Jesus Left Us! PTL ? (CC)

[TEXT TAKEN FROM THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA, INC. ] GRACE, AND MERCY AND PEACE ARE YOURS FROM GOD THE FATHER AND FROM OUR LORD AND OUR SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST! THE WORD FOR OUR CONSIDERATION TODAY, WERE READ AS OUR GOSPEL LESSON FROM JOHN CHAPTER 15, VERSES 5 THROUGH 11. AT THIS TIME, I'D JUST LIKE TO RE-READ THE FINAL TWO SENTENCES WHICH EXPLAIN THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. "WHEN HE COMES, HE WILL CONVICT THE WORLD ABOUT SIN, ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND ABOUT JUDGMENT: ABOUT SIN BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IN ME; ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE I AM GOING TO THE FATHER AND YOU WILL NO LONGER SEE ME; ABOUT JUDGMENT, BECAUSE THE RULER OF THIS WORLD HAS BEEN CONDEMNED." [JOHN 16:8-11] THIS IS THE WORD OF OUR LORD! DEAR FRIENDS IN JESUS CHRIST: THIS SECTION OF JOHN CHAPTER 16, DESCRIBES JESUS SENDING THE HOLY SPIRIT. THE HOLY SPIRIT SENT FROM GOD IS DESCRIBED WITH THE GREEK WORD: PARA-KLET. YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER THE GREEK, BUT I SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF IT, THE TRANSLITERATION: PARACLETE. A PARACLETE IS SOMEONE, IN THAT GREEK CULTURE THAT STANDS BESIDE A DEFENDENT IN TRIAL. OKAY? SO IT'S A LAWYER. A LEGAL COUNSELOR. THE NIV TRANSLATED THAT WORD: AN ADVOCATE. A LEGAL ADVOCATE WHO SPEAKS IN YOUR DEFENSE. THIS TRANSLATION WE HAVE BEFORE US TODAY, ONE OF THE NEWER TRANSLATIONS, OF FOCUS BEING WORKED ON BY PEOPLE FROM OUR CHURCH BODY, IT'S CALLED AN EVANGELICAL HERITAGE VERSION. IT GOES BACK TO WHAT THE KING JAMES VERSION TRANSLATED IT AS: THE COUNSELOR. AGAIN! ANOTHER WORD THAT COULD BE TAKEN FROM THE COURT ROOM. A WORD FOR A LAWYER. AND IT MAKES ME THINK OF - HAVING SEEN A NUMBER OF DRAMAS ON TV, COURT ROOM SCENES - I THINK I'VE SHARED THIS STORY WITH A NUMBER OF YOU BEFORE ... IT MAKES ME THINK OF THE TIMES IN A COURT ROOM WHEN THE DEFENDANT IS ON TRIAL AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIAL HE TELLS THE JUDGE: JUDGE, I'M GONNA ACT AS MY OWN LAWYER. I'M GONNA SPEAK IN MY OWN DEFENSE. AND THEN THE JUDGE SAYS: YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT SOMEONE WHO SAID HE'LL BE HIS OWN LAWYER AT A TRIAL. AND THE DEFENDANT QUIPS: YES, I KNOW, HE HAS AN IDIOT FOR A LAWYER! IF YOU'RE GONNA DEFEND YOURSELF AT TRIAL, YOU GIVE YOURSELF A SEVERE DISADVANTAGE. AND SO TODAY, THINKING OF THE TRIAL, OF THE SITUATION THE REALTIONSHIP THAT WE HAVE BEFORE THE JUDGE OF ALL CREATION; WE DON'T HAVE AN IDIOT AS OUR LAWYER, BECAUSE IT'S NOT US. WE HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND TODAY WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. USING THESE WORDS THAT JESUS TALKS ABOUT, HE SAYS THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US COUNSEL. AND WHAT IS HIS COUNSEL? HE WILL CONVICT THE WORLD OF GUILT. WILL CONVICT THE WORLD THAT THEY ARE WRONG IN REGARD TO SIN, AND RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUDGMENT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO HAVE THAT WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BE CONVICTING THE WORLD, CONVINCING THE WORLD THEY ARE WRONG IN REGARDS TO SIN, RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND JUDGMENT. WELL, WE DO NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CONVINCE US THE TRUTH ABOUT SIN. IN REGARD TO SIN, BECAUSE JESUS SAID PEOPLE DO NOT BELIEVE IN ME. BUT IF YOU WERE