1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:02,560 You all just love each other too much. 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:11,480 If you're able, please stand for the reading of God's Word as we 3 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:14,440 as we continue our sermon series in John this morning. 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:19,840 Our our passage was really most of chapter 16 of John, which is 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,920 a lot. And so Brent and I have decided 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,360 to condense our our reading and you'll see it in your bulletin, 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,360 verses 4 through 15 and then verse 33 at the end of the 8 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:32,400 chapter. So please follow along as we 9 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,840 read God's word from John 16. Jesus says, I did not say these 10 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,240 things to you from the beginning because I was with you, but now 11 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,320 I'm going to him who sent me. And none of you asked me, where 12 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:45,680 are you going? But because I've said these 13 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:47,960 things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 14 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,320 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage 15 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:53,960 that I go away. For if I do not go away, the 16 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:58,120 Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to 17 00:00:58,120 --> 00:00:59,920 you. And when he comes, he will 18 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:03,440 convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement 19 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:07,240 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me, concerning 20 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,920 righteousness because I go to the Father, and you will see me 21 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:13,760 no longer concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world 22 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:16,600 is judged. I still have many things to say 23 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:17,960 to you, but you cannot bear them. 24 00:01:17,960 --> 00:01:21,680 Now when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into 25 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,200 all the truth. For He will not speak on His own 26 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:26,680 authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak. 27 00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:29,240 And He will declare to you the things that are to come. 28 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:31,960 He will glorify me. For He will take what is mine 29 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:35,600 and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. 30 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,360 Therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it 31 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,520 to you. And verse 33 I've said these 32 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,440 things to you, that in me you may have peace. 33 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:47,400 In the world you'll have tribulation. 34 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:49,880 But take heart. I have overcome the world. 35 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,120 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 36 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,360 Please be seated. Father, we thank you for this 37 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,360 passage of Your word. Lord Jesus, we thank you for 38 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:04,160 these very words that you spoke to your closest friends. 39 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,480 And we pray, Holy Spirit, that you would do the very work 40 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,760 described here, that you would convict and you would convince 41 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:16,040 and you would convert us to see all that we have in Jesus. 42 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,280 In his name we pray. Amen. 43 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,880 As a father of two boys, it's not easy for me to leave the 44 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,720 house. And I, my mom is sitting here 45 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,040 this morning. And so I, I think I'm have to be 46 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:30,880 honest to say I was the same way. 47 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,360 There were some very dramatic moments where I did not want my 48 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:37,040 parents to leave the house. So Will is 12, John is 8. 49 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:39,240 So it's actually better than it used to be. 50 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,440 But sometimes when I go on a trip or just go to work or 51 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,920 simply take Anne to dinner, you would think that we were going 52 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:48,160 off to war and maybe never returning. 53 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,880 So I've seen it all. Big tears, strong complaints, 54 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:56,440 even fake illnesses. My boys don't want me to go 55 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:58,400 away. And it makes sense. 56 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,240 Children learn fast that their parents going away is not ideal. 57 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:06,360 And before we can even talk, as humans, we know physical 58 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,800 presence is better than absence. We want to be with the people we 59 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:12,440 love. We don't want them to go away, 60 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,600 We don't want them to move to another city, and we certainly 61 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,600 don't want them to die. So many families are devastated 62 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,760 right now after the floods because their loved ones have 63 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,600 gone away. And none of these families would 64 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,320 have chosen this. None of them would say this is 65 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,320 better. This is to our advantage. 66 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,600 It's to our advantage that the people we love stay close. 