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14 in which we'll continue to consider these last two
paragraphs of this chapter
in which our Lord was giving instruction to his disciples, not long, you
know, perhaps an hour or so, maybe less, before he would be arrested and taken
from them, of course crucified the next day.
And so here is John 14, 25 through 31.
In the New King James Version, which you have in front of you in your notes, there's two paragraphs.
Some put all of these verses into a single paragraph.
That's probably preferable, actually.
I know that the editors of the modern Greek text put it in one paragraph, but in our New King James
Version we have two.
Jesus said, these things I've spoken to you while being present with you, but the Helper, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things
and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
You've heard me say to you I'm going away and coming back to you.
If you loved me, you would rejoice because I said I am going to the Father, for my
Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you before it comes that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has
nothing in me.
But that the world may know that I love the Father, and the Father gave me commandment, so do I.
Arise, let us go from here.
Verses 25 through 27 address the subject of Jesus' promising blessing to his
disciples, and we of course began to consider this last week.
He spoke further of the gift of the Holy Spirit, he had mentioned it earlier in in
verse 16 and 17.
Here he declares that the Holy Spirit would be another comforter, he is their comforter,
he would send another comforter, the Holy Spirit, just as he instructed them,
the Holy Spirit would instruct them.
The Holy Spirit would also remind them of everything that they had heard him teach them
over the course of his three years ministry, and cause them to remember the things that he had did as
well.
And so this promise was specifically for the Apostles, but clearly the work of the
Holy Spirit continues throughout this church age.
He still teaches us, and he still reminds us, calls to mind
the Word of God, the Scriptures.
But in addition to the gift of the Holy Spirit, and perhaps due to the Holy Spirit being given
on Pentecost, he would leave them peace.
And as we stated last week, we should understand this peace to be both objective as
well as subjective, there's two kinds of peace that the Bible speaks about.
Objective peace speaks of the legal and blessed standing that disciples have with
God due to God having justified us.
We do not feel this peace, this objective peace.
And so there are some people that have this objective peace and they know it, there are some people that have
this objective peace but may not fully know it, they're troubled needlessly.
But this is not the kind of peace you feel, this is the kind of peace that describes our standing
before God, our state before God as forgiven believers in Jesus Christ.
And of course our faith in Christ alone for salvation resulted in God having justified us,
and at that moment of faith in Christ he not only pardoned our sins but he also gave us the
gift of righteousness, which is the really the sum of
Jesus's obedience throughout his earthly life, that righteousness is given to
us as a gift when we put our faith in him for salvation.
And so not only is our sins forgiven, but his righteousness is credited to us.
And so we'll stand before the Lord on the Day of Judgment not just forgiven of our sins but
we'll actually stand as if we were as righteous as Jesus Christ himself
because we're standing in his righteousness, that's very important.
And so when upon our justification, upon our first believing on Jesus, we pass from
a state of being at enmity with God, even being at war with God, we with
him and he with us, into this state of peace, this objective state of peace.
And Paul wrote of this in Romans 5 .1, therefore since we've been justified by faith,
not through your works but by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that's true of each one of us who believes.
We have an equal standing before God in this state of peace.
It knows no degrees, whether you're a new Christian or been in the Lord for 70 years,
we're in the same state of peace, we who believe on Jesus.
And so this is an objective peace which describes the state of every true
believer in Jesus Christ.
It's the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy of all those who are in the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and this would be spiritual Jerusalem, the city of God, the
people of God.
Cry to her that her warfare is ended, and that her iniquity is pardoned, that she is
received from the Lord's hand doubled for all her sins.
And within the context of Isaiah, that's through the work of the servant of the Lord, the
Messiah, who brings us into this state of peace.
We're no longer at war with God, thank God, but rather we are at peace with him through faith in Jesus
Christ.
But in addition to God's declaration of our objective peace with him through faith in Jesus
Christ, the Lord promises disciples subjective peace.
And this is the peace of God that every true Christian may experience, but sadly
not all do, and not all do all the time, which is unfortunate.
The scriptures speak of a peace that Christians may feel, and this subjective peace
is not based on the circumstances they are experiencing.
That's the peace of the world.
He has a peace that's not of the world.
In other words, rather than this subjective peace that is dependent on what we're
experiencing day by day, this subjective peace passes all understanding.
You have a sense of peace even when it doesn't make sense to have peace when you started considering everything else
that's going on in your world.
Nevertheless, an inward peace that may be experienced and enjoyed even when the Christian
is enduring the most difficult situation in life.
This peace that the world knows nothing about will guard your hearts and minds in Christ
Jesus, according to the Apostle in Philippians 4.
