Prep+ Podcast #3
00:00:00:28 - 00:00:23:03
Unknown
Welcome. You're listening to the Prep Plus podcast, rapture. Third study at a full on the Holy Spirit. I've got Owen Chadwick, with me here. Who wrote these studies for us? What a great series, if really care to be getting along to every Sunday so that we can hear, all that the Holy Spirit will be getting in the bigger picture of who the Holy Spirit is and what he is doing.
00:00:23:07 - 00:00:46:25
Unknown
Now, this study turns a little bit to the world, doesn't it? Yes, I guess the distinctive about this study. We've been looking at his work amongst believers, but this study kind of flips a little bit to his work out in the world. In fact, it seems to be that this is the only place where we speak about the Spirit's work in the world.
00:00:46:30 - 00:01:06:49
Unknown
Everywhere else we're talking about the Spirit's at work, in the in the life of the believer. In other places. But here, this is what the spirit will do in the world. Intriguing and intriguing section. Yeah. You've got that opening question there, which we kind of almost slink back to by the time we get to that, to the end of the study.
00:01:06:54 - 00:01:30:40
Unknown
I think it's the way that sometimes we do this with each of the persons of God, I think, is we know their sovereignty and somehow misread it to undermine our responsibility. So we'll kind of work through that as we work through this section in John 16 four B to 11. I think it's I helpful your comment there about the convicting has a almost a shaming element there.
00:01:30:45 - 00:01:54:25
Unknown
And a call to repentance. The Spirit's role is that of a prosecutor. So it's not shaming full kind of unwarranted, but entirely justified. Now, these three things, that he's going to convict the world of, it's worth clarifying over the page on page 12 that, why does the spirit convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement?
00:01:54:27 - 00:02:15:16
Unknown
It's kind of a different reason for each of those things. Did you want to speak to that question at all? Yeah, they are tricky, aren't they? I I'll send him to you. And when he comes, he'll convict the world concerning sin and then returning sin because they do not believe in me concerning righteousness. Because I go to the father, and you will see me no longer concerning judgement, because the ruler of this world is judged.
00:02:15:21 - 00:02:42:29
Unknown
Wow. There's a lot of there's a lot there. And we're often thinking, oh, what's the connection? How does that work? What? Why does the fact that he comes to them? There it is. Verse seven B if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes. So somehow the spirit coming to them will result in those three things happening.
00:02:42:34 - 00:03:05:20
Unknown
It's you could unpack that. Jesus could please. Jesus. You could have unpacked that. Yeah. How is it going to work. What, what, what is the link between those two things. Those those things. But then I guess you do you see him and how he points to who? What? The righteousness of Jesus. You see him? Is it kind of what he's doing to prepare people to believe, or is it what he's doing just in general?
00:03:05:20 - 00:03:21:25
Unknown
Like some people will be convicted just generally, but they won't come to faith? Or is it his working believers who are going to come to faith? I've put Owen on the spot here. You have. You put,
00:03:21:30 - 00:03:40:15
Unknown
Somehow, somehow, the spirit is at work in the world. Yes. And he's in that work. And the work that he's going to be doing has to do with, with with trusting in Jesus faith in Jesus. That will be his work. The Spirit's not going to be, I don't know, setting up a political group or setting up a, a kingdom.
00:03:40:30 - 00:04:00:14
Unknown
It's it's all to do with Jesus concerning sin. It's going to be they don't believe him concerning righteousness. As I go to the father, it's all about Jesus, the ruler of this age is judged. And it's worth flagging, isn't it? That's why we've called this series the one who leaves you to Christ. Yeah. Because that is. And that is just.
00:04:00:14 - 00:04:21:18
Unknown
Can I say such a helpful guide kind of guideline? If you're in your group and discussions are going all over the place, remember, you might want to have a questions page that you keep on hand so you can jot down those questions that people have and come back to them at a good time. But the other thing is probably to have this as a guiding principle, isn't it, that the spirit he's going to point people to Christ?