67 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,880 So knowing this, I want you to feel the strangeness of what 68 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,560 Jesus says in verse 7. I tell you the truth, it's to 69 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,560 your advantage that I go away. And let me remind you, going 70 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,720 away doesn't mean that Jesus is going on a vacation and then 71 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,640 coming back. Going away means Jesus is going 72 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,600 to shock his disciples by dying on the cross. 73 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:00,080 Going away means Jesus going to thrill them by rising again, 74 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:04,240 only to shock them again by ascending to heaven, going away 75 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,640 yet again. So why was it to the disciples 76 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,400 advantage for Jesus to go away? That's the big question this 77 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,040 morning. And the first thing I want you 78 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,080 to see is it was to their advantage for him to go away 79 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,560 because of who the Holy Spirit is. 80 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,320 To this point, Jesus been with his disciples in person for 81 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:23,360 three years. They've spent most of their time 82 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:26,960 right there with him, and he hasn't shared a lot about his 83 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,840 departure and what happens next. They didn't need to hear it and 84 00:04:29,840 --> 00:04:32,040 they probably wouldn't have understood it. 85 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:33,760 So, so see what he says in verse 4. 86 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:36,600 I did not say these things to you from the beginning because I 87 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,920 was with you. We give the disciples a hard, 88 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,760 hard time because they're slow to understand. 89 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,240 They don't seem to get it even when they're in the presence of 90 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:48,360 the Lord. But if you take this passage 91 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,600 seriously, there's actually another angle to that. 92 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,800 Have we really considered it? I haven't seen many people write 93 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,520 about it. The disciples had the bodily 94 00:04:56,520 --> 00:05:00,040 presence of the Lord Jesus, but they didn't have His Holy Spirit 95 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,680 yet. When do their lives and 96 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:07,600 ministries change dramatically? It's in Acts 2 at Pentecost when 97 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:09,720 they're filled with the Holy Spirit. 98 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,160 But in John 16, the disciples don't seem to grasp what's 99 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:15,160 happening. They have hints, but they can't 100 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:17,480 put it all together. Look at what Jesus says in verse 101 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:19,440 5. But now I'm going to him who 102 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:20,960 sent me, and none of you asked me. 103 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,760 Where are you going? Actually, if you look back at 104 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,440 the last couple chapters, several of the disciples have 105 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:29,320 asked him where he's going. But I think his point is maybe 106 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:32,640 they were just more protesting or complaining than having a 107 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:35,440 genuine interest in what was going on in his life. 108 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,920 Jesus wishes they were more interested in what he's doing, 109 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:41,800 where he's going. He came from God. 110 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,160 He's going back to God. That's how he describes his 111 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,960 mission. He's the word of God from the 112 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,920 beginning with God, and now he's the only son who's returning to 113 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,960 the Father by way of death and resurrection. 114 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,240 And his closest friends can't even ask what's really 115 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,240 happening. Where are you going? 116 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,600 They're disconnected from the central mission of his life. 117 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,880 Imagine being disconnected from the most important thing in your 118 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,520 spouse's life or your child's life or your friend's life. 119 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:14,040 That's the disciples. This is the decisive moment in 120 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:15,840 Jesus life. And it's like the disciples are 121 00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:20,960 like, yawn, look at verse 6. But because I've said these 122 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,240 things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 123 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,680 They don't get it. All they really hear is Jesus is 124 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:30,120 leaving and they're sad. We've already said it. 125 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:31,920 Nobody wants to lose someone they love. 126 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,120 A parent, a spouse, a friend, a child. 127 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:37,680 And the more significant the person, the harder it is to lose 128 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:40,200 their physical presence. Because when they go away, they 129 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,320 don't come back. We're never ready to lose 130 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,320 someone we love. Now think about the disciples 131 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:48,320 and their relationship with Jesus. 132 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,240 Think about what they've seen over these years and what 133 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:52,840 they're facing just at this moment. 134 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:56,520 Judas has just slipped out the door to go and betray Jesus. 135 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:00,080 Jesus just predicted that Peter would deny him and that they all 136 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,560 would scatter. And surely they've heard the 137 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:05,360 whispers around town that the world wants Jesus dead. 138 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:08,720 They're reeling. They fear they're losing Jesus 139 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,760 and everything that's been built over these last few years. 