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of the world
be cast out. And he is. Now he's still there,
but he's cast out of his people. The right to rule over his people
is taken away. That don't mean he can't mess
with you, and can't tempt you, and you'll fall for it. That can happen. All we have
to do is look at the saints of God through our scripture and
see that can happen. It can happen to Simon Peter, it can happen
to David, it can happen to Paul, it can happen to anybody. But
he doesn't have a right to. If that happens, it's because
we give in to it. The concept of temptation is
very simple to understand. Temptation has no power over
us unless it can find something in us that answers to that temptation. Is that reasonable? So when you're tempted, you're
not tempted of the Lord, you're tempted by your own flesh. You're
tempted by your own flesh. Satan is cast out. This death
is a victory. Victory belongs to the king we
just sang. This death is a victory over sin, over Satan, and over
death. In Luke chapter 11, he says,
If I cast out devils by the finger of God, I enter into the strongman's
house, Satan, and I bind him and take his spoils. That's how
it's done. He's cast out. In Hebrews chapter
2 verse 14 it said, Because the children were flesh and your
blood, the Lord Jesus Christ became the same, that through
death he might put to death Satan's works and hold over his people. This is why the Holy Ghost convinces
men, or rather this is what the Holy Spirit convinces men of.
Over in John chapter 16, our Lord promised that the Holy Spirit
would come. Now he's going to have to go because he's got to
go to the cross and die in the room instead of his people. But
he said when the Holy Spirit comes, here's what he's going
to teach you. I know, had a fella come in this morning, said he
was from Pentecostal holding his church and he was looking
for one. I told him he was looking at the wrong place, so he left. I told him where one was so he
could find it. I was nice enough to do that. That's what I'm looking for.
Would you see Jesus? No, I want to see the Holy Spirit.
You ain't going to see the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you this
plain out, the Holy Spirit will never mention Himself. Now He
is the sovereign God who mutes Himself concerning Himself. He will not glorify Himself. He will never make you look to
Him. The Holy Spirit will never make you look to the Holy Spirit.
He will always make you look to Christ. So our Lord says in
verse 7 of John 16, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient
or necessary for you that I go away. For if I go not, the Comforter
will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto
you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin
and of righteousness and of judgment. What did our Lord talk about
over here? Now this world judged. Now is the prince of the world
cast down? Of sin, of righteousness, and judgment. Now if you take
that and take it to the natural realm, you can run with it and
preach all day long on absolutely nothing. You can preach about
sin. You can preach about drinking,
and chewing, and smoking, and doing dope. You can preach about
the TVs and the internet. You can preach about all those
things and get people rallying. You can preach about abortion.
You can preach about the horrible political state of America. You
can preach about anything and keep people riled up all the
time. But the Holy Spirit doesn't preach
that. You can preach about righteousness.
You can tell folks like that fellow this morning. He went
to a church where there's some holiness going on. Now I know
what he means because I grew up with holiness people in my
neighborhood. I know what it means. and preach about righteousness.
The Holy Spirit says He's going to reprove men of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment. Well, what's He talking about?
Well, let's look. He explains that. Because He
knew, as He inspired this book, that some jackal is going to
stand up and take this out of context and try to make everybody
feel bad about somebody and feel good about themselves. Because
I could stand up here and preach on drinking, and maybe I might
hit a few people here, but most of y'all aren't rinkers. Y'all
just feel so good about yourself. They ain't preaching to me. Get
them, brother. Lay it to them. What is he talking about? Of
sin, because they believe not on me.
There it is. The mother of all sin is unbelief. No matter what sin it is, it
flows from unbelief. The Holy Spirit is not going
to convict you about drinking and chewing and smoking. He's
going to convince you about the fact that you don't believe on
Jesus Christ. You're not trusting Him, you're trusting yourself.
Secondly, of righteousness. Why? Because I go to my Father
and you see me no more. A righteousness that's invisible.
Christ is our righteousness and He says you'll see me no more.
