A presentation on the Holy Spirit

1. The Holy Spirit Brings an Advantage
By Pastor Anthony S. Hall
The Christian life is warfare. We are engaged in a one sided, uneven, brutal, life-and-death
struggle. Scripture almost always portrays the gross imbalance, inequity, and disparity of the
Christian’s stand-alone human effort against resident evil. The reality is that as Christians we
are in a kind of David/Goliath type battle with the enemy of our souls. It is an unfair pairing
of enemies, a totally unfair match.
The forces we face are not ordinary flesh and-blood enemies, nor are they human agencies
at all. Our enemy is legion - a deadly team of spiritual hosts of wickedness, completely
devoted to our destruction. The apostle Paul is clear about this when he points out that “…
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”1
These forces operate under the authority of the one who is a murder and the father of lies;2
the prince of darkness;3
the prince of this world;4
Abaddon (destroying angel);5
Accuser of
our brethren (complainer against those who believe in God);6
Beelzebub (ruler of the
demons);7
Enemy (the hateful, hostile one), Wicked One (evil one);8
Dragon, Great dragon,
Ancient Serpent, that old serpent;9
and devil himself.
Elsewhere the position is as bleak. Jesus referring to the demonic forces of this world told
the disciples “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.”10
The Apostle Peter warns
the New Testament believers and invites them to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”11
1
Ephesians 6:12
2
John 8:44
3
Colossians 1:13
4
John 12:31
5
Revelation 9:1
6
Revelation 12:10
7
Luke 11:15
8
Matthew 13:38-39
9
Revelation 12:7
10
Matthew 10:16
11
1 Peter 5:8

2. Humanity, alone against Satan, is powerless and hopeless. That is the unchanging position of
Scripture. John says, “We [Christians] know that we are children of God, and that the whole
world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).12
The undeniable fact of our
hopelessness and helplessness as human beings in warfare against the devil is perhaps
nowhere better stated than in the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation.”
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe--
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.13
The balance is introduced in the stanza which follows. “Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing.”14
In our own strength we are utterly helpless to face such a
powerful enemy as the devil. In fact, true victory in spiritual warfare demands that we
acknowledge our helplessness. The Good news is that God levels the playing field by
providing for us a notable advantage. The gift of the Holy Spirit as an ally in warfare provides
that advantage which allows us to be conquerors.
On this point the words of Jesus in John 16:7-11 are significant. “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.15
(ESV)
In John 16:5-15, we have a conversation between Jesus and His disciples on the night before
the crucifixion - the night of his betrayal. They are in the upper room with Jesus to eat a final
meal with Him and to receive instructions about what is to come. The twelve are dejected,
shaken, perplexed, disoriented, and gravely concerned to hear from their Master that He is
leaving them. In their confusion about the nature of his work and the purpose for which he
12
Ray C Stedman, Spiritual warfare. http://www.raystedman.org/warfare/warfare1.html
13
Martin Luther, 1529 A Mighty Fortress is our God.
14
Ibid.
15
John 16:7-11

3. came, they understand nothing that he says. It makes no sense to them at all. They cluster
together around their leader in the dimly lit room, scared and bewildered. In these nerve-
racking minutes Jesus declares, “But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of
you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you,
sorrow hath filled your heart.” (John 16:5-6).
The root cause of the disciples’ grief, unfortunately, was their obsession and worry with
their own selfish needs and desires. The disciples were too absorbed by the sorrows of the
approaching separation to think of anything but themselves. Self-absorption, self-loathing
and self-pity, blinded their eyes to the reality of Jesus’ own suffering and departure. He was
about to go to the cruel cross of Calvary. He was about to drink the bitter cup and to suffer
the most painful and shameful death. Yet they are only thinking about the fact that they
would have to go on without Him. No thought for Him, only for themselves. Self-absorption!
This caused them to miss the positive implications of Jesus’ withdrawal, both for themselves
and for the furtherance of His mission. “They were so absorbed with the thought of their
own immediate loss that they missed the meaning of his departure for themselves. They
ought not to have so greatly lamented his bodily absence and overlooked all the spiritual
advantages that would accrue to themselves from his ascension to heaven and his
participation in his Father’s glory.”16
They are caught up with their own sorrows. Accordingly, they did not realize that Jesus’
exodus and their own distress is ordained of God for the moment, the best thing that could
happen. This is often true in the spiritual realm. What seems like the worst thing may
actually be the best thing. The scripture is clear on this. “And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose.”17
Ellen white is also clear that God knows best and always acts in man’s best interest even
though we cannot see the advantage of His movements. She asserts: “In the annals of
human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as dependent on
the will and prowess of man. The shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be
16
Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: St.John Vol. II. Bellingham, WA : Logos Research
Systems, Inc., 2004, S. 311
17
Romans 8:28

4. determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn
aside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and counter-play of human
interests and power and passions, the agencies of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently
working out the counsels of His own will.”18
The story is told of the only survivor of a shipwreck who was washed up on a small,
uninhabited island. He prayed fervently for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the
horizon for help, but no one came. He eventually managed to build a little hut out of
driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day,
after searching for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames. What could be
worse! Everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief and anger. He cried out,
“God! How could you do this to me?”
Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had
come to rescue him! “How did you know I was here?” he asked his rescuers. “We saw your
smoke signal,” they replied.
It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart,
because God is at work in our lives even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember
that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground; it just may be a smoke
signal that summons the grace of God.19
In John 16:7, Jesus says, “But 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.”
Why is it better for the disciples to have the presence of the Helper [Spirit] than the
presence of Jesus Himself as they do now? Because the Holy Spirit will not only be with
them as Jesus has been, but in them as well (cf. John 17:23, 26).20
Anglican Bishop Charles Gore once correctly said, “The coming of the Holy Ghost was not
merely to supply the absence of the Son, but to complete his presence.”21
“…and so to
complete his presence in the sense that he is present with every one of us and therefore it is
18
Ellen White. Education. 1903, p.173.
19
Smoke Signal https://bible.org/illustration/smoke-signal-0 Retrieved October 25, 2015
20
The Advantage Plan https://bible.org/book/export/html/18045 Retrieved October 26, 2015
21
Charles Gore, Bampton Lectures, p. 132.

5. expedient that he goes, that the spirit may come; and through the spirit, and in the spirit,
Christ may be with every one of us at one and the same time.”22
Many may reason that it would have been more advantageous for us to have lived when
Jesus lived, to have seen Him, touched Him, and heard directly from Him. But it’s truly to
our advantage that He departed and sent the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
Jesus,who dwells within every believer. These are the best days to be living in. Through the
Spirit, Jesus is here inside each and every believer, right now. This is the advantage of the
Holy Spirit over the physical presence of Jesus with His disciples.23
The dispensation of the Spirit is superior to the dispensation of “Christ come in the flesh,”
for the simple reasons that Jesus in the flesh could not be present in every place or in all the
households of the world; but Christ by his Spirit can dwell in the hearts of millions at the
same moment of time as the Hope of glory. If Christ were still in the flesh, his presence
would only be temporary and occasional; but Christ by his Spirit can be always everywhere
at the same moment of time.24
Therefore, according to Spence Jones, there are several advantages which the Spirit brings:
I. THE DISPENSATION OF PERSONAL PRESENCES WAS THUS SUCCEEDED BY THE DISPENSATION OF
SPIRITUAL POWER.
II. THE LIFE OF SIGHT WAS THUS REPLACED BY THE HIGHER LIFE OF FAITH.
III. CHRISTIANITY WAS THUS MADE NO LOCAL RELIGION, BUT A RELIGION FOR HUMANITY – UNIVERSAL.
IV. THE HOPE OF CHRISTIANS IS THUS REMOVED FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN.
There are other advantages as well. Jesus spoke of these advantages of the Spirit’s coming:
He convicts the world (John 16:8-11) and He communicates to believers (John 16:12-15). In
In John 16:8, Jesus says, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin
and righteousness and judgment.” The word “convict” (elegcho) is sometimes also
translated elsewhere in scripture as “convince.” It is also means to reprove; to accuse,
22
S. Lewis Johnson. “The Convincing Work of the Holy Spirit” Retrieved October 25, from
http://sljinstitute.net/upper-room-discourse/the-convincing-work-of-the-holy-spirit-or-the-work-of-the-holy-
spirit-with-respect-to-the-world/
23
Conviction for the World, Guidance for Disciples.
https://www.pbc.org/system/message_files/10699/upper11.html. Retrieved October 26, 2015
24
Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Hrsg.): The Pulpit Commentary: St.John Vol. II. Bellingham, WA : Logos Research
Systems, Inc., 2004, S. 311

