Tuesday: Conviction About Judgment
Read John 16:8, John 16:11. What judgment is Jesus referring to? Why is this judgment good news?
There remains one last great conviction that is part of the work of the Spirit: the conviction about judgment. Here is where much of our preaching on this passage seems to go in a wrong and harmful direction.
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Often a discussion of sin and righteousness seems to lead many professed Christians to pronounce a warning about the judgment on those who reject Christ. In doing so, they want to warn sinners, often with fearful overtones, of the future judgment that awaits them.
And though that judgment is a reality, this is not what Jesus talks about in John 16:11. The language indicates that the Lord is not talking about future judgment, as He did in John 12:48. Instead, the aspect of the judgment that Jesus now refers to is the good news that Satan would soon be judged at Calvary. The devil, the great enemy of truth, is now living on borrowed time. Judgment will come, but the focus here is on an awareness that the prince of this world now already stands condemned (John 12:31).
Read 1 Peter 5:8-9. How is Satan described by Peter? How can we resist Him?
The devil, knowing that his time is short and that he has been fatally defeated at Calvary, is nevertheless still alive. And he is furious, trying to devour as many as he can. But he is a defeated enemy. Jesus has won the victory. The blood of Jesus makes us free.
When, during World War II, the Nazi troops had received the decisive blow with the successful Allied invasion of France on June 6, 1944, it was clear that Hitler was defeated. Yet the eleven months between D-Day (when the attack was initiated) and VE-Day (May 8, 1945 when the war ended in Europe) were the bloodiest of all. Similarly Satan knows that he was decisively defeated at the cross. Yet, he stubbornly fights and tries to devour as many as he can. In these challenging times we are called to be sober and alert and to cast all our anxiety upon Jesus, because He cares for us (1 Pet. 5:7-8).
| Why is judgment good news? Who is our surety in the judgment? How can we preach about the judgment in such a way that we instill hope rather than fear? |
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Thinking about judgement may seem tense because we are all guilty of something. But our hope must be placed in our Lawyer. Such a good Lawyer has given His own blood to save us. Because of our sin we should all get the maximum penalty! But our best bet is to trust in the merits of our Lawyer and Savior, who even died for us so we could go free!
Satan was judged at Calvery, so already stands condemned. It stands to reason that we cast all our anxiety on Jesus, He will talk care of us. Believe it. Turn your self over to Christ with out reserve, surrender your bad habits to Christ, and the Judgement will will not harm you. Believe it. Romans 10:13. Psalms 80:3. Ephesians 2:8. Romans 6:23. Romans 10:9.
Steps to Christ, p. 71 , says "We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved. All this turns the soul away from the Source of our strength."
He that has begun a good work in you will perform it unto that day. While on earth Jesus never once wondered if he was going to be saved or successful.
Who are you trying to save above all, your self? It will never work. Isn't Jesus enough of a savior for us? Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
When we believe and trust Jesus His blood covers us and His righteousness is what God sees when we stand before Him in the judgement. Judgment then isn't about us it takes on a higher purpose before the universe. The judgement then shows the love and mercy of God in redeeming the human family who fell into sin.
It's when we refuse God's gift of mercy which is the covering of Jesus's righteousness that we stand in the judgement in our own 'righteousness' which none of us have.
The judgement like the lake of fire is not originally to convict humans but to bring to an end satanic powers whose rebellion started the sin problem. As humans we decide who we will trust in this spiritual war.
If we choose our own works, or refuse the the gift of God's covering yet transforming love thru Christ, and made possible by the Spirit of God, we choose to stand in our own righteousness in the judgement.
I liked these words in the lesson "The devil, the great enemy of truth, is now living on borrowed time."
This respondent found the hymn "Faith in Victory" appropriate to this lesson.
608 – Faith Is the Victory
1
Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers, rise,
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below,
Let all our strength be hurled;
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.
Refrain
Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Oh, glorious victory
That overcomes the world.