140 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:15,240 And it's in this moment that he says, nevertheless, I tell you 141 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,760 the truth, it's to your advantage that I go away. 142 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:21,680 For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. 143 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,200 But if I go, I will send him to you. 144 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:28,720 Jesus is saying this is the best thing that could happen to you. 145 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,120 And they probably saw it as the worst thing that could happen to 146 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,280 them. So the word shocked them and it 147 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,920 should shock us. And we say what Jesus, why? 148 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,640 Why is this true? Because they'll lose his 149 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,280 physical presence, but they'll gain his spiritual presence. 150 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,600 Jesus going away was not just a going, it was going to be a 151 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:53,320 coming as well. He planned to come to them in a 152 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:56,560 new and amazing way. So it was better for the 153 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,960 disciples for Jesus to go away because of who the Holy Spirit 154 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:04,760 is. His argument implies and demands 155 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:07,680 that the Holy Spirit is nothing less than the Spirit of God, the 156 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:11,640 Spirit of Jesus Christ, the third Person of the Trinity. 157 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:16,720 Brothers and sisters, do you realize the incomparable gift of 158 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,400 the Holy Spirit? Do you believe what Jesus is 159 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:23,440 saying, that we're better off with the presence of the Holy 160 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,000 Spirit than the presence of Jesus? 161 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,600 So many of us would have loved to have been there, you know, 162 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,960 sitting by the shores of the Sea of Galilee or walking the dusty 163 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,679 roads of Judea and and walking with Jesus and listening to his 164 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:38,760 teaching and witnessing his miracles. 165 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,360 But if given the choice, would you choose the physical presence 166 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:47,040 of Jesus before his ascension or the spiritual presence of the 167 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,960 Holy Spirit after Pentecost? Because Jesus is making a clear 168 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:54,560 case that we should choose the presence of the Spirit, and 169 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,560 here's why. In the Old Testament, God would 170 00:08:57,560 --> 00:09:00,920 occasionally come upon his people or some of his people or 171 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:05,160 one of his people by his Spirit. And in the Gospels, God was with 172 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:07,280 his people in the presence of Jesus Christ. 173 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:11,920 But after Pentecost, God is actually in his people by the 174 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,160 indwelling of his Spirit. There's an immediacy and an 175 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:18,480 intimacy to being filled with the Holy Spirit that Jesus 176 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,560 believes is better than anything that came before. 177 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,080 I think most of the time we're walking around like the 178 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:28,840 disciples with sorrow in our hearts, not realizing the wonder 179 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:33,320 of what Paul says in Colossians. One Christ in US, the hope of 180 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,000 glory. God being with his people is the 181 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,040 heart of his promise from Genesis to Revelation. 182 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:43,320 But without the Holy Spirit, how are those promises more than 183 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:47,240 just wishful thinking? In John 1423, Jesus says if 184 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,480 anyone loves me, he'll keep my word, and my Father will love 185 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,480 him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 186 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,480 But how will the Father and Jesus come to us and make their 187 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,400 home with us? The answer is the Holy Spirit, 188 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,920 because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. 189 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:08,120 In John 1416 and 17, Jesus says that this other Helper will be 190 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,240 with us forever. He will dwell with us and be in 191 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:15,040 us. In John 55155, you know, Jesus 192 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:19,680 talks about abiding, but how can we abide in a risen and ascended 193 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:22,200 Lord who's no longer physically present on earth? 194 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:26,440 How can he abide in us? The answer it's the Holy Spirit. 195 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:30,760 In Matthew 2820 Jesus says, and behold, I'm with you always to 196 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,560 the end of the age. How can that be true when Jesus 197 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:38,400 is about to ascend to heaven? The answer is the Holy Spirit. 198 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:42,560 The Holy Spirit is the reason we can say that God is with us this 199 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:44,720 morning as we gather to worship him. 200 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:48,920 So the Holy Spirit is nothing less than the Spirit of Jesus 201 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,320 Christ coming to indwell his followers so that he's not 202 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:57,080 simply with them, but in them. When we tell someone I'll be 203 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:58,640 with you in spirit, what do we mean? 204 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:04,680 We mean I won't be with you. But when Jesus says I'll be with 205 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:08,800 you in spirit, he means I'll be with you in the fullness of my 206 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:12,480 presence forever. So, brothers and sisters, do you 207 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:16,400 realize the advantage of living in this moment of redemptive 208 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:18,760 history? The Lord Jesus desires to be 209 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,200 with you and in you by his Holy Spirit. 