And this is the promised blessing of peace that Christians may experience because they're in the kingdom of God, they're citizens of
the kingdom of God, and peace is one of the blessed benefits or privileges
of kingdom citizens.
As Paul wrote, the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit.
Now it's important that we understand that our Lord Jesus gave his disciples this promise of peace just as he
is about to be arrested and taken away from them.
The next day he would die upon his cross and it's within this setting that he
declares to them that he was going and he was coming back.
And here we should probably understand his coming back to be speaking about his post -resurrection
appearances rather than his second coming.
He spoke about his second coming earlier in the passage, but here he's probably speaking about his
temporary going away and coming back to see them after the resurrection, which would just take place in a couple
days time.
But he wanted them to have this sense of peace.
He was going, yes, but he was coming back.
And so while he was gone, while they're experiencing and witnessing his arrest and
trials and crucifixion, he didn't want them to be overwhelmed with distress.
Let your hearts not be troubled, but rather be at peace.
I leave my peace with you.
Now we next have a statement that has been
rather troublesome for Christians to understand in the light of our biblical
belief in the Blessed Holy Trinity.
Jesus made a statement that's been the center of much air and controversy through the course of church history.
Jesus declared in John 14 28b, if you love me you would rejoice because I said I'm going
to the Father and here it is, for my Father is greater than I.
And of course it's that second portion of that statement that is
rather difficult to understand.
The first portion of the verse is not difficult for us to comprehend or appreciate.
If you love me you'd rejoice because I said I'm going to the Father.
That he would be going to the Father would be a great blessing for Jesus Christ himself and his disciples should be happy
that he was going to experience this.
And I suppose if we were always thinking rightly we would rejoice when any true disciple of Jesus Christ passes
this world because we know that he is going into the presence of the Father as well.
Which is far better as the Apostle Paul himself described in Philippians 1.
But it is the reason that Jesus gave why his disciples should rejoice that may be difficult to understand
and embrace.
Again Jesus said if you love me you would rejoice because I said I'm going to the Father.
And then we have a clause beginning with the word for which is a conjunction.
Technically it's an explanatory conjunction.
So he's now going to give the reason why they should rejoice because my Father is greater than I.
Now this seems on the surface to contradict our understanding and proclamation of the equal standing of
the three persons of the Holy Trinity God the Father his Son Jesus Christ as well as
the Holy Spirit.
In fact our statement of faith of 1689 Baptist Confession makes this assertion of Christ the Son of
God the second person in the Holy Trinity being very an eternal God the brightness of the Father's
glory of one substance and equal with him.
And so our understanding really the understanding of all historical
sound Christianity is that the doctrine of Trinity
understands that God the Son is just as much God as God the Father
in the same way as God the Holy Spirit.
There's one God but three persons they are one essence and therefore
they are equal as far as their nature the
divine essence and each person of the Trinity should be shown high regard
equal regard not one favored above the other.
And so how do we deal with our Lord Jesus's statement when he says my Father is greater than I.
Well this verse has been commonly quoted by heretics through
church history who argue that Jesus Christ is not God as God the Father is God
and they would argue of course Jesus himself declared my Father is greater than I
and I've had Jehovah's Witnesses quote this verse to me probably a handful of times over the years.
Some would argue that Jesus Christ is God but that he is a lesser God than God the Father.
Jesus is not therefore to be given honor and glory as to be rendered unto God the Father he's a
lesser God they would say and of course this is great error because
the Holy Scriptures the Word of God declare forthrightly Jesus said these words for the Father judges
no one but he's given all judgment to the Son.
And then we have a purpose clause for what end for what purpose that all may honor the Son
just as they honor the Father there's equal honor equal glory to be
rendered to the Son as the Father.
Whosoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Whoever does not regard the Son as the Son of God as the eternal Son of God God the
Son does not honor the Father.
You know all those who teach that Jesus
Christ is not God who say he's a lesser God
say the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons.
They're not Christian.
They are what the Bible describes as heretics.
Nobody honors the true God unless he gives the same honor to the Son.
Indeed all three persons of the Blessed Holy Trinity are to be given equal honor and esteem for they are one God.
We don't believe in three gods.
One God.
This verse was cited in the early Christian era as a denial of the equal standing of the Son with the Father
by the heresy of Arianism.
Arius was a Christian leader in Alexandria Egypt perhaps born.
There's some say 250 some say ad 256.
He died in 83 36.
He had a very violent sudden death.
By the way that many thought was just the judgment of God coming upon him.
Arius denied the deity of Jesus Christ.
He taught that the Son of God was the first created being of God.
He taught this based on a wrong understanding of verses like Colossians 115 which says of
the Son of God.
He is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation.
And of course he interpreted firstborn as Jesus Christ was the first one created by God.
