Convinced by the Holy Spirit

106, Psalm 106, and this is on page 140, so it's a Sing Psalms version.

We're going to sing verses 1 to 10.

Praise the Lord, extol His goodness, for His love endures always.

Who can tell His mighty actions, or in full declare His praise?

Blessed are those whose way is right, acting justly in His sight.

When You show Your people favor, then, O Lord, remember me.

Help me when You come to save them, let me know prosperity.

Joyful with Your chosen race, joining them and giving praise.

And so on through to verse 10, Psalm 106.

Praise the Lord, extol His goodness.

Praise the Lord, extol His goodness, for His love endures always.

Praise the Lord, extol His goodness, for His love endures always.

Who can tell His mighty actions, or in full declare His praise?

Blessed are those whose way is right, acting justly in His sight.

When You show Your people favor, then, O Lord, remember me.

Help me when You come to save them, let me know prosperity.

Joyful with Your chosen race, joy in heaven and giving praise.

We have sinned just like our fathers.

We have done what was not right.

When our fathers wed in Egypt,

with His might, your deeds of might.

All you have made, Lord, at the reds, He's burned the Lord.

Yet for His sins saved He saved them, and rebuilt His mighty hand.

By His word the sea He parted, led them through us on dry land.

From the land of the foe set free, rescued from the enemy.

Let's now call upon the Lord in prayer.

Let's all join together in prayer.

O Lord, our gracious God, help us to approach You in that right spirit, that right frame of mind.

Help us to come before You, not because it is our custom to do so, though it is so.

Help us to come before You, O Lord, not even because we know it is the right thing for us to do.

Lord, help us to come before You with desire, with relish, with happiness that we are here in the presence of God.

Help us, we pray, to enjoy our time in worship.

And to do so, O Lord, in a way that realizes in You the wonder of Your forgiveness, of Your acceptance of us,

through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We approach You, O Lord, on the basis of all that He is for us, on the basis of His accomplished righteousness,

which alone is able to give us a standing in Your presence,

but which is so full and replete that we need nothing else in order to be righteous in Your presence.

We thank You, Lord, today for the way in which Your Word so clearly brings to us the account of our own sinfulness,

against the provision that You have made in righteousness and in forgiveness in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord, help us ever to realize both of these aspects of our need before You,

that we are needy sinners, that we are lost sinners.

We cannot produce a righteousness ourselves that will be acceptable to You,

and yet You require righteousness of us.

We thank You for the provision, Lord, that You have made,

that You have made Your dear Son, the one who knew no sin, to be made sin for us,

that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Help us today to marvel at the wonder of this.

That this is what You have done as a holy and righteous God,

that You have not marked our iniquity against us,

that You have not treated us the way we deserve,

Lord, the way we sometimes treat one another.

You have treated us in mercy.

You have come toward us in the provision of life.

You have brought to us, O Lord, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

We pray today that He may be made precious to us,

even if we have already known Him and do know Him as a precious Savior.

May that sense of preciousness be deepened today.

Speak to any here, O Lord, who still don't know Him as a Savior,

who have not yet accepted fully the offer of the Gospel,

and come to receive Jesus for themselves.

We pray today, O Lord, that You would work in their hearts,

that You would give them the power of Your Holy Spirit to draw them to Yourself,

to bring them to come to confess their sin and their need of salvation,

and to come to enjoy the provision of such in Your forgiveness.

Bless today, we pray, all the gatherings of Your church throughout the world.

Lord, we realize that many people today gather in the same name of Jesus.

We give thanks, Lord, that we come along with them to recognize

that You are worthy of such worship as we offer You today.

We pray that those in very different circumstances to ours,

especially those who are so affected by war,

by terrorism, by the fear that is instilled through such events and such conditions.

Lord, we pray for Your people in these different parts of the world,

and we ask that You would draw near to them to encourage them,

to strengthen them, and to give them that which You alone are able to give,

and a continued resolve to trust in You,

and a continued resolve to resist the attempts of the evil one,

to say that if God were real, You would not allow such things to happen.

Help us also, Lord, to face such criticism and such opinions in our day,

and enable us to bring people in our response to accusations against You.