210 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,320 Do you welcome His transforming presence in your life? 211 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,560 We're living in this age that Jesus said was better because of 212 00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:34,080 who the Holy Spirit is. But I also want us to see that 213 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:37,000 it was to the disciples advantage for Jesus to go away 214 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:41,560 because of what the Spirit does. Here in John 16, we have really 215 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:44,760 the most concentrated teaching on the Holy Spirit in the 216 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:47,680 Gospels. And in these next 8 verses, 8 217 00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:51,800 through 15, Jesus explains the glory of the Spirit's ministry. 218 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,360 So in verses 8 through 11, we learned that the Holy Spirit 219 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:57,800 will convict the world about sin and righteousness and judgment. 220 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:02,400 The Holy Spirit will expose all the lies in the world and in US. 221 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:06,040 And in verses 12 through 15, we learned the Holy Spirit will 222 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,320 convince God's people of the truth in Jesus. 223 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:13,200 The Spirit will reveal all the truth that's in Jesus. 224 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,120 So I want to talk about what the Spirit does, but hopefully not 225 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:19,760 theoretically, but practically. Because if we're, if we're 226 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,440 saying this is what the Spirit does and it's so significant 227 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,360 that Jesus said it would be better for him to go away, We're 228 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:28,440 not just talking theory or philosophy. 229 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,160 We're talking about God's work in real life. 230 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:35,080 So lean in and consider the Spirit's work and perhaps ask, 231 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:38,840 Lord, is your Spirit doing this work in me? 232 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,840 So first, Jesus says that the Spirit will convict the world 233 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:45,080 about sin and righteousness and judgment. 234 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:47,720 Look at verse 8. And when he comes, he will 235 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:51,480 convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. 236 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,800 The word translated convict in verse 8 should make us think of 237 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,440 the Spirit as a lawyer in a courtroom. 238 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:02,280 The Spirit presses his case with the world cross, examining 239 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:06,800 people with the goal of convincing them of the error of 240 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:09,160 their ways. So what does Jesus mean when he 241 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:11,880 says the Spirit will convict the world concerning sin? 242 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:15,520 The Spirit cross examines the world's answers to the great 243 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,920 question, What's wrong with the world? 244 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:22,360 The world responds politics, economics, the environment, 245 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:26,000 education, culture, and their problems. 246 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,800 In all these areas we all have a sense of what's wrong, and then 247 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:31,360 that's what we try to make right. 248 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:35,680 But the Spirit prosecutes the case until we see that our 249 00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:38,000 godless answers are actually bankrupt. 250 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:41,480 The Spirit reminds us that we must first deal with God. 251 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:44,240 And so our first membership. Val asked. 252 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,960 You acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, 253 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,560 justly deserving his displeasure and without hope saving his 254 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:55,080 sovereign mercy starts right there with us and God and anyone 255 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:58,600 could say yes to that question, but only the Holy Spirit can 256 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,720 convict us in a way that brings us to the end of ourselves. 257 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,160 The Spirit opens our eyes to see sin for what it is, an affront 258 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,760 to a holy God. And we know when he works that 259 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:14,760 for all the wrong in the world, Ground Zero is actually the 260 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:17,200 wrong in our hearts, the sin in our own hearts. 261 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,800 And how does Jesus summarize the heart of the world sin? 262 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,080 He says in verse 9, they do not believe in me. 263 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:28,400 The root of the problem is not murder or adultery or stealing 264 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:32,080 or lying or coveting. The root of the problem is not 265 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,920 believing in God and the one he sent. 266 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,600 We turn to other gods to save us and give us life. 267 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:43,120 And all the other darkness flows from this dark exchange. 