Please be seated. Good morning
everybody. Good morning. Scripture reading for this morning
is taken from Psalms 89. We're finishing up the rest of
it. We read the first part a couple weeks ago. So we're going to
be starting at verse 27. Psalm 89, verse 27. And before
I read that, I wanted to read this little paragraph that John
put in the bulletin this morning, because I just couldn't say it
better. It says, private prayer is very
important. Private devotion is very important.
However, the gathering of God's people together to worship the
Lord is far more important. Amen. Psalm 87, 2. The Lord loveth
the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Let us
love what our Lord loves more than all else, our gathering
together to worship him in spirit and in truth. Our pastor Gene
used to say, we will never know this side of eternity, the importance
of these meetings, and the importance of the wisdom that we get from
these scriptures and messages that have eternal value. So,
Psalms 89, starting at verse 27, Also, I will make him my firstborn,
higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for
him forevermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His
seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the
days of heaven. If his children forsake my law
and walk not in my judgments, if they break my statutes and
keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgression
with the rod and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless, my
love and kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer
my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break,
nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips. Once have
I sworn by my holiness, and I will not lie unto David. His seat
shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.
It shall be established forever as the moon, and as faithful
witness in heaven. Selah. But thou hast cast off
and abhorred. Thou hast been wroth with thine
anointed. Thou hast made void the covenant
of thy servant. Thou has profaned his crown by
casting it to the ground. Thou has broken down all his
hedges. Thou has brought his strongholds to ruin. And that
paths by the way spoil him. He is a reproach to his neighbors. Thou has set up the right hand
of his adversaries. Thou has made all his enemies
to rejoice. Thou hast also turned the edge
of his sword and has not made him to stand in the battle. Thou
hast made his glory to cease and cast his throne down to the
ground. The days of his youth hast thou
shortened. Thou hast covered him with shame.
Selah. How long, Lord, wilt thou hide
thyself forever? Shall thy wrath burn like fire? Remember how short my time is.
Wherefore, thou hast made all men in vain. What man is he that
liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from
the hand of the grave? Selah. Lord, where are thy former
loving-kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth? Remember, Lord, the reproach
of thy servants, how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all
the mighty people, wherewith thine enemies have reproached,
O Lord, wherewith they have reproached the footstep Blessed be the Lord
forevermore, Amen and Amen. Amen. Would you open your Bibles this
morning to the book of John? And I'd like to begin in chapter
15 if you would. John chapter 15. our salvation by the strength
of our faith, don't we? Oh, I'm so strong in the faith.
I know who the Lord is. I know what He's done. I know where He is
right now. I'm so strong in the faith. That's
not how we do it, is it? No, usually it's like this. I'm so weak. Isn't that the way
it usually is? I didn't think, I've been so
wrapped up in the U.S. Open golf tournament, I haven't
thought about the Lord all week. I'm just, I'm weak. That's usually the way it is,
isn't it? Isn't that how we normally judge ourselves? I'm so weak.
I don't even know if I'm saved at times. I was talking with
a young man who was new to the faith, and he
was telling me, he says, you know, I've kind of felt guilty
that I haven't been attending church lately. Is that what you're basing your
salvation on, is how often you go to church? Don't get me wrong, folks. Just
like our brother Mike said, this side of that doormark death,
we'll never know how profitable it is for us to be right here
today, worshiping our Lord. I'm not in any way encouraging
anybody to not come to church, but what I want you to do is
I don't want you to judge your salvation on how often you show
up to church. If you're judging your salvation
by anything that you do in the flesh, you're making a huge error. Salvation is of the Lord. That's
what the churches of God preach. That's what the ministers of
God preach. That's what God's people reflect out to the world. I'm not holier than thou. My
Savior is as holy as I need. I told him, I said, let me ask
you something. Is you not coming to church,
has that changed in any way what you think of who Christ is? I
don't think so. Good! That's good! That means you still believe
that He's God in the flesh, is that correct? That's what He
says about Himself in the Word of God. He's the Creator of all
that is. This is the One who saved us.
Not some flimsy little Jesus who's waiting for us to do something,
but the God of all creation. And you believe that still, right?
