THE CONVICTIVE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

• Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; 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 is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and 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. John 16:7-11.

The Father so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The Son so loved the world that by the grace of God He tasted death for every man. The Spirit so loved the world, that He is come to convict the world of sin because they believe not on Jesus. The first great work of the Spirit when He is come to his disciples is to convict the world of sin. Let no one seek the baptism with the Spirit to end in self. He wants a clean temple in which to dwell, but not to lay around in. He wants it for service, in which He may glorify Jesus, that the world may know that the Father has sent Him to save humanity.

1. We lose the force of all this scripture, because we do not see the close connection between the seventh and eighth verses. 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 is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”

Before the Holy Spirit convinces the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment, He has to come to the believers. “I will send him unto you and when He is come unto you he will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment.” The convictive work of the Holy Spirit in this world is to be done after He comes to his disciples, for, it is out from them, and through them, He convinces the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

We know that the Spirit is to convince the world of sin, and we often say, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,” but we have no idea that the Spirit is to convince the world of sin through us. We suppose that He will convince the world of sin, out of heaven, but the teaching is very clear that the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of sin, not from the skies, but through the disciples. He shall come to them and abide, and through them and through their testimony, the world is to be convinced of sin. We have a vague notion as we pray for the world to be put under the conviction of sin, that the Spirit will do it in a kind of a general way, from the skies, but the Lord says, “I will send him unto you, and when He is come, He will convict the world of sin.”

He says, “Ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come unto you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth,” and through them and their testimony, the world was to be convicted! of sin.

You remember when He did come to his disciples and they began to testify of Jesus, Peter led in the testimony about Jesus being the Christ of God and about His crucifixion and death and! His exaltation and just as soon as he gave in his testimony, the people began to say, “Men and brethren, what must we do?” They got conviction right away, just as soon as the Holy Ghost came upon he disciples, and Peter began to testify.

The power to convince the world of sin is not to come directly out of heaven to the world, but it is to dwell in the disciples, and through their faithful testimony, the Spirit will do His work.

2. We lose the real meaning of this scripture because we read it “when He has come He will convict the world of sin.” When we have had a revival meeting or a camp meeting, He will convict the people of sin. This is far from the truth. Jesus says, when He is come incessantly and continuously come and is abiding, He will keep our minds and our hearts in rapport with him; when His will and our wills are in harmony; His heart and our hearts agree; His testimony and ours are the same; then will the world be convicted of sin. We cannot expect the Spirit to bear testimony through us, unless we are in harmony with His purpose. Our testimony is powerless because we are not in rapport with the purpose of Jesus Christ. Our testimony is always effectual just in proportion as there is oneness between the mind of the Spirit and our minds. The purpose of the coming of the Son of God was to put away sin. The purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit is to convict men of sin, and then save and keep them from sin.

3. It is an easy thing for us to accuse the world of sin. Or to charge the people with being sinful; looking upon them and saying, we are better than you. It is easy to say, you tell lies, you swear or steal, you are guilty of adultery or murder, — but that is not the testimony that the Holy Spirit gives us. That kind of testimony is not from the Spirit. He never puts it into the heart of a man to say that he is better than any one else. That is simply phariseeism. When the Holy Spirit bears testimony against the world there are three infallible points He will never miss. Three marks that are always present.

1. He will convict us of fault. We are too easily satisfied. W (e think too highly of ourselves. We don't hunger for the many unsaved people. You remember the hunger of John Knox, when he cried out in agony, “Oh, Lord, give me Scotland or I die.” You remember the hunger of John Wesley when he was shut out of the church and stood on his father's tombstone and declared, “the world is my parish.” We gather a few and forget the many. We wind up the year with feasting instead of fasting and prayer for the great throng that are not saved. When the delegates from the West for the General Conference were in Chicago they had a great feast at $2.50 a plate when there were seventeen unsaved families within two blocks of that feast, that had not had one morsel of food that day. Dr. Bronson says, he was convicted that it was wrong while he was at the table, and when he went to his prayer meeting at E___________ he confessed it. Another man said he was convicted at the same table for he had fed ten families that day and had left ten other families without a mouthful. Do you think that feast made the families believe in Jesus? We need less feasting and more prayer and fasting to save this sinful world. When our hearts are pained for the unsaved world then will we be in a position to carry the gospel to them.