268 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:47,400 And this aligns with John 2031 where John tells us why he wrote 269 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,360 this gospel. He says so that you may believe 270 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,240 that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by 271 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,800 believing you may have life in his name. 272 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,600 Friend, do you believe that the world's greatest sin is turning 273 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:06,280 away from God and that your greatest sin would be refusing 274 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:09,360 to believe in Jesus? The Holy Spirit is the one who 275 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,720 brings this deep conviction, the awareness of our need that 276 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:17,680 prepares us for His provision. Has he convicted you of that? 277 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:20,600 What does Jesus mean? The Spirit will convict the 278 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:24,960 world concerning righteousness. The Spirit also cross examines 279 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,760 the world's answers to the question, what's right in the 280 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,280 world or what would make the world right? 281 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,160 Righteousness means being rightly related to God and other 282 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,640 people in the world. So what is the righteous life? 283 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,640 What's the life of integrity and wholeness? 284 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,320 The world thinks the good life, the righteous life, is life 285 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,400 apart from God. But Jesus is saying that the 286 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,880 Spirit will convict the world concerning righteousness because 287 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:54,280 he's going to the Father and the disciples will see him no 288 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:55,600 longer. What does this mean? 289 00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:59,880 Well, Jesus is talking about being the righteous one who came 290 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:03,800 to die for the unrighteous. In 2nd Corinthians 521, Paul 291 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:08,520 says for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that 292 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,160 in him we might become the righteousness of God. 293 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:16,000 If we clarify Paul's pronouns, he's saying for our sake the 294 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:21,000 Father made Jesus to be sin, Jesus who knew no sin, so that 295 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:24,680 in Jesus we might become the righteousness of God. 296 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:28,120 Jesus offering himself on the cross, the righteous for the 297 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:31,200 unrighteous is the greatest event in history. 298 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,400 Here is righteousness, here is goodness, here is integrity. 299 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:38,440 And when Jesus talks about going to the Father, he means that 300 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,120 he's about to finish his mission, the hour for which is 301 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:45,120 came, for which he came, the death he came to die. 302 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,760 So when the Father receives his beloved Son back into his 303 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:53,000 presence, risen and victorious, it's the ultimate vindication of 304 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:56,840 who Jesus is and what Jesus did. Righteousness. 305 00:16:57,840 --> 00:17:01,640 The Holy Spirit convicts us that everything we've done to try to 306 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:06,280 make things right just pales in comparison to the righteousness 307 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:10,359 of God in the gospel. For the Sinner who refuses to 308 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:13,240 believe in Jesus, there's really no righteousness. 309 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:17,880 But when we look to Jesus by faith, the Lord is our 310 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:20,319 righteousness. And there's nothing sweeter than 311 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:23,640 being restored to a right relationship with God and then 312 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:27,760 ourselves, and then our neighbor and the world, as the Spirit 313 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:32,160 convicted you of righteousness. And then what does Jesus mean? 314 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:34,720 The Spirit will convict the world concerning judgment. 315 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:37,120 We've already talked about what's wrong, what can be done 316 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:39,600 to make it right. The idea of judgement sort of 317 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,000 ties it all together. Jesus says the Spirit will 318 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,120 convict the world concerning judgement because the ruler of 319 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:48,800 this world is judged. In this statement, Jesus 320 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:52,200 identifies the great conflict in the history of the world. 321 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,400 It's not a geopolitical conflict for supremacy. 322 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,160 It's not an economic conflict for resources. 323 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:01,320 It's not an environmental conflict for conservation. 324 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:05,040 It's ultimately a spiritual conflict between God and the 325 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:08,840 devil are in Genesis 3 terms, between the seed of the woman 326 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,440 and the seed of the serpent. And Jesus, speaking just hours 327 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,320 before the cross and days before the resurrection, speaks with 328 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:19,520 confidence that in his work that he's about to finish, the ruler 329 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,760 of this world is judged. John says in his letter, first 330 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:28,120 John 38, the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the 331 00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:31,160 works of the devil. And that's what Jesus is about 332 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:33,560 to do. The Spirit convicts the world 333 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,680 that the judgment of God has broken into history at the 334 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:39,000 cross. Those who do not believe in 335 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,720 Jesus are still under judgment because they have rejected God's 336 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,040 offering. But those who believe in him 337 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:49,640 know the joy of his salvation and share in his victory as the 338 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:53,120 Spirit brought this conviction of sin and righteousness and 339 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:55,880 judgment in your life. Our sin is the great wrong. 