Help us to bring them to the cross,

for this is the God we present,

the God we love, the God we know,

the God who instead of marking up our sin against us,

and rejecting us forever as we deserve,

instead placed His own Son in our place,

that He might die that death which we deserved,

and that through resurrection from the dead,

He might bring life and immortality to light through the Gospel.

Bless, we pray today, those who need You.

In special circumstances, Lord, we ask that all those who are unable to be with Your people today physically will be blessed.

All those who are prevented by illness, by injuries, by various circumstances,

that prevent them gathering together as they would like with Your people.

Remember those who belong to our own number, Lord, in that regard.

Remember, too, those who continue to mourn the passing of loved ones.

We ask that You would bless them, bless those who are waiting and have been waiting for some time,

for the funeral of those that have departed.

Lord, remember them, we pray, and continue to uphold them and to bless them,

and to grant them the strength of Your Holy Spirit.

Remember, we pray also our church at this time, our denomination,

as we look forward to various events over the coming weeks and months.

We pray that You would bless those who are preparing for the General Assembly that takes decisions affecting all our congregations.

Remember them, Lord, we pray, in their preparations.

Remember, too, O Lord, our mission meeting this coming week.

We pray that it may stimulate us to engage further in mission.

And we pray for Manuel, as he comes to speak to us of his work in Spain,

that You would grant him Your blessing while he is here in the island.

We pray for the work of street pastors in our locality and in other places throughout our land.

We pray for those we know ourselves here locally who are involved in the work of street pastors going out

on various nights of the week and seeking to help people as they come across them in distress and in need.

Uphold them, we pray.

Protect them.

Use them, Lord, we pray, to bring benefit and help to those that they seek to minister to.

And we ask that You would bless our young people.

Protect them, Lord, we pray.

Shield them about with Your own care and love.

And as they are taught of Your ways,

O Lord, we pray that You would establish them in Your ways,

that You would protect them from all the evil influences that surround us in this world.

And we ask that the love and the teaching and the concern of parents prayerfully before You

might truly be answered in Your blessing.

And we ask that You would continue to bless us here in our locality.

Bless all who have particular places of importance and influence in our society.

Remember them, Lord, we pray, as they take decisions that affect us all,

especially at the higher levels of government.

We commend them to You once again.

And we pray that You would continue now to bless us here in this service of worship.

Guide us into Your truth, we pray.

And all we ask is with the forgiveness of all our sins, for Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Let's read now from John's Gospel,

New Testament and the Gospel of John.

reading chapter 16 and verses 1 to 15.

Gospel of John chapter 16,

John 16 · chapter mention

beginning at verse 1 through to verse 15, as you know.

This is part of the teaching that Jesus gave the disciples

in what's called the Upper Room.

These verses, these chapters 15 to the end of 17,

and, sorry, 14 to the end of 17,

before He then went out to face His trial and subsequent crucifixion.

So in chapter 16, we read at the beginning,

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.

They will put you out of the synagogues.

Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.

And they will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me.

But I have said these things to you,

that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you.

I did not say these things to you from the beginning,

because I was with you.

But now I am going to Him who sent me.

And none of you asks me,

Where are you going?

But because I have said these things to you,

sorrow has filled your heart.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.

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 go, I will send Him to you.

And when He comes,

He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me.

Concerning righteousness,

because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer.

Concerning judgment,

because the ruler of this world is judged.

I still have many things to say to you,

but you cannot bear them now.

When the Spirit of truth comes,

He will guide you into all the truth.

For He will not speak on His own authority,

but whatever He hears, He will speak,

and He will declare to you the things that are to come.

He will glorify me,

for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.

All that the Father has is mine.

Therefore I said,

that He will take what is mine

and declare it to you.

Amen.

And may the Lord once again follow that reading with His blessing.

Let's turn again to praise the Lord,

this time in Psalm 65.

Psalm number 65,

on page 82,

singing verses 1 to 5.

In Zion praise awaits you, Lord.

To you our vows will pay.

To you all people will come near.

You hear us when we pray.

When we were overwhelmed by sins and guilt upon us lay,

you pardoned all our trespasses

and washed our guilt away.

How blessed are those you choose

and bring within your courts of grace.

We're filled with blessings in your house,

in your most holy place.

With awesome deeds of righteousness,

you answer us, O God,

our Savior,

hope of further seas

and all the earth abroad.