OK, so there's what we want to base our salvation on, the Lord
Jesus and who He is. But you still believe that He's
the only one and the only way to salvation. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that hasn't changed. Good! That's wonderful! That means you're still convinced
that what He did on the cross is enough! That's good enough
for me! That's all I needed! That's good
enough for you. You're still convinced. You haven't
lost your faith. Let me ask you this. Do you still
believe that death could not hold him? Is it still deep in
your heart that Christ sits on his throne this very minute,
working everything out for your good? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. There's what we base our salvation
on. Not on us, but on him. We are saved by grace through
faith, belief. Oh, he was so relieved. He said,
you've got nothing to feel guilty over. We've got families that
we've got to go see. You know, today they're off with
their daughter to a park to celebrate Father's Day. That's good! That's great! If the Lord had
taken each and every one of you to go and spend some time with
your family today and it was just Kathy and I here, I'd be
preaching the same message. And I'd be saying, fantastic!
I'm glad to see you folks with your family. doing things, and
I hope you're going to go out and do something with your family
after church today. It's a good day to celebrate
Father's Day. You see, the point is, is when
God convicts, and that's what we're talking about. Conviction. Convinced. Without a doubt. See, there's no argument with
John. I made a decision for Jesus.
Well, that's good for you. I'm glad for you. But with John
Reeves, I didn't make the decision. My Lord made the decision long
before the world was ever created. That's what His Word tells me.
And I believe His Word. I'm convinced, but not because
of anything that I've done, not because of John got smarter one
day and started studying the Word of God. But because Christ
spoke and gave me a new heart, that's why. You see how God gets
the glory in it? Does He get the glory in your
hearts? From what I have seen, you could say yes. You could
say yes. Here in John chapter 15, Start
with me, if you would, verse 20. Remember the word that I
said unto you, saith the Lord? The servant is not greater than
his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they
will also persecute you. If they have kept my saying,
they will keep yours also. But all these things will they
do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not Him that
sent me. If I had not come and spoken
unto them, they had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for
their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father
also. If I had not done among them
the work which none other man did, they had not had sin, but
now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this
cometh to pass. that the word might be fulfilled
that is written in their law, that they hated me without a
cause. But when the Comforter is come... Now, that verses 20-25
sets the table for what we're going to read next in these next
13 verses. But when the Comforter is come,
whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of
truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify
of me." Did you see why I brought out, who do you believe? What
do you believe? Do you believe going to church
is what saved you? Do you believe the desire to
be in church, is that what saved you? Or do you believe who was
sent of God? He shall testify of me. Verse
27, And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me
from the beginning. These things have I spoken unto
you, that ye should not be offended. He was about to tell them again
that he is going to Jerusalem to die and to be crucified. They
shall put you out of the synagogues. Yea, the time commendeth that
whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God's service. And these things will they do
unto you, because they have not known the Father for me." Remember,
the disciples, the apostles, were still all under the belief
that the day of Pentecost was when the Spirit of God came upon
His people. Up until this point, the apostles
had thought what Jesus was talking about all this time was building
a new, bringing up, raising up a new kingdom here on earth. But these things, verse 4, have
I told you that when the time shall come ye may remember that
I told you of them, and these things I said not unto you at
the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way,
here he is, he's telling him again, he's already mentioned
to him three times, that they're going to go up to Jerusalem,
and this is kind of a vague way of saying it again, but now I
go my way to Him that sent me, and none of you asketh me whither
thou goest, whither goest thou? But because I have said these
things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless,
I tell you the truth, for if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto
you. And when he has come, he will reprove the world that of sin, because they believe
not on me, of righteousness, because I go to my Father and
you see me no more, of judgment, because of the prince of this
world is judged. Now, the word in verse 8 is the
word I want to talk to you about this morning. It's the word reproved. And when he has come, speaking
of the comforter, They're all saddened about how the Lord's
going to go up to Jerusalem and be killed. And it's not what
they thought it was going to be. And He's going to die. But
every time He mentions it, He mentions this as well. And I
will be raised the third day. Oh, great! I've got to get past
that death part. This is the Savior that told
us that He was going to come and save us from all of our enemies.
Gotta get over that death part. That's kind of blocking me. You
ever have a conversation with somebody and they say one thing
and all of a sudden you don't hear nothing else they say? That
happens to me a lot. I'm sorry it does. And I'm more
sorry to her than anyone else. They gotta get over it. But they're
not. They're saddened greatly by what
the Lord says. And the Lord is telling them
a Comforter is coming. And I want to talk to you this
morning about the purpose of this Comforter coming. We know
the purpose of Christ coming. The purpose of Christ coming
was to shed His blood. Isn't that what it is? Isn't
that what He came here for? A body was prepared that He would
come and shed His blood for many? That He would save many through
the shedding of His blood? This is what the Comforter is
coming for. To reprove. And that word reprove means to
convict or convince. I like that word. Convinced. Look, look. Mark your spot here. We're going to come back to it.