340 00:18:56,760 --> 00:19:00,440 Jesus is the great right, and he has won the battle. 341 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,720 That's the conviction part. And then in verses 12 through 342 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,120 15, what does Jesus tell us about what the Spirit does? 343 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,920 The Spirit reveals God's truth to us. 344 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,720 In verse 12, Jesus suggests a problem. 345 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,480 He has more to tell the disciples, but they can't handle 346 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:18,920 it right now. And we sort of know it doesn't 347 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:22,520 seem like they can handle much. So how will Jesus tell them what 348 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:24,880 they need to know when they need to know it? 349 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:29,400 So verses 13 through 15 are so precious, we're attempted to 350 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:33,440 apply them to ourselves first. But these words are precious to 351 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:36,840 us because they were first. So precious to the disciples. 352 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,200 The promise of the Spirit guiding the apostles into all 353 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:42,160 the truth. Why does this matter? 354 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,400 Because these men were going to bear witness to all that they'd 355 00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,160 seen in Jesus. They were going to write the 356 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,920 gospels and the letters that would become Holy Scripture. 357 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:56,960 How are they going to do that? By the power of the Holy Spirit. 358 00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,240 Pick up your Bible. Thumb through the New Testament. 359 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:05,360 Why do we have this document? Because the Holy Spirit guided 360 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:09,320 these men into all the truth. He didn't speak on His own 361 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:13,160 authority, He only spoke what He heard from the Father and the 362 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:15,440 Son. We have the New Testament 363 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:18,600 because the Spirit declared to these men the things that were 364 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:23,000 to come, and He glorified Jesus by taking what was His and 365 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:27,920 declaring it to the apostles. The Holy Spirit was essential in 366 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:31,200 safeguarding the process that gave us the Word of God. 367 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:35,200 The Spirit took Jesus perfect and precious word and declared 368 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,920 it to the apostles. And the same miracle of 369 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,760 inspiration shines through in John 1426. 370 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:43,600 He says the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will 371 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,280 send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your 372 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:49,400 remembrance all that I've said to you. 373 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:54,240 So, church, don't run ahead in your application of Scripture. 374 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:58,320 We're here studying John 16 because the Holy Spirit inspired 375 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:03,160 John to write John 16. God breathed these words out 376 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,360 through His servant John so that we could sit here this morning 377 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:08,880 and know the wonder of the Spirit's ministry. 378 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,560 And even as we talk about it, He continues His light shining life 379 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:17,600 giving work in US. So we're standing on the 380 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,560 shoulders of the apostles. The Spirit is guiding us into 381 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,920 all the truth, bringing to our remembrance all that Jesus said 382 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:28,840 and what it means for us. The Holy Spirit has been called 383 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,120 the shy member of the Trinity. Why is that? 384 00:21:32,120 --> 00:21:34,280 Because he refuses to draw attention to himself. 385 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:35,800 And you can see it in this passage. 386 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:40,120 He only wants to glorify Jesus. He only wants to shine a light 387 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:44,520 on Jesus for all the world to see, Ji Packer writes. 388 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:48,000 The Spirit's message is never look at me, listen to me, come 389 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,520 to me, get to know me, but always look at Him and see His 390 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,680 glory. Listen to him and hear His word. 391 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:59,960 Go to him and have life. Get to know Him and taste his 392 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:04,360 gift of joy and peace. So the Holy Spirit leads us to 393 00:22:04,360 --> 00:22:09,440 look and listen and go to Jesus. And as we do, the Spirit takes 394 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,920 everything that Jesus did for us and makes it real to us. 395 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,840 Here, Christianity is different from every other religion. 396 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:22,760 We're not studying ancient texts, reflecting on a prophet 397 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,280 who's dead and gone. We're feeding on the living Word 398 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:30,480 of God, communing with the same Spirit who inspired him. 399 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:36,640 Jesus is with us. No, he's in us by a spirit. 400 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:40,880 And that changes everything. If what Jesus did for us is 401 00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:44,760 becoming more real in our lives, we have the Spirit to think. 