00:04:21:23 - 00:04:44:53
Unknown
That's kind of the kind of guy he is. He's he's all about pointing to Christ consistently. And so if you're trying to weigh up his work, is this the work of the spirit or not? It is it pointing people to Christ? That's right. And can I say, that question which asks about in the dig deeper. The two different groups, that is the it's chapter 16, basically two sections.
00:04:44:58 - 00:05:12:00
Unknown
That's 4 to 11 and then 12 to 15. I think they mirror each other, although they speaking different language. One is to the world and two is what Jesus is saying to the 12, to the 11. He's going to guide them into truth. He declare the things that are to come. He'll glorify Jesus. And somehow in him doing that, that will result in the will being convicted of seed.
00:05:12:03 - 00:05:33:16
Unknown
That will be result, result in, the world knowing the Jesus righteousness and the the ruler of this world. So when you read those two sections, you think they're not the same, but they actually are talking the same thing, that the Scripture is going to also work through their witness that's writing about those things. That's right. Which is an incredible thing to think about, isn't it?
00:05:33:21 - 00:05:55:26
Unknown
And how does that affect us? We have their witness. We have their witness in the scriptures. So as we have the New Testament and read the Gospels and read this gospel, and I help others to engage with the gospel writings that will result in those things happening in the world. I love how this series really is helping me see so clearly.
00:05:55:28 - 00:06:17:06
Unknown
Yes, the New Testament it has it's human authors and it's human, but it is so spiritual and it is such a gift from Jesus. You know, for us, to us, by his spirit. Yeah. I think it reframes how we read the new Testament. I love this last question that you've got in the leave it out section.
00:06:17:11 - 00:06:38:15
Unknown
Given the role of the spirit, what is our role in convicting the world of sin? And I was just I feel like it gives me confidence that I'm not doing this work as some kind of rogue desperately trying to do this on my own. But the spirit has got this key work of convicting the world. So.
00:06:38:20 - 00:07:07:04
Unknown
So that doesn't mean I actually pull back from it. It means I can step forward into it. But also, if people don't end up being convicted of it. You're not crushed. I don't have to be crushed. But, yeah. Yeah, because that's ultimately his work, that he's doing. I've often thought in these terms, if the spirit was not at work in my life, and I'm going to talk about 40 years ago before I became a, a follower of the Lord Jesus, the word of God, as I read it, would have no impact on me.
00:07:07:06 - 00:07:26:59
Unknown
It wouldn't, I would I would not pay any attention to it. Or I would think it's just that it doesn't. It doesn't mean anything or it doesn't have any, relevance to my life. But the very fact that somehow when I read it, the Lord uses that. The spirit was at work in opening my heart to say, this is true.
00:07:27:00 - 00:07:47:52
Unknown
This is this is more true than anything I've ever read. That's the work of the spirit in bringing his word to bear on our lives, because we do talk about this. Mindful of the time. And this is a little bit of a tangent, but we talk about like yeah, that we have that where the spirit kind of that inner testimony of this is truth.
00:07:47:54 - 00:08:09:00
Unknown
This is God's way. Yeah. And that's part of his work as well. This could be a really helpful study for your group. Thinking through how the spirit as a is at work in the world and what his work is. Hopefully really clarifying and motivating and comforting and gave me confidence. Would you pray for us? Because I don't know that we prayed that prayer at the start.
00:08:09:10 - 00:08:33:38
Unknown
Let's pray. We pray, father, that you, by your spirit, would continue to do your work in the world in bringing people to the Lord Jesus. We ask, father that you might enliven your word. Bring it to bear the people's heart. People would pay attention to it, would hear it, would know it would receive it, and it would bear fruit for eternal life.
00:08:33:43 - 00:08:41:47
Unknown
Thank you so much for the promises here of the work of your spirit in the world. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.