These verses,

In Zion praise awaits you, Lord.

In Zion praise awaits you, Lord.

To you our vows will pay.

To you all people will come near.

To you all people will come near.

You hear us when we pray.

When we were overwhelmed by sins and guilt upon us lay,

You pardoned all our trespasses.

You pardoned all our trespasses.

You pardoned all our trespasses

and washed our guilt away.

How blessed are those you choose and bring within your courts of grace.

We're filled with blessings in your house.

We're filled with blessings in your house.

We're filled with blessings in your house.

We're filled with blessings in your house.

We're filled with blessings in your house.

blessings

in your

eyes

in your

most holy

place

with

awesome

deeds of

righteousness

you

answer

us

O God

our

Savior

hope

of far

the seas

our

Savior

hope

of far

the seas

and all

the earth

abroad

now if you would turn with me please to the passage of scripture we read in john chapter 16 today we're looking at verses 8 to 11

John 16 · chapter mention

john 16 and beginning at verse 8

this is jesus talking about the helper who is the holy spirit the spirit of truth as he refers to him in verse 16

when he comes he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment

concerning sin because they do not believe in me

concerning righteousness because i go to the father and you will see me no longer

concerning judgment

because the ruler of this world

is judged

well we can safely say that the coming of the son of god

when he came into this world by

taking our human nature to himself

and the coming of the holy spirit

as you find that described

in act chapter 2

what happened on the day of pentecost

the coming of the son of god

the coming of the spirit of god

were really the two

definitive events in the history of the world

the only other event

that you could say is of like

nature to that

is the coming of christ again

his return

on the great day of judgment

and here in this passage

jesus

is anticipating the coming

of the holy spirit

that you find described in acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