2
His banner over us in love,
Our sword the Word of God;
We tread the road the saints above
With shouts of triumph trod.
By faith they, like whirlwind’s breath,
Swept on o’er ev’ry field;
The faith by which they conquered death
Is still our shining shield.
3
To him who overcomes the foe
White raiment shall be giv’n;
Before the angels he shall know
His name confessed in heav’n.
Then onward from the hills of light,
Our hearts with love aflame;
We’ll vanquish all the hosts of night,
In Jesus’ conq’ring name.
Indeed, a wonderful hymn too often overlooked.
The Spirit will convict/convince the world(every soul) of “sin...righteousness...judgment”. This concerns every individual, not just Satan. It could be said this way: “...of what is wrong, what is right, and that all will be held accountable for the path they choose to follow.”
The mention of Satan serves to emphasize the surety of judgment against all who would follow his wrong example of sinning against the government of the Sovereign Creator, being allies of the devil, which reveals their rejecting the Example of Righteousness that Jesus revealed in His holy life, and the salvation offered for all who repent. Isn't this about choosing whom we will serve, with the sure and eternal consequences of that choice? For sinners, the Holy Spirit's convictions come as a merciful warning.
We resist Satan by not yielding to temptation by the obedience of faith. Daniel 1 is a good example for how this works. By drawing nigh to God in the obedience of faith, we resist the temptations of Satan. (See Dan 4:27)
Judgment is good news because it brings justice to all. When the final judgment is complete, the psalmist writes that the meek “will delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” It is this universal peace that God will finally restore.
Talk about the judgment only brings fear to the unrepentant. The judgment message should always be connected to the Gospel message of Christ, who “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption”.
It seems to me that some of us have missed the point of this lesson: The author makes very clear that Jesus spoke of the judgment of Satan. That's *good* news! Satan's character was exposed in contrast to the character of Christ- demonstrating to the universe that God is good and Satan is evil. I suspect it was hard for some of the angels to realize that the one who was once their admired and beloved leader had totally gone bad. But the cross exposed this.
Thus the judgment Christ spoke of in John 16:10-11 is the judgment of Satan, and by extension, the judgment of God whose essential goodness was revealed through Christ.
The judgment as depicted in Daniel 7 shows the books being opened, and then the one like the "Son of Man" who is none other than Jesus Christ, is brought before the "ancient of Days". Then in Daniel 7:14 "there was given him (that is given to Jesus Who has taken upon Himself humanity, taking Adam's place at the head of the human race) dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed."
Adventist pioneers saw this as Christ, the "bridegroom", going before the Father to receive the "bride".
In Matt. 25 is a parable of a wedding. A cry is made, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh!" We realize that Christ is here depicted as the bridegroom. By Rev. 21:2 we learn that the bride is the New Jerusalem; and of course the saints will be the citizens of New Jerusalem who are invited to the marriage supper. Compare Rev. 19:7-9, (Jerusalem's adornment are the righteous saints) with Luke 12:32-37. (we are waiting for Christ to return from the wedding and get us!)
The Adventist pioneers held that this cry was made in 1844, at the termination of the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14, when Jesus passed into the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, before the Ancient of days, to receive his kingdom and dominion, and confirm the wedding list.
Christ has redeemed the dominion for the human race, He has won! Satan, who usurped the dominion from Adam has lost.
But the battle is not over. Every human being has a choice to make.
Will they team up and play on the loosing team (which to human eyes may seem to be winning and gives deceptive promises) but whose general is already defeated; or will they team up and join the winning team, (which to human eyes may seem to be losing and confining, but which has real and wonderful promises) and whose General has already won?
Right now Christ is still before the "ancient of days" registering all who have in faith, trust and humble obedience joined His team, for they will be part of the great wedding feast when He claims bride.
Rev. 3:5 " He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."
Yes, we want Jesus to confess our name before the Father and his angels!
How can we be numbered among the overcomers?
1John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1John 3:2-3 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
And everyone that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure.