The Convicting Work Of The Holy Spirit Series

The Convicting Work of the Holy Spirit

John 16:1-11

Last week we looked at Jesus’ teaching that He is the TRUE Vine, the Israel of God, and that believers are the branches, pruned by God in order to produce good and Godly spiritual fruit. Today we continue to walk with Jesus from the upper room to the cross, according to God’s Word recorded in the Good News from John:

John 15: 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. (YOU cannot separate the Son from the Father: if you hate the one, you hate the other.) 24 If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.' 26 "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

I.The Holy Spirit’s work is a ministry of TESTIMONY.

The Spirit of God, the Counselor, the Helper (Par-ak-letos), would be sent from Father God, and would proclaim the testimony of Jesus the Son to the world, through the witness of the believer. “Testimony” or “testify”, (Martureo) is used 71 times in the NT, 31 of those times in John. The Holy Spirit’s work is a ministry of TESTIMONY. The Holy Spirit is the genuine, authentic, reliable witness of God because he has been with the Father and Son for all eternity; He testifies to the deity, Person and Truth of Jesus Christ; those who have met Jesus will do the same: They will be reliable true witnesses to the testimony of the Person and Power of Jesus Christ, and of the deity of the Spirit and the Father.

John 16:1: "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. (Skandalizo-comes from the word for the stick that held up a trap-so you won’t FALL AWAY- instead, you will be faithful and stay attached to the VINE… There are so many “traps” in which people become ensnared, and the NT is FULL of warnings to BE CAREFUL. Test the Spirits. Watch out! Don’t become entrapped and entangled in a different Gospel. Satan majors in deception and trickery, and yet people are enticed so easily. The WAY of the CROSS and following Jesus IS NOT EASY… LISTEN:)

2 They will put you out of the synagogue; (“Watch out: you’re gonna get “UNsynagogued“!) in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.(THEY KILLED THE SON OF God and thought they were offering a service to God! Is it any wonder that people still do the same thing today. Remember when we did our Revelation study, in Revelation 12 we saw that Satan pulled out all the stops to try and ensnare the Messiah in His 33 years on earth and He couldn't get at Christ, so he took off after everybody that had anything to do with Jesus Christ. He’s still doing that so be prepared! Mention the name of Jesus and associate Him with His Person and Work and you’ll see how quickly you can make SOME people angry. WHY?)

3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I WARNED you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you.

5 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' (They HAD asked this question in John 13 (the Cross) and 14 (the Way to the Father) and Jesus answered it in part as far as the PLACE: now He answers to the Purpose of the Holy Spirit.) 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor (Comforter, Helper) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (The Fruit of Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension is the Holy Spirit of God.)

II. The Holy Spirit’s work is a ministry of power and COMFORT.

Jesus says: Here is the Work of the Holy Spirit, to walk beside you all the way, to be your helper after I am gone: The Holy Spirit’s work is a ministry of Power and COMFORT to believers, to those who remain in the Vine. “I won’t be here”, Jesus says, “but after I go back to my HEAVENLY Home, I’ll still be with you in the Person and Power of the Holy Spirit, living within you. I'm going to give you the Comforter and He'll energize you and empower you even though you are going to be rejected, defamed, persecuted, and even killed. Be aware and encouraged ahead of time. I will be with you in the Divine Almighty presence and power of the Holy Spirit of the Living God.” (Remember from our study of the Holy Spirit, that the Spirit is co-equal with the Father, co-equal with the Son, eternal God in every way but different in function! The SPIRIT can be everywhere at the same time; Jesus’ earthly presence was limited in time and space.)