by referring to that in this way

he speaks of the spirit of truth

the helper

the old

translations had

comforter

all of these

meanings are built into the words that jesus uses

the holy spirit is

the helper

he is the comforter

he is the spirit of truth

he is the spirit of god

and of course the holy spirit

like jesus himself

is god

we worship

this god

who is three persons

in one god

in the mystery of that trinity

that we believe

though we cannot

but understand

but a small amount of it

that's what the bible

reveals to us

and we believe that

because that's

how god has described himself

well the coming of the holy spirit here

is

described by jesus

as having this effect

when he comes

he will

convict the world

concerning sin

and righteousness

and judgment

the world there means

people like you and i

the world

the world in the sense of being

estranged from god

the world in the guilt of sin

the world really being

human beings

that have rebelled against god

that's the kind of people

that jesus came to save

there were no other types anyway

and so for you and for me today

it's describing

what we are ourselves

by nature

we are the world

until jesus comes

and changes that

and brings us to know

himself to be his saints

and that's what

the spirit of god here

in the ministry of the spirit

is described as doing

now the holy spirit

was already

in the world

in creation

before he came

so definitively

on the day of pentecost

you read way back

at the beginning of the bible

in genesis chapter 1

Genesis 1:2

verse 2

that the spirit of god

moved upon the face

of the waters

god's creation

of the heavens

and the earth

the earth was

void

it was without form

and void

it needed to be

shaped

but until that happened

the spirit of god

moved on the face

of the waters

holding all things together

until god said

let there be light

and he fashioned

the other parts

of the creation

we're now

so aware of

in this world

especially

and you can find

also in the old testament

that the spirit of god

is described

sometimes

as coming upon

people

david for example

in first samuel

1 Samuel 16 · chapter mention

chapter 16

the spirit of god

came upon him

from that day onwards

but that's how the old testament

tends to describe

the spirit of god

in the world

in regard to god's people

he came upon them

he came upon samson

spirit of god

actually came upon

different personalities

different people

throughout the ages

of the old testament

but it's only when you

come to the new testament

it's only when you

come to

what happened

after jesus

had come

and died

and risen again

and gone back to heaven

that you find

the holy spirit

coming permanently

to dwell in the hearts

of god's people

and now that's

anticipated

in the old testament

for example

you go to

ezekiel

and in ezekiel

Ezekiel 36 · chapter mention

chapter 36

you find a wonderful

description of

days of blessing

that lie ahead

from the perspective

of the old testament

where god is saying

to the people

of israel there

that he is going

to bring them

together

to bring them

to know himself

chapter 36

of ezekiel

and verse 27

there where he's saying

i will take you

from the nations

i will gather you

to from all the

countries and bring

you to your own land

i will sprinkle

clean water on you

and you shall be

clean from all

your uncleannesses

and from all

your idols

i will cleanse you

and i will give you

a new heart

and a new spirit

i will put within you

i will remove the

heart of stone

from your flesh

and give you

a heart of flesh

and i will put

my spirit

within you

and cause you

to walk in my

statutes

and be careful

to obey

my rules

that's an anticipation

a prophecy

of the coming

of the holy spirit

that would take place

in the new testament

and of course

when you go to

john itself

john's gospel

and chapter 7

you'll find a very

significant passage

in chapter 7

at verse 37

where jesus is saying

on the last day

of the feast

jesus stood

and cried

if anyone thirsts

let him come

to me

and drink

whoever believes

in me

as the scripture

has said

out of his heart

will flow rivers

of living water

now this he said

about the spirit

whom those

who believed

in him

were to receive

for as yet

the spirit

had not yet

been given

because jesus

was not yet glorified

you see what

that is saying

to us

that it required

first of all

jesus to come

into the world

the son of god

to die on the cross

to rise from the dead

to be glorified

to return to heaven

from where he came

that's what he's saying

in this chapter

in chapter 16

as well

he's going back

to the father

only then

only after that

is he speaking

of the spirit

of god

coming

the way that he came

on the day of pentecost

and the spirit's own work

is what is described

here by jesus

in verses 8

to 11

now we need to look

at a couple of words

and the meaning

of these words

before we enter

more fully

into the verses

he says here

he will convict

and he's saying

he'll convict

the world

of righteousness

of sin

righteousness

and judgment

so the convicting

is to do with sin

and with righteousness

and with judgment

it follows into

these three categories

and the word convict

is probably not

the best translation

though it can mean that

the word convince

will probably

carry the meaning

of it better for us

he will convince

the world

and when you go back

to chapter 8

the word is used

with regard to

what jesus himself

said to those

who were seeking

to find fault

with him

