Being Convicted By The Holy Spirit

I think I speak for everyone when I say that we fully understand loss. Whether it is the loss of a parent, or a spouse, or a child to death or the loss of a close friend because of a relocation, we know the pain of losing someone that is meaningful to us. The gospels describe such a loss for the disciples. Jesus had become their guide. He had become their hope, and their Lord. When He explained that He was going to leave them, we get this feeling how confused and distressed they were. They had finally found the One who they believed was the Messiah, so how were they going to continue without Him?

But Jesus told them that He was not going to leave them alone. He would send His Holy Spirit to be with them. And here is what I want us to realize today. Jesus also promised that same promise to us. He won't leave us alone either. Today I will be using portions of John 15 & 16 for the message about being convicted by the Holy Spirit. Prayer

Before His death, Jesus shared a final Passover meal with His disciples in an upstairs room in Jerusalem. Jesus already knew that in just a few hours He would be arrested, tried, beaten, and crucified. He also knew that His disciples would be scattered, confused, and afraid. So, as they finished that Passover meal, Jesus began what some have called His farewell address. Of the many things that Jesus told them that night, probably the most touching moment was when He told them He was leaving them. He literally said, "little children, I am with you a little while longer." From this background, we pick up the story in:

John 15: 26-27 - “When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father —the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”

Can you imagine the confusion that the disciples had when Jesus said this? One by one, they begin to ask questions, trying to understand what Jesus was telling them. John recorded questions from several of the disciples and the tender way Jesus answered them. Despite the fear and uncertainty that He no doubt saw in His disciples’ eyes, Jesus told them that He was not going to leave them alone.

And so He began to teach the disciples about the Holy Spirit and His work. He said that the Holy Spirit would come from the Father and be with them. Just as Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples, Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to us. I'm not sure that you fully realize what a wonderful thing that is. The Holy Spirit is God's presence with us. How often do you think about the Holy Spirit's presence in your life? Sure, we talk about how much God loves us and helps us. We talk about Jesus all the time. But how much and how often do we consider the Holy Spirit that indwells us.

You see, once Jesus left this Earth and sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, the Holy Spirit is now our Counselor. He is the one that offers us comfort and help. Jesus wanted the disciples to know that He was sending the Holy Spirit to be with them. And He used two phrases to describe the Holy Spirit.

First, He used the word counselor. The role of the Holy Spirit is to be present with those who belong to Jesus. The Greek word that was used for the Holy Spirit, parakletos, literally means one called to assist another, an advocate, or one who pleads the cause of another. It is that same Holy Spirit that will walk with us, comfort us, and provide the help that we need.

The second phrase that Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit was that He called it the spirit of truth. A key role of the Holy Spirit is to give testimony to the truth of Jesus. Back in John 5:31-39, Jesus identified six witnesses who testified about Him as the Messiah. I will let you read that on your own but one of those identifying witnesses was the Holy Spirit. He said that the Holy Spirit would continue to testify to the truth of Jesus to the disciples and through them to the world. You see, the Holy Spirit is God. He is the third person of the trinity. He is just as equal with God the Father and God the Son.

So let me say that again. As a member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is God. And Jesus said in verse 26 that the Holy Spirit will be the one I will send to you from the Father. This verse is a clear picture of the Trinity. God is one God who exists in three persons. You may ask, does the Holy Spirit come from the Father or from Jesus? The answer to that is yes. Both of those are accurate. He is the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit comes from God - Father and Son.