The Holy Spirit’s Work In The World – Rev. John de Hoog

(Sermon 1 of 2 to be used around Pentecost Sunday)

 

Text: John 16:5-11 (read through to vs 15)

Scripture reading: Acts 2:1-41

Suggested music: BOW 33a:1,2,7,8; 348; 351; Psalm 96 (Emu Music)

 

Jesus Christ ascended to heaven about 2000 years ago and one day he will return in all his glory. But he has not left us alone; he continues his work on earth today through the Holy Spirit. Around this time of year we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on that first Day of Pentecost. If Jesus is continuing his work on earth today through the Holy Spirit, how important it is that we understand what the Holy Spirit is doing in the world today!

Jesus and his disciples have gathered in the upper room. Jesus is speaking about the work of the Holy Spirit, and he says these striking words: “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (vs 7).

Jesus speaks words that would have astonished the disciples. At this moment they are filled with grief, says vs 6. “Filled with grief” is a very strong expression in the Greek, as if grief has invaded every part of their thinking. It is all grief; there is nothing but grief in their minds!

Imagine what their thinking would have been. Ask the disciples the worst thing they could imagine. Ask them to state the heaviest and bitterest blow to their cause they could possibly think of. With one voice they would say the same thing. “The one thing we could not stand,” they would say, “would be the departure of our Lord. We will follow him into every danger, we will die for him, we will never deny him; just as long as he is with us we can go on. But take him away, leave us alone without him – that would be the end for us! We would then be like sheep without a shepherd in the midst of wolves, we would not know what to do or where to turn. Taking him away would be disastrous for our group.” Peter, who had been so sure he would never deny Jesus, did just that when he saw his master and leader taken away and reduced to a captive of his enemies. The one thing the disciples could not stand was to lose the leadership and presence of their Lord.

But now Jesus says it is better for them that he go away! Why? So that he can send the Counsellor to them, the Holy Spirit. This will be better, says Jesus.

Jesus is saying something very important here. He is saying that the work of the Holy Spirit is just as necessary for the establishment of his kingdom on earth as his own work has been. In fact, it is better for the disciples that Jesus depart and the Spirit come.

Here is a statement that should stop us in our tracks. We perhaps sometimes fall into the kind of thinking that says, “I wish I could have been in Galilee when Jesus was there teaching. It would have been fantastic to be there amongst the five thousand that were fed on the grass that day, or to see Jesus casting out demons, or to hear him speak his parables. It’s so much harder living the life of faith today, without Jesus really here in the world.” Perhaps you’ve thought that way.

Jesus says, “NO. Don’t think like that! Living in the age of the Spirit is better – rejoice that you have been born into this age.” What does Jesus mean? Why is it better for us that he has departed and has sent the Holy Spirit? Why should you be glad that you live now in the age of the Spirit sent at Pentecost rather than when Jesus walked the earth?

Jesus gives us two reasons in this passage. First, the Spirit is, right now, convicting the world of its guilt before God – so heed, and repent! Second, the Spirit is, right now, guiding the church in the truth about Jesus Christ – so follow him! I want to deal with the first reason in this first sermon on this text, and look at the second reason in the second sermon on this text.

The first reason to be thankful that we live in the age of the Spirit is this: The Spirit is working in the world to convict people of their guilt before God. Vss 8-11 “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going away to my Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

Today let’s understand this statement. Jesus says, “When the Spirit comes he will convict the world of guilt” with regard to these things. The Spirit first came on the Day of Pentecost. If we think about how the Spirit convicted people on the Day of Pentecost, we’ll be able to understand how the Holy Spirit continues his work today.

First, understand how the Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regard to sin.

Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will “convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me…” The Spirit will convict people of their sin, and in particular, says Jesus, the sin involved in not believing in him (vs 9).

Peter challenges the people with exactly this sin of rejecting Jesus on the Day of Pentecost. Acts 2:23 “…you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” Vs 36 “…this Jesus, whom you crucified…” Here is the basis of all sin – rejecting Jesus. He came to that which was his own, and his own did not receive him. He came as the light of the world, and men loved darkness instead of light. To reject Jesus is the ultimate sin.