chapter 8

verse 46

where jesus said

which of you

convicts me

of sin

he's really saying

which of you

can present

an argument

and convince

that I am a sinner

that I have sinned

that I am wrong

so that convincing

really the same word

is used exactly

as here

when he comes

he will convince

the world

concerning sin

concerning righteousness

concerning judgment

he will convince

in the sense of

successfully

persuading

you might say

of these three matters

he will successfully

or powerfully

persuade

the world

of these

three issues

and you notice

the connection

in each of these

cases

with the work

of jesus himself

he will persuade

the world

concerning sin

because they don't

believe in me

concerning righteousness

because I go to

the father

concerning judgment

because the ruler

of this world

the devil

is judged

and you can see

how specific

that is as well

the word because

are words

concerning there

really means

specifically

about this

and in other words

he is saying

when he comes

he will convince

the world

specifically

concerning sin

because they believe

not

specifically

because

specifically

concerning

the fact

that they don't

believe in me

specifically

concerning

relating to

the fact

that I go

to the father

specifically

concerning judgment

because the ruler

of this world

is judged

in other words

all that jesus

is saying here

about the work

of the holy

spirit

is keyed

into

his own

work

but it's

keyed

into his

person

it's keyed

into

what we make

of the truth

concerning jesus

that's what the

holy spirit

and the holy

spirit's work

of convincing

us

is really

about

so let's

look at these

three issues

in turn

when he comes

he will convince

the world

concerning sin

because they

do not

believe

in me

we need

to be

convinced

concerning

sin

why is that

well for one

reason is because

sin

and because

our sinfulness

prevents us

from

realizing that

for ourselves

one of the things

that has happened

in our fallenness

in adam

is that we don't

realize exactly

what our need

is about

we don't realize

the seriousness

of our lost

condition

we don't realize

the sinfulness

of our lost

condition

we don't realize

the seriousness

of not believing

in jesus

of not accepting

jesus

and the consequences

of not accepting

jesus

you see one of the sins

one of sins

effects

is that our minds

have become

numbed

you might say

to the truth

of god

when you cut

a nerve

in your hand

or wherever it is

i cut this

thumb many years

ago

with a piece

of glass

right across

here

had to go away

and get the nerve

put back together

again but there's

still a numbness

there

when i do that

i don't feel

anything in that

specific spot

and our minds

our souls

have become

numbed

to the seriousness

of sin

to the seriousness

of our lostness

to the seriousness

and the criminality

if you like

in the face of god

of not believing

in jesus

of not accepting

the provision

that god has made

for us in jesus

and the spirit

of god

comes to

exactly that point

where he convinces

us of our sin

and especially

our sin

in not believing

in jesus

and of course

believing in jesus

in this context

and a lot of other

contexts

in the teaching

of the bible

means more than

believing things

about him

when jesus

is saying here

he will

when he comes

convince the world

concerning sin

because they do

not believe in me

that's equivalent

to not accepting him

it's equivalent

to rejecting him

it's equivalent

to not embracing him

i remember the

words of the catechism

and catechism

31

that was one of

the catechisms

we uh

well certainly

when i was a youngster

you dreaded being asked

in sunday school

to repeat

catechism 31

it was the longest

and uh

it's effectual

calling

how we come

to be

savingly united

with jesus

and what does it say

what is our

effectual calling

it is the work

of god's

spirit

whereby

convincing us

of our sin

and misery

enlightening our minds

in the knowledge

of christ

and renewing

our wills

he doth

persuade

and enable us

to embrace

jesus christ

that's the work

of the spirit

of god

he persuades

and he enables

he convinces

of our sin

especially in regard

to not believing

in christ

when you're convinced

you see of

of the merits

of jesus

of the worth

of jesus

of how jesus

deserves

that your faith

is placed

in him

of how jesus

deserves

that you accept

him as god's

great gift

of a savior

when you're

persuaded

that that

jesus

has that

merit

that he deserves

this

to say nothing

else

then you're

persuaded

that not

believing

in him

is a serious

business

if god

has

as he has

provided

this savior

for us

then not

accepting him

not closing

in with him

not in the

words of the

catechism

embracing him

is the

most serious

thing you

can do

because it's

tantamount to

rejecting

the love

of god

the mercy

of god

the gift

of a savior

on god's

part

to us

who are

undeserving

of it

so you see

that's so

important

that today

we're being

taught by

this passage

that this

is the

work of

the holy

spirit

and that

we need

this work

of the

holy

spirit

in our

lives

in my

heart

in your

mind

in your

life

to persuade

us

to actually

convince us

about our

sin

that it is

something so

serious

that only

the remedy

that's in

jesus will

do for it

nothing else

is going to

meet your

need today

as a

sinner

the way

this is

and indeed

the spirit

of god

as we said

earlier

persuades us

of the

criminality