TO THINK OF THE WORD SIN, AND MAYBE COME UP WITH A DEFINITION FOR SIN ... PRETTY EASY TO DO. RIGHT? DOING SOMETHING WRONG, DISOBEYING GOD'S LAW. BUT IF WE PENETRATE THAT A LITTLE BIT DEEPER BY AN INFORMAL POLL BY ASKING EVEN THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE GATHERED WITH ME TODAY, WHAT IS THE WORST SIN? WHAT IS THE WORST SIN? MURDER, POVERTY, TO RAPE, TERRORISM, BRING TO YOUR MIND AS BEING THE WORST SIN. AND THEN I WOULD NEED TO TELL YOU, THAT'S A BAD QUESTION. BUT THE PROBLEM WITH THAT QUESTION WHAT IS THE WORST SIN, BECAUSE ANYONE WHO HAS OBEYED ALL OF THE COMMANDS OF GOD, AND YET STUMBLED AT JUST ONE POINT, THAT PERSON IS GUILTY OF BREAKING ALL OF IT. EVERY SINGLE SIN IS JUST AS DAMNING. EVERY SINGLE SIN IS A SIN AGAINST GOD'S HOLY LAW. IT CONDEMNS A PERSON TO HELL. AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD, WORKS TO CONVICT THE WORLD OF THE TRUTH ABOUT SIN. THAT'S WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DID ON THAT FIRST DAY OF PENTECOST WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT CAME TO THOSE DISCIPLES AND GAVE THE APOSTLES, LIKE PETER, THE ABILITY TO SPEAK IN OTHER LANGUAGES WITHOUT HAVING STUDIED THEM. AND PETER GAVE A WONDERFUL SERMON THAT DAY. AND AS HE ... YOU JUST HEARD THE BEGINNING OF THAT SERMON IN THE SECOND LESSON FOR TODAY, BUT AS HE GOT TO THE END OF THAT SERMON, HE TALKED ABOUT JESUS CHRIST, THE WORLD'S SAVIOR. AND THEN HE ENDED HIS SERMON BY SAYING: YOU HAVE KILLED THE LORD OF GLORY. PETER SHOWED THESE UPSTANDING RELIGIOUS PEOPLE THEIR SIN. THEY THOUGHT THEY HADN'T DONE WRONG THINGS. THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD DONE A PRETTY GOOD JOB OBEYING GOD'S LAWS AND YET PETER SHOWED THEM THEY WERE SINNERS, EVEN SO FAR AS KILLING THE ONE SENT BY GOD. THE HOLY SPIRIT STILL CONVICTS PEOPLE OF THEIR SIN TODAY. HE MAKES YOU AND HE MAKES ME SEE HOW WE STACK UP AGAINST THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THAT I SEE HOW I FAIL EVERY DAY. AND DON'T YOU? DON'T YOU SEE THE SAME THING? THOSE TEN COMMANDMENTS: HAVE YOU OBEYED THEM? DON'T LIE, DON'T HURT, DON'T STEAL. YOUR DEEDS HAVE SEPARATED YOU FROM GOD AND SO WE ARE ALL IN THIS SAME BOAT, THIS BOAT OF SINFUL HUMANITY. AND I DON'T SAY THIS AS AN EXCUSE, BUT AS A STATEMENT OF THE TRUTH, AS A STATEMENT OF FACT. THE PROFOUND REALITY THAT APPLIES TO EVERY HUMAN BEING IN THIS WORLD. THAT'S WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS US OF AND I THINK 'CONVICT' IS THE RIGHT WORD TO USE THERE. HE SHOWS US THAT WE STAND GUILTY BEFORE GOD AND THE HOLY SPIRIT THEN USES PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME TO PROCLAIM THIS TRUTH OF GOD'S LAW. AND WE WILL SEE THAT ... THE SINFULNESS OF THE WORLD AROUND US. THE SINFULNESS COMING OF OUR OWN HEART AND KNOW THAT NEEDS TO BE BEAT DOWN. WE WILL NOTICE THERE'S SO MUCH SIN AROUND US WHERE THERE IS SEXUAL FILTH ON TV, EVEN LEADING MANY CHRISTIANS TO BELIEVE THAT SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE IS NOT WRONG. SELFISHNESS PRESENTED AS NORMAL. IN ALMOST EVERY FORM OF ADVERTISING THAT THERE IS WHETHER IT'S TV OR BILLBOARD. IT TELLS YOU ABOUT BEING SELFISH. THE SMALL LIES THAT ARE TOLD TO PROTECT THE REPUTATION. THEY THINK I NEED TO DO THAT. NONE OF THESE ARE ACCEPTABLE BEFORE GOD. AND THAT'S WHAT OUR LEGAL COUNSEL SAID. THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVINCES PEOPLE ABOUT SIN. SO, LET'S GET BACK INTO THAT COURT ROOM AND IF I WERE THEIR LEGAL COUNSEL BEFORE THE JUDGE. AND I WOULD STAND BEFORE THE