THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life today?
Try opening a conversation with that question at Jake Horton’s (local coffee shop). My guess is there would be a lot of stammering and head-scratching to try and answer that one. Ask someone this question and watch them squirm.
I am not encouraging you to be mean; I am merely illustrating that to explain the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives requires thought. Our struggle to respond causes us to review the extraordinary moments, the “God-thing” that happened to you, and we grow frustrated when we can’t think of one from last week.
What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life today? I “googled” some common misconceptions about the Holy Spirit. There are some who think that the Holy Spirit helps us feel good about ourselves. Many assume that the warm fuzzy feelings are evidence of his presence. Others fear that the Spirit is someone who makes you do weird and uncomfortable things. A common understanding is that when the right songs are sung in worship and the preacher is spot-on with his message that the Holy Spirit was “really” present in a worship service.
I believe the Holy Spirit is present in the chaotic worship service where nothing goes as planned as well as in the so-called perfect service. But that’s beside the point.
Or is it? If we are asking why the Holy Spirit was given to us, we must explore what he was sent to do. To make this personal, I will use “me” and “my” but encourage you to say this to yourself. The Holy Spirit was not given to ME by Jesus for MY own benefit. I propose to you that the Holy Spirit who indwells ME has less to do with ME and more to do with OTHERS from the context of John 16:5-11.
To be clear, the Holy Spirit does this work in ME too, but when I share the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit does the work of convincing our hearers of the good news.
“It’s better for you if I’m not here” (16:5-7)
Let’s go back to John 16. This is the night before Jesus is crucified and Jesus has told the disciples he is leaving them. Nothing Jesus is saying makes sense to them right then. They are bewildered and hurt. Jesus, their beloved teacher, seems to be abandoning them.
Jesus responds to this hurt with even more perplexing words, “…it is to your advantage that I go away…” or “It’s better for you if I’m not here.” That makes less sense. How could this be true? What is better than having Jesus right here beside me? If I asked you, I’m sure you would agree that having the physical Jesus in this building right now would be the best thing ever. Who gets to take him for lunch in Morris? All of us would want Jesus here.
But Jesus says, “It is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate (Paraclete; Helper) won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you,” (7). Pastor J.D. Greear wrote a book subtitled The Spirit Inside You is Better than Jesus Beside You. That sentiment captures the intention of Jesus’ words. It’s still hard to fathom if we don’t understand the Spirit’s purpose.
Two things are intended by this “advantage.” One is that it is better for the disciples not to be dependent on the visible, bodily presence of Jesus. The other is more important: the Spirit will not come unless Jesus goes away. Jesus was limited spatially in a human way to one locale – he couldn’t be everywhere. The Holy Spirit could and does manifest himself everywhere. Even more importantly, the Spirit could not dwell in believers until Jesus died on the cross and rose again. I struggle to explain this, but in God’s providence, the Spirit could temporarily fill men and women in the OT, while after the resurrection the Spirit would dwell permanently in those who believe in Jesus.
I believe the key is the cross of Christ – putting your faith in Jesus, the crucified Lord, opens your life to the Spirit.
How Does the Spirit Help Me? (16:8-11)
That’s the question! I remember asking as a young person, “What’s the advantage having the Holy Spirit in my life?” What help does he give? Jesus said that his going away was to the disciples’ advantage. So, what’s the advantage?
Jesus gives an almost perfect summary of the Spirit’s work in response. He said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…” (8). The word John uses as “convict” can also be translated “convince.” Neither word is adequate. If you like “Law and Order” TV shows, courtroom drama, you can imagine a lawyer cross-examining a witness until he pokes holes in the person’s testimony and the witness admits that his perception of the crime is full of errors. Cross-examination can do two things: convict a person in their conscience of a wrong done or convince the person of the weakness of their case. Both “convict” and “convince” could be applied to this picture.
What does the Spirit do? His primary ministry is to bring men and women to a place of personal conviction about who Jesus is and the cross he died upon. When we share that Jesus is the King of glory who died for us, the Spirit works on people to convince them of the truth.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of revelation. He reveals the truth (reality) of the cross in three ways. Let’s explore this with three questions:
How do we know what sin looks like? I think that we all have an innate sense of what is right and wrong. We can make a list of sins just by watching the evening news. What is the greatest sin? Is it murder? Is it theft? Is it adultery? Is it homosexuality?
Jesus identifies the ultimate sin this way, “The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me,” (9). Would you have put this sin at the top of your list? Pornography is a multibillion-dollar industry and affects men and women alike. Many believe that men are more affected, but one study found that 76% of females between the ages of 18 and 30 watch pornographic material. Surely this tops the sin lists. However, underlying this sin is the sin of unbelief. Not believing in Jesus is the chief of all sins.
