 The title of our sermon this morning is Prepared and empowered to preach prepared and empowered to preach and we are in Part 2 of this little sermon series in John chapter 16 from verses 1 through 15 As we come to our text again We began this text last week and took a look at the first few verses here in John chapter 16 But as we come again to this text John chapter 16 verses 1 through 15 Again to remind us of our context the Lord Jesus Christ is walking toward Gethsemane With his disciples. It's the eve of his crucifixion. The Lord is about to be killed murdered He's about to be arrested in the garden tried mock trials He's gonna be scourged and he's gonna be hung on the cross and murdered by lawless hands according to the foreordained purpose of God and he's going to depart by means of the his Cross depart by means of the crucifixion to the father and going to depart his disciples now as the Lord Departs to the father as he leaves his disciples these men are gonna face the Undiluted hatred the undiluted hostility of this world as We do in the Lord's absence when we preach the gospel We face the hatred and hostility of a dark and dying world First here in this text from verses 1 to 15 Lord Jesus Christ wants to warn them of this He wants to warn them of what's coming and that warning serves Two purposes first purpose is that it prepares them For the work of the ministry that they've been called to to be forewarned is to be for armed So to speak He's preparing them for the work that he has called them to but second purpose that these warnings serve is to build their faith in him He says when those things happen to you remember the words that I spoke to you in Remembering those words and remembering the Lord's gracious warning of the persecution that's coming It has the effect of building their faith and trust in him Now secondly in this text he wants to reassure them first. He wants to warn them Secondly, he wants to reassure them and he's gonna reassure them with the promised coming of the Holy Spirit First the Holy Spirit's work in the world and we'll see that today as we work through this text and secondly The Holy Spirit's work in the church and we'll see that next week as we conclude John chapter 16 verses 1 through 15 The Lord's warnings here these warnings show gracious care And concern he loves them right he loves them having loved his own who are in the world He loves them all the way to the end and he warns them here out of loving concern It's a part of his his loving kindness toward them to warn them of what's coming He loves them his parting instruction here These last words before he departs from them Show his gracious care and his concern for them his parting instruction demonstrates that love now Several times beginning in John chapter 15 now as we go into John chapter 16 Several times he warns them of the world's hatred He warns them of the persecution that's coming the persecution they're gonna face And he talks to them in John 15 into John 16 like friends not like slaves But he's giving them inside information so to speak he wants to reassure them He wants to help them face what they're going to face. He's talking to them Like a man speaks to his friend not like slaves And we see the purpose of that loving concern given to us in verse 1 He says these things I have spoken to you that you should not be made to stumble so that you shouldn't fall away That's the concern of the Lord here and speaking to his disciples and warning them in instructing them He wants them to persevere in the faith He doesn't want the persecution that's coming the Hatred and hostility of the world He doesn't want trials and difficulty in adversity to cause them to fall away to cause them to stumble Now we see that same loving concern for the disciples as the Lord prays for them in John chapter 17 Flip the page and look at John chapter 17 and drop down with me to verse 6 The Lord has this concern for them that they are kept by the power of God that they Persevere in the faith right that they hang in there. They stay with it. They don't fall away. Look at verse 6 The Lord is praying here. He's praying and he says I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world They were yours You gave them to me and they have kept your word Now they have known that all things which you have given me are from you For I have given them the words which you have given me and they have received them And have known surely that I came forth from you and they have believed that you sent me He says in verse 9 I pray for them. I Do not pray for the world But I pray for those whom you have given me for they are yours and all mine are yours and yours are mine And I am glorified in them verse 11. He's departing right now I am no longer in the world But these are in the world and I come to you holy father Keep through your name those whom you have given me that they may be one as we are His concern is that they persevere in the faith God the Father keep them. I'm departing keep them He says in verse 12 while I was with them in the world. I kept them in your name those whom you gave me I have kept and none of them is lost except the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled But now I come to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world I do not pray that you should take them out of the world But that you should keep them from the evil one see the Lord's concern here Right and his prayers in his prayer for his disciples that God the Father should keep them They are not of the world verse 16 just as I am not of the world Sanctify them by your truth your word is truth set them apart to you God, right? As you sent me into the world. I also have sent them into the world and for their sakes I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth and we see that loving concern for the disciples We also see that loving concern for you and I don't we The same loving concern the same concern of the Lord is that when we face Difficulty when we face adversity no matter what shape it comes in specifically here. It's persecution Persecution from a hateful hate filled hostile world and we face that kind of difficulty. We're to persevere in the faith We're to trust Christ and press on He is faithful. He's faithful We're to remember him and press on in the work, but whatever adversity whatever difficulty you face whatever it is Trust Christ press on He has that same loving concern for us look at John chapter 17 and look at verse 20 Here he prays for you and