JUDGE AND SAY: MY CLIENT IS GUILTY. THE CLIENT WOULD LOOK AT ME AND SAY: I GOTTA GET ANOTHER LAWYER. RIGHT? YOU'D THINK A DEFENSE LAWYER WOULD NOT SAY THAT. AND YET, A GOOD DEFENSE LAWYER MIGHT SAY THAT, WOULD PROBABLY SAY THAT IF EVERYBODY ALREADY KNEW; THE JUDGE, THE JURY, EVERYBODY ELSE THERE KNEW, THAT THE CLIENT SINCERELY WAS GUILTY. IT WOULD BE AN ADMISSION OF THE TRUTH. THAT'S WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS US TO REALIZE, AS HE CONVICTS US, CONVINCES THE WORLD ABOUT THE TRUTH REGARDING SIN. AND WHEN HE LETS US SEE THAT AS WE FALL ON OUR KNEES BEFORE THE HOLY GOD, HE LETS US SEE ANOTHER TRUTH. A SECOND WONDERFUL TRUTH THAT IS CONVINCING US ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS. BY THE WAY, I WAS GOING TO MENTION THAT WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TELLING US: YOU'RE GUILTY. WHEN WE ARE GUILTY ... IN EFFECT, PREACHING US INTO HELL. THAT'S CALLED THE 'FOREIGN' WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT; NOT HIS MAIN PURPOSE. IT'S HIS 'FOREIGN' WORK. HIS MAIN PURPOSE IS THEN WHAT FOLLOWS ... AFTER PREACHING US TO HELL, TO TEACH US INTO HEAVEN. TO TEACH US THE TRUTH ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS. AND THAT'S DESCRIBED BY THESE WORDS: IN REGARD TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE I AM GOING TO THE FATHER, AND YOU WILL NO LONGER SEE ME. WHAT I KNOW ABOUT HUMAN SIN, I KNOW THAT I NO LONGER CAN MAKE IT ON MY OWN. AND YET, WHEN THE PEOPLE WHO ASKED THE LORD OF GLORY WHEN PEOPLE ASKED PETER WHAT THEY COULD DO AFTER THEY HAD MURDERED THE LORD OF GLORY, PETER DID NOT SAY: YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK. THERE'S NO WAY OF GETTING YOU TO HEAVEN. YOU CRUCIFIED JESUS. IMPOSSIBLE NOW. NO! HE SHOWED THEM THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. HE SAID: "REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED, EVERY ONE OF YOU, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST SO THAT YOUR SINS MAY BE FORGIVEN. AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. [ACTS 2:38] YOU SEE THE HOLY SPIRIT'S GIFT IS THAT HE TEACHES US ABOUT JESUS THROUGH HIS WORD. HE TEACHES US THE TRUTH. THAT JESUS CAME TO THIS EARTH TO DIE IN OUR PLACE AND TO PAY FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR SINS. AND TO RISE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD. AND TO PROVE TO US THAT WE HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. I'D LIKE TO DEVELOP THE NUMBERS THAT THE KIDS COUNTED IN THE CHILDREN'S MESSAGE FOR JUST A MOMENT. EACH BANNER HERE HAS SEVEN FLAMES OF FIRE. THAT IS THE SEVEN-FOLD GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT MAYBE YOU CAUGHT ME REFER TO IN THE PRAYER OF THE DAY. WHAT IS THE SEVEN-FOLD GIFT? IT'S NOT LISTING SEVEN DIFFERENT GIFTS THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES. THE NUMBER SEVEN IS A WORD THAT DESCRIBES A COMBINATION OF THE SYMBOLIC NUMBER THREE, WITH THE SYMBOLIC NUMBER FOUR. THE THREE TONGUES OF FIRE COULD OBVIOUSLY REPRESENT FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT; THE TRIUNE GOD. AND THE SYMBOLIC NUMBER FOUR? THAT REPRESENTS THE FOUR CORNERS OF THIS EARTH. THIS IS THE WORLD; THIS IS ALL PEOPLE AND THAT'S THE NUMBER FOUR. SO WHEN THREE REPRESENTING GOD, AND FOUR REPRESENTING PEOPLE, ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER, YOU HAVE THE NUMBER SEVEN. AND NUMBER SEVEN IS BROUGHT TOGETHER YOU WOULD HAVE THE THREE GOLD TONGUES WITH THE THREE WHITE TONGUES OF FIRE THERE INTERSPERSED. THAT MEANS