Now of course rejecting Jesus is not the only sin. But it is the basic sin. No other sin can be forgiven until the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ is repented of.

Here then is the first area of the Spirit’s work of convicting the world; when he works savingly in a person’s life, he convicts him or her of the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ.

Second, understand how the Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regard to righteousness.

Jesus says the Spirit will convict the world of guilt “in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no more.” (vs 10) Now these words sound a bit cryptic, but they can be understood when we see that Jesus connects righteousness with his ascension to the Father’s right hand.

When Jesus said these words, the world, represented by the Jews and the Romans, was about to crucify him. They thought it was right that this should be done. John 19:7 “The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.’” According to their understanding of the law, Jesus was anything but righteous – according to their righteousness he had to die.

But the exact opposite was true. Though he was rejected by the world, the Father welcomed him home. Jesus died on the cross, but that cross led to his crown. Jesus rose from the dead, and after forty days ascended to the right hand of God, enthroned as the king of the universe, the “Righteous One,” says Peter in Acts 3:14. There, in Acts 3, Peter also connects the righteousness of Jesus with his ascension.

So what is the connection?

The world had to be convinced that its own righteousness, which crucified Jesus, was completely false. The world had to be convinced that Jesus was right after all, and that God had vindicated him by his resurrection and ascension. On the day of Pentecost, God does just that through Peter’s sermon.

Acts 2:22-24 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” And vs 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

See what the Spirit is doing through Peter’s words? He is convicting the world of its guilt with regard to righteousness. By their own righteousness, they thought it right that Jesus should die. But nothing was further from the truth, and God has declared Jesus to be righteous by raising him from the dead and raising him to his own right hand. This is the connection: God declared Jesus right, righteous, by raising him from the dead and raising him to his own right hand.

Here then is the second area in which the Spirit convicts people when he works savingly within them. He convinces them that their own idea of what is right is wrong, and he convinces them of the perfect rightness… righteousness… of what God has done in Jesus Christ.

Third, understand how the Holy Spirit convicts the world of guilt in regard to judgment.

Jesus says the Spirit will convict the world of guilt “in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” (vs11) In other words, the Spirit will convince people that Satan has been defeated, and that all God’s enemies will be judged.

Just before his death, Jesus had said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” (John 12:31) The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was no victory for Satan, rather it signalled his defeat. By the cross Jesus won victory over death, and all who belong to him have that victory. But eternal death, eternal separation from God and all good, still awaits God’s enemies.

Peter also deals with this judgment theme in his sermon at Pentecost. In vs 34 he quotes from Psalm 110: “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” God is going to judge all his enemies, and they will be crushed under Jesus’ feet. This is the third area of conviction: God’s righteous judgment against his enemies.

 

Pause

 

On the Day of Pentecost, through Peter’s sermon, the Spirit convicted many Jews of their guilt with regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. The sin of rejecting Jesus Christ, the falseness of their own righteousness and the righteousness of Jesus Christ attested by his resurrection and ascension, and the certainty of judgment now that Satan has been defeated by Christ’s victory over sin and death. The promise of John 16 came true on the Day of Pentecost.

What was the result? The result was great conviction and a turning to the Lord. Vs 37 “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’…Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”

Notice a very important thing. How does the Spirit convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment? How does he do it? Through the preaching of the Word! On the Day of Pentecost he does it through Peter’s sermon. Throughout the book of Acts he does it through the preaching of the apostles. How will he do it today? Surely in the same way! The Holy Spirit will convict the world of guilt with regard to sin and righteousness and judgment as we preach and explain the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to people who need to hear it.

There are two important implications here for the way in which we speak the gospel.

The first implication is this: In explaining the gospel, we should include these elements of sin, righteousness and judgment. Peter included these elements in his Pentecost sermon, and the Holy Spirit used his sermon to convict three thousand people of their guilt with regard to sin, righteousness and judgment. What will it mean to include these elements in our gospel presentations?

