April 19, 2020 - The Holy Spirit
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As we know - in our trek through the Gospel of John...
Jesus has been preparing the apostles for his departure (crucifixion)...
And with that preparation has come much GRIEF on the part of the apostles...
They’re confused...
They don’t understand Jesus in what He’s saying...
The apostles WANT to go with Him...
Yet they don’t KNOW WHERE he’s going...
And so - CONFUSION and ANXIETY have set in...
And so Jesus last week - tried to help them understand that - THE WORLD HATES HIM
and that BECAUSE it hates HIM....the world will ALSO HATE - them!
And so Jesus is PREPARING them FOR what’s coming...
What’s coming for HIM…and
What’s coming for THEM!
A couple weeks ago, Jesus let them know that the Holy Spirit would come and HELP them IN THEIR WEAKNESS...
That it would help guide them and comfort them...
And this week - Jesus continues with that theme...
1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
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.
The first half of this passage today is full of some pretty astounding truths from Jesus Himself...
He starts out in chapter 16 by telling His followers that He’s been saying these things TO THEM -
to help REAFFIRM their belief IN HIM - when what He says happens in the future!
He’s saying - THIS is what’s coming for you…AND WHEN it does - REMEMBER I SAID THIS...
and in REMEMBERING - BELIEVE!
What I’m saying to YOU....AS HARD as it is to HEAR...
What I’m saying is a BLESSING - why?
Because WHEN IT COMES to PASS - your ASSURANCE in ME - will RISE!
Let’s look at what Jesus said...
1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
**I’ve mentioned this before - but one time - I was walking into MARCS in Berea...
And as I was walking through the parking lot, I saw a lady from across the way coming toward me...
So she comes up to me, and as I’m walking she hands me a flyer and says - Would you like a PALM READING...
I do them for $x amount of dollars...
At the time - I said - “Oh ok, NO thanks!”
BUT - what I should have said was - “I don’t know - DO I WANT a PALM READING? - Shouldn’t you KNOW??”
Jesus says - “Indeed - the hour is coming when WHOEVER kills you - will think he is offering service to God”
NOW - do you find it interesting that we can look back through history…and see this very thing played out!?
The JEWS back in Jesus day - sought to KILL JESUS - why?
Because they believed He was BLASPHEMING...
They believed they were offering a SERVICE to God…by killing Jesus
We ALSO have seen this very thing in more RECENT history…within the past half-decade…or so.
Christians killed - in the name of - Allah
These are HARD truths spoken of by Jesus...
AND YET - His words, AS HE SAYS - will become a blessing one day…as they REASSURE His followers of WHO HE IS!
And they NEED this reassurance…why?
6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
His followers are FILLED with sorrow...
Their SOURCE of comfort…their source of confidence...
Now going away…about to BE KILLED - as He is explaining to them...
BUT - He reminds them why it is good that He goes away...
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.
Did you just HEAR what Jesus said?
Jesus JUST said - listen - if you had the choice of having Me BESIDE you…or the Holy Spirit INSIDE you...
TAKE the Holy Spirit!!
It’s to YOUR ADVANTAGE that you HAVE the Holy Spirit!
SLIDE:
The Spirit INSIDE you is better than Jesus BESIDE you
But do we REALLY believe THIS??
I think it’s hard for us to GRASP this because of HOW WE - UNDERESTIMATE the Holy Spirit...
As though He’s the - youngest Brother of the bunch...
BUT - Do you see the Spirit’s presence in you as an advantage to having Jesus’s presence beside you?
If not, doesn’t that show us how far removed we are from the reality of what Jesus promised to us?
Think about the command that Jesus gave the disciples - before SENDING them out to adhere to the Great Commission...
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Jesus said - DON’T go ANYWHERE - don’t do ANYTHING regarding the Great Commission until you RECEIVE the Holy Spirit…!
Well - what did we find out today?
It’s the - Holy Spirit that - CONVICTS the world!
And so - let’s DIVE in to what we see in...
8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
So let’s look at these one at a time...
SLIDE: The Holy Spirit: Convicts the World Concerning Sin
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit
First thing to consider is this:
The word CONVICT can have 2 meanings...
In one sense - CONVICT - can mean to FEEL BAD about something (I ate too much food last night…)
The other sense - CONVICT - a man was CONVICTED yesterday of a felony. (VERDICT rendered!)
NOW, the way that the word is used in this verse - It’s MAINLY speaking about A VERDICT being rendered...
BUT it’s also true to say that - the Holy Spirit will convict (make them FEEL BAD about their sin)...
So IN A SENSE _ the Holy Spirit DOES BOTH!
Now - Let’s look at how Jesus explains this in verse 9...
So Jesus says - the Holy Spirit will come and convict the world....
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;
And so we see here that Jesus ties - SIN with - Lack of Belief (FAITH) in HIM...
First thing to take away from this is:
SLIDE:
It is the Holy Spirit who convicts those who do not believe in Jesus, and renders them guilty.
What does this mean?
It MEANS - the world is GUILTY for NOT BELIEVING in Jesus!
This has already been settled!
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
The world is ALREADY guilty...
But it ALSO means...
It means - NO AMOUNT of preaching, pleading - or pointing of fingers will bring about the CONVICTION of SIN...
UNLESS the Holy Spirit is at work in the SINNER...
It’s the HOLY SPIRIT that - - CONVICTS!
On the Spirit who can TURN a HEART toward Jesus!
And this makes sense when we read...
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
to EVERYONE in the world - the Gospel is - - CONVICTING - But not CONVINCING...
But to those who are - CALLED - by God - Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
to those who are CALLED - the Gospel - IS CONVICTING…AND convincing
NOW - what did Jesus say...
The Holy Spirit convicts the world of - SIN, BECAUSE the world DOES NOT believe in Me...