THERE IS A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. THAT IS THAT WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. TELLING US, SHOWING US THAT WE HAVE BEEN MADE RIGHTEOUS. THAT THE GUILT THAT POUNDED US DOWN, WHEN THAT DEFENSE COUNSELOR SAID: YOU ARE GUILTY! THAT GUILT HAS NOW BEEN REMOVED. AND JESUS ACTUALLY EXPLAINED THAT AS HE SAID IN REGARD TO RIGHTEOUSNESS, BECAUSE I AM WITH YOU NO MORE. I'M GOING AWAY AND YOU WILL SEE ME NO MORE. WHAT A WONDERFUL THING THAT JESUS IS NOT HERE WITH US IN PERSON TODAY. AND YOU'RE ALL SHOCKED. BECAUSE ALL OF US WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PUT OUR ARMS AROUND JESUS AND GIVE HIM A HUG RIGHT NOW, WOULDN'T WE? BUT ACTUALLY JESUS SAID I CAN CONVINCE YOU ABOUT RIGHTEOUSNESS BECAUSE I'M GOING AWAY. I'M NO LONGER HERE. JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN WHICH MEANS THAT HIS WORK ON EARTH, AS OUR SAVIOR, IS DONE. HE HAS GIVEN ME RIGHTEOUSNESS. HE NO LONGER HAS TO BE RIGHT NEXT TO YOU ACCOMPLISHING THAT WORK AS HE DID WITH HIS DISCIPLES. AND SO HE SENDS THE HOLY SPIRIT TO PROVE TO US AND CONVINCE US OF THE TRUTH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT YOU ... ARE FORGIVEN. YOU ARE ... IN A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. PART OF THAT SEVEN-FOLD GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND THEN THE THIRD THING THAT THAT HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS US OF, IS JUDGMENT. AND THAT JUDGMENT IS KIND OF FOLLOWS UPON RIGHTEOUSNESS. THERE IS NO JUDGMENT. OUR HOLY SPIRIT, OUR COUNSELOR, REMINDS US OF THE TRUTH THAT THE JUDGMENT, FOR SIN, HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID IN FULL. YOU ... WILL NOT SUFFER HELL! JESUS SUFFERED IT FOR YOU. AND THE HOLY SPIRIT POUNDS THAT HOME. TEACHES THAT TRUTH TO US VERY DEARLY AND VERY FINALLY AND VERY REPEATEDLY BECAUSE THE DEVIL IS AROUND OUT THERE. THE DEVIL IS OUT THERE AND OUR CONSCIENCE IS HERE TELLING US YOU MESSED UP. YOU'RE A SINNER. THE DEVIL WANTS TO WHISPER IN YOUR EAR: YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN. BUT WHAT'S THE TRUTH ABOUT JUDGMENT, THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT MAKES CLEAR? OUR JUDGMENT IS NOT BASED UPON OUR WORKS. OUR JUDGMENT IS BASED UPON CHRIST. AND SINCE OUR JUDGMENT HAS BEEN DECLARED. WE ARE INNOCENT; WE ARE GOING TO HEAVEN! NOW I GET TO LIVE MY LIFE EVERY DAY SAYING THANK YOU TO GOD FOR THAT BLESSED JUDGMENT. FOR LOOKING FOR WAYS TO BE KIND TO OTHERS, FOR CARING FOR MY CHILDREN, EVEN WHEN THEY GET ME AT MY WITS' END. BY LOVING MY NEIGHBOR, EVEN WHEN MY NEIGHBOR HASN'T BEEN THE NICEST OR KINDEST TO ME. WE LOOK FOR THOSE WAYS TO SHARE GOD'S LOVE. EVEN AS CHILDREN, LOOKING FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY TO LOVE GOD BY LOVING THE AUTHORITY, THE REPRESENTATIVE, THE PARENT THAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO US. AND SO, YOU HAVE THAT COUNSEL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THIS LEGAL COUNSELOR, AND WHEN YOU GO, WHEN YOU GO STAND ON TRIAL BEFORE GOD, DON'T HAVE YOURSELF . . . DON'T HAVE YOURSELF . . . AS YOUR OWN LEGAL COUNSELOR. USE THE HOLY SPIRIT. HE EXISTS FOR YOU TO CARE FOR YOU. SO DEAR FRIENDS, IN CHRIST JESUS, MAY THE GOD OF PEACE GO WITH YOU NOW AND ALWAYS. MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT STRENGTHEN YOU IN HIS LOVE THROUGH HIS WORD. AMEN. PLEASE STAND. MAY THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING, KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS, OUR LORD. AMEN.