The Holy Spirit & You, Part 2 | Convicted By the Spirit

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Sign up at harvest.org. God has sent His Holy Spirit to convince us of our sin. Few of us buy products to solve problems we don't have.

Why would you buy a flea collar if you don't have a pet? But there are many people who have a problem they're not yet aware of. They're afflicted with the good enough syndrome. They're convinced that they're good enough to get to heaven. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out that the Holy Spirit shows us our sin, shows us its penalty, and shows us our need for a solution.

It's life-saving information. All right, well we're back in the Gospel of John again. So turn there in your Bible if you would. John 16 and the title of my message is The Holy Spirit and You Part Two.

Or if you're French, part deux. So here's a quick review of what we already saw and then we'll look at what we're going to see here in John 16. Number one we already discovered together the Holy Spirit has come to indwell the believer and to seal us.

He's come to indwell us and seal us. Ephesians 1 13 says, in whom you trusted after you heard the word of truth the Gospel of your salvation in whom having believed you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who was a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of His glory. So these things happen to us when we believe. I don't think we realize all the incredible things that transpired when we became a Christian. Because you didn't feel it necessarily. But I'm telling you it was such a dramatic shift.

It's hard to even wrap your mind around. For starters you passed from darkness to light. For starters you became a citizen of heaven instead of a citizen effectively of hell. For starters all of your sin was forgiven and if that's not enough you were justified which means God took all of your sins and He forgave them and He put the righteousness of Christ into your account and then you were sealed with the Holy Spirit. You were signed, sealed, delivered by God Himself.

And the word sealed means that we have God's ID tag on us. You know when I travel I have ID tags on my bags. And I mentioned a while ago that I picked up one of my bags at an airport and I was wheeling it away and some lady came chasing me and she said that's my suitcase. And I looked at it and it was my suitcase. Well sure enough it was hers.

We had suitcases that were identical and the way we determined whose suitcase was whose by checking the ID tag. And I had walked off with their suitcase. God has put His ID tag on you. You belong to God now. I heard the story of an older guy who was known for his godly life and someone asked him once, old man what do you do when you get tempted? The old codger said well I just look up to heaven and I say Lord your property is in danger.

I like that. Because I belong to God. I'm sealed by the Holy Spirit. I'm his child. I'm one of his sheep and I'm one of his possessions. The Bible says your body is not your own effect. You're not your own. You belong to God who bought you with a price and your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus bought me out of the slave auction and I now belong to Him. Well we can say things like that all day long and God says I want you to know I mean business so I'm going to drop a heavy down payment.

That's what it means when it says that there was a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. What it means is God is saying to let you know I mean business. To reassure you that you'll go to heaven one day so you can be assured that everything I promised is true. I'm placing my Holy Spirit in your life as that down payment or that deposit. I'm not going to back down. I'm not going to change my mind.

I'm not going to abandon you or forsake you and I'm never going to stop loving you. And when you become a Christian you have that inner testimony of the Holy Spirit. Here's what Romans 8 says in verse 15. You've not received a spirit of adoption like fearful slaves. Instead you've received God's Spirit who has adopted you. Made you one of His own children. Now we say Abba Father and His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we're God's children.

Do you know what I'm talking about right now? That inner conviction. Say Greg how do you know you're a Christian?

I just know. I know because God's Holy Spirit lives inside of me and He confirms it to me and then hopefully there's fruit, a result of my life that would demonstrate that to others as well. Of course this is based on the promise of the Word of God but there is that inner conviction of the Spirit. What else does the Holy Spirit do in the life of the believer?

He teaches us because Jesus said in John 14 the helper the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I've said to you. You know you can read the Bible as a historical document. It is historical but you can also read it as God's living book. You know the Bible says of itself that it's alive and powerful.

Sharper than any two-edged sword. I love what Martin Luther said about the Bible. He said the Bible has hands. It takes hold of me.

It has feet. It chases after me and have you ever had a time where you open up the Word of God and ask for direction and ask for insight and it just came alive to you. That's the Holy Spirit teaching you and then there were times when you were in a conversation with someone and a whole passage opened up that you started quoting that you don't even remember consciously memorizing but there it was. That's the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Number three. The Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers and obedience to God. He helps me in my prayers and my obedience to God. Jesus said over there in John 14 if you love me and obey my commandments I'll ask the Father and he'll give you another advocate who will never leave you and he's referring to the Holy Spirit. You may say you may say well Greg I don't feel like I have the power to live the Christian life.