To include sin in your presentation of the gospel means to focus finally on the root sin – the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. It might be important to speak with people about sin in the world, and sin in their own lives in terms of breaking God’s moral law. But in the end, people should know that the sin that will forever keep them apart from God is basically the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. If you repent of this sin then all other sin can be forgiven. But if you persist in this sin of rejecting Jesus Christ, then you cannot be saved. God sent his Son into the world, that all who believe in him might have eternal life. To reject God’s provision, to reject Jesus Christ, is ultimately to remain separated from God. John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

To include righteousness in your presentation of the gospel in the sense that Jesus means it here is to focus on the righteousness of Christ, as demonstrated by vindication of Jesus’ work in his resurrection and ascension. How do we know that what Jesus did on the cross was sufficient to save his people? We know because God declared it to be sufficient when he raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and because Jesus Christ has now ascended to the place of all authority and power, the right hand of the Father.

If you read the sermons in Acts, you find that the constant theme of the sermons is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Here is the great proof that what Jesus has done saves us. He has defeated death! He is now in heaven with his perfected human body, and one day he will come to make us perfect just like him, body and soul. Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

Finally, to include judgment in your presentation of the gospel as Jesus means it here is to point to the victory Jesus has already won over Satan and all the forces of evil. It is to say that Jesus Christ is the appointed Judge of the universe. It is to point out that every single person must one day “appear before the before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, to receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

When that Day of Judgment comes, all who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation will be able to rejoice that their Judge is also their Saviour, and that their Judge has died in their place, and that their Judge has granted them eternal life. But all who have not turned to Jesus Christ during their earthly lives will be counted with Satan, whom Jesus Christ has defeated, and must face the prospect of suffering eternally. Never reconciled with God during their lives, they will be separated from him for eternity.

The first implication of Jesus’ words is that in explaining the gospel, we should include these elements of sin, righteousness and judgment. It is plain that if we do so, our gospel preaching and speaking will be completely Christ-centred. Rejecting Jesus Christ is the great sin that separates you eternally from God.

But there is a second implication. When we speak the gospel, we are responsible for proclaiming it and explaining it clearly and with urgency, and we must include these elements of sin, righteousness and judgment, but in the end, it is the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment, not you and me, and not our words.

In some cases people will be converted, as three thousand were on the Day of Pentecost. In other cases, people will reject the message, and be further hardened, leading ultimately to eternal punishment. The result of our preaching and explaining is in the hands of God. We must rely on the Holy Spirit, and wait on what he will do through the proclamation of the gospel.

 

Pause

 

Why is it better to be in the age of the Spirit than to have lived during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ? Why is it better to have the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the world than to have experienced the ministry of Jesus Christ as he walked this earth? We haven’t come to a full answer yet, we’ve only studied half the reasons given by Jesus here in these verses in John 16. We’ll study the rest in the second sermon on this passage. But we can come to a preliminary conclusion.

Jesus Christ left this earth and ascended to heaven so that the Holy Spirit could be poured out on the church. Peter says just this on the Day of Pentecost: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:32-33) The Holy Spirit is now at work in the world, convincing men and women and boys and girls of their guilt in relation to sin and righteousness and judgment. As we preach and explain the gospel, some will come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be saved! The miracle of salvation will happen! There is nothing more glorious on this earth than to see this happen and, by the Lord’s providence, to be involved in some way!

Have you been convicted by the Holy Spirit in this way. Maybe Jesus is calling you today!?

Do you understand that rejecting Jesus Christ is the ultimate sin, and will leave you unreconciled with God?

Do you realise that the work of Jesus Christ has been fully vindicated by his resurrection and ascension, and that Jesus Christ is the only way to be right with God?

Do you know that Jesus is now at the Father’s right hand as the Ruler of all, and one day will return as your Judge?

Are you ready to meet him? Be sure today! If the Holy Spirit is convicting you right now, don’t ignore him. Don’t resist, it is a matter of life and death. Eternal life and eternal death.

Amen