God's Answer to Man's Question

Good morning! Today, we are celebrating the 129th homecoming of Beech Grove Baptist Church. It is good to see all of you here today.

This morning, we are going to look specifically at John Chap. 16, but I am going to use two passages as background.

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

John 3:20 “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

If you are going to be saved, you are going to be saved by Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven whereby you will be saved.

A friend of mine, Matt Stafford, shared a great video with me this week from a sermon from the pastor of FBC in Cleveland, TN. The preacher was preaching on John 14:6. It is a very familiar passage in which Jesus says He is the way, the truth, and the life, and if you are going to have eternal life, you are going to have it because of Him.

Well, this preacher on this video made one of the greatest theological and doctrinal statements I have heard in a long time. Here is what he said.

The greatest enemy of truth is tolerance.

Do you know what tolerance says? Tolerance says that it does not matter what you believe. Tolerance says the Muslims, Hindus, Satanists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, and Baptists are going to heaven, but dear friend, no one goes to heaven unless he or she gets there by Jesus Christ.

That is an intolerant statement, but it is a truthful statement. There is no other name that saves other than the Lord Jesus Christ. I can’t help it. I cannot help how intolerant that makes me seem, but when I appear before the judgment seat of Christ as a Christian, my tolerance will not be judged, but my truthfulness will be, my truthfulness is sharing the true Gospel message.

The world has disregarded truth for tolerance. I am telling you that it would be more cruel for me to say that you can put your faith in whatever and have eternal. If I did that, your blood would be on my hands. I have an obligation, a responsibility to tell you that the only way, the only truth is that you cannot be saved apart and outside of Jesus Christ.

Speaking of getting saved, notice the end of John Chapter 3 v. 20.

John 3:20 “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

The Bible says “lest his deeds be reproved.” We focus on John 3:16, but the entire third chapter of John paints the complete picture of salvation, and in verse 20, the indication is that no one will be saved until their deeds have been reproved. What it means is that if you were left on your own, you would never to turn to Jesus Christ. That word reprove in the BIble means to convict or to find one guilty of.

Do you know how the Bible describes everyone here today? Isa. Chap 64 verse 6 & Rom Chap. 3 vv. 10-12.

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Romans 3:10–12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

We never see ourselves as we really are, but in ourselves, none of us are righteous, but something happens to us as we get saved that reproves us that convicts us of our guilt as sinners.

There is actually a “process” that happens when a person is saved, and actually the process plays out if you reject Christ. I am telling you this process makes it possible for you to be saved. Without this happening, not a single person would ever get saved.

The Bible says this:

John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

No person ever makes the decision on their own to come to Christ. If you are saved and if you are going to be saved, that salvation occurs because God draws you to Christ. God draws you to salvation. Yes, you have to exercise your free will to accept Christ, but you would never exercise that free will if you were not drawn to do so.

That’s how hopeless we are. When I say I am saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, I mean my salvation is totally dependent upon God who showed me His grace by sending His Son to this earth, and He shows me His grace by drawing me to ssalvation. Too many people want to dismiss that aspect of salvation. I am promise you that will not be saved unless you are drawn to Christ by God, and we have already said that there is no name under heaven other than the Lord Jesus Christ that saves us.

From the very beginning of time, God had a plan to bring His grace down to man. That grace was in the form of His Son Jesus, and if you reject that grace, call me intolerant if you must, you are going to die and go to hell regardless of what you believe.

So, when God draws a person to Jesus Christ, what happens? What does that mean?

The answer to man’s great question is found in John Chap. 16 verses 7-11.

John 16:7–11 “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:

Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

1. Man’s Great Problem.

In John Chap. 16, we see Jesus’s farewell address to His disciples, and in verse 7, He tells them that it is going to be better for them for Him to go away because when Jesus left them, He was going to send the Comforter.

The Comforter is the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Trinity.

As Tyler said and as Trevor said, the Holy Spirit is God. He is just as much God as God is God and just as much as Jesus is God.

As Jesus submiitted to God’s will, the Holy Spirit submits to both the Father and the Son, but He is no less than God the Father and God the Son. In the Bible, submission is not inferiority. Notice, in verse 7, you see the Holy Spirit’s submission. Jesus says when I depart I will send the Comforter. Who’s will is the Holy Spirit submissive to?

When Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, 10 days later at the Day of Pentecost, Jesus Kept His Word and sent the Comforter. When He sent the Holy Spirit, God was now abiding in them and not with them, and I personally believe that is when the disciples started gaining a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ.

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

Can I ask you a question? What is man’s greatest problem?

Man’s greatest problem is sin.

Sin is man’s great problem. The Bible tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so with that being the greatest problem, it could only be addressed in the most severe way.

Personally, one of the great salvation passages in all of the Bible is found in Colossians.

Colossians 2:13–14 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

The death of Jesus Christ on the Cross took care of man’s greatest problem. Every sin, every trespass, you can imagine was nailed to that Cross.

If a person dies and goes to hell, he or she is not going to hell for anything nailed to that Cross. If you are one of these people that say, “Well, he is a homosexual he is going to hell.” Well, you are wrong. Jesus Christ died for that sin just as he did for gossipping. What sends the homosexual and the gossip to hell is the one sin that was not nailed to Calvary.

Every person that dies and goes to hell will go to hell because of one sin, the sin of rejection.

As far as Jesus Christ was concerned, He did everything He possibly could on Calvary for you to have eternal life. That’s why He shouted, “IT IS FINISHED.” Indeed, everything that could keep man from God was finished except for the sin of rejection.