Of course the correct understanding of Jesus Christ being the firstborn is that he is
as the firstborn son in a large family who inherits his father's name the father's estate.
He becomes essentially the head of the family in the place of the father.
Jesus Christ is the firstborn son of a large family comprised of brothers and sisters
in Christ.
And so firstborn speaks about his status his stature not of his essence.
But Arius also argued based on this verse John 14 28.
Jesus himself confessed that his father was greater than he.
Jesus said my father is greater than I.
And so Arius taught that Jesus is a creature.
Nothing.
Yes he created things.
But after he was created by God the Father he said Jesus was a finite
created being who had a number of divine attributes.
Arius taught that there was a time when the Son of God did not exist.
He's not eternal.
Arius denied that the Son of God was the eternal Son of God as a second person of the Holy Trinity.
And this teaching of Arianism really permeated a lot of plate.
Well throughout the Roman Empire toward the end of the
third century and into the fourth and so this
heretical doctrine spread and it was problem a problem for the church churches.
Well when Constantine who claimed to have been converted became the Roman Emperor in 306
he wanted to consolidate or bring into short relief
the true Christian faith and so he wanted to deal with this problem of Arianism.
And so Constantine himself called the first council calling
leaders from all over the Roman Empire church leaders to come to Nicea which was a place about 40 or
50 miles southeast of what's Istanbul today Constantinople of course
is where the capital of the Roman Empire was.
Constantine moved it from Rome to what is today Istanbul until the
Muslims of course took over and captured that that city.
And so he called for this council churchwide council and it convened and Constantine
actually superintended it.
He convened the council and he actually was engaged in some of the debate over the issue of the
person of Jesus Christ.
Over the course of a number of months Arius attended his council.
He had a couple of his close friends there that argued their view of Christ.
Arius's bishop in Alexandria didn't go himself but he sent a young man in his place
and this young man won the day.
Frankly he was Athanasius.
And over the course of months in this debate he was the champion of Trinitarian
doctrine theology.
And over the course of months clearly Arius and his teaching was repudiated and
shown not to be biblical it was false doctrine.
And so out of this Council of Nicaea came a statement of faith.
A doctrine is called the Nicene Creed which was one of the first statements about the person
of Jesus Christ.
And it was within the context of trying to correct error Arianism that really a
understanding of what the Bible taught came into clarity and was
expressed.
And so here's the formal statement of the Creed.
You have it your notes.
We believe in one God the Father Almighty maker of all things visible and invisible in
one Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God begotten of the Father the only begotten that is of
the essence of the Father see one God God of God light of light very God of very God
begotten not made consubstantial.
And that's an important word with the Father by whom all things were made both in
heaven and earth who is for us men and for our salvation came down as incarnate was made man
he suffered in the third day he rose again ascended into heaven from whence he shall come to judge the quick or living and the
dead.
And in the Holy Ghost we believe in the Holy Ghost.
And yet in spite of this declaration and by the way Arius and his two two
buddies were declared heretics and they were exiled.
Nevertheless the doctrine of Arianism has continued throughout much church history.
And those who deny the deity of Jesus Christ are spiritual descendants of Arius
and so groups that espouse this heresy today are Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons Unitarians
liberal Protestants who would say that Jesus was a good man but not God.
That's by definition the teaching of Arianism or a
form of it.
Now let's return to our text and consider what our Lord declared
John 1428 be Jesus declared these words if you love me you would rejoice because I said I'm going to the father.
And then he said for my father is greater than I.
How do we understand this.
Then in the light of our the biblical teaching of the Blessed Holy
Trinity how can the Father and the Son be the same and divine essence.
But Jesus could say my father is greater than I.
Well there are two major ways in which this has been explained by solid expositors
of the scriptures.
And I'm going to mention some of these and quote them.
And you'll recognize probably some of the names.
I quote them all the time because they're good men.
But they would take one of these two approaches.
First there are those who say that Jesus was here speaking of his human nature only.
Obviously the father is greater than I.
Jesus was speaking about himself as a man.
He's the God man.
But here he's referred to himself as human nature.
The father is greater than I.
And folks would quote say Hebrews 2 verse 8 and 9.
For in that he put all thing put all in subjection under him that is mankind.
He God left nothing that is not put under him.
But now we don't see all things put under man or mankind but we see Jesus.
And then it describes him who was made a little lower than the angels.
In other words he assumed our human nature.
For what purpose.
The suffering of death.
We him now crowned with glory and honor.
That he by the grace of God might taste death for everyone.
And so that Jesus was referring to his human nature as lesser.
And his father to be greater was the opinion that was proposed for example by
early Orthodox theologians in their refuting Arianism.
