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The Spirit Convicts of Judgment
Jesus also declared that
the Spirit would convict the world of
judgment, because the prince of this world is
judged. John 16:11
Behind the play and
counter play of history, supernatural forces,
good and evil, have waged an unceasing warfare.
At the cross, the great controversy between
Christ and Satan became visible. Christ and Satan
stood before an empanelled universe to be judged.
One would be acquitted, the other condemned. The
events that culminated in Christs
crucifixion would expose to the universe the
inner feelings of each. Would Christ in the hour
of test and trial accept some attitude of Satan
and be brought under his dominion? When reviled,
would He revile back? When outraged, would He
strike back? When abused, insulted, tortured, and
tormented, would Jesus become vindictive.
Behold the Lord of glory
in shame. The Light of the world stands in the
midst of darkness, but the darkness cannot put
out the light of Gods love. The Prince of
life, seized with paroxysms of pain, chooses to
die rather than be disloyal to God. The Sinless
One is robed in sin, but His righteousness shines
through. The universe stands amazed at the
spectacle of the Creator in the hands of His
creatures. Satan sits in the judgment seat ready
to pronounce the death sentence. The world unseen
sees it all: the rigged court, the false
witnesses, the timeserving judge intimidated by
the Jerusalem rabble.
Satan condemned the
innocent One to the cruelest of deaths. A being
lacking Gods Spirit demonstrated what all
who lack that Spirit when unrestrained would do.
When unrestrained by the Spirit of God, the
unconverted man inspired by him who was a
murderer from the beginning (John 8:44)
will act out all the evil that is in his carnal
nature, even to perpetrating unprovoked murder.
Satan stood unmasked.
Christs death exonerated God and proved
that He was in no way responsible for sin. John
pulled the curtain back so that all might see
what then took place in heaven. And I heard
a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser
of our brethren is cast down, which accused them
before our God day and night. Revelation
12:10. Shortly before, Jesus had foretold
Satans eviction: Now is the judgment
of this world: now shall the prince of this world
be cast out. John 12:31.
A court higher than any
that Satan could convene witnessed the innocent
One suffer death at the hands of Satan. God acted
as Chief Justice, and every heavenly intelligence
formed a part of the grand jury. This court,
having examined Jesus under the searchlight of
Gods law, reversed the rigged verdicts of
those courts that Satan had dominated. Heaven
completely absolved our Lord and decreed that He
should not be held in Satans prison house
of death. Death must not have dominion over Him
who Heaven judged innocent of any sin. Of the
Hero of Calvary, Peter declared, Whom God
hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death:
because it was not possible that he should be
holden of it. Acts 2:24. And how was Christ
raised from the dead? He was quickened by
the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18.)
However, though Satan
stood unmasked and guilty at Calvary, mans
judgment had not yet come. The awful fact
remained that men had shared in this monstrous
crime. We are all guilty; for we have all
displayed the same, evil traits toward on another
and God that ran riot there.
Thank God, the accuser of
the brethren is cast down. This would-be judge
has been judged and but awaits the execution of
the sentence. In heavens verdict, all who
follow Satan on earth can read their own doom.
The Holy Spirit works to keep this before our
minds, for as Satan was judged guilty of
Christs blood, so all his followers will
ultimately be judged guilty as partakers with him
in his reprehensible deed. And as Jesus stood
exonerated before the universe, so all His
followers will someday stand completely absolved,
for their acceptance of Jesus will have shown
that they deserve to turn from the attributes of
character that impelled Satan to perpetrate the
diabolical outrage.
The Holy Spirit, then,
not only convinces that the prince of this world
has been judged but that every member of the
human family will also be judged. Man has two
appointments both of which he will inevitable
meet: death and judgment. It is appointed
unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment. Hebrews 9:27. We must
all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10. Moreover, there
will be nothing haphazard about these judgment-no
favoritisms of any kind. God declares,
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and
righteousness to the plummet. Isaiah 28:17.
The Spirit of God desires
that every soul make preparation. All who respond
to the Spirits promptings will confess
their sins and thus send them beforehand to
judgment. Some mens sins are open
beforehand, going before to judgment, and by the
spirit of burning (Isaiah 4:4).
As the Spirit impresses
the exceeding sinfulness of sin upon the soul, a
sense of condemnation and guilt rests heavily
upon us and we long to have this load lifted.
Then the Spirit points us to Calvary, as we pour
our souls in repentance and confession, the
condemnation rolls away. We experience the
freedom Paul, the wretched, felt when he found
deliverance in Christ Jesus. (Romans 7:24,25.)
That this sense of condemnation might not return,
we are to walk in the Spirit. There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1.
Though God has provided a
way whereby the righteous may be delivered in the
judgment, He also knoweth how
to
reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be
punished. (2 Peter 2:9.) The Holy Spirit
earnestly and often pleads with sinners to
forsake their evil ways and accept salvation. The
Holy Ghost saith, to day if ye will hear his
voice, harden not your hearts. Hebrews
3:7,8. The Pentecostal appeal of the Spirit
sounds across the centuries. Would that it might
reach the lost of every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people: Save yourselves from this
untoward generation. Acts 2:40.
Memory Verse:
2
Corinthians 5:10. For we must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad.
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