7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9Of sin, because they believe not on me;
10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
-John 16:7-11 (KJV)
Yesterday, we talked about how the Spirit will convince the world of sin, or righteousness and of judgment. Today, I want to take a look at these verses again, and dig a little deeper.
Jesus said, in verse 8, "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment:" He is talking about the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will convict us of sin (the reason why we need a Savior), convict us of righteousness (that we are not right with God because of sin) and convict us of judgment (where we learn our fate because of sin). Look, now, at verse 9, "Of sin, because they believe not on me;" Jesus, talking on sin, didn't give a list of sins, but instead reveals what the worst sin could possibly be. You've probably heard people talk about the unpardonable sin. What is it? It is rejecting Jesus as your Savior.
Jesus said that part of the work of the Spirit is to convict or convince the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He says in verse 9, "Of sin, because they believe not on me;" The Spirit will convince us of our sin of rejecting Jesus. The Spirit is sent to convict sinners of their sin. The Spirit is sent to reveal our need for a Savior, and how we cannot attain forgiveness through any other means than through Jesus. Here is where the rubber meets the road. We are born into a life of sin, we are born into a fallen world, a world that cares more about itself than it does about Jesus. Because of sin, we are separated from God. Jesus came to pay the penalty of sin, so that we can be right with God. Romans 10:9-10 teach us how to be saved from sin. Here is the issue. Many people say they believe in Jesus, that they gave their life to Him, yet remain unchanged from how they lived. Paul writes about our lives lived in sin, and our lives guided by the Holy Spirit. It's found in Galatians 5:16-24,
"16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. (NLT)"
Look at the lists provided. Which does your life follow more? Is it that of the sin nature? Or is it that of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. One more thing to look at before we're done for the day. A true follower of Jesus, one who truly gives everything to Jesus, will be changed. There will be a difference. One of the things Jesus taught, in John 3, was about darkness and light. Darkness always represents sin, while light always represents Jesus. If you claim Jesus, then you should be walking in the light, walking in the path of God. Yet, if your life is still controlled by sin, then you are walking in darkness. Darkness and light cannot coexist. You cannot have darkness and light in the same room. You cannot have sin and Jesus in the same life. It's one or the other. Your life reflects whatever you're walking in. If you are walking in sin, your life will show it. If you're walking in Jesus, your life will show it. No where in Scripture is it shown better than in Matthew 25:31-46.
31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” (NLT)
Notice the sheep and goats he is talking about. Those who are living a life led by the Holy Spirit are those Jesus describes in verses 34-36. Those who are living a life led by the sin nature are those Jesus describes in verses 41-43. Their final destination is the eternal fire prepared for the devil. So, the question for today is this: Are you living life being led by the Spirit? Or are you living life being led by the sin nature? Think About It.
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