I For the same thing for which he prayed for them. He says in verse 20 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word That's prayer for me That's prayer for you Lord Jesus Christ praying for you praying for me We would persevere praying for us that they verse 21 all may be one as you father are in me And I knew that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that you sent me and the glory Which you gave me I have given them that they may be one just as we are one I in them You and me they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them As you have loved me what a glorious blessing right now the Lord Jesus Christ praying for you praying for me Saw this this last week just charged me up Robert Murray machine Said this if I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room. I Would not fear a million enemies Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me. It's back in John 16 the Lord Graciously warns them. He graciously warns them. He warns them with a purpose in verse 1 They should not be made to stumble so they wouldn't fall away They warns them again here in verse 2 More specific this time he says in verse 2 they're gonna put you out of the synagogues Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you Will think that he offers God service These things are gonna do to you because they have not known the father nor me I explained that again In verse 4 these things verse 4 I've told you that when the time comes you may remember that I told you of them So when we face persecution when we face the hostility the hatred of this world for our faith in Christ We are to remember we're to remember keep in mind Those things which the Lord has told us and remembering his words, right? Remembering his words to us is a means by which he holds us He keeps us. He preserves us. It's a means by which we keep from falling away Now the things the things he told us here verse 1 verse 4 The things he's told us aren't restricted to his warnings Not restricted to his warnings He's given us both warnings to heed and he's given us promises to hope in right Promises to trust in he's given us doctrine. He's given us reproof correction Instruction in righteousness. He's given us encouragement. He's given us comfort and he's given us warnings and he's given us promises all of his word all of his word is given to sustain us To cause us to persevere Remembering his word is to keep us from falling away You want to Persevere in the faith. Do you want God? By his spirit according to his power. Do you want God to preserve you in the faith? Then take heed according to his word Remember the Lord's words to you Remembering his word keeps us from falling away the grace of his word like a fetter is to bind our wandering hearts to him Our sinful hearts are prone to wonder aren't they all the time all the time So our responsibility our responsibility is to remember what he told us and Trusting him we do what he's told us And that is one means by which he keeps us from stumbling one means by which he Preserves us in the faith the Lord's concern in John chapter 16 verses 1 through 15 is that we persevere in the faith These things I have spoken to you verse 1 that you should not be made to stumble now someone might say right You might foresee the obvious objection based on teaching of the modern church today Someone might say I'm a Christian right. I'm a Christian. I can never stumble I can never fall away I will never lose my salvation. We hear that Let's you and I for a moment Consider that objection consider that thought and remember the Lord's words here and Heed his warning. I want you to follow me now with the Lord's train of thought And this is important. This is something we have to constantly Remind ourselves of one because our own hearts are deceitful our own hearts are self-justifying Deceitful above all things right we have to remind ourselves of these things because our own hearts can deceive us We also have to constantly remind ourselves of these things because the world is teaching a lie The modern professing church Often teaches a lie when it comes to these truths Remember the Lord's words Consider the context listen what the Lord is saying here in John chapter 16 the 11 disciples following the Lord right now The Garden of Gethsemane here, but the 11 disciples are saved men. They're saved men He said to them the Lord did in John 15 3 you are already clean because of the word which I've spoken to you These 11 men minus Judas who's off on his traitors errand right now, right? The other 11 are saved men and yet the Lord's primary concern for them in John chapter 16 verse 1 is that these saved men Right would not stumble or fall away in the face of persecution He tells them that when persecution comes they must remember his words He even prays for them right prays for them and ask the father to keep them in John chapter 17 verse 11 Now a modern-day evangelical right a modern-day Typical professing churchgoer professing Christian walking along with them along this path to the Garden of Gethsemane might interrupt And might say to the Lord might even rebuke the Lord Jesus Christ Lord. Why in the world are you? Giving me these warnings. I can never lose my salvation right once saved always saved Why are you warning me like this? Why are you talking to me as if I can lose my salvation? By Satan's design here There is so much Damning error that comes stuffed within the skin of truth And it's so that's what makes it so deceitful so insidious is that it comes Wrapped in the skin of truth, but that's skin of truth stuffed with a lie and our deceitful self-justifying hearts Are only too willing to suck it now now. Here's the here's the damning error. All right. Here's the damning error so many Treat salvation like a vaccination You receive your shot When you are 6 or 12 26 36 right and after you receive your shot You don't have to do anything. You don't have to do anything There's no need to persevere and there's no need for the Lord to preserve us You've gotten your vaccination right gotten your shot There's no need to do do do Why would you be concerned about being a do-do-do Christian, right? Just keep remembering the shot that you got There's no need to sell out for Jesus. No need to get radical No need to strive to enter by the narrow gate. The way is not difficult which leads to life No need to exercise yourself toward godliness. No need to be concerned with pursuing holiness No need to be diligent to make your calling an