The Work of the Spirit
Notes
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4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Setting the Stage
Setting the Stage
Jesus has been teaching the disciples about the coming of the HS…
Who will help them, comfort them, guide them, protect them, inform them, teach them, lead them.
Here, in our passage this morning, Jesus gives us specific actions of the HS in His work.
We read in…
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
The Holy Spirit Will Convict the World
The Holy Spirit Will Convict the World
Jesus tells us three things in which the world will be convinced of by the HS:
Sin
Righteousness
Judgment
Concerning Sin
Concerning Sin
We see Christ’s explanation of the conviction of sin in…
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
Now, let’s seek to understand what Christ means…
The HS will reveal to the world their sin before God.
It is a showing, through the preached Word, the just condemnation they deserve and are under…
In order for them to see their desperation without Christ…
And, in order for them to see their absolute, inescapable need for Christ in order to be reconciled to God.
The gospel reveals our condemnation due to our breaking of God’s law…
And, our need for Christ who is the only Savior from our condemnation.
The gospel exposes our guilt before God…
And, at the same time presents the sole and exclusive solution, which is Jesus Christ.
Through the preaching of the gospel the world will have an opportunity to have Christ presented to them as the exclusive Savior of the world.
They will reject Him or believe upon Him.
But, they will know of their sin and their need for Christ.
And, if they reject Him…
How horrific it will be if one neglects such a great salvation.
—> Revelation brings responsibility.
The ministry of Christ has done this very thing to the nation of Israel.
The HS will carry on this work to the ends of the earth.
Now, Jesus says…
Concerning Righteousness
Concerning Righteousness
We see Christ’s explanation of the conviction of righteousness in…
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
This seems like an odd statement of cause at first glance.
Like, what does righteousness have to do with Jesus going to the Father.
What does Christ mean…
#1 - The nation rejected Him with accusations of Him being unrighteous.
But, the resurrection and being received back in glory with the Father…
Will be the divine declaration of the absolute righteousness of the Son of God, the God-Man.
#2 - Without Christ’s presence to exemplify righteousness, the HS will testify internally of the righteousness of God.
Through the regenerating work of the HS to give one a heart of flesh in place of a heart of stone.
—> So that they now love God.
Through the internal guidance of the HS to teach the Word of God and lead us in it.
#3 – Through the preaching of the Word of God.
The power in the preaching is not the man’s voice…
It is the power of the Spirit of God.
If not for the HS, it would all fall on deaf ears.
We preach Christ crucified, and Christ raised from the dead, and ascended.
And, this preaching proclaims what has happened and how it condemns the false righteousness of the world…
And, vindicates the true, perfect, and eternal righteousness of the God-Man.
Jesus continues…
Concerning Judgment
Concerning Judgment
We see Christ’s explanation of the conviction of judgment in…
11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
Again, what does Christ mean…
In John 12, Jesus spoke of the ruler of this world cast out and judged.
In the resurrection and ascension, the world’s judgment on Christ is proven wrong.
And, the character and righteousness of Christ vindicated.
Through the Cross the world is judged.
The only escape from condemnation is Jesus.
The ruler of this world, the devil, and his followers are destined to eternal judgment.
The unbelieving world, under the sway of the Devil scoffs at Christ, and it seals their condemnation.
It proves their reasoning foolish.
And, those being saved out from among the world prove it by rejecting it.
And, living in opposition to it.
There is, even now, in the lives of Christians, particualrly through the life of the Church…
A restoration of righteousness and wisdom.
And, it is a reminder to the world of their condemnation.
So, the work of the Holy Spirit in the world after the inauguration of the New Covenant is to…
Convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
But, the question remains as to…
How? By What Means?
How? By What Means?
I’ve alluded to this in the previous point, but I want to single it out for emphasis…
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
The continuation of the work of Christ to build His Church is:
by the Holy Spirit
through His disciples
through the preaching of the gospel
through the testimony of the Church
The Apostle Paul explains this very thing in…
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
The treasure is the gospel and the power of God to convert the sinner by the work of the HS through the gospel preached.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
The work of the Christian is primarily to preach the opportunity for reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
That is the pinnacle of the ministry of reconciliation given to us by God…
—> To exalt Christ.