The Holy Spirit is going to convince you that Jesus Christ has finished
the work of salvation, and the proof of it is that He will give
you faith to believe that He has ascended up into the clouds
and sits at the right hand of the Father, ever ready to make
intercession for His people. You're going to be convinced
of that. I'm going to approve you and convince you of that,
the Holy Spirit says. And of judgment. Why? Because the Prince
of this world is judged. He's going to convince you that
Satan is a defeated foe. Now he's on a chain, and if you
walk close enough to where he's at, he'll jump out and scare
the Lord out of you, but he can't get to your throat, because he's God's ape. Satan
has to beg God to touch you. He has to crawl on his belly
like the reptile he is, and kiss the feet of the master, and say,
can I touch old Sam? And if the Lord sees that that
touch will do you good, he'll say of old Sam, well, Satan has
desired to sift you like wheat. But I've prayed for you, your
faith ain't going to fail you. Your faith ain't going to fail
you. Now the Lord says, I have many things to say unto you,
but you cannot bear them now. And they couldn't until the Lord
gave them faith and removed sight and gave them the word to believe.
Howbeit, when he The Spirit of Truth has come. He will guide
you into all truth, for He will not speak of Himself. There you
go. He will not speak of Himself. But whatsoever He shall hear
from Me, that shall He speak. And He will
show you things to come. He shall glorify Me, for He shall
receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that
the Father hath of Mine, therefore said I, that He will take of
Mine, and will show it unto you. Will show it unto you. The Holy
Spirit will teach you about Christ's death that cast out the prince
of this world. Ninthly, the death is crucifixion. Never anything else. He wasn't
going to be shot with an arrow, pierced through with a dart.
He was going to be bludgeoned to death. He wasn't going to
fall off a cliff, though several Pharisees tried to push him over
one. He wasn't going to die out in the wilderness where nobody
would know. Christ said, I'm going to be hung between heaven
and earth, ordained. That Roman gibbet, God put that
seed in the ground for that tree years and years before. So some
carpenter like Jesus' father, earthly father Joseph might take
that and take his adze and his axe and hew that thing down to
two or maybe one long log because the word is starus which means
pole for cross. And cured it and kept it until
that day that it was put together and lay on the shoulder of Jesus
Christ the Lord, that tree, to carry up that hill and to hang
there in agonies and blood. It was always crucifixion. That's what it says in verse,
back in our text in the first part of verse 32, and I, if I
be lifted up, I be lifted up from the earth. always crucifixion. The Lord said to Nicodemus, even
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so shall
the Son of Man be lifted up. A.W. Pink, in his book on the
seven sayings of the cross, said the reason the Lord said Father
forgive them, rather than saying, I forgive them, was because of
one verse of Scripture that said, He forgives sins while He's on
earth. Now He's suspended between heaven and earth that you win. The death is crucifixion. Finally,
this death is the sure salvation of God's people. Verse 32, last
phrase. I, if I be lifted up from earth,
will draw all men unto me. The word men is in italics. When he was added by the translators,
it was not in the original text. He said, I will draw all unto
me. I, if I be lifted up, will draw
all men unto me. Who are they? Who are the all? Not all men, but all. Who are
the all? Well, he's used that terminology
before. Look back at John chapter 6. He says in verse 37, All that
the Father giveth to me, all shall come unto me. And him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from
heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent
me. And this is the Father's will. which hath sent me, that
of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but raise
it up again in the last day. And this is the will of him that
sent me, that every one that seeth the Son, would you see
Jesus? Every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may
have everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day.
The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I have the bread
which came down from heaven, And they said, Is not this Jesus,
the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it
then that he said he came down from heaven? Jesus therefore
answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
No man can come to me except the Father which has sent me
draw him, and I will raise him up again in the last day. It
is written in the Prophets Isaiah 54, 13. And they shall all be
taught of God. All of them. that He draws to
Himself. Every man, therefore, that hath
heard from the Father, and hath learned by the Father, or of
the Father, comes to Me. Every one of them. This is the death. What death? Spake signifying the death which
he should die. What death? This death, which
is commemorated in receiving the Lord's table. This death
propitiated God by meeting the law's demands. This death satisfies
God's justice and put away the sins of His people. This He said, signifying what
death? That He should die. This afternoon
we'll gather and we'll have some wine and some unleavened bread.
And what are we doing? Commemorating the dead. What
death? He should die. Father bless us
to understand and pray in Christ's name. Amen.