election sure no need to labor Striving according to his working in you. No need to work out your salvation with fear and trembling No need to strive for obedience to him in all things. Just remember your shot Just remember that vaccination you got when you were three Here's the biblical truth right here's here's with the Bible to you recognize all of those are from scripture, right? Here's the biblical truth There's a sense in which our salvation is like a vaccination There's a sense in which our salvation is like a vaccination You got a shot of new life in Christ when you were born again from being dead in trespasses and sins, right? You are declared innocent and you got the shot of Christ's imputed righteousness Praise God, right The penalty that you deserve from your sin was paid in full at that time by Christ on Calvary's tree Praise God the power of sin Defeated broken by Christ now in him you will never die What an awesome shot right to our dead wicked deplorable disgusting needy hearts Now you can't do anything to earn that you can't do anything to buy it You simply trust Christ for it you and trust yourself to him to receive it by faith right you trust him That's a repentant faith a repenting Believing a believing repentance. You trust Christ entirely for it. You and trust yourself to him. However However, here's the difference The Bible clearly teaches and the Bible clearly teaches here in John chapter 16 verses 1 through 4 When speaking of the warnings that the Lord Jesus Christ is giving here Consider how this fits together the Bible clearly teaches that the Lord must preserve us We must be kept by the power of God for that salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, right? Now we are kept by the power of God. We're not kept by our own power. We couldn't keep ourselves one second We're kept by the power of God and listen his ongoing preservation of his own is just as necessary to our salvation as Anything else that Christ has purchased on the cross for us. You hear that you understand that in other words If he doesn't pervert preserve us, we don't go to heaven when we die It is his preservation of us his keeping of us is as necessary to our full and final salvation As anything else that Christ has purchased for us on the cross Christ has purchased that for us by his death on The cross by his sacrifice the reason That we are kept the reason that we're kept is because God has promised to keep us God himself has promised to keep us and he is faithful to his promise. Amen. I Am persuaded. I am persuaded. I'm convinced. I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed to him until that day Now the way that we are kept The way that we are kept is by the grace of God in the power of the spirit through appointed means God uses means It is necessary that God keep us that God preserve us, right? It's necessary that he do that. It's necessary That's the way it's gonna be for eternity, right? It's not that you and I one day got our vaccination so to speak and now we can do whatever we wanted we're Saved and so from now for all of eternity God can be sort of this ancillary afterthought because we're saved now So in essence, what do we need him for right? No, God must keep us Your life in eternity will always be by faith in the Son of God who died and gave himself for us Your life in eternity will always be Trusting in Christ trusting in God the power of God keeping you throughout eternity God will always keep us He'll never let us go. He'll never forsake us. He'll never abandon us But the way that we are kept is by the grace of God and the power of the spirit through the appointed means That God has appointed those means which God has appointed for our perseverance. This is important all right These are the means By which the Lord applies The effects so to speak of the vaccination These are the means by which the Lord preserves us under the healing balm of the vaccination Right and the Lord has in his wisdom Ordained that it should be this way. So in other words to all those who would say I'm a Christian, right? I'm a Christian And so the all that I need to do all that I need to do now now that I'm a Christian now that I'm saved Now I got my vaccination. All I need to do is I just we need to remember that shot I got and whenever I'm concerned Whenever I you know, just don't want to strive don't want to obey Don't want to follow him. I just need to remember that Vaccination that I got I need to meditate on that vaccination and just remember that I'm I'm a Christian. No, no no God has appointed means by which he preserves us to the end that we might be saved And we are charged by God with the responsibility of Applying those means in our own life in the power of the spirit through faith in Christ, right? One means by which he keeps us one means by which he preserves us John chapter 16 verse 1 He keeps us by causing us to remember his word and we take heed according to his word And we trust him and we follow him Causing us he causes us by his spirit to heed his word so that we don't stumble that to preserve us in the faith He tells us Listen to preserve us in the faith. He tells us to exercise ourselves toward godliness by faith in the power of the spirit and You and I we persevere in the faith by doing just that The Lord commands us to exercise ourselves toward godliness That is an appointed means by which the people of God persevere in the faith What are you doing if you're not exercising yourself toward godliness? You're falling away You're falling away You've heard the analogy right before that shark in order for a shark to breathe It has to continuously some sharks have to continuously press walk past water over their gills in other words Keep moving keep moving if the shark stops the shark starts dying Listen you're a Christian and the Lord preserves us through appointed means so if you stop pursuing Those means what are you doing? You're dying You're dying you feel the encroaching death right? He tells us that in order to live we must put to death the deeds of the body by the spirit He tells us that if we do not do that He says that we'll die So what do we do we persevere by doing that in faith? We persevere by doing that in faith He tells us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Listen. He tells us to strive He tells us to agonize. He tells us to be diligent. He tells us to labor He tells us to fight sin. He tells us to pray. He tells us to meditate on his word He tells us to evangelize. He tells us