What is God like? May 28 and 30
Jesus walked the earth for over 33 years, showing us God in the flesh especially the last 3 and ½ that we have most of the narrative.
We see the way he raised up the value of all people especially those most negated in society, women, children, and the disabled
We see the challenges of loving people including our enemies as Jesus ministered to the Romans, Samaritans, tax collectors, and sinners
We see what real love is about as he took time with the disciples, non-Jews, secret followers, and even correcting the religious
We see how much He loved us by living a life of limited locality (being limited in place), being patient with all people so we could learn His message, allowing himself to have the wrath of the Father for the sin of the world, poured out on him so we could have relationship with him
The Gospels show us all of this and so much more but the fact remains we can only read about these things, we weren’t alive to experience them in person but he promised us that we could have a personal experience with him every day through the Holy Spirit.
We see again His great love for us in not leaving us alone but allowing the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us but what do we see of God in the Holy Spirit?
I want to take a few moments today just to look at a passage that reveals much more than the cursory glance we often give it and gather some insight into our understanding of God.
Your view of God affects who you are and everything you do.
Think about it how you handle your failures, your sin, “is God going to punish me now?”
How you live every day, “I am on my own I hope God is with me!”
The way you relate to others, if you don’t know how much you are loved can you truly love others
How you understand your purpose in life, if you feel you even have one, is affected by your view of God
Let’s take a look today at part of the role of the Holy Spirit and see how we can see and understand God
John 16:7-11
But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
Jesus states he is going away and part of the purpose of his going away is so that the Holy Spirit might but just be visiting in special circumstances, or being with believers but that He will be in believers….The advocate which ,means also helper, counselor, intercessor the one who stands for us is in all of us who believe, today I want to show you part of what he is doing…
The Father is God, Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God. He is revealed in three persons each having different roles to fulfill. Jesus came in the flesh so we might see God and The Holy Spirit is in us so we might know God.
So how do these verses reveal God? I’m glad you asked…Let’s look
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin… The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.
Now that doesn’t sound very kind or friendly, does it? When you think of someone bringing conviction what do you think of? Hard hitting preachers, people holding you accountable? Being caught in doing something wrong? While all of these things are true, I want us to look at it from a perhaps clearer perspective.
What is the purpose of conviction? Simply put, to correct things so we might be better!
Sin is a fault, a failure, a place where we have gone wrong!
The Greek idea of sin is a marksman who misses the bullseye, misses the mark.
We have been each designed with a purpose in mind, that purpose fulfilled, always glorifies God, but it also fulfills us. When we waste our time not fulfilling our purpose we sin
What are your gifts, what type of personality, temperament has the Lord given you? What skills do you have? What dreams has the Lord given you…recognizing that all of these things have come from the Lord is what the Holy Spirit is convicting the world of, each of these things are designed and given to us so that people might see Jesus in us
This conviction the Holy Spirit is doing is only so we might become who God has called us to be.
The conviction is so we might live lives free of fear, worry, confusion, and living aimless, purposeless, selfish, lives…Jesus had told the disciples that he desired for our joy to be full for us to have peace so the Holy Spirit stops us from missing the mark by revealing to us what we are missing, how we have been blessed with so much, so we might become who we were meant to be…
Our sin is failing to recognize all of that, which causes us to become prideful, arrogant, greedy, lustful, hateful, prejudice, neglectful slothful, fearful and all of the other sins.
Because we do not recognize our own value, we don’t see God’s blessing and hand on our lives. So it is easy for us to miss the mark and fall far from our purpose.
God wants us filled everyday with the love, joy, and peace. We should have this but we can’t if the Holy Spirit doesn’t convict us of what we are missing so we can recognize the Lord in every aspect of our lives.
Ignoring our calling, the gifts we have been given ignores the one who designed us and gave them all to us…we believe we are self-fulfilled rather than God-purposed.
God designed and planned you so that you can live a full, blessed, and success-filled life and he loves you enough to reveal those short comings, sins to you so you will be fulfilled and blessed not beat up and made to feel a failure.
Next the Holy Spirit will show us God and his love by…
he will convict the world of…righteousness…. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father.
Righteousness is a very religious word…I am not sure that we use it out side of a discussion around religion…but simply put righteousness is “right living” it is living the way God intended for us to live.
WE are not meant to live with broken hearts, depression, anxiety, fear. We are not meant to live with unforgiveness, festering wounds, vengeance, constant striving for more, more power, more stuff, more of what we don’t have or don’t need…these are all things that lead us to hopelessness!
When Jesus is saying the Holy Spirit will convict the world of righteousness he is saying…I want them full of hope, to walk in freedom not failure to live the way I created them to live…right living not wrong living that leads to destruction and hopelessness….
All of these things are choices we make, egged on by the enemy and rooted in deception rather than love…Jesus said judgment would come because of the ruler of this world, but if we allow The Holy Spirit to convict us of our sin and righteousness the result is we will be walking out love…knowing who we are and who God is because we are moving the way he created us…there is fear in judgment but no fear in love…
Allow conviction to come to remind you of who you are, why you were created
Allow conviction to come so you will walk the right way avoiding all of the pain this world has to offer
Allow the enemy to be judged and those who follow him because we don’t need to be afraid because as we allow the conviction of sin and righteousness we will walk in love, joy, peace and hope, always
Does this make sense to you today? This is choice, the Holy Spirit is with you and in you and if you allow him to function as Jesus said He would you will be free!
Do you see today where you have limited God in your gifts and calling? Do you see how your joy has been frustrated because you have not been walking rightly in some areas? Do you see God has called you to not be afraid of judgment because it is not for you but you are called to freedom! Even in things that sound as if they are harsh, they are not they are God revealing His plan, purpose and love for us….Do you seem him more clearly in this? I hope so!
Will you choose freedom and know God’s great love for you through conviction of sin and righteousness?