When the Spirit Speaks

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: John 16:7There are things we will never understand until we lay down our intellectual pride and let the Holy Spirit speak to us. Only when the Spirit speaks can we understand three truths regarding who we are and what God makes us.John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”First, the Holy Spirit teaches the truth about the sinner’s basic problem.A man is a sinner because of what he is and what he has done. Born into this fallen world, it is in our nature to give in to sin.A man is also a sinner because of what he has not done. God made us to know, love, and serve Him; when we do not do that, we are refusing Him the glory He deserves.But our ultimate problem is that we are sinners for not believing, because the greatest sin is unbelief. Unbelief is the parent sin, out of which all other sins come; it is proof of man’s wickedness, and it is what separates us from God forever.Second, the Holy Spirit shows the truth about the Savior’s bountiful provision.When we believe in Jesus Christ, He changes what we are at our very core and gives us a new nature. Adrian Rogers says, “Christians are not just nicer people; they’re new creatures.”He also forgives us for what we have done. Every stain, blot, or blemish of our past is washed whiter than snow, buried in the grave of God’s forgetfulness.He gives us the righteousness we need in order to be saved.Finally, the Holy Spirit proclaims the truth about Satan’s broken power.Jesus’s death on the cross was God’s greatest victory over evil. Satan’s kingdom was crushed; he now sails a sinking ship and rules a doomed domain.When we receive Christ, we become more like Him every day. That is what our faith is all about, and what the Holy Spirit is working within us.Apply it to your lifeHave you laid down your intellectual pride and allowed the Holy Spirit to impart things only He can show you? Understanding man’s sinful nature and the Savior’s provision, are you becoming more like Jesus?