The Holy Spirit Comes to Convict

John 16:5-11

5 “But now I am going away to him who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Yet because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth: It is good for you that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

The disciple’s reaction hurt Jesus. They didn’t see any value in His departure. They remained silent. So He taught them the truth. It was good for Him to depart. In going to heaven, Jesus wouldn't leave them alone. He would send a powerful ally to His church here on earth. He would send the third person of the Trinity, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

This person is known as the Holy Spirit, or the Counselor. Even today, He continues Jesus' work here on earth. He is our Comforter and Helper. He creates faith through the Word and sacrament. He unites us with Jesus. And so the departure of Jesus isn't sad. It is necessary and good.

Pentecost is considered the birthday of the New Testament church. On this day, we celebrate the Holy Spirit's work among us. We remember the sound of a mighty wind. Tongues of fire appeared above the disciples. The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples and others to speak in different languages. They proclaimed the gospel message to foreigners visiting Jerusalem. The news about Jesus is for all people, of all nations.

Because of Pentecost, we know that the Holy Spirit has been sent, and is working within the church. These public signs also testify to the truth of the gospel.

But today we don't see the miracles of the New Testament church. We don't hear men speaking in language from other nations that they don't know. This is because the Bible is complete. The gospel has spread. The church has grown. And yet, the Holy Spirit still comes. He comes to us and carries out His invisible, and yet incredible work, by means of the Bible, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.

We will consider today that through God's Word, the Holy Spirit Comes to Convict. He convicts the world of Sin, He convicts the world of Righteousness, and He convicts the world of Judgment.

It's true that the Holy Spirit is a comforter and helper. And so hearing that the Holy Spirit "convicts" is strange to our ears. It's so strange, in fact, that the Lutheran Confessions call this work of the Holy Spirit His "alien work." It is a work that is foreign to Him. Yet it is also necessary.

Jesus explains why this work is important. He tells us that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin because "they do not believe in me." In the Bible, we hear that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Everyone's sins are fully forgiven.

However, there is still one sin that condemns. This is the sin of unbelief. Those who do not believe in Jesus, do not receive His forgiveness.

All unbelievers are convicted by the Holy Spirit in this horrible sin. Wherever the gospel is preached, there are often some who fall into this category. They reject God's gift of salvation. And so they are found guilty.

At the same time, there are others who are convicted in a different way. Through God's Word, the Holy Spirit convicts people of their sinfulness. That they are sinful in thought, word, and deed. Then, and only then, does the Holy Spirit reveal the Savior. He reveals the sinless Son of God who is without a spot, wrinkle, or blemish. He reveals the One who assumed a perfect human nature for you and me. Whose divine blood covers all of our sins, and makes us clean. Whose perfect body labored under every breath until He gave up His life, so that you live.

The Holy Spirit creates faith through this wonderful message. Faith that believes Jesus lived a sinless life in your place, died your deserved death, and rose again. Faith that believes Jesus accomplished all of this for you as true God and true man in one person. That's how the Holy Spirit comforts repentant sinners.  He creates faith in Jesus.

This leads us to the second thing that the Holy Spirit has come to do. He has come to convict the world of righteousness. You see, the world has a different way of understanding righteousness than God. The world thinks that righteousness is found in what you do. It thinks that good works can "earn" heaven.

For example, I once had a neighbor who wasn't Christian. And He was convinced that he was "basically righteous." He considered himself to be without sin. His conscience found a false comfort in the things that he has done.

It's unfortunate, but he isn't the only one to think this way. Many others think that if you give enough of your money away, help other people out when they need it, work hard, be a decent citizen, and maybe even come to church and act really nice, then you're a "good person."

But righteousness isn't about outward actions. Righteousness has to do with the heart. Righteousness is the state of being just, holy, and blameless-and yet just one sin-just one sin is all it takes to no longer be righteous. Jesus explains that all your sins, as well as mine, come from our sinful dark hearts. Outward actions can't change those hearts. The sinful heart is like a stone. It is cold and lifeless. It cannot do good. And so the Holy Spirit convicts all unbelievers of their self-righteousness by pointing to the cross. The cross declares that this world is dead in its sins, and needs a Savior.