I think that maybe this would be an argument that Athanasius might have made
this statement that Aries would bring up Jesus himself said my father's greater than I.
I could.
I don't know.
I should have researched this but I suspect Athanasius probably said he was talking about his human nature there.
This was the position of Leon Morris who's South African fellow
a good man.
He died not that long ago.
The father is greater than I presents difficulties to those who hold a trinitarian faith.
The reference however is not to Christ essential being but rather to his incarnate state.
And so Morris says it refers to his humanity.
You see the incarnation involved the acceptance of a certain subordination as it is
insisted throughout the New Testament.
The saying must be understood in the light of I and the father are one.
John 1030.
John is not asserting as the Aryans maintained that Jesus was a created being.
He is talking about his departure of the human Jesus from this earth to be with his father.
In the light of this Jesus sees it as a matter for rejoicing that he returns to the father.
True love will recognize this.
And so this is.
This is a common way that good men explain
Jesus's statement the father is greater than I.
J .C. Ryle whom we are always quoting was even more direct in his assertion of this understanding.
What did our Lord mean by saying my father is greater than I.
I answer that the words of the Athanasian Creed contain the best reply.
Athanasius wrote an extended creed about the nature of God the Trinity
and the person of Christ.
And I actually included that extended Athanasian Creed on the last page of your notes.
Please don't read it now but it's there for you to read later.
It's what a wonderful statement written by relatively young man back in AD 325.
And so Ryle appeals to the Athanasian Creed.
Christ is no doubt equal to the father is touching his Godhead and inferior to the father is touching his
manhood.
This we may freely and fully admit and yet not give up a hair's breadth to Aryans or Socinians
who always throw this text in our teeth.
The enemies of the doctrine of Christ divinity forget that Trinitarians maintain the humanity of Christ as
strongly as his divinity and never shrank from admitting.
While Christ as God is equal to the father as man he is inferior to the father.
And it is in this sense that he here says truly my father is greater than I.
It was especially spoken at the time of his incarnation and humiliation.
When the word was made flesh he took on him the form of a servant.
This was temporarily involuntarily assumed inferiority.
And he references Philippians 2 7.
And then William Hendrickson a sound reformed commentator
of the 20th century also took this position.
He wrote of our Lord's words.
Although to be sure as the only begotten son he was fully equal to the father as to his essence.
Nevertheless as mediator between God and man himself a man he was inferior.
And so that is a very common way that people address this.
My father is greater than I.
Jesus was speaking about his human nature only.
However there are others who would say that Jesus was also speaking of his subordination to the
father as his son from eternity.
In other words not that the son was less than God the father but but the son has
always been the son to the father.
And the father has always been the father to the son.
They've always had this relationship.
And so just as a father say would be greater than a son you'd honor the father.
The son had always honored the father.
Not in quality not in essence but in their relationship with one
another.
And so this is the position that that some have taken for example John
Calvin himself no sounder guy than him rejected the understanding that Jesus
was referring only to his human nature when he said the father is greater than I.
And so here here Calvin's words this passage has been tortured in various ways.
The Aryans in order to prove that Christ is some sort of inferior God argued that he is less than the
father.
Look at this.
The Orthodox fathers this would have been Athanasius and the guys repudiating
areas to remove all ground for such a calumny said that this must have referred to as
human nature.
But as the Aryans wickedly abused this testimony.
So the reply given by the fathers to their objection was neither correct nor appropriate.
For Christ does not now speak either of his human nature or of his eternal divinity but
accommodating himself to our weakness places himself between God and us.
And indeed as it has not been granted to us to reach to the height of God Christ descended to us that
he might raise us to it.
And in this way he says the father is greater than I.
John Gill it was a Reformed Baptist pastor in the 18th century
pastored the same church a hundred years before Charles Spurgeon in London.
He wrote this.
And John Gill was a expert in Hebrew.
He taught himself Hebrew going down to the bookstore pulling the books off the shelves and he became
an expert in Hebrew and in Hebraic ways.
But he was he was long -winded in his sentences and here we have some of that before us here.
But he was thorough.
If you want a thorough explanation go to John Gill's Body of Divinity.
For my father's greater than I not with respect to his divine nature and I am bolded these these letters just for
clarification here not with respect to the divine nature which is common to them both and in which
they are both one and the son is equal to the father having the self same essence perfections and
glory.
Nor with respect to personality.
The son is equally a divine person as the father is though the one is usually called the first and the other
the second person.
Yet this priority is not of nature which is the same in both nor of time
for the one did not exist before the other nor of causality for the father is not the cause
of the son's existence nor of dignity for the one has not any excellency which is
wanting or lacking in the other but of order and manner of operations.