402 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,520 And if we want what Jesus did for us to become more real in 403 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,320 our lives, we have the Spirit to help. 404 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,680 Now as we close, I want you to see the fulfillment of what 405 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:59,680 Jesus says in John 16 just weeks later when the Spirit comes in 406 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,920 Acts chapter 2, what happens? We see Peter and the other 407 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:06,160 apostles filled with the Spirit. Remember, they were cowards. 408 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,720 Now they're courageous and they were silent. 409 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,120 Now they're unable to stop speaking about what they've seen 410 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:14,920 in her. And what does the Spirit do when 411 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:19,120 Peter preaches his first sermon in Acts, the beautiful work of 412 00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:23,480 convicting and convincing and converting the world to Jesus? 413 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:28,200 Peter proclaims in Acts 222 to 24 Men of Israel, hear these 414 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:30,480 words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man 415 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,400 attested to you by God, with mighty works and wonders and 416 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,120 signs that God did through him in your midst. 417 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:40,080 As you yourselves know, this Jesus delivered up according to 418 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,320 the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. 419 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:46,160 You crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 420 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:49,760 God raised him up, losing the pangs of death, because it was 421 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,240 not possible for him to be held by it. 422 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:55,200 Let all the House of Israel therefore know for certain that 423 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,320 God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you 424 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:02,640 crucify. The Spirit is working as Peter 425 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:05,440 preaches, and the Spirit is working when he stops preaching, 426 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,040 because we look at Acts 237 through 39. 427 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:10,720 It says Now, when they heard this, they were cut to the 428 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:12,680 heart. Hear the conviction. 429 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,760 And they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers, 430 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:19,440 what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent 431 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,680 and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for 432 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:27,120 the forgiveness of your sins. And you'll receive the gift of 433 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:30,400 the Holy Spirit for the promises for you and for your children, 434 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:34,400 and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God 435 00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:38,840 calls to himself. And as the Spirit exposed their 436 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:43,480 sin and revealed the truth in Jesus, around 3000 people that 437 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:47,280 day repented, turned to Christ, and joined the church. 438 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,320 In John 16, Jesus is promising that through the ministry of His 439 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:56,240 Spirit, the gospel will go forth with such power that the 440 00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:00,800 spiritually deaf will hear, the spiritually blind will see, and 441 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:02,560 the spiritually dead will come alive. 442 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,960 If you trust Jesus this morning, that's your story. 443 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,240 The Spirit has done that work in your life. 444 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:13,280 The Spirit has been doing this work for almost 2000 years. 445 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:17,760 So truly it was to our advantage that Jesus go away. 446 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:20,520 We're here because of the Holy Spirit. 447 00:25:21,120 --> 00:25:24,640 We can go to the world with confidence because of the Holy 448 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,480 Spirit. And Jesus says in verse 33, I've 449 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:32,080 said these things to you, that in me you may have peace in the 450 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,680 world, you'll have tribulation, but take heart, I've overcome 451 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:38,920 the world. Friends, we can even have peace 452 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,960 with all that we're facing this morning because of the Holy 453 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,120 Spirit. We know that the Spirit will 454 00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:48,680 give us everything we need to glorify Christ until he comes 455 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:50,240 again. Let's pray. 456 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:55,600 Father, as we come to this table this morning, we're so grateful 457 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,120 for the work of the Spirit. So, Holy Spirit, we pray that 458 00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:02,960 you would take these words from your gospel and drive them home 459 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:05,640 to our hearts. Shine your light on Jesus that 460 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:07,920 we might be drawn to Him yet again. 461 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:11,720 Lord, for those who may not know Jesus, we pray that he would 462 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:15,440 seem so beautiful and so believable that they would not 463 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:18,240 be able to resist, that they would come to Him even now. 464 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,000 And Lord, we thank you for this sacrament, which in in yet 465 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,600 another beautiful way your Spirit takes to make what Jesus 466 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:27,880 did for us even more real in our lives. 467 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:32,080 So be with us now as we come to your table at your invitation in 468 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:33,520 Jesus name, Amen.