What Must Be Released

Series: "Unseen Victory: Witnessing by Faith, Not Sight" Text: John 16:1-7 (KJV)

BIG IDEA

True spiritual power is only received when we stop demanding visible proof of God's presence and power, and we start trusting the unseen work of His Spirit.

OPENING

We're in John 16—Christ's final words to His disciples before everything changes. This is His goodbye. And before the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, He gives them one last warning.

In fact, we are picking up right where we left off as we closed out chapter 15. If you recall, that chapter ended with...

John 15:20 KJV 1900

20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

John 15:27 KJV 1900

27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

His warning now turns from the truth and reality of witnessing and what is costs to truly follow Him to a heart issue.

KEY QUOTE: "It is an issue we all face simply because we all deal with our sinful flesh. What is that issue? It is our desperation to cling only to things that we can see and control."

John 16:1–7 KJV 1900

1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 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.

Here is what I believe God wants us to know and understand from His Word that night.

BIG IDEA:

True spiritual power is only received when we STOP DEMANDING VISIBLE PROOF of His presence and power, and when START TRUSING the UNSEEN WORK of His Spirit within us.

STATE — WHAT CHRIST WARNED THEM ABOUT (The Reality of Loss)

Look at what Christ tells them will happen. It's not a pretty picture:

· They would be put out of the synagogues — socially rejected, excommunicated

· They would be martyred — beaten, suffering great physical pain, even killed

If you were looking for visible proof of God’s power and presence, there is not much there. In fact, the portrait Christ paints for those committed to following Him is very dark and bleak. These men were now grieving. They were beginning to understand the serious nature of His words.

OBSERVATION: Notice their response:

KEY QUOTE: "But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?" (John 16:5)

The disciples aren't even asking. Why? They're too focused on what they're about to lose to hear what they're about to gain.

KEY QUOTE: "But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart." (John 16:6)

PASTORAL TURN: "Are we not the same? I would contend that our problem is not only the same as theirs, but goes even deeper."

As believers, we have the Holy Spirit already indwelling us. The promise is now a reality. Yet, how many of us continue to focus on visible outcomes instead of trusting what is already within us? We become so consumed with what others will say or do that we forget that we have a great, powerful force indwelling us. We allow the visible comfort or discomfort of this world to cause us to lose sight of the invisible spiritual power of God’s Spirit, the Comforter.

REALITY: Persecution from others will come to those who follow Christ.

ANCHOR — WHY THIS HAPPENS (The Root Cause)

Why will persecution come? Christ gives us the answer:

KEY QUOTE: "And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." (John 16:3)

THE ROOT: Spiritual blindness.

The persecutors don't know God. Their ignorance makes them dangerous. This is what Christ said would happen. They will oppose you—not because they're evil, but because they're spiritually blind.

BUT: Christ's departure was necessary. Here's why:

KEY QUOTE (The Hinge): "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." (John 16:7)

VALIDATE — WHY THIS IS BETTER (The Promise)

Don't miss this. It was "expedient"—better for them. Christ had their best in mind.

KEY INSIGHT: "The most expedient or advantageous thing to ever happen for us as believers outside of salvation is having the Holy Spirit come to indwell us."

Equality of Christ and Spirit: "Both Christ and the Holy Spirit are God. There is no superiority between the two. They are equally God. They are both all-powerful."

THE GREAT NEWS: "We are already living the reality of Christ's promise. The Comforter is here. As believers, our bodies are His temple."

ILLUSTRATE — WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE (The Danger of Sight-Based Faith)

Picture A: False Confidence

KEY QUOTE: "Whenever we put our trust in what we can see, for the disciples it was seeing Christ, we allow the possibility of false confidence to arise within us."

The disciples said "Now are we sure" because Christ was physically present. Hours later, at the cross, that confidence evaporated. Sight-based faith only lasts as long as what you can see.

Picture B: The Disciples' Silence

KEY QUOTE: "They had grown silent. Isn't that the typical reaction when we are putting all our eggs into what we can see? When we lose what is visible, we react. We are devastated. We lose the ability to reason and think."

Picture C: Our Silence

KEY QUOTE: "Too many believers make the excuse that they can't witness for Christ because they are afraid of the questions that people might ask. We complain that our witnessing doesn't matter because no one listens or responds. What are we really saying? We are saying that our trust is in visible results."

BUT SCRIPTURE PROMISES: "the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth... He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:13–14)

THE CALL: "By not witnessing, we demonstrate that we are not living by faith, but rather by sight."

APPLY — WHAT MUST BE RELEASED (Three Specific Releases)

TRANSITION: "What must be released? That is the title of today's message. What must be released is our sinful habit of living by sight. What must be embraced? We must embrace faith in God's Spirit to work in and through us."

RELEASE #1: Your Demand for Visible Proof of the Spirit's Work

KEY QUOTE: "If these words or thoughts are in your heart – 'I need to feel certain about what to say before I witness' 'I need to see certain results before I continue witnessing' 'I need to understand everything about God before I obey' – Then you are walking by sight and not by faith."

INSTEAD: "Walking by faith says that we are going to trust that the Spirit is working even though I can't see the results. The Holy Spirit doesn't need your permission or understanding. All He expects is your obedience."

RELEASE #2: Your Insistence on Being Socially Accepted

KEY QUOTE: "If you think or say… 'I need to stay in good with my family and friends so I am not going to push Christ on them' 'I really don't want to lose my friendship' 'I like feeling safe and secure' – You are living by sight and not by faith."

THE HARD TRUTH: "You are sacrificing your relationship and responsibility with Christ for the comfort of an unbelieving world. Scripture is quite clear that you cannot serve both. You have to choose. It has to be one or the other. It cannot be both."

RELEASE #3: Your Demand to Control the Outcomes

KEY QUOTE: "If you say or think… 'I am not going to witness because no one ever responds or listens.' 'I am not going to talk to others about Christ because it is useless and there is no guarantee it will work.' – You are living by sight and not by faith."

THE TRUTH: "The outcome of our witnessing is not ours to control. We are to witness, and the Spirit of God does the convicting and convincing. Our job is to faithfully obey. We must leave the harvest to Him."

CLOSING — THE QUESTION

KEY QUOTE: "What must be released? We are to release putting our trust in what we see and place our faith in what cannot be seen, namely the Holy Spirit and His power to work in and through us."

THE FINAL QUESTION: It's not for your head. It's for your heart. Your answer determines everything.

KEY QUOTE: "Are you willing to trust what you cannot see and to live by faith?"

FINAL CALL: "Let's release our firm grip on visible results and our own personal comfort. Let's start witnessing and living by faith. Let's trust the powerful work of God's Spirit who indwells us. That is what God is calling us to do today."