2. Another indication is, that when you look upon the sinful world, there is a deep tender grief for the people. There is a willingness to sacrifice your pleasures, your comforts and your rights for their salvation. You may be sure that if you are condemning people without any burning desire to save them, you are not in sympathy with Jesus Christ, who gave His own life for their salvation. One of our returned missionaries went to the missionary committee and asked to go back to India. Why do you want to return, you are a sick man, said the committee. Oh, said he, I long to save them, so that I cannot sleep at night. David Brainard was in such pain for the North American Indians that he went to a hostile tribe, put up his tent nearby and knelt down to pray for them. The chief sent spies to see who it was, and while he was praying and the spies were watching him, a rattle snake crawled over his feet. He was in such an agony that he did not notice it. They reported it to their chief and he said, he is a man from the Great Spirit. And he won the tribe for Jesus. When Jesus was on the hill outside of the city, He was in such an agony for Jerusalem that He cried out aloud, and said, “Oh, Jerusalem, how I would have gathered thee as a hen gathers her chickens under her wing, but you would not let Me.” When He was on the way to the crucifixion and Simon was carrying His cross, for He had fainted, He saw the two Marys and His mother weeping and He said, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children, for the days will come when they will cry “oh, rocks, fall on us and hills cover us from the presence of the Lord.”

3. The other indication is that there is a strong triumphant faith in Jesus for the salvation of the world. We see sin and its power over men, but we also see sin condemned, atoned for and put away in Christ, and if they will only receive Him, they will surely be saved.

4. He will convict of sin because they believe not on Jesus. Not convict the world of crime, the law can do that. Not convict the world of vices merely, the conscience is sufficient to convict of swearing, stealing, drunkenness, gambling or opium eating, but He will convict of sin, because they reject Jesus Christ. The appalling sin of unbelief is the great sin of the world. Ask an American what is sin and he will say, it is to lie, or to swear, to steal or drink. Ask a Hindoo what is sin, and he will say, it is killing a white cow or breaking caste. Ask a Pharisee what is sin, and he will say, eating with unwashed hands or carrying a bed on the Sabbath day. Ask the Holy Spirit what is sin, and He will say, it is not to believe on Jesus Christ. For the appalling sin of the world in the sight of God the Father is unbelief in His Son, Jesus Christ. The crucifixion of Jesus was the worst crime, the foulest, deadliest sin ever committed by men. Why did the priests take part in the crucifixion? Because they did' not believe in Him. Why did Judas betray Him? Because he did not believe in Him and was mad because he did not receive that $51. Why did Pilate deliver Him? Because he did not believe in Him and 1 did it as a political stroke of policy to pacify the Jews. Why did the soldiers drive the nails in His hands and 1 feet? Because they did not believe in Him, The envy of the priests; the betrayal of Judas; the clamor of the multitudes; the treachery of Pilate; the brutality of the soldiers, was all the result of unbelief in their hearts, and unbelief in every man’s heart would do the same thing if opportunity was afforded.

How do we expect the world put under the conviction of sin? How are we trying to have the world repent and seek the Lord Jesus Christ? In many places the best church members expect their preacher to do it. They expect him to be filled with the Holy Spirit. They expect him to pull the church along and have an increase in the membership and if he don't do that, they will trade him for a preacher that can do it. Just like the teamster who depends upon his team to pull his cart. If they cannot pull the cart, he will swap them for another team that can. Churches have the impression that it is the preacher's business to get the world convicted and converted and into the church and if they find he cannot do it, they will swap him for another that can.

How do the preachers expect the world to be put under conviction of sin? They are preaching logical sermons. They are preaching flowery and scholarly sermons and using every illustration and argument to get the people under conviction of sin. They talk and pray and work, but the world goes on in sin.

The preachers and the members do not realize that only when the Holy Spirit is come every day and hour, that the world will be convinced of sin.

In order to have the Spirit convince the world of sin He must be received.

1. I need Him for myself, for I cannot live the acceptable life and please God without Him.

2. I need Him for the sake of others. The world is in sin and death, and the church is to save the world. I am part of the church, and must be filled with the Spirit.

3. I need Him for Jesus’ sake. He loved the world, suffered for sin and sends the Holy Spirit to me that I may reveal Jesus to the world, and for His sake I’ll not rest until I have received the Comforter who through me may convict the world of sin.