Judge with a Hammer

Picture in your mind, friends, a courtroom scene. The judge sits at his desk of authority, in his black robe, his sentencing gown. He holds in his hand a big wooden mallet, which he uses to call the court to order.

He uses that mallet or hammer to punctuate rulings, as he hammers it upon a block of hardwood to accentuate its sound, which is a striking surface. The accused is brought before the judge and jury. The courtroom is now ready to proceed.

And I want to use this setting to demonstrate to you today how the Holy Spirit operates on a sinner's heart. My text can be found in John's Gospel, in chapter 16. You can turn in your Bibles there.

Now, friends, we will be in verses 7 and 8. The title of my message today is, Judge with a Hammer. And let me read us our striking passage of Scripture at this time, and may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of His Holy Word. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.

But if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. Listen, friends, the Holy Spirit operates upon the sinner's heart like a judge with a hammer.

In Jeremiah we read of the Word of God being a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. Well, hold that thought in your mind as we proceed. The Holy Spirit works with the tools of the Word of God and the conscience of man.

As a reprover, this is a law term. Matthew Henry says it means that it speaks of a judge in summing up the evidence and setting a matter in a clear and true light. And I want you to think about that as we proceed.

The Holy Spirit, as a reprover, acts like a judge in a courtroom. He sits in authority, summing up the evidence, and sets a matter, a legal case, in a clear and true light, a convincing work as the Spirit's work. Now with those thoughts in mind, friends, let us proceed with my illustration of the Holy Spirit as a judge with a hammer in His hand.

First, the Holy Spirit, as judge, presents the charges against the accused. Evidence is presented in a clear and true light. The Holy Spirit uses God's Word as law.

He brings your attention to a verse of Scripture and shines a clear light upon it so you can see that truth in a clear way. He reveals by a clear light the charges filed against you, the guilty sinner. But you must first see your sin for what it is, a breaking of the law of God, and the sentencing of the law must be carried out.

Next, the Holy Spirit, as judge, brings down His hammer upon your conscience, breaking up all excuses, breaking up all false foundations, breaking them all to pieces. All the false props that you were leaning upon are broken down, all to pieces. He uses the Word of God like a hammer as He pounds away on your guilty conscience, bringing conviction of sin.

Conviction is a law term as well. You first must see your crime and be convinced that you stand guilty with no excuse. You're as guilty as charged, as overwhelming evidence is brought against you and put in a clear light.

Allow me to illustrate this principle of how the Holy Spirit works as a reprover of sin. I will use a personal case, my own case as an example, in how God brought the hammer down on me in a time in my life. I had been telling lies, but I did not know the extent of my lying.

Lying had become second nature to me. It was easy to lie and to distort the truth if it served me well in a situation. Now, don't sit there, friend, and look so innocent.

How many times have you excused yourself from a church function by telling the pastor or someone that you had other plans that night and you couldn't come? A big liar! And that's how I had to be brought to see myself—as a big liar. How did God do this? Why, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, as a judge with a hammer in his hand. First he used the word of God as law, to show me I had broken his law.

I was reading Psalm 51, and a verse grabbed my attention like never before. He brought the hammer down and called my attention to Psalm 51-6, which states, Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts. As a reprover of sin, the Holy Spirit used the word of God to call my attention to a thing.

He put his truth in a clear light, so I could see it. Then he brought the hammer down by using the word of God like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces, to show me my guilt. God desired truth in my inward parts, and I had not been truthful.

I stood convinced of this as he hammered on my conscience, bringing me under Holy Spirit conviction. Conviction is a law term as well. I stood convicted of my crime against God.

I had broken his law. I lied—not one time, but time and time again—and thought nothing of it. And he used my conscience and memory to convince me.

He brought up each time I had lied. At the time, I worked with a homosexual who was both smart, and he had a Ph.D., and he was very successful in his business, and he made a lot of money. But being a Christian, I tended to look down upon this man because he was a homosexual.

Well, this man walked by my office one day, and God, by his Spirit, said to me, "'That man is better than you.'" I said to myself, "'What do you mean, that man is better than me?' The voice came again and said, "'That man is better than you, in one area. He is an open homosexual who does not hide it. He is consistent with who he is.

You, on the other hand, claim to be a Christian, but you don't act like one.' Well, the hammer came down on me. After that experience, I no longer look down on my co-worker because he was better than me in that he was consistent with who he was, and I was not consistent in my walk with God. God had revealed this to me.

The Holy Spirit, as judge, with a hammer in His hand, had to reprove me of my sin by putting my sin in a clear light so I could see it. He did this with the Word of God. He desired truth in the inward parts.

He used the Word of God to break the rock of my excuses into pieces. Next, the Holy Spirit, as judge, with a hammer in His hand, brought me under conviction of sin. I had to realize that I was guilty as charged.

All the evidence mounted up against me and was brought before my mind of the numerous times I had told lies, all the times I had used deception. I was a big liar who stood guilty as charged. The law termed conviction was against me, and the sentencing of the law had to be carried out.

Oh, what was I to do? The hammer was coming down on me, and its pounding was ringing in my ears. Well, bless the Lord of my soul for the precious blood of His dear Son. I wept.

I confessed. I repented. I turned from my backsliding and ran right into the arms of Jesus.

Bless God for such a savior from sin. In the book of Amos, in 3.3, it states, Can two walk together, except they be agreed? The answer is obvious, friends, no, they can't. So before I could enter back into a right relationship with God, I had to be the subject of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life as a judge with a hammer in His hand, reproving me with the Word of God by putting my matter in a clear light so I could see it and acknowledge it, then to work under the Holy Spirit as a judge with a hammer in His hands, pounding on my conscience, bringing me under Holy Spirit conviction of sin.

Oh, friends, what a merciful God we serve, but He is a just judge who won't let you get away with sin, with breaking His law. He is a righteous judge with a hammer of authority in His hand, and He will get it out and use it when needed. Oh, friend, take time now and get quiet before the Lord.

We're going to go to a time of prayer and self-reflection and examine ourselves before God to see if there is anything in our lives that is hindering our walk with God and our testimony to others. I want you, friend, to get alone with God and ask Him for the grace to get His hammer out on you if there is a known way of sin in your life that you need to be aware of. Quiet yourself before the God of your salvation, for He desires truth in the inward parts.

Are you being honest with Him? Let us pray.