These words are to be understood either with regard to the human nature he allows for that in which he
was going to the father this was prepared for him by the father and strengthened and supported by him and
in which he was made a little lower than the angels and consequently must be in it inferior to his father.
Or with regard to his office as mediator in which he was the father's servant was set up and sent forth by
him acted under him and in obedience to him and was now returning to give an account of his work and service.
Or rather with regard to his present state he's talking about his glorified state which was a state
of humiliation.
He was attended with many griefs and sorrows exposed to many enemies about to undergo an accursed death
whereas his father was in the most perfect happiness and glory and so in this sense greater that
is more blessed and glorious than he.
For this is not a comparison of natures or persons but of states and conditions.
And now he was going to the father to partake of the same happiness and glory with him to be glorified with
himself with the same glory ahead with him before the foundation of the world.
Almost a direct quote from John 17.
And wherefore on this account his disciples ought to have rejoiced and have not mourned again he
was long -winded but pretty pretty good detail.
Now in reading the various views I would defer and prefer the way
Donald Carson explained explains it.
And in all the commentaries I have and considered really his is the best one available
in English.
Everybody quotes him and refers to him.
He's quite good as a commentator frankly.
But he spoke of the incarnation but also of the eternal subordination of the son to his father.
And we need to understand what this is saying and not saying.
It's not saying that the son is less than God in his essence and that the father is in that way greater
to teach that would be terrible error but rather the father is greater than the son in the sense that God the
father has always been as father to his son and God the son has always been son to his father.
And here Carson's words although the interpretation of verse 28 here turns on the
distinction between the father in his glory and the son is in incarnation in other words he
allows certainly the human nature is lesser than God.
Nevertheless this verse also attest to the pattern of functional subordination
of the son to the father already alluded to that extends back to the eternity past the
father is.
And he used this Latin phrase meaning the divine fountainhead in which the being of the son has its
source.
The father is God in sending and commanding the son never sent the father.
The father sends the son you say and commanding the son of God is sent and obedient.
And so again the father sent the son before the incarnation.
And then the son came into the world in obedience to his father.
And so there you see the father being greater than the son in the way they relate to one another
and manifest themselves in creation.
That's what he's arguing.
John's thought here is focused on the humiliation of the son in his earthly life a humiliation which
now in his death reached its climax and its end.
And then Beasley Murray again a South African who died
maybe 14 -15 years ago also rightly stated the issue.
The intent of the father is greater than I is clear in the context.
But the statement has caused immense discussion through the history of the church and it played a prominent part in
the Aryan controversy.
The problem has been to reconcile the declaration with the intimations in the gospel of Jesus's oneness with the
father in the Godhead and with the church's cradle affirmations of the co -equality of the father and the
son.
Without this doubt the statement in verse 28 is one with many representations in the fourth
gospel as to the obedience of the son to the father and his dependence on the father for every aspect of his
ministry as well as in the father it is doubtful.
Therefore and here it is it is doubtful.
Therefore if the reference of verse 28 can be limited solely to the conditions of the incarnation
as maintained and he cites early church fathers Cyril of Alexander and even Augustine.
But respect must also be had to the relations within the Godhead.
And this was asserted by Tertullian around 200 AD as well here he's got
Athanasius so Athanasius had this right.
Okay.
But after all that I came across R .C. Sproul who said the whole thing in about two sentences all
right and so he described it.
And he's got a commentary.
It's not very extensive but this is his comment on that verse.
The father is greater than the son not in substance but greater in the economy of redemption.
Sometimes you'll hear about the economic Trinity.
This is how the Trinity functions.
Thus the father sent the son not the other way around Jesus told his disciples they should rejoice because he's
going back to his place of glory his place at the right hand of the father.
And so here R .C. Sproul speaks about his humanity.
Yes.
But also speaking about the fact that his father is greater and that he's always been his father
and he has always been the son he's always honored his father.
And in fact the way they relate as our confession says when the father the son the son of the father really
instructs us in this world his creation of how we ought to relate to one another
within families among friends but and with authority.
For example the way the father relates to the son and the son relates to the father
is a paradigm.
And that's how our relationship should be patterned after according to
confession which we would argue is biblical.
But the point and emphasis of the verse should be stressed.
Jesus was telling his disciples that they should not sorrow but rather rejoice because he was returning to his
He declared to them if you love me you would rejoice because I said I'm going to the father.
For my father is greater than I the Lord had accomplished what his father sent him to do.
He was made a little lower than the angels in order to elevate us to a position greater than the angels.
And now he was returning to his former glory that he had shared with the father before the world began.
And so he was returning to the domain to which he belonged.
And so in a very short time there would be many angels around the throne leaving creatures and
elders.
