“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 go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."  John 16:7-11

THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT INVOLVES:

1. The conviction of sin; "...because they do not [yet] believe in me..." (v. 7-9) 

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."  John 3:18

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."  John 3:36

The grace-oriented work of the Holy Spirit is to open my eyes to my need for a Savior.

“Before we can be cured, we must see our need and want to be cured.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

"SIN establishes the plot line of the Bible. From the covering of Adam and Eve's nakedness with the skins of slain animals (Genesis 3:21) and on to the establishment of the temple worship and sacrificial system for the Jews we see that 'the many functions (of the law) is to establish complex structures of tabernacle/temple, priesthood, sacrificial system, and festivals such as Passover, and Day of Atonement, all designed to establish trajectories taking us to Jesus, who is the ultimate temple, the ultimate priest, the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate Passover, the ultimate bloody offering on the final day of atonement. Thus, the law brings in Jesus, who destroys sin; it brings us to the gospel, which alone is the power of God that brings salvation.”  D. A. Carson, Fallen: A Theology of Sin, p. 31

The more we see the glory of the living God and our need the more we see the reality of sin and the need for repentance. 

“When a man is getting better, he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good; a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right… You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people (regenerate believers) know about both good and evil; bad people do not know about either.”  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, p. 93

2. Righteousness; "...because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer..." (v. 10) 

By His death, resurrection, and ascension, all the promises of Jesus are vindicated (Matthew 12:38-41, Romans 1:4-5).

3. Judgment; "...because the ruler of this world is judged." (v. 11). This judgment prefigures the final judgment.

The reigning power of the devil was destroyed on the cross. The glory of the gospel is that the strong man has been bound.

"But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house."  Mark 3:27

We live in light of eternity and the coming, sure judgment: "Christ desires that we be firmly convinced that a day of judgment will come, both to deter everyone from sin and to comfort the godly more fully in their adversity. For this reason, He has determined to keep the day secret, to encourage people to shake off all fleshly security, and always to be watchful because they do not know the hour when the Lord will come and so they may always be prepared to say, 'come Lord Jesus, come quickly, amen.'"  1689 London Confession, Chapter 32, Article 3

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—"  Mark 13:32-35

• We live in light of eternity with an attitude of preparation and anticipation.

• We “keep watching the trailer” as we anticipate the full reality.