Cause for Encouragement
Fortifying the Foundations #36
John 16:5-33[1]
5-23-04
Have you ever been hit with such a jolt of grief that you could not speak?
That’s the condition I think these disciples were in by the time we get to our text.
They are overwhelmed by the realization that Jesus is about to die and leave them in a hostile world. They are in a state of shock. (dumbfounded by the impact of what Jesus has told them). I see them standing there with a blank stare in their eyes wondering how they will survive.
Jesus says to them in John 16:5-6 “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’[2] Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief.” There was nothing casual or incidental about their grief. I believe they were literally “filled with grief”[3].
Jesus has been forthright with them about what is about to happen. Not only will he be taken a slain but they will all forsake him and flee. Some very hard times are coming. In these last hours of his life Jesus is preparing these disciples for what is ahead. He does not hype them with unrealistic expectations. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Nobody likes to hear that. People with itching ears won’t hear it. But it was the truth and Jesus is telling it like it is.
In that context Jesus is also telling them this, “You’re gonna make it!” I don’t think they felt like they were going to make it. But it’s not all bad news. Yes there will be trouble, trials, difficulties. But “You’re gonna make it.” There may be people here this morning who need to know that in their own lives right now. If you don’t need to know it this morning there will likely come a time in your life when you do.
The assurance and encouragement Jesus gives in our text this morning revolves around two primary activities of the Holy Spirit.
I. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of guilt (verse 7-11).
Jesus is leaving. How will they deal with a world that is so hostile it is about to crucify the Lord of glory? The Holy Spirit will deal with the world. Back in chapter 14 Jesus had said, “I will not leave you as orphans...” He promised to send the Holy Spirit. He reinforces that promise here in chapter 16. The Holy Spirit will come and do something through the church that could not possibly be done without Him.
How will the Holy Spirit change the world? He will do it one person at a time. He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment (verse 8). The key to the church’s influence on the world is the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit working the world will not be changed. We must never forget that. We must never think that we could be clever enough to change the world. We must never think that we could entice the world into following Christ by offering entertaining events and good programs. A couple of decades ago we thought we could change the world through political clout. These disciples in John 16 couldn’t do it and neither can we. We should make our voices heard in the political arena. We should develop as effective and interesting programs as we can. But the real change in the world comes through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. He uses us in the process. But only the Holy Spirit can convince unbelievers to change.[4]
Look with me at John 16:8. The Holy Spirit “will convict the world of guilt”. In other words he will bring the unbeliever to a point in his heart where he recognizes his wrongdoing before God.[5] He will prove the accusation of sin to that individual’s heart and mind. In a legal context the word translated convict meant to cross-examine for the purpose of convincing or refuting an opponent.[6]
Has that happened in your life? Have you been convinced by the Holy Spirit of the truths Jesus speaks of here in verses 8-11? I vividly remember a night in 1962 when the Holy Spirit reasoned with me concerning my condition before God. The preacher was speaking but I could not tell you one thing he said. It was not his oratory—it was not his arguments that changed my life. It was something very personal going on between the Holy Spirit and me deep inside my soul. I am so glad that it was not just man reasoning with me that evening. Isa 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” How precious it is when the Holy Spirit reasons with us.
What does it take to convince a person of his real spiritual condition? It takes the tender reasonings of the Holy Spirit. Our propensity to justify ourselves is a monumental obstacle to salvation.
The dishonest businessman will own up to being a sinner. But in his heart he is qualifying his confession by adding the words, “like everybody else.” He does not want the scrutiny that comes with claiming perfection. In his mind his activities are justified. That’s why he continues them. “It’s just part of doing business.” He compares himself to other people and feels he’s as good as anybody else. That man has never really seen his own sin in the white light of the Holy Spirit.
It is not enough to intellectually acknowledge that we have done wrong at times. Any thinking person will acknowledge that. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We must be awakened by the Spirit to what our sin means before God, according to His standards, not according to some comparison we may make to another sinner.
The true significance of our sin before God must be felt in our innermost being. There is a difference between superficially admitting I am a sinner along with all other people verses being awakened to the horror of my condition before God Almighty and the dreadfulness of my accountability to Him. There is a difference between knowing that vinegar is sour, and actually tasting and feeling that it is sour. There is a great difference between knowing that fire will burn us, and actually feeling the pain of being burned.[7] Likewise, there is a difference between intellectually and doctrinally knowing the terrible dreadfulness of sin before God and being convinced to the core of that reality in an encounter with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit awakens the conscience of the unbeliever to spiritual reality. He convinces the sinner of three interrelated facts: “guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment”.
a. Jesus said “in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me.” The essence of sin is unbelief. The underlying cause of disobedience is the refusal to believe that God means exactly what He says. There is Eve in the Garden. What is behind her sin? A subtle question from the serpent, “Hath God said?” A subtle suggestion that God is not really dependable or trustworthy. “You will not surely die” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”[8]
And today you hear people say, “Surely God would not send a person to hell just for rejecting Jesus. You will not surely die. You’re a pretty good person. God wouldn’t send you to hell. Hath God said? What about the heathen?” The serpent reasons with people and the Holy Spirit reasons with people.