of rejecting

him

it's as if

god is

and god is

indeed saying

this is the

highest guilt

this is

something that

places you

in the category

of being so

clearly guilty

because here

is something

that's so

wonderfully shown

in the gospel

the provision

of a savior

do i need

him

of course i

need him

can i produce

what he has

produced for

myself

of course i

can't

i am a

sinner

i'm a

lost sinner

i'm an

unrighteous

sinner

i'm a

sinner

incapable

of creating

the righteousness

as we'll see

in a minute

that god

requires of

me that

god himself

is calling

for but i

don't need to

create it for

myself

and when i

try and create

it for myself

the holy spirit

when he convinces

me this way

will turn me

away from

myself to

jesus and

will say

that's what

you need

there is your

there is your

salvation

there is your

provision

there is forgiveness

for your sins

there is the answer

to your guilt

convinces

because this is

what the spirit

does he will

convince the

world concerning

sin on account

of or specifically

in relation to the

fact that they do

not believe in me

and you know

when you actually

don't accept

jesus

when that sin

of not accepting

jesus

let's be clear

that's what the

bible is telling

us here

to reject him

not to accept

him

is a sin

on your part

and mine

and when that sin

is still in

place

then

every other

sin

is unforgiven

it's logical

isn't it

if I haven't

placed my

trust in christ

which is the

way that god

actually sets

before me

as the way

to salvation

the way to

forgiveness

the way to

righteousness

I need to

trust in christ

first that's the

root that's the

key that's the

entrance point

so unless I've

done that

no other sin

on my part

can be forgiven

or is forgiven

I need first of

all first and

foremost

to accept

christ

to receive

god's gift

in him

then everything

else

follows on

from that

and it's the

work of the

holy spirit

to convince

us concerning

sin

in regard

to the fact

that we do

not believe

ourselves

as we are

in jesus

secondly

he talks about

the holy spirit

convincing us

of righteousness

see what he's

saying here

specifically in

regard to

righteousness

on account of

the fact that I

go to the

father and you

will see me

no longer

now you know

what righteousness

is it's a

concept that's

not that easy to

understand necessarily

but it's quite

clear in the bible

what it is

righteousness

is God

himself being

righteous

morally

righteous

no defect

whatsoever in

him

the standard

of righteousness

that he requires

of us

you might say

is the standard

that we would

have if we

were able to

complete and

hold the law

of God for

ourselves in

obedience

all the time

if we were able

to say every

single aspect of

what God commands

and requires of

me I can do

if we were able

to say that

which we're not

we would be

righteous

but because

we're not

what does God

do he sends

the Holy Spirit

to convince us

that our

righteousness

is in Jesus

he doesn't just

convince us

of our sin

and of our

misery as the

catechism said

he persuades us

as well

he successfully

convinces us

that being

sinners

we need the

righteousness

that's in Jesus

because we don't

have one of

ourselves

there's the

wonder of

what God

does in our

experience

he comes to

persuade us

regarding our

sins

our need of

forgiveness

of cleansing

of washing

and so what

does he then do

he brings us

to Christ

he shows us

we cannot

produce

the righteousness

that he requires

but Jesus

has done that

for us

and when you

come to trust

in him

to give your

life to him

to believe

in him

whatever words

we use

they're all

used in the

Bible

to give you

the complete

picture

of what it

means to

accept Christ

to embrace

Christ

what then

happens

well his

righteousness

is put onto

your account

in the presence

of God

the guilt

that's honored

up to then

is wiped

clean

it disappears

it will never

appear there

again

but it stays

there

and it will

condemn you

and condemn me

if I've not

accepted Christ

as my

righteousness

that's the

the solemnity

but the beauty

of the gospel

that God

brings us

to know

this

to realize

this

to appreciate

this

and especially

that he does

so through

the work

of his

Holy Spirit

you go to

the likes

of Saul

of Tarsus

the apostle

Paul

as he came

to be known

here was a man

who thought

that he was

righteous

because in his

own estimation

he was blameless

as touching

the law of God

the righteousness

which is in the law

blameless

I've got that

he was able to say

of himself

wrongly of course

as he came to

realize

but after he met

with Jesus

after Jesus

apprehended him

on the road

to Damascus

and from that

moment

showed him

that he was

actually very

unrighteous

that all

the attempts

that he

could make

of keeping

that law

for himself

would amount

to nothing

because he was

a sinner

and he needed

the righteousness

that was in

Christ

and you examine

all his epistles

that he wrote

subsequent to that

great event

what do they all

state

in some way

or other

some more

than others

well if you

go to Romans

and if you

go to Galatians

especially

that a man

or a woman

is not justified

by the works

of the law

that's to say

by our own

attempts at

keeping the law

of God

we're not

justified

we're not

accounted

righteous

because of

that

but through

faith

in Christ

Jesus

through accepting

the righteousness

that's provided

for us

in him

you see how

