A Witnessing Heart Part 1

Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Runners need power to win a race, and we need power to be effective witnesses for Christ. Today, how to witness with absolute confidence as we learn from Jesus about the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, what does it mean to be a witness for Christ? Dave, throughout the years I know that there's been a discussion as to how we can best witness for Jesus Christ. Is it through our lives or is it through our words? In my opinion, putting the question that way is like asking, what is most important on a plane, the right wing or the left wing?

Well, of course, the answer is both. We witness for Jesus Christ best when our lives reflect him, his love, his passion, his concern. But at the same time, we have to tell people about Jesus because if we don't use words, they will not have an explanation as to why we live differently. You know, this message of hope through the ministry of Running to Win goes to many different countries, about 20 different countries.

And it's because of people like you who support this ministry. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner? Endurance partners are people who stand with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts.

Of course, the amount that you give is entirely up to you. Here's how you can find info. Go to rtwoffer.com, rtwoffer.com. And when you're there, click on the endurance partner button.

Or if you wish, you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. And now once again, we listen to the words of Jesus, words of comfort, hope and challenge from the upper room. I'm sure that all of us have memorized that little jingle that goes, convince a man against his will and he will be of the same opinion still.

But I suppose that it is not any more true than it is when it comes to the issue of religion. Just get somebody to change his religious perspectives and you try to convince them against his will, he'll be of the same opinion still. Here's an 18-year-old college student who goes to a retreat, comes back, receives Christ as Savior while he's there, suddenly has a sense of peace and joy and a sense of liberation, finally knows that indeed he knows God. And he comes home and he is so excited. And he tells his parents, he says, you know, I received Christ as Savior and I can tell you honestly that my life is different.

I've been born again and finally the guilt is gone and I really do know a sense of meaning now that I've trusted Christ. And he expects his parents to say, oh, we've just been waiting to hear this message. May we sign on the dotted line right now? Instead, what does he hear? Oh, what are you talking to us about things like that?

We're Christians too. That's one possibility of what he might hear. Another one is, are you some kind of a fanatic? What makes you think that you're right? There are other ways to God. What's the big deal here?

This will wear off. And he finds the same response back at college. And he can't believe it because to him it's like having found the bag of gold and there's more gold to be found than he's telling his friends where it is.

And he can't get them to be the slightest bit interested. What that young man must learn is what all of us must learn, that it is impossible for people to come to Christ, to saving faith in Christ, unless they are drawn by the Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus said, no man comes except the Spirit draws him.

And the Greek word is a very strong word. It means no man come unless the Spirit drags him. Do I speak today to someone who had to be dragged by the Holy Spirit to come to Christ? Now, God asks us to participate in the ministry of the Spirit in the world.

I believe that when today's message is over, I've been asking God that as a result of it, you and I will witness with more confidence that we've ever had, that we will not become discouraged in our witnessing, but that we will leave here anxious to share with someone today or definitely tomorrow the good news of the Gospel with love and caring, trusting the Spirit to do the rest of the work. Our text is found in the 16th chapter of the Gospel of John. Jesus was just talking to the disciples about persecution. If you were with us last time, you know that that's what we were speaking of. And Jesus talks to them about persecution.

But of course, the question that arises in the lives of the disciples is this. In light of the fact that we can expect hostility and persecution, should we just write the world off? Should we just simply say, hey, look, you know, the world hates us, so we're out of here. We're going to build our own little colony. We're going to live in our own little desert. We're going to do our own little thing and let the world go to hell.

If that's the way they are, then that's the way they are. Jesus does not want them to think that way. So what he's going to say is this. Disciples, the Holy Spirit of God has a ministry in your life, most assuredly, but it also is going to have a very specialized ministry to the world. You'll notice that the scripture says that when the counselor comes, I'm in verse 7 now of chapter 16, it is good that I am going away because unless I go away, the counselor will not come to you.

But if I go, I will send him to you. Verse 8, when he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. In regard to sin, because men do not believe in me. In regard to righteousness, because I'm going to the father where you can see me no longer. And in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world will be judged or is already condemned.

What Jesus is saying is that the spirit is going to convince the world. My translation says in verse 8, convict. That word has many different meanings.

It's actually a legal term. It can mean prosecute. It can mean indeed to convince. It means to convict.

It means to probe. It means to show the truth, to show reality. And that's the role that the Holy Spirit will have among the people of the world. And we speak of the world, by the way, as those who are unbelievers.

That's how Jesus is using the word. Well, what I'd like us to do is to look briefly at how the spirit of God uncovers the truth and how he helps people be rid of their lies, because we all grow up believing lies about ourselves and about God, and the truths that the spirit of God is committed to show to the people of the world. First of all, Jesus said he will convict the world of sin, the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.