What does the Bible say on the subject? John 3:18-19
“Whoever believes in him (Jesus) is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
The solution to one’s sin problem has come. No one has to remain in his sin. “The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin.” To reject the solution is to retain the problem.[9] Suppose I got bitten this morning by a rattlesnake. You say to me, “Let me take you to Cox Hospital. They have anti-venom that will counter the poison.” Suppose I say to you, “I’m fine. I really don’t need it. Besides that I don’t think that stuff really works anyhow”. If I refuse your offer and die I have died because I refused to believe in the anti-venom.
The Holy Spirit awakens the sinner to his sinful condition so that he can receive a Savior. The standards of God’s character are reflected the law. That’s why Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:21-22)
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, `Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, `You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Verse 27) You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
The respectable sinner says, “I thank God I have never murdered anyone or committed adultery.”[10] But the Holy Spirit reasons with him for these words of Jesus. “Has there never been anger in your heart toward another person. Have you never gossiped? Has not lust or covetousness ever arisen in your heart?” Even as upright as Paul was as a Pharisee—above reproach as far as outward behavior was concerned in the eyes of the Jews he had to acknowledge the sin of covetousness in his heart.[11]
The Holy Spirit will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin.
b. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of guilt in regard to righteousness.
Through the cross of Jesus Christ righteousness is available to those who will receive it. The Holy Spirit will expose the inadequacy of self-righteousness as filthy rags in the eyes of God. God’s ways are higher than our ways and His standards are higher than the standards that man will set for himself.
So the Holy Spirit comes and awakens a person’s conscience to the reality of God. That awakening brings him to a sense of moral accountability. If God is, and if He created us, then we stand reportable to Him. How can I be in right relationship to Him?
The Holy Spirit reveals God’s way of righteousness. It is available through the death of His Son. Jesus not only took our sins but in the same transaction gives to those who will receive it a right standing before God. The problem is our sin. The solution is the righteousness of Jesus Christ through faith. The Holy Spirit convinces the soul of man of both the problem and the solution.
Notice that all three convictions of the Holy Spirit have to do with the work of Christ.
John 16:10 “In regard to righteousness because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer.” The resurrection and ascension of Jesus is proof that He is the way, the truth and the life. Romans 1:4 tells us that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” How do I know that Jesus is resurrected from the dead? The Holy Spirit has convinced me of that reality. He has convinced me that Jesus has indeed ascended to the Father. And in doing that He has convinced me that righteousness is mine in Christ alone.[12]
c. John 16:11 “and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.” The decisive victory over evil occurred at Calvary. When Jesus was crucified on the cross it looked like a failure of God’s plan. It looked like the ultimate triumph for evil. The devil had entered into Judas and orchestrated the death every Jew dreaded most—a cursed death on the cross. But the cross was only the bruising of Messiah’s heel. It was the crushing of the serpent’s head. The cross meant the legal demise of Satan’s dominion. The cross ultimately meant the decisive defeat of Satan not Jesus. Death could not hold the One Who is life. In his resurrection Jesus destroyed the power of death.
The Holy Spirit is at work in the world today convincing unbelievers of their own sinfulness and need for the provision of salvation through the name of Jesus. He uses the preaching of the gospel in that process. He uses the testimony of our lives. But it is the Holy Spirit who brings these realities home in the souls of men.
As I was preparing this message I began to rejoice in the promise Jesus is giving us here. We are told by some that our society is abandoning absolutes, that the Ten Commandments will soon be passé, that the philosophies of men that say every moral decision is relative will prevail. I have found in our text the futility of their plans. They may try to put God out of their thoughts and His commandments out of sight. But the Holy Spirit continues to be in the world. He continues to convict the world of guilt just as our text says. The world will never be able to keep Him from doing that.
Another encouraging truth that Jesus gives us in John 16 is the fact that
II. The Holy Spirit will lead believers into all truth (verses 12-33).
He is the Spirit of truth. He will teach us what we need to know.
In verse 12 Jesus said to the disciples, “I have much more to say to you, more that you can bear now. But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.”
Line upon line, precept upon precept God enlarges our understanding. Jesus was the great teacher come from God. The disciples had learned from him. But his time with them was running out. Did that mean that God’s training program was over? No, because the Holy Spirit would come and take up where Jesus left off.
How will He do that?