to love the brothers all of this by faith in his power He tells us to do these things and it's through these means that God preserves us in the faith, right? Now if you're not if you're not persevering in these means by faith in the power of his spirit Then you're not persevering in him. You're not persevering in him And he has said that it is he that perseveres to the end that is saved And do you see the difference, right? You see the first the error the error that is stuffed into the skin of a truth, right? It comes to us in the form of a half-truth, which is a deadly whole lie Do you see the difference, right? We do get a glorious one-time vaccination We get a glorious sacrifice on our behalf But our preservation our preservation involves going to rehab His persevering of us is a Rehabilitation process it's us going to rehab in essence And he has promised to never leave us he has promised to never forsake us But he has promised that if we are truly in him if we are truly in him then we will be in rehab We're gonna be going through that. Amen That rehab comes through means our responsibility our responsibility is to trust him to trust him every day Now notice the difference here Between the lie and the truth notice Satan's deception One is the error of antinomianism lawlessness One is law anti namas against the law. It's the error of antinomianism. It is easy Believism, it's a Repackaging if you will of the kesec error of let go and let God you just got to do what you want to do Just do what you want to do As Satan worshippers say that don't they that's not the The other Represents the Christian life Now even if you have difficulty Fully understanding or grasping these things these things are worthy to be meditated on this is what scripture teaches all right to think Through to process in your heart and mind to understand what the Bible teaches these things are very important to understand But if you don't fully grasp them right if you don't fully grasp them It's all very simple and very clear by God's grace When the Bible says to strive What do you do? strive you strive Pretty simple right pretty clear the Bible says strive you Strive you trust him and you strive you strive by trusting him you strive in the power of the spirit trusting him But you strive right you strive when the Bible says to exercise. What do you do? That's right. You get catch on quick right you exercise You exercise you trust him and you exercise yourself toward godliness when the Bible says obey What do you do you obey trust and obey for there's no other way right be happy in Jesus What happens when you don't obey? Means that you don't trust him means that you don't trust him and you begin dying What happens John chapter 15 verse 1 2 through 6 7 8 When you don't abide in him when you don't abide in him what starts happening You start becoming withered as a branch eventually you are cut off Cast out as a branch those are gathered up and they are burned in the fire When the Bible says abide what do you do you abide you abide you trust him you trust him You entrust yourself to him and you abide Now someone might retort to all that Where's the grace in that? Where's the grace aren't we to rest in his grace aren't we to rest in his grace? Yes, yes, we're to rest in his grace, but listen Rest in his grace from the guilt of condemnation Rest in his grace from the fear of death Rest in his grace from the just penalty of the law that is our due Rest in his grace in some part of right, but not in all parts from sin Victory over sin the Lord gives us That's not all rest right that other sin We battle it's a fight. It's a battle Grace in the New Testament is not rest from labor you see There's a sense in which that's often presented that way That somehow when we become converted when we're saved all of a sudden now it's rest from labor Why try why labor why do? We forget that it's the grace of God that teaches us to deny ungodliness It's by grace that Hebrew says we may serve God acceptably Listen to Paul the first Corinthians chapter 15 verse 10. Let's know what Paul says Paul says by the grace of God. I am what I am and His grace toward me was not in vain But I Paul says labored more abundantly than they all yet not I Paul says But the grace of God which was in me What did the grace of God in Paul caused him to do? Labor and it caused him to labor abundantly more abundantly than they all That was the grace of God at work in Paul If the grace of God is at work in you you're gonna be at work in him Right, that's the grace. That's the grace that we're talking about. That's biblical grace. That's Christ purchased God given grace And we get all that From an understanding of the Lord is communicating back in John chapter 16 verses 1 through 4 all right The disciples the disciples then and now disciples then you and I disciples now We must persevere through persecution and difficulty by remembering his words. That is an appointed means to our Preservation it's an appointed means to our perseverance Remembering his words. It is the means by which they and the means by which you and I are Preserved one means by which we're preserved from stumbling from falling away. Okay now all of this all of this is to be done by faith in Christ by faith in Christ When they face persecution when someone's kicked out of the synagogue verse 2 right or killed There to remember his words and trust in Christ trust in Christ in verses 5 through 6 last week We saw how they should trust his plan. He has a perfect plan They weren't considering his plan in verses 5 and 6 and then in verse 7 last week We saw that how they should trust in his provision He's going to provide for them the helper. What a glorious blessing now We aren't to persevere on our own strength If we should persevere on our own strength then somehow we get the glory for our perseverance That's not going to be the case We are to persevere in the strength of God's spirit God gives his spirit as provision for us So that our strength is in him our persevering is in him and God gets the glory Peter says this in first Peter chapter 4 verse 11 Peter says if anyone ministers Let him do it as with the ability which God supplies that in all Things God may be glorified through Christ Jesus to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever amen Right if you're going to minister if you're going to labor if you're going to face persecution if you're going to evangelize If you're going to read your Bible if you're going to pray if you're