Put a piece of paper there. Turn over the titles. I want
you to see how this word means Philemon. You've got Hebrews.
You go to the left of Hebrews, you see a little book called
Philemon, and there's Titus. Titus chapter 1. I'll give you
a moment to get there. Titus chapter 1. Look at verse
9 with me if you would. Holding fast the faithful word
as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine,
now Paul is giving instructions to Titus here in Sweden, holding
fast the faithful, speaking of those who are applying for a
mission, they must be blameless, not given to filthy lucre, holding
fast the faithful word as he might have been taught, that
he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince. The gains here, is that the exact
same word that we read back over here in our text, where it says,
he is come, he will reprove. He will convince the world of
sin, convince the world of righteousness, and of judgment. One more place,
if you would, turn over to Romans, go back to the left again, back
towards John, to past Corinthian, to Romans chapter eight. Look
at Romans chapter eight. That's not the right verse. What did I put down there? Romans
8 verse 9. Psalm 19. Okay, well, we'll go on. There
was another word that showed convict or convinced as well. Let's move over to Romans chapter
8, verse 38. This is another word. It's not
the same word, but it's another word that has the same meaning
of conviction, of convinced, and so on. Look at verse 38.
Romans chapter 8, verse 38. For I am persuaded. Good word there, isn't it? What
that means is something outside has turned the heart of this
one who stands before you. Something from outside has convinced
or persuaded. Convinced or persuaded. In other
words, the idea is this, that what I once thought was truth
is now removed. I love the testimony of our brother
Mike Loveless. sincere in his previous religious
life. He's expressed to me the sincerity
of his thoughts and how eventually it came to the point where it
troubled his thoughts. His thoughts of what truth was
was turned. He began to see in reading in
God's Word, it wasn't what the religion was trying to teach
him. He was sincere in what he was doing, but he was sincerely
wrong. That's what this being convinced
is all about. It's being turned from what we
once thought was truth to the truth that is in scriptures.
Look over at the 17th chapter of John. John chapter 17. We're going back towards our
text again now. And look with me at a couple
of verses in John chapter 17. I want to bring out again how
the elect of God are chosen and how we are caused to have our
faith in who He is. I want to bring out how all of
salvation is of the Lord, not just the main parts where Christ
laid down His life, but every bit of it, even the turning,
even the convincing. Here in John chapter 17, we look
at verse 17 with me if you would. Sanctify them through thy truth,
thy word is truth. Now look back at verses 6 through
8. unto the men which thou gavest
me out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest
them me, and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that
all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have
given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they received
them, and have known Shirley." How do we know Shirley? How do
we know for sure that the Spirit of God must come to us? That's
how. I can't speak to the hearts of
men and women. God helped me to never even give
any implication of that. But the Holy Spirit can. They
have surely known that I came out from thee, and they have
believed that thou didst send me. They know, known surely,
There's a song that we read or sing. We sang it for Bible study
this morning. I'd like you to turn in your
hymn books real quick if you would. Turn over to page 405. I want you to read these with me.
We're going to do it without music. 405. My faith has found a resting
place. Not in device or creed. I don't have any faith in device,
this body, this mind to be a device. I don't have any faith in the
creed, whatever declaration that I make. I trust the ever-living
One. His wounds for me shall plead.
Verse 2, enough for me that Jesus saves, that ends my fear and
doubt. A sinful soul, I come to Him. How do I know I'm a sinful soul?
You know, I didn't think I was that bad of a guy before. I didn't
kill anybody. I may have hurt some people a
little. But I wasn't that bad of a guy. I had to be convinced. Isn't
that what our scripture tells us back there in the 16th chapter
again? Let me read that again for you.
He will reprove, he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness
and of judgment. Oh, this is what we're talking
about right here. Enough for me that Jesus saves
and ends my fear and doubt. A sinful soul, I come to Him,
He'll never cast me out. Isn't that His Word? Those who
come to me, I will in no wise cast out. Verse 3, my heart is
leaning on the Word, the written Word of God. Salvation by my
Savior's name. Salvation through His blood. Verse 4. My great Physician heals
the sick, the lost He came to save. For me, His precious blood
He shed. For me, His life He gave. Now, this is what brought me
to think about this psalm right here. I need no other argument. I'm not going to argue with you
about free willism. I'm not going to argue about
decisionism. I'm not going to argue with anyone
else about any kind of ism there is. Christ is all I care about. That's why Paul says that. I
don't wish to know nothing of you, save Christ and Him crucified."
