Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Lesson just read, John 12:31-33. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- These words of Jesus in our text must strike unbelievers as a bunch of bravado, and utterly foolish bravado at that. He was talking about casting out the devil, the ruler of the world, and being lifted up and drawing all people to Himself – and yet He was headed to death, an ignominious and hideous death at that, crucifixion.
- We wonder what His disciples must have thought – knowing everything that He had done, the great miracles, and all that He has said about God’s kingdom having arrived, when the temple guard took Him, arrested Him, struck Him, beat Him, and delivered Him over to Pilate and the Romans. And then they had to watch the Romans beat Him, and condemn Him to death, and nail Him to the cross. Yes, some of them – John and Mary – had to watch Him die.
- All of this is referred to by Jesus as “THE JUDGEMENT OF THIS WORLD.” Yes, and the world for the most part still judges Him worthy of little respect, and not worthy of our faith and trust, our love and devotion. Yet, what He did truly is the judgment – all now judge for themselves whether they will have God’s clemency and mercy, His forgiveness and free gift of salvation, or not.
- And although much of this is counter-intuitive and seemingly paradoxical, the fact is the “THE JUDGMENT IS CHRIST’S VICTORY.” First, we note that:
I. The Judgment Of The Cross Appeared To Favor Satan – Christ Died, But This Was Only For A Brief “Time,” As He Himself Predicted When Arrested In The Garden
Luke 22:52-54 “Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against Him, ‘Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.’ Then they seized Him and led Him away, bringing Him into the high priest’s house.”
Statement: As you are aware, timing – and how things process and change – is everything. People invest in property when property is “inflating” in value, hoping to make a profit. However, some buy high and overextend, and if they then have to sell low they lose a great deal of money. It is no different with purchasing stocks.
The same principles are involved in judging Christ and the process of His victory. At the time of “THE JUDGMENT” of the cross, things looked quite dire and grim for God and His Son, and His plan of regaining the world for Himself.
Application: But as we know, the “hour” and “time” of His enemies only lasted three days – and then Christ arose. And for those who understand the nature of “THE JUDGMENT” of the cross, they are also able to understand that:
II. The Judgment Of The World In The Cross Did Actually Cast Satan Out Of God’s Presence And Out Of His Place As “Ruler” Of This World
A. Christ’s Death Was For All Humanity, With All Of Our Sin And Guilt Upon Him, And He Fully Atoned For The Sins Of All People So That Satan Can No Longer Successful Accuse And Prosecute Us
1 John 2:2 “He is the blood atonement for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 1:7 “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
2 Cor. 5:19 “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.”
B. And Now The Cross Draws All People Back To Christ, Back To God, And Actually Casts Satan Out Of Individuals
1 Tim. 2:4 “God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
John 5;24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
Col. 1:13,14 “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
John 3:36 “He that believes the Son has everlasting life; but he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
2 Cor. 5:17,18 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, Who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
Statement: What appeared as weakness and defeat was actually total and complete victory – the annihilation of Satan, all of his claims, and all of his accomplishments. There is nothing left for Satan to hope in regard to defaming God as he did in the garden, and no way to deny God’s incredible and incomprehensible love for us. What Jesus asserted about the “THE JUDGMENT OF THIS WORLD” and Satan being cast out, and Jesus drawing all people to Himself, all of this was accomplished by “the kind of death” He died.
Application: We need to take all of these things into consideration – including how God draws humanity to Himself in apparent weakness, only to provide us with His own incredible strength, the strength of His grace, mercy, and love. All of this is true, the true dynamic at work within us – so that we do not lose heart or ever doubt God’s gracious forgiveness and mercy, His steadfast love and faithfulness to us, no matter how weak we appear, how defeated.
And we might want to remember this in our relationships with others – that they will be drawn to Christ through His weakness, and our own apparent weakness, not strength. And when others berate and accuse and attack us, including Satan’s ongoing accusations, we must remember that:
III. The Cross Is Also Our Judgment, And The Judgment Of All People
2 Cor. 5:19 “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.”
John 3:36 “He that believes the Son has everlasting life; but he that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Statement: Satan, and other people, point to what we do as “our judgment.” Nothing could be further from the truth! Christ says that His death is “THE JUDGMENT OF THIS WORLD” – and His death has made us innocent, forgiven, washed, cleansed, reconciled to God, heirs of God, transferred into Christ’s Kingdom, and a new creation. His death on the cross is also the judgment of all those who do not believe – that they would reject God even when He has given them so great a gift of salvation.
Application: So let us keep this always in mind that “THE JUDGMENT IS CHRIST’S VICTORY” over our sin, over death, and over the devil – and His cross, His victory, is also our own through faith in Jesus Christ. Let us remember this when we are attacked and accused; let us remember this also when we are tempted to do the devil’s bidding and attach and accuse others. For with the judgment we mete out to others we judge ourselves.
Conclusion: And when looking at all things – whether our own apparent weaknesses, the apparent weaknesses in others, or even the apparent weakness of the church – let us remember that timing is everything. What appears weak now may not be weak at all, but may be strength – and surely this is the case with Christ and His people. His cross is the victory – thanks and praise be to God. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.