Transcript

The Advocate Who Prosecutes

John 16:5-11
Sunday, January 11, 2004
Pastor Randy Smith

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This summer our family went camping twice. That might not sound like much, but we actually set a personal record for the most camping trips in one year! Needless to say we are not much for roughing it outdoors. Though we have up-scaled this year to the 5-man Target pup tent, we are far from the deluxe accommodations we often see pulling into the campsite.

Often thundering past our humble tent filled only with a few sleeping bags, a flashlight and some stale graham crackers comes the three bedroom home on wheels equipped with all the modern conveniences. No more mosquitoes, campfire smoke, dishwashing in the stream and long walks to the bathroom. These individuals pull onto a cement slap by a couple pine trees, hook up the water, sewer and electricity lines, sit back on the couch, activate the air conditioner and watch satellite TV! Often these mobile homes are decorated with the same furnishings as a modern day living room.

These people drive to a new place and set themselves in a new surrounding, but the newness goes unnoticed as they retain all the properties of their former lifestyle.

Many approach the Christian life in the same manner. They "accept Christ" as if He were a new hobby to be tacked on and fail to understand and implement the demands that are necessary for Christian discipleship. Such people may claim to be Christians, but still live in the old manner of life without any change. They have not experienced transformation and henceforth have not experienced salvation.

The topic is appropriate because this morning we are eagerly awaiting four baptisms. Each of these individuals will speak of the transformation that has occurred in their lives and the salvation they have received. Each testimony is unique, but there is one thing they all will have in common. They will all speak of that which initiates true conversion. Each of these individuals will speak of the grace of God that has given them an awareness of their sin and subsequent need for a Savior named Jesus.

But how do we get this awareness? Who will convince us that we are not as good as we think we are? Who will persuade us that our good deeds will never measure up before a holy God? Who will convict us of sin, righteousness and judgment? Who will show us the real reason we need a Savior? This morning, in an abbreviated sermon I'd like to answer those questions.

In verse 4 of chapter 16 Jesus speaks of His presence with His disciples, but by way of contrast verse 5 speaks of His going away. "(Verse 4) These things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you. (Verse 5) But now I am going to Him who sent Me." In verse 6 Jesus states the reaction of the disciples in light of His departure. "But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart." The disciples were grieved that they were losing their Master; unfortunately the disciples did not realize that the death of Christ was not the end, but rather the beginning and fulfillment of the perfect plan of God for their good. That's why Jesus continued in verse 7 by saying, "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away."

I can imagine the disciples thinking: Why Jesus? Why is Your death and departure to our advantage? Verse 7 continues, "For if I do not go away, the Helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you" (cf. Jn. 7:37-39; 14:16, 26; 15:26). Now verse 8, "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment." In other words, Jesus Christ will go to the cross to die for sin and then the Holy Spirit will come to convict the sinful world that they are in need of a Savior.

1. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROSECUTOR

Let's begin with "The Purpose of the Prosecutor" (point number one). We learned a few weeks back that the Holy Spirit was our Advocate (Jn. 14:16). He is the One who comes alongside the Christian to intimately dwell within the believer and plead his or her case before God. Now we learn that the Holy Spirit (though the same Greek word is used-parakletos) is the Prosecutor for those in the world. Jesus clearly said in verse 8 that the Holy Spirit would come to "convict the world." Interestingly, this is the only time in the New Testament that the Holy Spirit has a ministry to the world. But as we will soon discover, those whom He influences in the world will eventually become part of the church as the grace of His drawing and convicting work is irresistible.

Let's examine this crucial doctrine from two perspectives: First from the perspective of those in the world and second from the perspective of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus used the word "world" 15 times in this discourse. Throughout the Scriptures we clearly learn that one belongs either to the church or to the world (1 Jn. 2:15-17). There are no other alternatives. In the gospel of John the world often represents the unbelieving and rebellious segment of society in opposition to Jesus Christ. Those in the world do not seek after God (Rom. 3:11). They are engulfed in their false religious systems (Gal. 4:9-10). And God declares them spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1). Apart from divine intervention, they remain enslaved to their sin and blind to their need for the true salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Paul said it well in 2 Corinthians 4. "In whose case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor.4:4). Hence, God must intervene. Paul continues, "For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).