They wanted to come to him, the church that he was writing to,
they wanted to come to him, Corinth and Corinth, and tell him about
all these things, and why they were doing this, and he says,
I don't care about any of that. It means nothing. All that stuff
that I used to do, I count it but done, is what he told the
Romans. I need no other argument. I need
no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died,
and that He died for me. Listen to these words from Acts
chapter 28 verse 31. Preaching the Kingdom of God
and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ
with all confidence, no man forbidding Him. All my confidence is in
that very thing, the Lord Jesus Christ. With Philippians 3 verse
3 we read this, for we are the circumcision which worship God
in spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence
in the flesh. Back in our text in John chapter
16, look with me if you would in verses 7 through 11. Nevertheless I tell you the truth,
it is expedient, it is advantageous for you that I go away Why? Why was it expedient? Why was
it advantageous? Because Christ had to sit where
God the Father had given Him all power and all glory at the
throne of God, at the right hand of God. If I go not away, the
Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will
send Him unto you. And when He has come, He will
reprove you of the world Because they believe not on Me. Anybody else can raise their
hand up and say that very thing? I did not believe on Him. See why it was so important that
I asked that young man, are you basing your salvation on going
to church? Or are you basing your foundation
on the Lord Jesus Christ? See folks, that's where we need
to judge. That's where we need to measure
our salvation. Because when we look to Christ
as our salvation, He's everything. All-powerful. All life comes
from Him. When we look to Christ for our
righteousness, He's got all the righteousness we need. He's perfect
in every way. When we look to Christ for judgment,
He's been judged in our stead. And we stand before the Lord
God Almighty as white as our Savior. Perfect. Are you washed
in the blood? Our Lord said, nevertheless,
though you ask no questions, I tell you that it is absolutely
necessary for you that I die and rise again and go to the
Father. In verse 7, the Lord tells us,
He's saying that it's absolutely necessary that he die and that
he rises again and go to the Father. His death atoned for
our sins. He must die. His death removed the curse of
the law. His death enables God to be just
and the justifier of all believers. His death secures the peace and
reconciliation that His people need. His death opens the way
for believers into the holiest of holies. What happened when
the Lord died that day on the cross? Was not the holiest of
holies? thick carpet that hung from ceiling
to floor? Was it not ripped in twain? Opened
wide open for all of God's people to come in? His death and resurrection gives
us a mediator with the Father. Transacts all of our businesses
with the living God. As our forerunner, heaven and
He possesses and prepares a place for us. The Holy Spirit was certainly
here before, but He had not come in a special way, in a peculiar
manner as He would come to believers after Christ was glorified. He
would indwell them as the promise of the Father, as the Comforter,
the Teacher, the Guide and the Glorifier of Christ. Had Christ
not died For the Father, there would have
been nothing for the Holy Spirit to do. No blood to sprinkle,
no salvation to apply, no righteousness to reveal, and no comfort to
give. Look at verses 8-11 again. And
when He has come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,
and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe
not on Me, of righteousness because I go to my father and you see
me no more, of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. The Spirit will take up residence and dwell. He will teach and preach through
the believers the testimony of God and the gospel of Christ. Many have heard, but few believe. What makes the difference between
the many and the few? The Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit
dwelling in His people. When He indwells, He teaches
the testimony of God in the Gospel of Christ by conviction of sin.
As to its guilt and the curse of it. a revelation of Christ
to the heart and convincing men and women of sin. Do you remember? Do you remember the time before
the Lord called you out of darkness? Was sin that important to you? How many of us told little white
lies and thought, oh, it's not hurting anybody? How many of
us doubted God? of who he was and the power that's
his. Do you realize that's what free
willism is? Acting on my free will is saying
that I have power and authority over God. How many of us did
that very thing? We may not see the full depth
of that sin, but we see it for what it is, don't we? The conviction of sin and convincing
the sinner of his need and of his mercy and grace, they are
always accomplished by the Holy Spirit using the Word of God
and are related to Christ and His person and Word. Righteousness
and judgment are not the persuasion and logic, but of God's Spirit.
Look over at 1 Corinthians chapter 2 with me if you would. Go to
the right. We'll leave our text now in John
16. And I won't be much longer with
this, but I want to show you a couple of things more. 1 Corinthians
chapter 2. In 1 Corinthians 2, we're talking
about the conviction, the convincing that the Holy Spirit does through
the preaching of the Word of righteousness and sin and judgment. 1 Corinthians 2, verses 9-14.