You're wrong. If you've asked Christ to come into your life you have all the power that you need. You just need to learn how to step on the accelerator and put the pedal to the metal because I'm telling you the horsepower is there. The spirit power is there so we need to unleash it in our lives and I'm not suggesting we're waiting for an emotional experience. I don't know where we come up with this idea that whenever we ask God to fill us with the Spirit we have to feel something. Or okay let's pray for God to fill us with the Spirit. Turn the lights down.

Why? Is the Holy Spirit afraid of lights or something? You can do it with the lights on.

When you get up in the morning before you even put your feet on the ground say Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit. Do you have an emotional experience when you put gas in your car? Or if you have an electric car do you have an emotional experience when you plug it into the wall? If you're standing in water you might have an experience. No. You just put gas in your car.

You plug in your car or whatever it is. And so the same thing is true of asking God to fill us. You might feel something. You might feel nothing. It doesn't matter because Jesus says the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those that dim the lights and wait for an emotional experience.

No. He said the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him. So what do you need to do?

Ask Him. And then receive it. And He'll give you the power you need. Romans 8 13 says, it's through the power of the Spirit you can put to death the deeds of your sinful nature. For those that are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The power is there.

Number four. The Holy Spirit empowers me for service. Jesus said in John 14 17, the Spirit of truth and the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you. Now you see these disciples when He was sharing these things didn't have the Spirit in them yet because Jesus was still there. But after Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead He appeared to them in the other hand and said, Jesus, I want you to He appeared to them in the upper room.

Remember? And He said, peace be to you. And the reason He would say that is people always freaked out when they saw Him risen from the dead. So He had to start with, hey peace guys.

It's cold. Chill. It's alright.

Ok. Don't have a heart attack. Peace be to you. And then He said, receive the Holy Spirit and He breathed on them and the Holy Spirit came in them. But then in the day of Pentecost in Acts 1 8 we read that the Holy Spirit of God came upon them. Because the Bible says you will receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you. So when you believe He comes in you then He will come upon you to give you the boldness you need to share the gospel.

Ok so that is what the Spirit does in the life of the believer. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. Hey everybody. What are you doing this weekend? I would like to hang out with you at Harvest at Home. When is Harvest at Home? It is a time of worship and Bible study exclusively designed for people that are viewing in from all over the place. So you can be a part of our extended congregation at Harvest at Home.

Join us this weekend Saturday and Sunday for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Well Pastor Greg has been pointing out today what God's Spirit does in the life of the believer. He continues now with his message the Holy Spirit and You Part Two.

What does He want to do in the life of the non-believer? That brings us to John 16. Number one the Holy Spirit has come to convict us of our sin.

You could also just interchange the word convinced with convict. He has come to convince us of our sin. Verse 8. John 16. When He has come He will convict or convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. You see one's ignorance of sin, righteousness, and judgment can bring their destruction. So God has sent His Holy Spirit to make the non-believer aware of this.

Before we can appreciate the solution we have to see the real problem. So we need to be convicted by the Spirit because there's no conversion without conviction. Being a Christian is not just living a better life. Jesus is not just helpful. He's our only hope. He has not come to improve our life. He comes to save our life.

And so we need to realize that only the Holy Spirit can show us our real need. You know it's interesting that the word convict means to cross-examine. To cross-examine. Have you ever been cross-examined? Maybe you've been arrested. Interrogated by an officer.

Maybe you have a mother which is similar to an officer. If you were out late. Where have you been? What have you been doing?

Empty your pockets. I'm going to give you a polygraph test. Mom you have a polygraph test?

Yes I do. Look me in the eyes. Right? The Holy Spirit has come to cross-examine us with the purpose of convicting or refuting an opponent. He doesn't come to just convict the world in general. But to specifically show them they're lacking in the righteousness they need to get to heaven.