going to love the brothers Whatever you do do that by faith in Christ in the strength which God supplies by his spirit and in all of that With the strength that God supplies by faith in Christ All glory goes to God all glory goes to Jesus Christ to whom belong the glory the dominion forever and ever amen Now this promised help God sends in John chapter 16 verse 7 and He says there explains there verse 7 nevertheless. I tell you the truth. This is an emphatic statement very important 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 depart I will send him to you. I'll send him to you as we come to now The Lord Jesus Christ saying in his departure They're sorrowful over the persecution. They're gonna face They're sorrowful over their loss at him leaving. They're sorrowful sorrow has filled their hearts But again in his grace and his mercy to them his grace and mercy to us He reassures us that it's to our advantage that the Lord Jesus Christ goes away And we're gonna explore that advantage in point three and four on your notes in your bulletin, right? Point three is this The spirit is at work in the world. It's to our advantage the Lord Jesus Christ departs Because in departing he will send the spirit and the spirit is at work in the world We're gonna look at the spirits work in the world in verses 8 to 11 look there with me verse 8 When he when the spirit of God spirit of truth has come He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment of Sin because they do not believe in me of Righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more and of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged and when the spirit of God comes all right He has a convicting ministry to the world a convicting ministry to the world that word in the Greek has a Semantic range to it a range of meaning and I think that much of that semantic range is Included here in the use of this word in verse 8, right? Usually translated that word means to convict to Reprove some of your translation say to convince or to expose That word is used in Matthew chapter 18 verse 15 when in that church discipline Process or resolving conflict within the church you're to go to your brother who sinned against you and you're to Tell him his fault between you and he alone Tell him his fault translates the same Greek word right it has that kind of understanding to it The convicting work of the spirit in the world is to in essence Tell them their fault. He has a convicting a convincing a reproving an Exposing work to do in the world seems to be that sense here in verse 8 In that sense he renders a verdict if you will he renders of verdict in other words The spirit of God and Lanko he publicly Exposes the guilt and shame of the world and he calls people in the world to repentance That's what the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world is okay in that ministry the spirit of God reproves and Convinces So that many are genuinely converted that's a positive side to that spirits work the spirits work in the world, right? He convicts he exposes he renders of verdict. He Exposes their guilt their shame. He tells them their fault so to speak so that many in the world Hearing the gospel hearing the preaching of the gospel are genuinely converted. The spirit does that work in others That ministry of the spirit of convicting the world of sin convicting the world of righteousness and of judgment hardens them and That hardening results ultimately in everlasting torment those people that reject the Lord Jesus Christ They reject the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ by the spirit in the world Burn in hell for all eternity Now the spirit of God this ministry of the spirit is Facilitated in one sense through the preaching of the gospel through the preaching of the gospel and a good example of this once again Is Peter's sermon at Pentecost turn there with me to Acts chapter 2. Let's take a look at that sermon one more time Another just a good example of this very ministry of Conviction that the spirit does in the world the spirit is at work in the world convicting the world of sin righteousness and judgment Look at acts chapter 2 and Look at verse 32 acts chapter 2 verse 32 now Peter has begun preaching his sermon at Pentecost His sermon is full of conviction Convicting the Jews here of their sin against God the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ look at verse 32 Peter says this Jesus God has raised up of which we are all witnesses therefore Being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the father the promise of the Holy Spirit He poured out this which you now see in here This is the coming of the spirit of God right the spirit poured out at Pentecost so the spirit now At work in the world convicting of sin righteousness and judgment as Peter is preaching his sermon at Pentecost Right verse 34 for David did not send into the heavens But he says himself the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool Therefore conviction right that all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ Now if Peter Had preached this sermon One day earlier Richard Phillips says this one day earlier and the only result would have been Peter's arrest No one would have tolerated what he said However here with the spirit working with the spirit at work through the preaching of God's word to convict Them of sin righteousness and judgment and to convince his hearers to expose Their guilt to tell them their fault the result here was completely different look at verse 37 When they heard this by the grace of God by the working of the spirit of God They were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles men and brethren What shall we do and Peter said to them repent? Let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit Opposite result we see in Acts chapter 7 look at Acts chapter 7 Again, this is the spirit's work the spirits work To some when they hear the gospel preached the spirit of God breaks their heart over their sin Brings conviction to their heart it makes that conviction makes its way from their head to their heart The spirit of God causes them to be born again, right? They see the exceeding sinfulness of their sin and they come to repentance and faith in others the work of the spirit of God Hardens it hardens look at Acts chapter 7 drop down to verse 51 Acts chapter 7 Beginning in verse 51 here Stephen preaching very similar very similar sermon you stiff-necked and Uncircumcised in heart and ears. He is telling