Paul gives us a window into this truth. He writes that “…God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ,” (2 Cor 5:21). The ESV says it more directly in that God “made him to be sin.” That’s profound. God made Jesus to be sin. He embodied all the sin of the world, including porn or whatever disgusts you most, on the cross.
What is Jesus saying about sin? All the sins we can list come down to one origin: unbelief. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. If you willingly and knowingly sin, you will feel guilty about it. Good. You are agreeing with the Spirit that it is sin. Acknowledge it, confess it, move away from it.
How do we know what sin is? Look at the cross.
How do we know what is good? Jesus said, “Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more,” (10).
Scholars debate what this verse means. It could mean that the Spirit will convict people of their need for righteousness. Or it could mean that righteousness is available through Jesus and the Spirit convinces us of that. But I believe it means something more.
When Jesus walked the roads of Palestine, most people thought he was a rebel, an outcast, a troublemaker. The Pharisees and Sadducees said he was a criminal, a blasphemer. Some said he cast out demons using the power of demons and therefore must be possessed by demons. Common people loved him; the authorities said he was a bad man. So, they put him on trial (if you can call it that), found him guilty, and executed in the worst possible way. They crucified him.
A bad man was killed. They felt justified for about 36 hours. They woke up Saturday morning and they were right. They ate lunch on Saturday and they were right. They went to bed Saturday night, and they were right. They woke up Sunday morning and found out they were wrong.
What is good? How do you define goodness? Or when someone is good? Jesus, by his obedience to the Father, submitted to death for the sins of the world. His perfect obedience demonstrates that he was perfectly good. And God said “Yes!” by raising him from the dead.
I’m pounding this drum hard Look at the cross. There’s the measure of goodness. Look at Acts 2:22-24 when Peter preached to the crowds in Jerusalem at Pentecost.
People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
Peter presented evidence of Jesus’ goodness. Then he said, “You killed him!” Twice he tells them they killed Jesus! (22, 36). The Holy Spirit opened their eyes in that moment and discovered they had killed a good man. The Holy Spirit shows us that goodness is found only in Jesus Christ.
How do we know that Satan is finished? This is the third and corresponding work of the Spirit. He convinces sinners that living a sinful life and following the spirit of this age ends in disaster.
Jesus said, “Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged,” (11). Note the past tense – “already been judged.” When did that happen? (Beats the drum) At the cross! On the cross evil stands condemned and defeated. Satan was utterly defeated by the death of Jesus.
Paul described Satan and his work to the Corinthians. He wrote, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God,” (2 Cor 4:4).
Why is Satan allowed to run amok and blind people to the Good News of Jesus? Some would say that because he knows he’s finished that he is like a terrorist trying to take down as many people to hell with him as possible. Others would say that a loving God allows people to choose between the life of self-indulgence and a life of selflessness. Perhaps there is truth in both. But it is the Holy Spirit who opens blind eyes and convinces us that Satan is finished and will be judged. To follow him is to follow a loser. As Jesus said, you can gain the whole world yet lose your life.
The Holy Spirit reveals to us that judgment has come. The cross is the place where evil has been judged and salvation has been accomplished for those who believe.
Paul described this victory to the Colossians when he said this in Colossians 2:13-15. (Read).
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed[a] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life today?
We may look at the miracles and the signs and the wonders of the NT. We may even envy the charismatic movement with their emphasis on healings and visions and other manifestations. We may conclude that the Spirit is not doing anything in our lives. I beg to disagree.
Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe that what he did on the cross has led to God forgiving you your sins? Do you look forward to eternal life with Jesus Christ?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, that is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. He has convinced you of the power and effectiveness of the cross to do for you what you were unable to do by any effort or goodness of your own. He has convinced you that a good and perfect man took your place on the cross and died for you.
Do you believe in Jesus? That’s the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Never mind speaking in tongues, never mind the signs and wonders. Your faith is a miracle.
Imagine this. You enter the eternal presence of God and the forever kingdom. To Noah, you ask what it was like to be in the ark with all those animals. To Joseph, you ask what it was like to interpret dreams. To Moses, what was it like to see the Red Sea part. To David, what was it like to take down Goliath. To Daniel…the lion’s den. You get the idea. And then they ask you: WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD IN YOU? What was it like to have the eyes of your heart opened so that you could see the glory of Jesus in the cross of Christ?
What is the work of the Holy Spirit? His work is to empower you and me to speak of Jesus. We speak. He convinces. You don’t need to persuade anyone. We share Jesus. The Holy Spirit convinces or convicts.
Spirit of the Living God, refresh us and remind us of your power to convince. Speak through us to tell people that Jesus is the Son of God.
AMEN
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