The number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands.
Saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb who is slain to receive power riches and wisdom
strength honor glory and blessing.
And Jesus was telling his disciples you ought to rejoice that I'm about ready to enter into
this position and return to my father.
In this way I've accomplished what he sent me to do.
And now I'm going back to receive the benefits from it and secure
the benefits as well as on your behalf.
Don't be troubled that I'm about to be arrested and crucified.
It's all going to work out for good is basically what he's telling us disciples.
Well that's half of the difficulty of our passage.
All right.
We've got another one that we want to deal with in the just in the time we have remaining.
And so in verses 28 to 31 Jesus further prepares his disciples for his departure
as difficult as his departure in the manner of his departure would be for his disciples.
He wanted them to view his departure as necessary temporary and even beneficial for them.
And so we read his words.
And now I've told you before it comes that when it does come to pass you may believe I will
no longer talk much with you.
And here it is folks for the ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in me.
But that the world may know that I love the father.
And as the father gave me commandment so do I there you have that subordination.
As the father gave the crimp so do I arise.
Let us go from here.
And so in verse 29 our Lord declared why he'd imparted these matters to his disciples.
Now I've told you before it comes that when it does come to pass you may believe
it's interesting that John the gospel writer had recorded our Lord saying almost exactly the same words on
another occasion back in John 13 we read Jesus's words.
Now I tell you before it comes that when it does come to pass you may believe that I am he.
And in that context he was talking about Judas Iscariot being the one who would betray him.
He told his disciples in advance that when he was removed from them gone to his father they might believe that he was truly
God that I am he the promised Messiah and that he was then in
glory and at the right hand of God.
That's why he told them in advance these things would take place.
And just by a quick word of application you know there are some matters that our Lord
would have us here learn now although at the present time they might appear to be
irrelevant to us.
What's all this got to do with me and how I got to live my life tomorrow.
Well you don't know.
And the fact is the Lord might be instructing us today on issues that we might face tomorrow.
And we're not and we're clueless about it.
We shouldn't measure the value of a sermon or teacher instruction just on how
or whether or not we can see a direct benefit to us now.
And the Lord was teaching these disciples so that when it happened they would be ready for it.
And much of the instruction we receive is it's preparing us for
for things we're not even aware of but he's preparing us and equipping us for an
eventuality he knows is coming our way.
And so we should be humble and teachable in this way.
But Jesus made this statement in verse 30.
I'll know I will no longer talk much with you.
The opportunity for him to teach them was drawn to an end.
But the reason that he would not speak to them much more is because the ruler of this world is coming.
And this can bring up all kinds of issues and questions
that need to be answered and to and this is so relevant
one of you and just in the last two weeks pose several questions of this very nature.
How is the devil the prince of the power of the air.
And yet Jesus Christ is Lord.
How does that work out.
And so there are several issues or questions that we might answer to help clarify our understanding of these matters.
How is the kingdom of Satan present and in force.
And yet the kingdom of God over which Jesus Christ rules is overall how do
they interact with one another.
Well let's consider some of these.
First of all of course who is the ruler of the world.
Obviously it's a devil.
When Jesus was about to be betrayed Luke had written of the devil's involvement.
Then Satan entered into Judas called a scary it who is a number of the twelve he went away conferred with the chief priests and officers
how he might betray him to them.
And earlier in John's gospel when Jesus had given the morsel of bread to Judas John recorded these
words.
Then after he'd taken the morsel Satan entered into him.
Jesus said to him what you're doing.
Do quickly.
And now John declares here in verse 30 or 31 the ruler of this world is
coming.
All of the events of our Lord's arrest trials abuse crucifixion were satanically inspired and executed.
Evil man with wicked designs conspired to murder Jesus.
Satan was behind it all even though it was in the purpose and plan of God.
All along.
The Word of God contains a number of names for the devil and each of these have meaning.
Of course a bad Napoleon Beelzebub Belial angel of the abyss the
devil the enemy the serpent the evil one the father of lies the murder of men's souls.
The prince of demons the ruler of this world.
In this context the prince of the power of the air the tempter the accuser of the brethren.
In one place he has all kinds of names that describe him and his maliciousness.
He has no desire for your good.
He hates you because you were in Christ if you're Christian.
And if you're not a Christian he hates you too because he hates mankind and he only wants to
produce and spread his misery.
And so the ruler of this world is the devil.
Well how is the devil the ruler of this world.
The devil is a king over the domain of darkness.
We read in Colossians 1 which is the evil spiritual realm that's contrary and opposed to the will
and ways of God.
God had originally created the devil of course is one of his only angels.
When God first created things Genesis 1 all things were good in heaven above on earth
everything was good.