them their fault, right? the spirit of God Telling them their fault exposing the unfruitful works of darkness that exposing there the unfruitful work By the way, it's the same word elenco Exposing their wickedness, right? He says you stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears You always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did so do you which of the prophets did your father not fathers not Persecute and they killed those who foretold the coming of the just one of whom you now have become the betrayers and Murderers who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it Now when they heard these things they were same phrase right cut to the heart they didn't respond by Turning from their sin their wickedness and repentance and faith they turned in hostility in hatred They gnashed at him with their teeth verse 55 But he being full of the Holy Spirit gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God By this convicting work the convicting work of the spirit in the world the convicting work of the spirit of God Paul says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 verse 15 Paul says that we are to God The fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing to the one We are the aroma of death Leading to death and to the other the aroma of life leading to life Those are the two effects of the preaching right the spirit of God at work convicting the world of sin Righteousness and judgment when the preaching of the gospel goes out It is going to be the aroma of life leading to life for those who are being saved It's gonna be the aroma of death leading to death to those who will reject the Lord Jesus Christ and fall into hell Remember what the Lord said back in John chapter 16 remember what the Lord said in Chapter 14 verse 12 right when Lord said in John chapter 14 verse 12 He said that when he goes when he departs His disciples those men at that time and us down through the ages His disciples will do greater works Greater works. He says there because he goes to the father right and we established there in John chapter 14 That he was referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit and what greater works do his disciples do They don't they don't raise people from the dead. That's a pretty great work, right? They're not restoring withered arms They're not restoring people born death restoring their hearing people born blind restoring their sight So what is the greater work that his disciples do they preach the gospel and the power of the spirit and conversion comes Right, that's the greater work So back in John chapter 16 verse 8 then Jesus is referring to the same Coming of the spirit and so he says in verse 7 It's to your advantage that I go away so that the helper can come that just means that in his Death in his burial then in his resurrection and his ascension and in his session at the right hand of the father That then the Holy Spirit can come the Lord Jesus Christ Purchased by his blood the promise of the new covenant in the coming of the Holy Spirit And the Spirit then does that convicting work that is necessary for any sinner to be saved The Spirit of God in that sense Takes what Jesus Christ has accomplished at the cross and he the Spirit applies to the sinner that truth that Sacrifice through repentant faith in Christ Just as Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners the Holy Spirit takes that truth Convicts the world and applies the work of Christ to save sinners and unless the Spirit Comes and does that work? No one would ever be saved right so you and I you and I Are testimonies of the Spirit of God at work? When you were genuinely saved it's because the Spirit of God caused you to be born again Granted you new life in Christ Opened your blind eyes Opened your death stopped ears and you were given repentance and faith So how does this then encourage us in the preaching of the gospel? That's what the Lord is doing here, right listen disciples You men you're gonna face severe persecution Severe persecution they're gonna be excommunicating you kicking you out of the synagogues They're gonna be killing you thinking they do God's service, right? And we see that attested to in church history all those men were killed John exiled eventually died in exile, right? They're going to do these things to you. How would this truth then? Encourage them in the preaching of the gospel The Spirit of God is at work The Spirit of God is at work And we've used this simple analogy before but if someone was standing right there in the lobby and they're standing there Right and they're hearing the preaching of God's word and they're weeping and they're weeping their heart is tender So and you knew you knew God had revealed it to you in a vision You knew that if you walked out in the lobby and you shared the gospel that you preach the gospel to them That person right there on the spot is going to be saved there'd be Log jam trying to get out the door to go share the gospel with that guy, right? You'd have to wrestle somebody to get to him to share the gospel, right? What keeps us from going out and sharing the gospel all the time knowing this gracious promise of the Lord Jesus Christ Him having departed now the Spirit of God has come the Spirit of God is at work in every one of those conversations When you're standing at the door and you're pleading with someone to turn to repentant faith in Christ So to turn from their sin and be converted when you're pleading with them God the Spirit of God is pleading through you The Spirit of God is at work in that a summit's going to harden But others are gonna be saved You're gonna be the aroma of death leading to death and listen settle in your heart That's the way it goes you're gonna stink like death to some people But others you're the aroma of life leading to life and in all of that God is that where there are no Chance encounters, right? This is all by the providence of God go and share the gospel that that should encourage you in the preaching of the gospel That should encourage you when you face persecution when you face the world's hatred You know in sales In sales they'll talk to guys that make sales calls all the time, right and they'll say here You just keep getting nose keep getting nose keep you get a hundred yo nose. There's coming a yes All right, so what does sales guys do they just keep making calls? We're so that's sales We've got the greatest message ever Conceived of conceived by God himself in his grace and mercy