This brings us to the perspective of the Holy Spirit. Since we cannot save ourselves, God must save us by first giving us who are spiritually dead a desire for Himself. And He does that through the work of the Holy Spirit. You see, as Christians faithfully share the gospel, the Holy Spirit empowers the gospel (Jn. 15:26-27) and illuminates the need for a Savior amongst those whom He wishes (Jn. 3:8). And He does that, as verse 8 indicates through the conviction of sin. Specifically, He makes them aware of their guilt, calls them to repentance and holds out the remedy in the love offering of Jesus.

Just as God brought light into a dark world at Creation (Gen. 1:3), He shines light into the hearts of those who dwell in darkness. Just as Satan blinds the spiritual eyes of the unbelievers, the Spirit removes the scales (Ac. 9:18) and enables them to see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Once people are convicted of the sin they've committed before a holy God, they cheerfully embrace Jesus Christ who died for their sin completely on the cross. The gospel that once was foolishness or stupid or irrelevant becomes true and trustworthy and precious and worthy of our faith.

Often today's indication of the Holy Spirit's presence consists of screaming, fainting and even more bizarre phenomenon. Careful to avoid a flat-out judgment, such responses would be difficult, if not impossible, to support biblically. As we have just noted, the primary fingerprints of the Holy Spirit's presence is a conviction of sin.

When Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" in 1741, it was said that people so convicted of sin clinched to the pews in terror "lest they slip into the eternal abyss of hell which they saw yawning at their feet" (Edna Gerstner, Jonathan and Sarah: An Uncommon Union, p. 99).

In speaking of the Spirit's convicting work in this sermon, one author said, "Edwards (preached this sermon) to his hearers in Enfield, emphasizing the sinfulness of even respectable church folk. As he hammered home the instability of their position before God, whose hand alone held them from immediate death and the judgment that followed, he was in effect comparing them to condemned murderers. The form of the sermon echoes and reinforces its content in a magnificent way. But that is not the source of its power. We can know this because, a few weeks before preaching at Enfield to the accompaniment of the screams of convicted sinners and the joyful weeping of new converts, Edwards had preached virtually the same sermon (we have his manuscript and can see how few amendments were made) to his own flock in Northampton. But his flock responded only, as far as we know, by shaking his hand and saying 'fine word, pastor' as they went home to lunch. All of this reinforces Edwards's own analysis of the revivals: the word is the occasion for awakening, and a necessary one, but the Spirit of God does the work, and he 'blows where he wills.' His passing could be seen in lasting changes: People made humble, faithful, prayerful and holy. Churches made earnest in worship and hungry for the Word…Such was Edwards's final analysis of the revivals in The Religious Affections (1746)" (Stephen R. Holmes, "A Mind on Fire," Christian History (Issue 77), p. 13).

2. THE CASE OF THE PROSECUTOR

As we move to the second point, Jesus specifies the basis of the Holy Spirit's conviction and expands the nature of each one. Beginning in verse 8, "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged" (Jn. 16:8-11).

Though these three points of conviction are compact, I'd like to briefly comment on each one.

First of all, the Holy Spirit will convict the world "concerning sin, because they do not believe in (Jesus)" - verse 9. Notice that Jesus speaks of sin in the singular. The world is guilty because they are in sin and they refuse to repent. But ultimately, the world has committed the greatest sin as the remainder of this verse suggests by refusing to believe in Jesus.

According to John 3:18, "He who believes in (Jesus) is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." For if the world believed in Jesus, they would confess their sin and turn to Him for complete forgiveness. But until they turn, their sin remains. So what the Holy Spirit must do is shine a massive spotlight on sin's ugliness and Christ's beauty. He gives the world the opportunity to stop being the world and enter triumphantly into the church.