But, if it were not for the Comforter, did you know that all of us would die and go to hell. That’s why the Bible says things like none of us are righteous. Jesus knew that we would not come to Him apart from the Comforter, so He sent the Comforter to convict man of man’s greatest problem.

“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin… Of sin, because they believe not on me”

The Holy Spirit convicts every person in the world of sin, and that person’s need to believe on Jesus. Do you realize what Jesus is saying dear Baptist friends, and this is why we never need to get full of ourselves. None of us would ever be saved if the Holy Spirit did not convince us of our guilt as sinners.

I think the wording is very important.

Jesus says the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin. He does not list any specific sins. Jesus is saying that the Holy Spirit in 1979 convicted me of my guilt as a sinner.

When I got saved, I did not begin a long confessional of sins like a Catholic going to a priest. I admitted that was a sinner. A fact proven to me by the Holy Spirit. Dear friend, you can confess sins to someone from can to can’t and die and go to hell. Being a sinner is what sends you to Hell, and that is what the Holy Spirit convicts you of.

And Jesus is telling us that we would never get to that point without the Holy Spirit. Listen. Every person knows what sin is, but what people don’t want to admit is that they are sinners. That is why we like to categorize sin, but do you what James wrote? James wrote that if I offend one point in the law, I am guilty of breaking the entire law. Do you know what James is saying? He is saying that we are sinners hopelessly lost.

And Jesus sent the Holy Spirit into this world to convict every lost person who does not believe in Jesus that each of those persons are sinners.

Man’s greatest problem is sin. Jesus took care of that problem on Calvary, and He sent the Holy Spirit to convict you of that problem.

2. Man’s Great Need.

Notice John Chap. 16 vv. 8 & 10 again.

“And when he is come, he will reprove the world of righteousness, Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, “

This is incredible and really the crux of the matter.

God is righteous. You and I are sinners.

Have you ever heard the old saying “Water and oil do not mix.” Well, neither does righteousness and sin. Isaiah and Paul told us in the earlier scripture I quoted that man, on his own, can never be righteous.

That leaves us with an imbalance. Jesus Christ took care of our sins by dying on the Cross, but that does not make us righteous. That just means our sins have been blotted out.

Jesus died, and on the third day, God raised Him from the dead. For 40 days, Christ showed Himself to be very much alive.

Acts 1:3 “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:”

Christ eventually, on that 40th day, ascended to the Father to sit at His right hand.

***Sin put Jesus on the Cross; righteousness put Him on His throne.***

You and I need righteousness that only God can provide. I cannot and you cannot provide your own righteousness.

Philippians 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

Jesus Christ is my righteousness, and He is the righteousness of all who put their trust in Him.

Here is what happens. When the Holy Spirit convicts you of your guilt as a sinner, simultaneously, He convicts you that your only hope is in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Why? Because there is none other by which man is saved.

3. Man’s Great Desperation.

Now, let’s look at Chap 16 vv. 8 & 11.

“And when he is come, he will reprove of judgment: Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

Many people misquote this verse and say that the Holy Spirit convicts of the judgment to come, but that is not what the verse says.

The Holy Spirit’s conviction of judgment is not of some future event. He convicts the lost person that judgment is settled.

John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Satan sealed his condemnation that day when he stirred the people in Jerusalem to choose Barabbas instead of Christ. In Genesis, the Bible tells us that Calvary would bruise the serpent’s head. Satan’s judgment is settled because of his attitude toward the Son of God, and this world has been judged in him.

But, now, through grace, all who trust in the name of the Lord Jesus have come out from underneath that judgment and are delivered from a world dangling over the precipice of God’s wrath.

When the Holy Spirit convicts you that you are a sinner, he convicts you of your need to be wrapped in Christ’s righteousness, and He tells you that if you do not that you are condemned to take part in Satan’s judgment.

Listen dear friend, God never intended for anyone to go to hell. As a matter of fact, the Bible says that hell was being prepared for the devil and his fallen angels. God has done everything possible to keep you from taking part in Satan’s judgment that is already settled.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

In those 3 passages, there are some key words. The world in John 3:16 means that God wants everyone to have eternal life. Not willing that any should perish in 2 Peter 3:9 means that God wants everyone to have eternal life. Whosoever in Romans 10:13 means that God wants everyone to have eternal life, and that is why Jesus sent the Comforter to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

But, dear friend, God cannot and will not overlook you rejection of His Son, and you cannot be saved if the Holy Spirit does not draw you to the salvation provided.

The Holy Spirit will convict all men, women, boys, and girls, but you do not know how many times He will draw you. The Bible just does not teach that you can keep putting salvation off until a later date.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Isaiah 55:6–7 “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts: And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

If the Holy Spirit stops convicting you, stops drawing you, the lights in your soul will be forever darkened and you will take part in Satan’s judgment. There is not a person here today, watching today, or alive on this planet today can guarantee that they will be alive tomorrow, so how can you possibly believe you can put off salvation until tomorrow?

Salvation is so simple.

Admit that you are a sinner. You do not have to list your sins. Just admit that you are a sinner.

Believe in Jesus Christ and His righteousness.

Confess your belief publicly.

I am not very smart, but I just have to take the Bible at its word.

Romans 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

That confession seals the deal so to speak. Jesus said if we are afraid to confess Him before men that He would not confess us before His Father, and dear friend, if Jesus does not confess you before the Father, you are going to hell, the place prepared for Satan’s judgment.

God has made it possible, but the choice is yours. What will you do today?