Preach the gospel right and sinners get converted the convicting work of the Spirit Has three objectives three objectives convicting the world of sin Convicting the world of righteousness and convicting the world of judgment first in verse nine Convicting them the world of sin of sin verse nine because they do not believe in me Now the first work of the Spirit of God is to convict of sin McShane says again It is to give a person a sense of the dreadfulness of his sins and to make him feel How surely he is a lost sinner You see this conviction The work of the Spirit the work of the Spirit in convicting of sin does not merely result in an admission of sin All you got to do right is admit believe and confess. No, I beg your pardon. That's not the way that works It doesn't result in a mere admission of sin. I'm a sinner and you know besides we're all sinners. No, no The conviction of the Spirit of God the Spirit of God the conviction that the Spirit of God uses to convict one of sin Seeps into the heart and wrecks a man Whitfield talks about how often this comes regarding one primary sin where the Spirit of God convicts of one primary sin Uses that sin to wreck a person before saving them He talks about the woman at the well remember in John chapter 4 Lord Jesus Christ talking to the woman at the well says go get your husband go get your husband Instantaneous conviction right? She answered the woman at the well answered I have no husband. I have no husband Jesus said to her you have well said I have no husband for you have had five Husbands and the one whom you now have is not your husband in that you spoke truly that Powerful conviction over that woman's adultery led to further conviction over all her sin Says there that the woman then left her water pot went her way into the city and said to the man come see a man Who told me all things I ever did? Remember the account of the Lord Jesus Christ knocking Saul off his horse on the road to Damascus Lord convicts him Why Saul are you persecuting me? Says that the Paul was so convicted over sin that he didn't eat or drink for three days a Conviction by the spirit of God and the heart of a sinner Wrecking the man now. Let me ask you Has this happened to you? Has this happened to you? The Bible says that when he comes when the spirit of God comes he will Convict the world of sin the primary reason for this conviction over sin is given in verse 9 He says it's because they do not believe in me. They do not believe in me Unbelief is the root of all sin, right? It's the foundation of all sin. There's no sin that is worse Than unbelief many hear the gospel, right? Many are called what if you were chosen many are called many hear the gospel They acknowledge what Christ has done They see the price that was paid the blood that was shed and they respond with Indifference they're hardened by the deceitfulness of sin What should cause them? To put their head in their hands and weep They respond to you with cold indifference or with hostility They are cold hearted Let me ask you at some point Have you been made by the spirit's work? Have you been made by the spirit to feel? To understand that in you Dwells no good thing When the spirit of God convicts of sin, he brings you to the end of yourself He brings you to the end of yourself spiritual bankruptcy all your righteousness is as a filthy rag You are an unprofitable unworthy undeserving servant You have gone astray. You have turned aside. You've done what's right in your own eyes. You are a wicked sinner Have you ever been brought to the point? Where you have nothing Right all you have left is to throw yourself at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and plead with mercy God be merciful to me the sinner Have you been brought to the point where you have nothing left you have not a shred of your own? Righteousness not a shred anything that you think you've done good is as a filthy rag in God's sight Has the spirit ever moved you Moved you to the point where all you want in this world is to flee to Christ Have you ever experienced that? That's the spirit's work of convicting of sin Zechariah chapter 12 verse 10 God says this I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication then They will look on me whom they pierced Yes, they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son and Grieve for him as one grieves for a firstborn Ever lost a loved one before? The Lord says that you will grieve for him as someone grieves for lost son Have you ever been brought to spiritual bankruptcy over your sin? If you've never mourned over your sin with a godly sorrow, you're not converted You're not converted the work of the spirit of God is to convict of sin We're standing at a doorway with a man And he was telling me I just I've Never felt that I was really that much of a sinner Really never thought of myself as a bad person listen On the authority of God's word if that's you you're not saved you're not a you're not a saved person The Holy Spirit Convicts the world of sin All of this comes through the preaching of the good news It's the preaching of the good news that must be preached in the context of the bad news They have to fully understand the bad news, you know, it's interesting That considering this convicting work that the Spirit of God is called the Comforter Now why is that? Why is that? The Spirit of God doing that convicting work Wrecking your heart over your sin the gracious work of God by his spirit in the in the heart of a sinner Why is the he then called the comforted the Comforter? He's called the Comforter Because blessed are those who mourn Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be Comforted that's right Come to me all you who labor in our heavy laden and I will give you rest rest from what? Rest from the burden of your sin Remember Christian right and Bunyan's pilgrim pilgrim's progress He's carrying this load on his back at first He doesn't even realize he has on his back He comes to understand the weight of that sin that big huge packet sin on his back Right and there are many different directions that he can go to remove the weight. He can go to Morality mr. Morality and get it removed he can go to go toward legalism get it removed Ultimately he goes to the cross of Christ to have his sin removed The Spirit of God convicts the world of sin Secondly verse 10 The Spirit of God convicts the world of righteousness Verse 10 of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more Most people that you talk to