Second, the Holy Spirit will convict the world "concerning righteousness, because (Jesus will) go to the Father and (the disciples will) no longer see (Him)" - verse 10. In this verse we again see the dichotomy between the church and the world. The church trusts in Christ's righteousness, but the world trusts in its own righteousness.

Most people who believe in God and the afterlife in eternal heaven believe some standard of righteousness must be attained. So they do good works, fulfill religious obligation and promote morality with the hope that their "righteous actions" will be acceptable on the Day of Judgment. However, the Bible calls such actions "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6).

Yes, good works should follow salvation (Eph. 2:10); however, we insult God when we as sinners think our good works can achieve an acceptable standing in His sight. Salvation is only attained when we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ received on the basis of faith.

In Philippians 3 the Apostle Paul recalls his man-centered efforts prior to receiving the righteousness he found in Christ. "…If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith" (Phil. 3:4-9). Later in Titus Paul will say, "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit" (Tit. 3:5).

Since the world had already determined its standard of man-made righteousness it had no need for Christ. The world declared itself righteous and judged Jesus unrighteous (Jn. 18:30) and therefore got rid of Him by murdering Him on a cross. But the opposite was true. Jesus was vindicated by the Father through the Resurrection (Ac. 2:33; Rom. 1:4) and returned to the Father's side in glory (as verse 10 teaches - Christ goes to the Father, in John's terminology, through the death, resurrection and ascension - 14:12, 28; 16:28). The One they crucified, the One they could not convict of sin (Jn. 8:46) will convict them through the Holy Spirit of Christ's righteousness and their condemnation. But those who freely receive Christ's righteousness will likewise be accepted by the Father through the resurrection of their bodies in glory.

Third, the Holy Spirit will convict the world "concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged" - verse 11. Though the world under the inspiration of Satan "judged" Christ and found Him guilty, the Holy Spirit will reveal to the world its guilt because Jesus was innocent and Satan has been judged. Though Satan deceived the world in thinking that the cross was God's judgment on Christ, the Holy Spirit will convict the world that the cross was really Christ's judgment on Satan (Jn. 12:31; 14:30).

The Holy Spirit will convict the world that its ruler, "the ruler of this world," stands condemned and his sentence will be all the more evident when he is forever cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). The Holy Spirit will reveal to the world that they have been clinging to the wrong master and echoing his values in opposition to God. They will realize that he really is the "father of lies" (Jn. 8:44) and "there is no truth in him" (Jn. 8:44). They will realize that unless they change their allegiance, the same fate that awaits Satan awaits them.

Sinclair Ferguson summarizes the convicting work of the Spirit in these three clauses. "(His ministry) thus produces a total reversal, a conversion in our thinking. Instead of calling Christ into question we discover that we are being called into question by His Spirit. The contempt or indifference or opposition which we poured upon Him now rebounds upon us. The positions are reversed: It is not Christ who on the cross is declared guilty of sin - but I am declared guilty! It is not Christ who is condemned - but I who am condemned (Ferguson, The Christian Life, pg. 42).

Possibly the best place in Scripture we witness the convicting work of the Holy Spirit is immediately after His promised arrival (Jn. 16:8a) at Pentecost. Instantly after Peter's simple presentation of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit drove the truth home like an arrow through the conscience of those in attendance. Luke states, "Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brethren, what shall we do'" (Ac. 2:37)? "Peter said to them, 'Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ'" (Ac. 2:38a). It is recorded that 3,000 people that day trusted Christ (Ac. 2:41) without any gimmicks. All was accomplished by the faithful preaching of the Word and convicting work of the Spirit.

Shortly you will hear from four people who have been convicted of their sin have repented, trusted Jesus Christ and in obedience to Christ are entering the water of baptism. But what about you? Are you aware of your sin? Are you really living for Jesus Christ? If not you are following the defeated Satan and awaiting the condemnation of your own righteousness. If the Holy Spirit is convicting your heart, I beg you to repent of your sin and place your faith in Jesus Christ and begin to experience the joy of a transformed life. For the Scriptures boldly declare, "whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed" (Rom. 10:11).