And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
— John 16:8,11

Today I want to continue talking about the supernatural convincing work of the Holy Spirit. In the previous two days, we’ve seen how the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his sin — a supernatural work that cannot happen apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. We’ve also seen how the Holy Spirit convinces a Christian of his God-given righteousness — something that a believer will not completely comprehend until the Holy Spirit reveals it and brings that person to the undeniable fact that he has been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

But there is one more convincing work of the Holy Spirit mentioned in John 16:8,11. It says, “And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” This describes the Holy Spirit’s work to convince and remind us that although Satan may seem to have free rein at the moment, his ultimate fate is settled and his doom is sealed. He is the loser at the end of the day.

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If all we do is sit and listen to the news, it’s likely that it will leave us in a despondent state as we wonder what in the world is going to happen. Moral codes are changing; laws are changing; politics are changing — and it seems much of the Church itself is negatively changing. If we dwell on all these negative changes, we will soon become despondent with despair. But a glorious part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to convince us that the “prince of this world is judged” (see John 16:11). That means the devil isn’t going to win! His judgment has already been pronounced, and part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to remind us and convince us of this fact.

Let’s look at the terminology Jesus used when he called Satan “the prince of this world.” The word “prince” is the Greek word ho archon, a title used to describe a ruler in a particular realm that can be translated as the word “prince.” The word “world” is the Greek word kosmos, which emphatically does not describe the earth, universe, or planetary systems. Instead, it denotes culture, society, and the systems in which mankind lives and functions. It denotes systems, such as education, entertainment, government, and every human sphere, as the places — the kosmos — where Satan operates. The word kosmos is the identical word that the apostle Paul used in Second Corinthians 4:4 when he referred to Satan as the “god of this world.” It pictures Satan as being the ruler of the lost culture and lost systems that dominates every sphere of mankind. Those systems are where Satan temporarily operates and exercises his power. I say that he operates there temporarily because Jesus said his rule has been “judged.”

The word “judged” is the Greek word krino. The word krino was used in a judicial sense, even in a court of law, to mean the decision has already been weighed and decided. There is no more debating of this issue. The decision is made, and the case is closed. All that remains is pronouncement of the verdict, which is judgment. And Jesus said that part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry would be to convince you and me that Satan is condemned without the possibility of escape.

This means, my friend, that the bad news we see in the world today is temporary. Jesus is Lord, and everything we see around us won’t last very long. Christ completely and utterly defeated Satan through His death on the Cross and His resurrection. Now it’s only a matter of time until the clouds break and Jesus comes through the eastern sky — and everything changes!

When you’re tempted to despair because of what you hear and see, that is the moment you need to say, “Holy Spirit, please — remind me that the prince of this world is judged.” He will bring you to an absolute place of conviction that will put your feet on solid ground and cause you to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that the prince of this world is judged and that you really are on the winning side!

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


F
ather, I thank You that Jesus conquered Satan through His death on the Cross and His resurrection and that Jesus is truly Lord over all! The ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life is a daily reminder to me of this glorious fact. Especially today, when it seems so many things are changing and it looks like evil is winning so many battles, I rely upon this special convincing ministry of the Holy Spirit that the prince of this world is judged — and from this condemnation he has no possibility of escape. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for keeping me in remembrance of the truth that Jesus is Lord now, that He is Lord tomorrow, and that He will always be Lord of all!

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

 

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I confess that Jesus is Lord over everything in this world. When I am tempted to fear or to give sway to the bad news that is going out over the airwaves all the time, I will stand tall, throw my shoulders back, hold my head high, and boldly declare that Jesus is Lord and Satan is the loser! I declare that the decision has already been made, the court is closed, and Satan’s doom is sealed. Jesus is coming back soon, and everything will change!

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

 

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

  1. Have you ever had moments when it felt like the world was morally crumbling all around you and it made you feel hopeless? What do you say or think on to counteract the temptation to go down that dark road in your emotions?
  2. What do you do when you hear other believers speak almost endlessly about how bad things are getting? Do you remind them that Satan’s doom is sealed and that things we see are only temporary? Or do you join in and begin complaining with them? What should you do in that case?
  3. Have you ever heard the Holy Spirit speaking to you to take heart because the real truth is that Jesus is Lord and everything else is temporary? Is the Holy Spirit trying to assure you of this, but you keep getting caught up in the bad news you hear? What should you do differently to keep your focus on the winning side?