That was before the devil fell into sin.
He was an angel.
And probably Ezekiel 28 speaks of the devil and kind of veiled language in
the context is talking about the king of Tyre.
But this description goes beyond the king of Tyre would seem and describes the devil in
his fall into sin the devil had been appointed the anointed sheriff the overall sheriff
the angel who is a given the authority and control over the world and mankind.
And it was his responsibility to care for and protect the world on behalf of God.
Let's just look at this passage in Ezekiel 28 bottom of page 7 on your notes.
And here's addressing the king of Tyre.
But again it seems to speak beyond the king of Tyre to the devil who had inspired him as well.
You are the seal of perfection full of wisdom perfect in beauty.
You are in Eden the garden of God.
Every precious stone was your covering the Sardis topaz diamond barrel onyx jasper sapphire
turquoise emerald with gold.
And the workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you.
In the day you were created you are the anointed sheriff who covers the idea of protection.
It was his responsibility to protect and provide for the human race on behalf of God
the creator.
You are the anointed sheriff who covers I established you.
God says you are on the holy mountain of God.
You walk back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones.
You are perfect in your ways.
From the day you were created till iniquity was found in you.
There's his fall.
By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within you sin.
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God that would be out of the kingdom of God as it
were he no longer had a rightful place in the management and function of God's
orderly righteous rule.
I destroyed you overcoming share from the midst of the fiery stones.
So what happened to the authority of this anointed sheriff after he fell into sin.
God had originally granted this angel the role of caretaker protector of mankind.
And when he sinned becoming the devil God did not remove his authority.
The devil continued to be the ruler of this world.
But due to his corruption and pervasive influence the world had fallen under the reign of his evil power.
Adam and Eve chose to make the devil their God rather than the
true creator their God.
Man in his sin has shifted his allegiance from the true God is creator to the devil.
And so we read elsewhere the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
After the fall God continued to be the sovereign king over creation that wasn't diminished in any way
but the world was in full rebellion against God even as he still controlled
creation or the mediatorial kingdom of God which comes within history
throughout biblical history is basically the work of God taking back his creation
bringing his people his creation back into willing submission to himself.
And that's what God is accomplishing throughout history.
And so as the kingdom of God ruled by Jesus Christ invades his fallen world Christ has taken it back
on behalf of his father.
And even as Christ's kingdom expands and extends throughout the world the kingdom of darkness or the domain of the devil suffers
defeat and contraction.
And so how does the devil rule over this fallen world.
Here's a good description by Robert Raymond.
He wrote a good systematic theology.
He's he's been gone not that long too while he Satan does not exercise totally free reign over
men because of divinely imposed limitations and restraints consider Job
he had to get permission from God the devil to do his work on Job.
Satan has said nonetheless to rage against men to prowl around like a roaring lion looking to devour the sons of
men.
To work in the sons of disobedience.
To blind the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel the glory of Christ.
To turn men away from God to serve him.
To take men captive.
To do his will to deceive the nation's to sow tears in the field of the world to obstruct world
missions to masquerade as an angel of light to make war against the Saints to throw
Christians into prison to oppress with physical and mental illness to lie and murder.
And to hold under God that is hooked to hold under hold the power of death
nevertheless under God.
Of course.
And so that's how the devil is the ruler of the world.
Well third we need to answer this question.
We'll close with this is the devil yet the ruler of this world even after the crucifixion resurrection
and atonement of Jesus Christ our Lord.
And the answer is no but yes in a degree to a degree.
When the Lord Jesus died upon his cross he defeated the devil in a great spiritual battle
arresting authority from the devil assuming Jesus in assuming for himself authority as the rightful
promised King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Peter wrote very clearly about this victory of Jesus Christ over the devil and his forces.
It was through his death and resurrection is at the right
hand of God.
Angels and authorities and powers have been made subject to him.
And that includes the devil and all of his demons with him.
Yes the devil continues to reign over the hearts and minds of the unbelieving world.
He is the prince of the power of the air.
But he is powerless to stop the successful advance of the kingdom of God led by Jesus
And the Lord Jesus is basically you know sending us into the world.
And we are conquering the kingdom of Satan taking people out of the devil's kingdom and
putting them into the kingdom of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
And so the kingdom of God is advancing us as the Apostle Paul talked about in Colossians
how the Lord has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his
love.
He took us out of the kingdom of the devil.
And he's placed us in the kingdom of God in whom we have redemption through his blood.
Does the devil still have power.
But he does not have the power to withstand or defeat the kingdom of God.
Advanced through the gospel.
He was cast down from his former position of uncontested power having been defeated and
supplanted by the faithful son of God the son of David.
And this is very clearly set out in Revelation 12.
Please have patience.