Sin, last part of verse 9, because men do not believe in me. I think Jesus means, first of all, that the spirit will convict people of the reality of their sins. That's where the spirit begins its work. Because most of us believe that we're much better than we are until we meet God, and then we get a more realistic picture. You remember that college retreat where the director of the college ministry put above the door for sinners only. And the college students looked at one another and said, well, if that's for sinners only, then where do we go? I mean, are you trying to make all of us out to be sinners? So there are those who think that their sins are small. There are those who think that their sins are insignificant, and they themselves can manage their sins. So the spirit of God convicts them of the reality of their sin, but also convicts them of the one sin, the greatest sin, which is unbelief.

Jesus said, because they believe not on me. Left to yourself, you will never believe on Christ. You may believe about him historically, you may think wonderful thoughts about him, but you will never transfer your trust to him until he shows you that unbelief is sin.

It says in 1 John, if we believe not, we make God a liar. What is the biggest sin? The greatest sin is really unbelief, because it lies at the root of all other sins.

Even when I choose to disobey, it's because I don't believe God's promises that his way is best. There's a sin in the new testament called the unpardonable sin in the book of Matthew. What is this unpardonable sin? Well, first of all, it was a national sin, because Jesus revealed himself to the nation Israel, and they rejected him.

So Jesus said, I'm finished in effect with the nation. Secondly, it was a sin committed by unbelievers, but it was hardened unbelief, a fundamental determination that a fundamental determination to not believe on Jesus, and that was the root from which all other sins sprung. I don't believe that the unpardonable sin can be committed today as it was in new testament times, because it was a national sin. It is a sin that unbelievers commit, but hear me carefully. There is an unpardonable sin, and that is unbelief.

So I need to speak to you today. You who have heard the word often and you have rejected it often, beware, because God does not take your sin lightly. It is a serious sin, and don't harden your heart against the conviction of the spirit. He will convince you of the reality of sin and particularly one sin, unbelief.

Let's notice what else the spirit shows. First of all, the one sin. Secondly, the one standard, righteousness. Notice he says he will convince the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. In regard to righteousness, verse 10, because I'm going to the father where you can see me no longer. What is the ministry of the spirit with regard to righteousness? The Bible says that there are two different kinds of righteousness. There is man's righteousness, and man's righteousness can never attain the righteousness of God, which stands in sharp contrast to it. Two different kinds of righteousness. Human righteousness looks good to us.

God says it is as filthy garments. He can't accept human righteousness. The only kind of righteousness God accepts is his own. That's why salvation has to come through God himself, who is the redeemer, because he accepts only his own righteousness. Paul says regarding the Jews of his day, they turned away from God and they established their own righteousness and did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. You see, what the Holy Spirit of God does is he creates within the conscience this restlessness, this feeling of guilt.

You'll notice that I read the text too quickly. It says that he will convince the world of guilt, and then it goes on to define what that means. And what the Holy Spirit is doing is he's showing that we are not meeting God's high standard. That's what the conviction of the spirit is all about. Now isn't it interesting that psychiatrists, and here I'm not talking about all psychiatrists, but I'm talking about some psychiatrists who are unbelievers. People come to them and they feel guilty and they say, well, you know, I've got this medication for you. They are trying to make people feel good, whom God is trying to make feel very not good.

Psychiatrists are trying to bring peace to people that God is trying to bring restlessness and conviction to. It's the role of the spirit to show the difference between that kind of righteousness. It is not only the two different kinds of righteousness, but also the spirit would want to show that the righteousness of God is a gift. It has to be a gift. You're thinking people, so let's follow this. Since it is God's righteousness, and it's different from our own, it's not human righteousness added together.

Obviously it has to be a free gift. Because there is nothing in God's righteousness to which we can contribute. We cannot make it any better. We cannot detract from it.

We most assuredly cannot earn it. All that we must do is to humble ourselves and to receive it. And so Jesus is saying that the spirit of God will show you that need.

And then he says, this will happen because I'm going to my father. What's the connection there between the conviction of righteousness and the going to his father? Put it this way, when Jesus was in the world, Jesus was the one who exposed people's sin and their need for God's righteousness.

And of course he could do that only to a few people, relatively speaking. There's a whole group of people outside of the land of Israel and even within its borders that Jesus never got to. That's why he says it's good for you if the spirit comes and I leave.