What is the MOST BASIC SIN that the world is GUILTY of...
Jesus clarifies it as - UNBELIEF...
Unbelief in what? In who?
Answer = In Jesus!
And this coincides with what Jesus said last week in our text...
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
What does Jesus mean here?
Well - CLEARLY Jesus doesn’t mean - GENERAL SIN...
God has already told us...
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
We’re ALL sinners…but when Jesus says -
If I had not come and spoken to them - they would not have been guilty of sin...
He’s referring to a SPECIFIC SIN...
What sin?
The sin of REJECTING Jesus Christ!
This is the DAMNING Sin...
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
See -JESUS - is the FULL revelation of God
He’s the GLORY of GOD - in human flesh
Yes - God has REVEALED Himself - in nature..
But NOW - in Jesus Christ…HE is the GREATEST revelation...
The greatest sin is to reject the GREATEST REVELATION…and the greatest revelation is Jesus Christ
And we NEED to see how SIN is connected with JESUS...
SLIDE:
To reject Jesus Christ, is to reject the only remedy for sin in your life
And KNOW THIS - sin separates us from God!
And so we can see the BLESSING of the Holy Spirit…convicting us concerning SIN...
But that’s not all...
SLIDE: The Holy Spirit: Convicts the World Concerning Righteousness
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
Jesus says - The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning RIGHTEOUSNESS...
Because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer!
OK - think thru this - HOW is it that Jesus will be able to GO TO the Father?
hasn’t He been telling the disciples that He’s going to DIE?
Well - if He’s going to die, then HOW WILL HE be able to Go to the Father??
Yes - we celebrated it last week - He RESURRECTED from the dead!
We need to KNOW - how the RESURRECTION of Jesus ties in with RIGHTEOUSNESS...
QUESTION:
SLIDE:
How many people do you know who have risen from the dead?
Answer - I’m sure ‘0’...
Now - what’s the big deal with Jesus’ resurrection?
The resurrection of Jesus was PROOF that His sacrifice was ACCEPTABLE to God...
MEANING - It proved that Jesus REALLY DID - LIVE a SINLESS life!
The word RIGHTEOUSNESS - Means = Goodness
SLIDE:
The resurrection of Jesus validated the perfect righteousness (goodness) of Jesus
And so we NEED to know WHAT the: life - death and resurrection of Jesus accomplished FOR US!
NOW remember this - as we walk thru it...
The resurrection of Jesus POINTS back to righteousness of Jesus
22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”
23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,
24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
The resurrection is tied to righteousness...
The resurrection VALIDATED the righteousness...
and its the RIGHTEOUSNESS of Jesus that we NEED to get to heaven...
How do we get the PERFECT righteousness of Jesus?
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
Do you SEE how we GET the righteousness of Jesus? The righteousness of God?
It says - the Righteousness of God - COMES through FAITH IN JESUS!!
Now - this question might seem obvious now...
WHY is the world GUILTY concerning righteousness!??
The world is guilty concerning righteousness, because it lacks the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ
How do we know that Jesus’ righteousness was PERFECT?
Because of what Jesus told us in our verse today...
10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;
He’s saying - “Me going to the Father, refers to my resurrection…and my resurrection VALIDATES the perfection of my RIGHTEOUSNESS!”
So we’ve seen that the Holy Spirit convicts the world...
concerning sin, because they do not believe in Jesus
concerning righteousness, because Jesus rose from the grave
AND
SLIDE: The Holy Spirit: Convicts the World Concerning Judgment
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit
The JUDGMENT has been RENDERED!
The Holy Spirit has LAID out the evidence...
and the verdict is in…concerning JUDGMENT - GUILTY!
The Bible tells us that Satan has already been JUDGED!
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Jesus CANCELLED the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands!
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
Judgment has come against the devil…
And the bible teaches us that all who REJECT JESUS - will suffer the same fate as he...
THIS is the OVERWHELMING VERDICT - rendered by God - delivered by the Holy Spirit...
Listen - NOW communicated THROUGH us!
What the world NEEDS to HEAR MOST - FROM you and FROM ME...
Is the VERDICT of the Holy Spirit:
Concerning SIN...
RIGHTEOUSNESS
JUDGMENT
Now - I get it, we think - I DON”T KNOW - - preach THAT message - and people will RUN away!!
Did the apostles take that mindset?
Did Peter SHRINK from preaching the VERDICT of God concerning SIN, Righteousness and Judgment?
Let’s see
Let’s go to the VERY first SERMON preached by an apostle...
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, 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—
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
What is Peter preaching here? SIN....that’s our first piece today...
SIN- the sin of rejecting Jesus!
But then what’s next? Righteousness
Next verse...
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
That’s RIGHTEOUSNESS!!
Christ was EXALTED to the right hand of God...
HOLY and RIGHTEOUS!!
And UNLESS we have THIS RIGHTEOUSNESS we will PERISH!
But Peter’s not done yet…what’s next?
Judgment!
34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
God will CRUSH His enemies!
Hear the PREACHING of Judgment??
Now - we read this - the very first sermon and we think - OUCH...
NOT gonna get many visitors to STAY with THAT message!!
People will RUN AWAY!
Is that what happened? Let’s see...
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?”
Believer - hear this...
When we preach the Holy Spirit’s message, we get the Holy Spirit’s results!
These people heard the CONVICTION - the VERDICT of the Holy Spirit - and when THAT is the message that is preached…THAT is when the Holy Spirit will - WORK!
So often - we believe that we have to HELP the Spirit...
That we have to SOFTEN the blow…in order to EFFECTIVELY minister...
That’s not what we see...
SUMMARY
The Holy Spirit Convicts
Concerning Sin
Concerning Righteousness
Concerning Judgment
Let’s pray