Give us five minutes.
But I want to read this passage from Revelation now.
Revelation is commonly interpreted from a future perspective as though this were going to happen in a future
tribulation period.
But it's describing this church age and what Christ accomplished through his death and resurrection.
Revelation 12.
A great sign appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the Sun with the moon under her feet
and her head a garland 12 stars that's the Israel of God.
And then being with child she cried out in labor in pain to give birth.
The Messiah came forth from Israel.
Another sign appeared in heaven.
Behold a great fiery red dragon having seven heads ten horns seven diadems on his head.
He's powerful and ruthless.
His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven that would be a third of the angels became fallen.
Angels threw them to the earth.
And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth to devour her child as soon as it was born.
King Herod wanted to kill in the infant Jesus.
The devil was in this.
She bore a male child who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
Her child was caught up to heaven and his throne that speaks about the resurrection ascension and enthronement of King
Jesus.
Then the woman this is the people of God fled into the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God.
God's protecting his people that they should feed her there 1260 days
through this great period of difficulty.
And we would say that it's this entire church age.
Our study of the book of Revelation will talk about this in detail.
When we get to it.
War broke out in heaven.
Michael and his angels fought with a dragon and the dragon and his angels fought but they did not
prevail nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
So the great dragon was cast out.
That serpent of old called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world.
He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him.
And then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven.
Now salvation strengthened the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come.
For the accuser of our brethren who accuse them before our God day and night has been cast down.
He no longer can accuse you justly before God.
Jesus Christ has gained our salvation as an enthroned in heaven and they overcame
him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.
And they did not love their lives to death and therefore rejoice.
Oh heavens you who dwell in them woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea.
For the devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows he has a short time.
And now it's going to describe what the devil has been doing for these last 2 ,000 years.
Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male
child the people of God.
But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place.
She's preserved by God protected by God where she's nourished for a time times and half a time from the presence
of the serpent.
And so the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by the
flood.
But the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed
out of his mouth.
And the dragon was enraged with the woman and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the
commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.
And this is what the devil has been doing for 2 ,000 years.
He hates you and me.
And and because he controls the world the world hates you and me as Christians
contrary to the popular future spin on this passage that speaks of a future deliverance of Jews from an end
-time political Antichrist during an end -time tribulation period.
It speaks of what Christ obtained through his obedience onto his father under death.
And it described the difficult tribulation that the devil has unleashed on Christians these last 2 ,000
years.
And this church age is the tribulation period described in the scriptures.
And this tribulation will continue for the people of God under the end of the age when Christ will return and judge the
world of men and angels.
And so how are we to understand the ruler this age.
And yet Jesus Christ and Lord of all the earth.
And we just might provide this simple illustration from the Old Testament of the promised land
that God gave to Israel before they were led into Canaan under Joshua.
God declared to them I've given you this land it is yours
go take it.
And that's basically what King Jesus has.
He is Lord.
He owns the world he owns the kingdom of the world and God.
The father is basically told the Lord Jesus you go take it back.
And that's what he's doing.
He's calling out his people through history taking them out of the kingdom of the devil pushing back the kingdom of the
devil and bringing them into the kingdom of God.
And with the conversion of every sinner to faith in Jesus Christ his kingdom is increasing.
And one day of course it's going to be complete and so just as
Israel was to take possession of the land and settle it because I have given the land for you to possess it.
King Jesus is taking back this world and one day he will accomplish it after having
defeated all of his enemies.
And he will bring back this world wholly reconciled to the father by setting aside and
punishing all who continue in rebellion to the end but safely bringing his people into
their eternal destiny the fullness of the kingdom of God.
And the Lord Jesus was about to engage the devil on his cross.
I can't say much more to you because the ruler of this world is coming but he has nothing in me.
He was about ready to engage the devil through his cross and defeat him and empower him
and be exalted above him.
And that we're enjoying this blessed kingdom now as citizens of his
kingdom.
And we have a blessed part in seeing the advancement of this kingdom on to its
final and that God has appointed for us.
We ought to be an optimistic people even though we live in a fallen world with a raging devil.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
Well let's pray thank you father for your word and for the
promises that we have in Jesus Christ we believe them to be true.
And of course the world would regard us as being mad absolutely insane
for believing the things that we have espoused today.
And yet the scriptures declare them and therefore we believe them.
Your words are true and you've demonstrated that they are true in so many different ways.
Jesus Christ is Lord Lord of Lords and King of Kings and our faith is in him.
And it's our we counted our privilege as well as responsibility to declare his name
and further his kingdom in the world which you've given into his hands.
Help us to do so our God help us to be faithful in our calling and our privilege.
For we pray in Jesus name.