Saviour, "Ye must be born again." Mere reformation was impotent and ineffectual. The mission of the disciples demanded more than nat ural energy or power. This is why Christ assured them that when the Holy Spirit would come, He would convict the world of sin and right eousness and judgment. It is only as the Holy Spirit comes to the be liever working through him, that the world will feel the power of Cod. That is why we can pray, "Make me a channel of blessing today, Make me a channel of blessing I pray, My life possessing, my service blessing, Make me a channel of blessing today." The first of the Holy Spirit's min istries is to convict the world in respect to sin. The Greek word for "convict" in John 16:7-11 has four different shades of meaning. The first concerns an authoritative ex amination of the facts. Then it speaks of unquestionable proof about something. Third it suggests decisive judgment. Finally, there is the representative of a punitive power. The Holy Spirit reveals to the un believing world facts which would not otherwise be considered. He seeks to drive home with real force the divine estimation of man's sin. Left to themselves lost men and women would never discover the exceeding sinfulness of their own hearts (Jeremiah 17:9). We fail to see sin the way Cod looks at it. We do not grasp the divine estim ation of wickedness. The Holy Spir it's business is to bring this con viction home to the heart of the unbelieving soul.
How often I have been inclined to feel that certain sermons would have effective, persuasive power as far as lost men and women were concerned, only to be disappointed and heartsick after their delivery. The reason could only be because the Holy Spirit did not do His work through that spoken message. Per haps He was not given the oppor tunity to do so. Settle this matter once and for all. We cannot con vict people of sin by ourselves. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Men and women are not saved by ad miration but through conviction. There is no real divine progress in the human soul until there is pain in the human heart. Do not be afraid of it. This is God's method of "spiritual surgery." Our business is to take Cod's Word to those in need. The Holy Spirit brings the unbeliever to the root of the matter. The law would convict the Jew of various infrac tions; conscience convicts men of different sins; the Holy Spirit, how ever, convicts men of one specific sin, that of unbelief. Only He can do it. He brings men face-to-face with the Lord Jesus Christ who died for their sins. Not to believe on the Lord as your Saviour is sin. May He speak to your heart just now in your need.
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