this comes

together

the Holy Spirit

persuades us

of our sin

persuades us

of the enormity

and of the

heinousness

the gravity

of our sin

in rejecting

and not accepting

Christ

and then he brings

us to

the righteousness

of Christ

and he persuades

us that's the

righteousness

that we need

that God

has produced

for us

that remains

as it is

forevermore

and will never

be taken

from us

when we have

put it

on our account

through faith

in Christ

and it fits

exactly with

our need

of that righteousness

that we come

to believe

in Christ

you see

he's saying

here

concerning

righteousness

on account

of the fact

that I go

to the Father

and you will

see me

no longer

now that's

significant

he's talking

here about

the righteousness

that we need

the righteousness

that we come

to possess

through faith

in Christ

to believing

in Christ

but how does

that come

about

what does

he

why does

he add

because I

go to the

Father

and you

will see

me

no longer

well because

that's the

root that

Jesus took

in order

to produce

this righteousness

for us

it cost

him

the death

of the cross

it cost

him

all the

suffering

that he

endured

in order

to bring

this about

it cost

him

the agony

of hell

in his own

soul

the thing

we deserved

for our sin

and our

rebellion

against God

that is

what Jesus

took to

himself

what he

experienced

my God

my God

why have

you forsaken

me

the forsaken

of the cross

the forsaken

in Jesus

experience

is precisely

this

the penalty

the

what we

deserve

for our

unrighteousness

because

he said

I go to

the Father

and you

will see

me no

longer

and the

root to

the Father

was

the cross

the resurrection

the ascension

to glory

that is

the root

that Jesus

took

before the

Spirit of

God came

on the day

of Pentecost

as in fact

had been

promised by

God

up to that

moment

Jesus

took that

root from

heaven

into this

world

to the death

of the cross

he humbled

himself

as we saw

in Philippians 2

and was

obedient

unto death

even that

death of

the cross

where for

God

has highly

exalted

him

and given

him the

name that

is above

every name

that is the

root that

Jesus took

from heaven

to the cross

to the grave

to resurrection

to ascension

back to glory

why is it

all there

because he

loved sinners

like you

and I

because he

loved sinners

like you

and I

that's why

when he

comes he

will convince

the world

concerning sin

and righteousness

and thirdly

judgment

concerning judgment

specifically

in relation

to this

because the

ruler of

this world

is judged

and of course

he means by

that the

devil

the ruler

of this

world

why is he

called

the ruler

of this

world

this is not

the last

judgment

at the

last day

this is

specifically

what happened

in regard

to the

devil

through the

death of

Jesus

and the

resurrection

of Jesus

and the

ascension

of Jesus

what happened

well he

was judged

he was

condemned

the ruler

of this

world

is a reference

to the fact

that after

the fall

of man

remember

Adam and

Eve

listened to

the voice

of the

serpent

Satan

coming in

that form

and yielding

to that

temptation

and bringing

this disaster

upon

mankind

you and I

would have

done

no better

and from

that moment

the whole

world lay

in darkness

under the

sway of

the evil

one

until that

moment that

Jesus came

into the

world

died and

rose from

the dead

what happened

the devil

is judged

he's lost

his right

his claim

whatever it

was under

the sovereignty

of God

of course

his claim

to hold

people in

darkness

in spiritual

blindness

and what

does that

mean for

you and

me

it means

that you

and I

can now

say

absolutely

assuredly

since the

death blow

has been

given to

Satan's

kingdom

to Satan's

sway

to Satan's

persuasive

ways

to Satan

himself

as the

ruler of

this world

since the

death blow

has already

been given

he's been

judged by

by Jesus

in this

way

and therefore

there is

no reason

in the

world

why anyone

should listen

to him

why anyone

should continue

to give

heed

to his

insinuations

to his

temptations

to his

hold on

human life

the Holy

Spirit

convinces

us

that we

can

indeed

and should

be

free

indeed

as Jesus

put it

elsewhere

in John's

gospel

if the

son

makes you

free

that's

himself

the son

of God

if he

makes you

free

then you

are free

indeed

what is

freedom

well if you

listen to

the world

the world

will tell

you

freedom

is having

the ability

and the

freedom

to do

what you

want

to follow

your own

inclinations

to live

life the way

you think

it should

be lived

never mind

what the

church

says

never mind

what ministers

faithful to

the gospel

preached

freedom

is to be

rid of

all of

these

things

that entrammel

people's

lives

that close

their minds

against

the truth

of the

liberty

of the

world

that is

what Satan

persuades

so many

people

about

that is

what the

world

will tell

you

that is

why it is

so difficult

to witness

to the

gospel

that is

why it is

so difficult

to come

even lovingly

and tactfully

to tell

people

that actually

those ways

that people

spend their

lives in

sinful

debauchery

is actually

wrong

they will

say

it is not

wrong in

my eyes

I am

free to

do what

I like

well God

through the

gospel

today is

saying to

you and

me

you know

better

than that

you know

better that

the freedom

that the

bible speaks

about

the freedom

and liberty

that is

within

God's