today would profess their own righteousness We know that from being out witnessing right they say i'm a good person. Do you believe you're a good person? Yes, I do Right they profess their own righteousness. We've already established that is not the case. There are none who do good. No not one There's only one. There's only one who has lived Who deserves to be in the presence of god only one Only one who perfectly fulfilled the law fulfilled all righteousness And unless you have his righteousness you will never see god Unless your righteousness exceeds The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will never see god the root of all sin is unbelief But it is faith or belief in christ for his righteousness that saves If you're to be saved you must have his righteousness of the lord jesus christ Perfectly fulfill the law of god. He goes to the cross cross as a perfect sacrifice God imputes if you're in christ through repentant faith god imputes your sin To christ and christ bears your sin on the cross The very same time god imputes the perfect righteousness of the lord jesus christ to you You have his righteousness And you become the righteousness of god in him in him you become perfectly holy You don't have to turn there. Let me just read it to you philippines chapter 3 Explains this well beginning in verse 7 where paul says but what things were gained to me These i have counted i've counted them all paul says i've counted them As loss for christ yet indeed i also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of christ jesus my lord For whom i have suffered the loss of all things and count them as Rubbish that i may guide christ and be found in him Not having my own righteousness which is from the law But that which is through faith in christ the righteousness which is from god by faith That i may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed to his death If by any means i may attain to the resurrection from the dead The righteousness Of the lord jesus christ was proven acceptable to god by the fact that god raised him from the dead He raised him from the dead Because i go to my father and you see me no more verse 10 His righteousness proven by his resurrection verse 11 spirit of god also comes and convicts the world of judgment Of judgment verse 11 because the ruler of this world is judged It's interesting that word there is judged Is past tense it's past tense but the word is speaking here of the cross the ruler of this world Judged at the cross the lord jesus christ speaking of it in his omniscience as a completed Final act that is coming But he speaks of it as being so certain that it's in the past tense here The ruler of this world is judged If you think about it verse 9 verse 10 verse 11, this is the preaching of the gospel This is the preaching of the gospel you preach a sin Of righteousness and of judgment Act chapter 17 if you think about the preaching of paul the areopicus paul said These times of ignorance god has overlooked but now he commands all men everywhere to repent why? Because he has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he's appointed Jesus christ is that man when you preach the gospel you preach sin you preach righteousness and you preach judgment You preach christ what does the spirit do the spirit convicts the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment And he testifies of christ in all of this for those disciples walking To the garden of gethsemane with the lord jesus christ on that night And to all disciples through the ages that have come after them This should lead us to boldness in our preaching Boldness in our preaching faithfulness in our preaching Trust in christ This should lead us to fervent hope in him Right god has given us a tremendous blessing as the lord jesus christ departed those men As he ascended to the father as he sits now Raining and ruling at the right hand of god the father even now We have the promised holy spirit helping us Helping us in our preaching Helping convicting the world of sin righteousness and judgment Let's be faithful to him right we've been given every glorious blessing that can be imagined Is given it all to us in christ so we need to be faithful to him amen amen. Let's pray Father in heaven Lord thank you for this blessed assurance this reassurance that we have from john chapter 16 lord We praise you and thank you lord that you prepare us in your word not as slaves, but as friends in john chapter 15 and you lord Allow us to see the reality of of your plans and purposes fulfilled in christ You allow us to see the persecution certainly the world's hatred that Is ours because we're in him because the world first hated him it's going to hate us also and we praise you lord for your blessed reassurance The hope that you've given us the joy that you've given us you said that our your peace is ours your peace you give to us You've promised to go and prepare a place for us and you promise to be with us even to the end of the age and Glory upon glories you've given us the holy spirit who's at work in the world to convict the world of sin Righteousness and judgment so that when we lord by faith in christ and the power of your spirit go out to preach the gospel The spirit is at work in the world already The spirit is at work in the world through the gospel to convict And we know that our labor is never in vain in the lord We thank you lord for that beautiful blessing that beautiful truth Help us to rest in it. God give us a holy boldness thinking about these things Let us be fervent and faithful in the ministry that you've given us to do and keep us lord by your word Keep us from stumbling Preserve us in the faith. I pray that no one here would fall short God I pray that if any if there's anyone here not saved god break their heart over their sin Wreck them over their sin bring them to the end of themselves Help them to see their righteousness as a filthy rag Help them to see their sin more the way that you see it and save them lord for your glory Cause them to be born again grant them repentance and faith May they see the beauties and the excellencies of the lord jesus christ and be saved We love you lord. We thank you for our time together today. Thank you lord for the blessing of going to the park this afternoon to see Um converted centers baptized to hear testimonies and to welcome new members into our church We're very grateful for that lord. I pray that you bless our time together there All for your glory god in jesus name. Amen