The Holy Spirit also convicts people about righteousness in a different way. Through the Word, He causes people to despair of their own works, and look to Jesus. True righteousness is only found in Him. Jesus accomplished everything He was sent to do. The righteous died for the unrighteous. And God the Father has declared the world righteous on account of Him. The resurrected Son of God is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. From there, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. From there, He intercedes for us before the heavenly Judge.

In God’s Word, the Holy Spirit causes you to recognize that you are unrighteous. He then points you to Jesus. By faith, Jesus' righteousness is yours! You are declared just, holy, and blameless before God. This is what the Holy Spirit does. He convicts all believers of the righteousness that is only found in Jesus.

Maybe your conscience bothers you about something in your past that doesn't seem to leave you alone. Or it's possible that you did something last week, yesterday, or even this morning, that was sinful and bothers you. Today, the Holy Spirit comes to you and convicts you of righteousness. He assures you that you have Christ's righteousness. By faith, you have received God’s declaration of "not guilty!" You are a baptized child of God. And even right now, God the Father sees you as perfect as His Son in heaven.

The final thing that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of is judgment. Jesus explains that Satan, the ruler of the world, has been condemned. Jesus defeated the devil upon the cross. The serpent's head is crushed. The ruler of this world will receive the eternal punishment in the lake of fire.

On the last day, all unbelievers will receive the same condemnation. Unbelievers serve the devil. This means they also will experience eternal agony in hell. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of this upcoming judgment.

I have a true story connected to this, that a tour guide told us at Mammoth Caves. A long time ago, a new worker went into the caves for the first time. He went deep into the tunnels, filled up his bags, and tried to leave the way he came. The problem is, he couldn't find his way out! He got lost and knocked his head on a rock. His lantern went out, and he became unconscious. When he woke up, he was in utter darkness. He was convinced that he was dead. He imagined that he was waiting for either an angel to bring him to heaven, or the devil to bring him to hell. In the darkness, he started to think about all the things he had done in life. He quickly realized that he was not a good person. He didn't deserve to live in heaven. He was a sinner! And so when some friendly workers came to rescue him, he was convinced that they were the devil. He thought that he was going to hell. But, instead they just brought him out of the cave. He was alive and quite well.

This is what the Holy Spirit does. In God's Word, He convicts the world about judgment. He reveals that there is a devil. There is punishment in hell.

At the moment of death, every soul will either go straight to heaven, or to hell. And so some time at night, in the darkness, you may also find yourself wondering where you will go. Will you be in heaven, or hell?

Brothers and sisters in Christ, take comfort. Look to Christ for mercy. The man in the cave felt his sins, but was rescued and brought out of the darkness. By faith in Christ, you have also been rescued from the darkness. The judgement you deserve was placed upon Jesus. And the same Savior who defeated the devil, has also saved you from eternal punishment. By faith Him, who is true God, the devil has no power over you.

This morning the Holy Spirit assures you that by faith in Christ, heaven is yours! In fact, you have heaven right now. You don't need to fear death. You don't need wonder where you will go. The Holy Spirit has made you holy, and set you apart for eternal life. You have an inheritance in heaven. You have a perfect home that will last forever. God declares this! It is true.

As you look forward to heaven, the Holy Spirit actively strengthens your faith. He does this with your personal devotions at home, coming to church, and receiving the Lord's Supper. He remains with you, and even in you throughout your life. And He even intercedes for you in prayer when you don't have the strength, or are able to think of the words to say. He keeps you in the peace of Jesus. Always pointing to Him. And He guides you through God's Word of truth, always teaching you God's Holy will. You truly have a wonderful Counselor, who guides you and helps you on the way to heaven.

We're now at end of this sermon on the Holy Spirit. It's possible that you noticed that I talked about Jesus a lot. That's on purpose. The Holy Spirit's main work is pointing to Jesus. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Faith relies upon Jesus in these matters. On the cross, Jesus took our place. He is the answer to the world’s problems of sin and death. However, those who reject the Spirit's work are found guilty. They receive the same fate as the devil.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, by means of the Word, the Holy Spirit has created faith in your heart. Do not fear. God no longer sees your sin. You have Christ's righteousness. You have heaven. And the Holy Spirit continues to guide, comfort, and keep you in Word and sacrament until you receive your inheritance. Until then, the Holy Spirit continues to convict the world, and point to Jesus. Amen.

May 28th, 2023

Pastor Samuel Johnson