But, also, to show the world that reconciliation is our desire in every aspect of life, which in addition is used by God…
—> To exalt Christ.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
This is the great battle of this age.
Breaking down ideological systems that sinners build that give them a false sense of security against their own sinfulness and condemnation.
This is the reason for every system of belief and human philosophy that is against the Word of God.
And, this is what Jesus has been saying.
The HS is going to come and work in you and through you.
The weapon is the preached Word.
The conquering is not land and treasures captured.
The conquering is the changed hearts of people:
from hating God to loving God.
from rebelling against God to submitting to His will.
It’s important to note that the HS’s work is not some new secret mission of secret revelations…
It is the carrying on of the mission Christ began and accomplished.
It is fulfilling, applying, and dispersing of the benefits of the NC obtained and purchased by Christ.
It is conquering sinners and leading them from the Domain of Darkness into the Kingdom of Christ.
It is the divinely inspired word of Christ through the Apostles that create the NT:
the exposition of the OT that explains the solid foundation we stand upon, which is Jesus Christ:
The promised seed of Eve
The promised seed of Abraham
The promised seed of David
The God-Man who fulfills all the promises of God from Genesis to Revelation
The work of the HS is to use:
the disciples of Christ
the revealed word of Christ
the good news of Christ
And, turn the world upside down for the Kingdom of God.
So, what can we expect when we preach the gospel…
The Fruit of Preaching
The Fruit of Preaching
From the same crowd to whom the gospel is preached, we may see:
Conversion
Restraint of sin
Persecution
I believe it depends upon the culture to which the gospel is preached.
Obviously, all three can happen in any culture.
But, I think the level of persecution depends upon the culture.
But, until the Second Coming, Christ is building His Church.
And, the HS has been given for the building up of the Church.
And, God uses His people for the spreading of the aroma of Christ to the Nations.
So, in the preaching of the gospel, we see:
Persecution
Persecution
Some hear the gospel preached and they hear their consciences screaming of their guilt.
And, they seek to sear it and silence it by silencing the voice of the preacher of such truths.
The darker the culture, the more extreme such persecution can go.
Restraint of Sin
Restraint of Sin
This is the hearing of the gospel preached.
THe person is convinced of their moral failures to the Law of God.
But, rather than responding with repentance and faith in Christ for their salvation…
They respond with a desire for moral reform.
They desire to prove that they can justify themselves.
This is a form of suppressing the truth of God in unrighteousness.
This is a trampling of Christ underfoot.
They say they do not need God.
They do not need Christ.
They can fend for themselves.
And, they are further under condemnation than they ever were before.
Oh, they may make better neighbors than before…
But, their standing before God at judgment has been intensified by their rejection of the gracious salvation offered in Christ.
The conversion of the sinner to a saint.
The conversion of the sinner to a saint.
This glorious miracle of regeneration…in which a rebel to God is conquered…
And, their rebellion/hatred towards is replaced with submission/love.
The world cannot explain it.
But, the Bible does…and it is the HS awakening the sheep of the Shepherd to hear His voice and follow Him.
Children of wrath being changed into Children of the most high God.
And, all of heaven burst into rejocing at the conversion of one sinner.
Let’s think about this...
Let’s think about this...
Watch this very thing happen at Pentecost…
Peter’s first sermon…
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
The preaching of their sin and condemnation.
They lawlessly crucified Christ.
22 “…a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—
The preaching of the righteousness of Christ.
34 …“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
The preaching of the judgment of the enemies of Christ.
The response:
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
The conversion of sinners by the power of the HS and the preaching of the gospel.
RC Sproul said, and I agree wholeheartedly…
The greatest weakness in the church today is that almost no one believes that God invests His power in the Bible.
Everyone is looking for power in a program, in a technique, in anything and everything except where God has placed it: His Word.
We have a powerful Word because we have an omnipotent God behind it.
And, the Church needs to trust the Word of God because God has promised His power displayed through the preaching of it.
Let us preach the gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully, fully expecting God to work.
And, let us praise Him for the opportunities to exalt our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah, what a Savior!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