This is a very important distinction. It's not just sins in general. The Holy Spirit has come to show you the biggest sin of all. The sin of self-righteousness. And in its place God wants to give you His righteousness. I bring this up because every time you turn around people are thinking that they get to heaven by good works. You know I guess I don't expect non-believers to know much about this. But when I hear Christians or at least professed believers still subscribing to an idea like this it just seems insane to me.

But people do still think this. That well you know if you live a good life you'll get to heaven. And if you live a bad life then you will go to hell.

Listen use flash. There are good people that are going to go to hell and there are bad people that are going to go to heaven. So well that makes no sense at all. Well it's biblical.

Let me explain. Being a good person will not get you to heaven. You can be a good person but if you think you're so good you don't know Jesus you can end up in hell. And you can be a bad person.

A very bad person. But if you repent of your sin even if it's on your deathbed Christ will forgive you and let you into heaven. Because heaven is not for good people. It's for forgiven people.

You say well where do you get that? It's called the thief on the cross. Remember that guy?

And Bob, remember that guy? And by the way the word thief probably isn't even accurate. That's the word we use. But the word that is used in the original language implies a criminal guilty of a capital offense. He was probably a murderer.

An insurrectionist trying to bring about the overthrow of Rome. So this is a bad dude. And Jesus says to him today you will be with me in paradise because the man said, Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom. So the Holy Spirit number two now has come to bring us to Jesus. He says in verse 9, I have come to convince them of sin because they do not believe in me. You know it's interesting sin. Not sins. Sometimes we I think in the church major on minors.

And by that I mean we sort of get the cart before the horse. We will kind of focus on lifestyle choices that are sinful and we will harp on those things. Here is my objective. I want to establish a dialogue with a person regardless of what sinful choice they have made. So if they are living with their boyfriend or girlfriend out of wedlock or if they are gay or if they are a liar or a thief or all the above you know hey I want to first talk to them about their need for Jesus because this is the way I see it. If they will come to Jesus everything else will get sorted out. But if I focus on those things and never get around to telling them about Jesus I can in effect drive them away. And I think a lot of times people think of the church as being against everything. And we are going to speak out on what the Bible says and say what it says on whatever topic it is we are addressing. But our message is the gospel and we want people to believe. And then their lives will change as a result. So the Holy Spirit has come to show us that.

To bring us to Jesus. You know it would be like going to a doctor and saying, Doc I have headaches. My head hurts all the time. Well he can obviously say go buy some Advil and that will help. But then your headache will come back. So a good doctor isn't just going to deal with the symptom. He is going to deal with the cause right.

You know maybe you are dehydrated or maybe there is another medical issue and after a series of tests that will be determined. But better to get to the root of it than just merely treating the symptoms. And so that is what the Holy Spirit has come to do to show us our need for Him. Listen. Having said that the Holy Spirit will not force us to believe in Jesus. I do not believe in irresistible grace. That is taught by Calvinists. I reject it.

Why? Because the idea of irresistible grace is you are predestined to believe if you really want to or not. And that grace of God is irresistible so you are going to come to Jesus if you want to or not.

I beg to differ. I think you can resist the Holy Spirit of God. You say, well why do you think that? Well because the Bible says so. Remember when Stephen was standing before the Sanhedrin. And he said, you stubborn people, you heathen at heart, you are deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit. That is interesting because he was addressing a group of spiritual leaders that knew the Word of God. And the implication in the verse there is that they knew it was true and were rejecting it regardless of that fact. He says, you are resisting the Spirit. You know what I am saying is true but you are choosing to not believe it.

So it is resistible. Verse 13. When He, the Spirit of truth, has come He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak in His own. He will speak only what He hears. And He will tell you what is to come.

He will bring glory to me by taking what is mine and making it known to you. See if you refuse to believe in Jesus you are effectively calling the Holy Spirit a liar. Because 1 John 5 says, He that believes in the name of the Son of God has this witness in Himself. He that does not believe has made Him a liar because He has not believed the record that God has given of His Son.

That is called insulting the Spirit. So the Holy Spirit comes and shows you you are a sinner. And you need Jesus. And you say, I do not. I am a good person. I don't need Jesus. Oh so you are calling Him a liar? No. You are putting words in my mouth then.