He will not originate the message on his own but will hear the Son and reveal what He hears. Jesus has bought for you and me a great salvation. The Holy Spirit will take what Jesus has provided for us and give that to us.
His one goal is to glorify Christ.
How can I tell if the Holy Spirit is at work in a church? The central theme and purpose will be Jesus. The message will be consistent with what the Son has said and is saying. Other things will not take front and center. The message of the cross, the resurrection, this great salvation will prevail. It will not be hype. It will be truth.
One result of the Holy Spirit’s work in a believer’s life is joy. God wants you and me to have joy. In verse 20 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”
The thing that had the disciples so discouraged was the fact that Jesus was about to die. They were trying to understand what Jesus meant when he told them, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me again.” In just a few short hours Jesus would be crucified and they would not see him as he lay in the tomb. Then after a little while (three days) he would be resurrected and they would see him again. The death of Jesus that was bringing them such grief would become the source of their greatest joy once they encountered him in his resurrected body.
Do not miss the principle Jesus is teaching in verse 20. He is not saying your sorrow will be replaced with joy. That sometimes happens in life when something that grieves us is taken away and replaced by something that brings us joy. But Jesus is not talking about that. He is saying that the same thing that at first brings sorrow will eventually bring joy.[13]
Then he illustrates what he is saying by talking about the birth of a child. The mother giving birth to a child experiences pain as she delivers the child. But as soon as the child is born the experience turns into one of great joy. It’s the same life event that brings the sorrow but is turned into joy.
And God is always doing that kind of thing in our lives. Something happens that hits us hard. We are discouraged and despondent. Like Joseph rejected by his brothers we feel the pain of the experience. But when the experience runs its full course we are saying as Joseph did, “You meant it for evil but God meant it for good. God was at work in this all along. At first I could not see it. But now I do and the joy is greater than the sorrow.”
You’re gonna make it because if God be for you who can be against you. You’re gonna make it because you are not alone; you are not left as an orphan. The Holy Spirit is at work in and through you. You may not at this point feel like you’re gonna make it. But I’ve got good news, “Your sorrow will turn to joy AND no man can take that joy from you.” Jesus concludes this lengthy discourse that began in Chapter 13 and ends in the last verse of Chapter 16. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” His victory is our victory.
Is there a sorrow in your life that needs to be turned into joy? As I read those precious words of Jesus in verse 20 I began to take courage in that possibility for some trials in my own life.[14] I began to realize that God is big enough to do more than just take the sorrow away. He is big enough to turn that very thing around and produce joy in my heart. I am going to ask Him to do that for me. I invite you to do the same concerning any sorrow you may be carrying this morning. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”[15] Ps 30:5 NKJV
Pray
Text: John 16:5-33
5"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?’ 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. 16"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me." 17Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, `In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and `Because I am going to the Father’?" 18They kept asking, "What does he mean by `a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying."
19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, `In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. 25"Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." 29Then Jesus’ disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God." 31"You believe at last!" Jesus answered. 32"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." NIV
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] Text was presented earlier in the service using DVD from Visual Bible International (www.gospelofjohnthefilm.com). Text is provided at end of manuscript. All quotes are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
[2] Arthur Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John Vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981) p.45-46 points out that Peter’s question in 13:36 and Thomas’s follow-up (14:5) were more of an expression of concern for themselves rather than a genuine inquiry as to what was going to happen to Jesus.
[3] Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publisher, 2000) p. 540-541 shows how the unusual Greek construction of using the active tense rather than the passive almost personifies sorrow signifying wholehearted grief.
[4] Arthur Pink, p. 49-54 argues that the because “elegcho” refers to an objective condemnation John 16:8-11 can not be referring to a the convincing that occurs in the sinner’s heart. It seems to me he makes far to great a distinction between the objective proofs and the internal recognition that what is being proved is indeed true. The value of the Spirit’s work is that unbelievers become convinced of the objective truth of the gospel. Certainly the Holy Spirit uses the witness of believers and the preaching of the gospel in this process. But it is the Holy Spirit Who is the great Convincer of truth!
[5] Fredrick Danker and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Ed. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000) p.315
[6] Leon Morris, p. 543
[7] Robert Murray M’Cheyne, sermon entitled “Conviction of Sin” available at Sermon Central.com
[8] Gen. 3:4
[9] G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit, Vol. I (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House) p. 158
[10] As the Pharisee did in Luke 18:10-12
[11] Romans 7:7-9
[12] G. Campbell Morgan (p. 161) says concerning this verse, “Conviction by the Spirit is not only the revelation of a new pattern of righteousness, it is the declaration of a new power whereby men can themselves become righteous, and can themselves become holy.”
[13] Leon Morris, p. 550-553
[14] In verses 23-27 Jesus ties this promise in with prayer but time does not allow the verses to be expounded.
[15] Ps 30:5 NKJV