I'll get it out there. But as it is written, I have
not seen nor ear heard, neither hath entered
into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him. But God hath revealed them unto
us by His Spirit." This is the Holy Spirit talking
to us through the preaching of His Word. Have you ever heard
a verse and you've heard it a thousand times? And then all of a sudden
you hear it again. And you're like, whoa! Did you
see that? Did you see that diamond right
there of the Lord Jesus and His love for His people? That's the
Holy Spirit opening that Word of God to you. Even though you've
heard it a thousand times, it didn't really hit you as to what
that Word was meaning. And every time we see that Word
pointing us to Christ, it's a diamond, is it not? Oh, that's what this
is talking about. Let's go on, shall we? But God
hath revealed them unto us by a Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth
the things of man, or save the spirit of man which is in him,
even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.
Now, we have received not the spirit of the world, but the
Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that
are freely given to us of God. Do you see that? This is one
of those nuggets right here. This is one of those things that
I've read a thousand times, and it wasn't until years later after
I'd heard it, I said, this is talking about Christ revealing
these things to us. This is talking about God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit being of one
mind, one purpose. That is to call His people out
of darkness. Those that He has loved from
before the world was. Let's go on. Now we have received
not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God,
that we might know the things of God that are freely given
unto us, which things also we speak not in the words which
man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing
spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolish
instead of him, neither can he know them. because they are spuriously
discerned. The essence of all sin is unbelief. The Holy Spirit will reveal Christ
as He did at the day of Pentecost and bring men to believe on Him.
Look at Acts chapter 2, go to the left. verses 36-38. Acts chapter 2, beginning at verse
36, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, convincingly,
understanding, that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye
have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this,
they were pricked. They were convinced. That's what
that word pripped means. It means violently grabbing ahold
of. Violently convincing. Tearing
away that old stony heart and giving us a new heart to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Their hearts They were pricked
in their heart and said unto Peter and unto the rest of the
apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said
unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit. What is the gift of the Holy
Spirit? Look over at Romans chapter 10. We're almost done. Romans chapter
10. Here's the gift of the Holy Spirit,
verse 4. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. One more if you
would, look at verse 19 of Romans chapter 5. For by one man's disobedience,
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many
be made righteous. The fact that the Father raised
our Lord and the Savior from the dead and received Him at
His right hand is full proof of His obedience and His work,
and it's sufficient for you and I. We are convinced We have been
convinced by the Holy Spirit that there is no righteousness
in us and the only righteousness we have any claim to is the righteousness
of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3, it
talks about us being purged. Wiped clean. We've looked at
that recently in our recent studies. Hebrews 10 declares that we are
sanctified. Folks, we have nothing. and no
one to fear. Our Lord is telling His disciples
that their ministry by the power of the Holy Spirit shall not
fail. He will have a people from every
nation, every tribe, and every tongue. Let's close with an article,
if you would, in today's bulletin. It's right underneath the announcements. written by our dear brother,
Brother Frank Tate. He's the Sovereign Grace preacher
in Ashland, Kentucky. Not the one Brother Mahan preached
at, but another one. He takes his thoughts from our
text there in John 16, verses 8-11, where we read, and when
he is come, he will reprove, convince the world of sin, and
of righteousness, and of judgment, of sin, because they believe
not on me, of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and
ye see me no more, of judgment, because the prince of this world
is judged." Brother Frank writes this, he says, how do I know
if the Holy Spirit has convinced and convicted me of sin, or if
I am simply sorry? Sorry, and I will be punished
for that sin. How do I know if I'm convinced
in the heart that Christ is my Savior, or if I simply have a
head knowledge of some facts about Christ? If the Holy Spirit
has convinced you of sin, you are convinced of the nature of
sin, so that you know sin is not something you have done,
sin is what you are. If the Holy Spirit has convinced
you of sin, you are convinced of the guilt of your sin, because
you have sinned against God, not just done something a little
bit wrong. If the Holy Spirit has convinced
you of sin, you are convinced of the fault of sin, so that
you are convinced your sin is your fault. And it's not Adam's
fault. It is yours. If the Holy Spirit
has convinced you of Christ, You are convinced that the only
way you can be saved is by the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus
Himself. If the Holy Spirit has convinced
you of Christ, you are absolutely certain that your works, either
before or after conversion, play no part in your being saved,
staying saved, or making yourself more pleasing in God's sight.
If the Holy Spirit has convinced you of Christ, you are absolutely
certain that salvation is by grace through faith without a
single solitary work on your part. If the Holy Spirit has
convinced you of sin, you find your hope, your peace, your confidence
in Christ alone. I need Do you?