Why? Because as we'll see in a moment, the Holy Spirit of God is going to now use believers, you see, all throughout the world, whether it's Africa or whether it's India or America or South America, God is going to use believers through whom the world will be convicted, when the spirit comes to you. Now I'm going to the father and I'm going to put you in my place. The spirit will convict the world of one sin, primary sin, unbelief. The spirit will convict the world of righteousness, one standard, God's righteousness, but he will also convict the world of judgment. Jesus said that the counselor comes and he convicts the world of judgment because the prince of this world now stands condemned. Last part of verse 11.

What's the connection there between those phrases? You see, man's judgment is oftentimes faulty. It is oftentimes faulty because people looked at Jesus dying on the cross and they thought for certain he died defeated. It looked as if the devil and evil won, but actually it wasn't that at all. Jesus won and Satan was condemned. And Jesus is saying in light of the fact that Satan is condemned, be assured that all those who do not believe in Christ will be condemned with him. Judgment is coming. And so Christ is saying the spirit will convince the world of the wrongness of their judgments, but also will convince them of coming judgment.

Now isn't this remarkable? It says in the book of Romans that a day is coming when God is going to judge the world and the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. The spirit causes legitimate fear of that judgment, just like we spoke to someone this past week who said she is scared, terrified of hell.

She has not yet believed, but isn't that wonderful? That's the work of the spirit. Now, one sin, unbelief. One standard righteousness.

One danger, judgment. But I would not be true to this text unless I didn't point out that there's one channel and that is believers. Look at what the text says in the very last verse of chapter 15. You also must testify for you have been with me from the beginning, said Jesus. You're going to be my witnesses. You're going to be my representatives.

And now let me pick up the text again that I read moments ago. It is for your good, 16 verse 7, that I am going away because unless I go away the counselor will not come to you, but if I go I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world. How will he do that? Oh, my friend, today he will do that through you. The Holy Spirit does not work in a vacuum. It is very seldom that someone is walking down a street in Chicago and then is suddenly smitten with conviction and says, oh, it's just dawned on me that I'm a sinner and I have to believe on Jesus. That could happen. Occasionally, people are saved just by reading the Bible that happens to fall into their arms or lap. But that's the unusual case.

In the vast majority of instances, it's something like this. Well, you know, I was going along and thought my life was okay and then I met this person at work who was so kind to me and took me to a moody business luncheon and I began to be interested in these things and somewhat intrigued about Jesus. And then I began to think to myself, you know, there is something in my life that is missing. And I began to realize that I couldn't rectify myself and that I needed God and on and on it goes. And pretty soon through you and through me, the person comes to saving faith in Christ.

This may even now be the most important thing I'm going to tell you today. The Holy Spirit of God, Jesus says, that comes to live in us, works through us to convince the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. And just like Jesus, the second member of the Trinity needed a body so that he could be incarnate to represent God here on earth. The Spirit of God needs bodies through whom that Spirit works so that the light of the gospel goes to people and the Spirit is free to do his work. When the Spirit comes to you, he will convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Well, this is Pastor Lutzer. I absolutely love those words of Jesus. What he is saying is that the Holy Spirit will use us to convince others of their sin and bring them to faith.

So, convincing people of their sin is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to give them the message and then trust the Spirit to do what we can't. The ministry of Running to Win is supported by people just like you. We have what we like to call endurance partners who give to us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. I have in my hand a letter from someone who writes, it's a huge blessing for me to be an endurance partner with such an awesome ministry that's truly grounded in Christ like Running to Win. And then the letter goes on to say that he and his wife have been leading a Bible study and they rejoice that they can be an integral part of this ministry. Now, I need to emphasize that we give God all the glory for what he is doing through the ministry of Running to Win. This is not our ministry.

It belongs to him and it belongs to people like you who support this ministry. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner? Here's what you can do. For more information, you go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com. And by the way, I'm going to be giving you this info again.

But when you're there, you click on the endurance partner button. Or if you want to help, you can get a pencil quickly enough to write down this number, 1-888-218-9337. Thanks in advance for helping us.

I believe that right now, God is speaking to many of you who say yes, we want to help in this ministry, which goes to 20 different countries in three different languages. Here's this info again. You can go to rtwoffer.com. Now, when you're there, click on the endurance partner button. Or you can call right now at 1-888-218-9337.

Thanks in advance for helping us. And to all the endurance partners out there, we extend not only our greetings but our gratitude. And remember, you are holding our hands as we serve the Lord together.

You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635, North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. When we speak a word of witness for Christ, we never know how people will react. But we can know that some are ready to believe. That's because the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those the Father is drawing to Himself. Next time, why you can witness with confidence, knowing that the Holy Spirit is preparing the way for your words of testimony to the unsaved. Thanks for listening. For Dr. Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.