Actually I am not. Because if you are rejecting the work that the Holy Spirit has come to do to show you that you are not righteous enough to get to heaven and show you that Jesus is the answer, you are effectively saying He is a liar. So God has sent His Holy Spirit to bring us to Jesus. Pastor Greg Laurie, with important insight on the role of the Holy Spirit, not only in the lives of believers but also in the hearts of unbelievers. And there is more to come in this study here on A New Beginning. It is a message called The Holy Spirit and You Part Two.

It is part of our top ten most requested studies of the past year. Well Pastor Greg, we know February as the month of Valentine's Day. You know hearts and candy and romantic love. Yes. Well also in February is a love story with deep significance coming to theaters. Tell us about that. Yes, well it is a love story between two young people named Greg and Kathy. And that would be me and my wife. When we were very young people, I was 17, she was a little bit younger, were played by actors Joel Courtney and Anna Grace Barlow.

They did an amazing job. It is a really sweet love story. And you see the awkwardness of Greg, you know, he just kind of didn't know how to really ask Kathy out even. He had become a Christian. I am talking about him in the third person.

It is me of course, but I am talking about him in the film. So he comes to Christ and he is drawn to Kathy. He loves Kathy, but he can't say it. And the reason he can't say it is because he was just raised in a really weird home.

And let's make it personal. I was raised in a really strange home. You know my mother never told me she loved me. There was no affection. She was an alcoholic. She pretty much passed out every night. I had to grow up quickly and take care of her.

So I was a broken person. And so when I met Kathy and I felt this love toward her, it was really hard for me to express it. So even after I became a Christian, I didn't know what to say to her, but I wanted her to become my girlfriend, right? So we were just sitting at a table in a restaurant and I said to Kathy, so I guess we're getting married, huh? And Kathy said, that's the first time I knew that you wanted to marry me. And I couldn't believe I said it that way.

What was wrong with me? But hey, we've been married almost 50 years. So take your Valentine to go see Jesus Revolution and try to do a better job of being a proper boyfriend than Greg. Yeah, and we should say it's coming to theaters February 24th all across the country. How can listeners show their support for this film? What a great thing to make this a big box office success, maybe even number one, and have many people meet Christ.

The basic way to do it is to buy a ticket and go to the movie. That's how we get it to number one. How cool would it be to see this film number one? And what is the title of it? Jesus Revolution.

To see the name of Jesus on the marquee of movie theaters. And by the way, this is being backed by Lionsgate. They're a major film studio.

They're going to throw their weight behind it. You're going to see ads on television and elsewhere promoting the film, but I would encourage folks out there, promote it on your social media pages. Tell friends about it. Invite people to go see it, but most importantly, go see it yourself and maybe see it more than once. I think you'll find you'll want to see this movie more than one time, and it's a great shared experience.

Take your family, take your friends, take your Bible study group, take whoever you can, and especially take a non-believer to see Jesus Revolution. And don't forget the popcorn and the milk duds. And by the way, just a word about milk duds. I don't know what's going on.

This may be California only. I'm not seeing milk duds as much as I used to. I'm a little alarmed by this because I like popcorn and milk duds together. Sweet and savory. That's a balanced meal. It is. I don't know if I'd call it a meal, but it's a good snack in a theater. Well, don't miss this film when it comes to theaters in just a few weeks, Jesus Revolution.

Opening day is February 24th. And don't miss your opportunity to bring someone who needs to meet the Lord. There's a strong gospel undercurrent to this film. And of course, that's the heartbeat of this ministry, sharing the hope of Christ in all that we do. And we hope you might stand with us as we bring that message in innovative new ways. If you can show your support right now, we'd like to send you Pastor Greg's book called Jesus Revolution.

It's the fuller story of the Jesus movement and how it changed the lives of Greg and Kathy Laurie. We'll send the book your way to thank you for your investment. And you can call us right now at 1-800-821-3300. Call anytime 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to harvest.org. Well, we've been talking about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And next time, Pastor Greg points out that the Spirit shows us our sin and then brings us to the Savior. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie. Hey everybody, thanks for listening to this podcast. To learn more about Harvest Ministries, follow this show and consider supporting it. Just go to harvest.org. And to find out how to know God personally, go to harvest.org and click on Know God.