6. refute, or cross-examine a witness as a prosecuting attorney would. The Holy Spirit exposes
evil, reproves evildoers, and convinces people that they need a Saviour. Every preacher of
the Gospel would do well to remember that no amount of preaching, pleading, or pointing
of fingers will bring about the conviction of sin, unless the Holy Spirit is at work in the
sinner’s heart. It is the Spirit’s job to convict.25
According to Oswald Chambers, “Conviction
of sin is one of the rarest things that ever strikes a man. It is the threshold of an
understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict of
sin, and when the Holy Spirit rouses the conscience and brings him into the presence of
God, it is not his relationship with men that bothers him, but his relationship with God.”26
“Conviction” is also a legal term which comes from the activity of a courtroom trial. The
prosecuting attorney examines the witnesses on the stand and begins to pile up the
evidence. Fact upon fact, witness upon witness, truth upon truth, slowly, inexorably,
irresistibly building his case until finally the enormity of the evidence is so overwhelming
that the judge and jury are forced to say to the accused, “we find you guilty beyond a
reasonable doubt.” Not only do onlookers reach this conclusion but the evidence is
presented in such an overwhelming compelling way that even the accused is obliged at the
end of the trial to stand up and say, “I admit it. I confess. I am guilty.”27
First, the Holy Spirit will convict unbelievers of their sin. In John 16:9, Jesus declares that
the Holy Spirit will convict the world “concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me.”
Jesus is not saying the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin in a general sense (though He
does that). He is talking here about a very specific sin because He says, “they [human
beings] do not believe in me.” The greatest sin according to scripture is not any of the
individual breaches of the Ten Commandments. Idol worship, Sabbath breaking, Murder,
stealing, adultery, dishonouring parents, lies, or covetousness… None of those things would
be called the greatest sin in the world because there is one sin which, in its effect, is greater
than all the rest. It is the sin of refusing to believe in Jesus Christ. It is rejection of Jesus
Christ. Unbelief!
25
http://www.gotquestions.org/convict-world-sin-righteousness-judgment.html
26
My Utmost for His Highest. http://utmost.org/classic/repentance-classic/
27
http://www.”keepbelieving.com/articles/the-god-we-hardly-know/

7. This is what Jesus is saying in John 16:9. “He will convict them of sin.” Not sin in the general
sense, but, “He will convict them of the greatest sin of all because they have not believed in
Me.” The essence of sin is unbelief in God’s Messenger and His message. “But what saith it?
The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we
preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”28
Until people see themselves as sinners they will never see their need for a Saviour. The issue
is the acceptance or rejection of Jesus. What will you do with Jesus? This is the question that
we must pose to people.
The second reason the Holy Spirit convicts the world is because they need to understand
their lack of righteousness. In John 16:10, Jesus declares that the Holy Spirit will convict the
world “concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me.”
The Holy Spirit will convince the world of its need for God’s righteousness by making the
world realize the poverty of its own righteousness. In Isaiah 64:6 of the Greek Old
Testament, Israel’s “righteousness” (dikaiosune) is likened to a menstrual cloth or filthy rags.
The Holy Spirit needs to convict unbelievers of their need to believe in Christ and not trust in
their own righteousness, which is like filthy rags. Righteousness by definition is internal and
external obedience to God. The Spirit therefore, also convicts the sinner of righteousness of
Christ. More than that, it is the conviction that Jesus Christ is inherently righteous, sinless in
thought, word, and deed. When we accept Jesus, His righteousness becomes ours, and we
will be found in Him without spot or wrinkle, blameless, washed in the blood and clothed in
his righteousness.
The third reason the Holy Spirit convicts the world is because of the reality of judgment. In
John 16:11, Jesus declares that the Holy Spirit will convict the world “concerning judgment,
because the ruler of this world has been judged.” It is usually said that the sin of which the
Spirit convicts is the sin of the world; that the righteousness is that of Christ; and that the
judgment is the judgment of Satan – the ruler of this world. At first glance this might appear
28
Romans 10:8 & 9

8. to be a reference to some future judgment. But this text is not talking about future
judgment. It’s talking about past judgment. Notice the phrase “has been judged.” Jesus is
saying Satan “has been judged in the past, continues to be judged, is now judged, and will
continue to be judged into the future.” The judgment is past, present and future. Satan may
be a great power in this world, but he is already a defeated foe. This will be fully realized
when sinful mankind, fallen angels, and Satan himself stand before the righteous God (cf.
Phil 2:6-11).
As the world has had its own false views about sin and righteousness, so also it has had its
own false standards of judgment. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of its error in this point
also. The world might think that ‘the power of darkness’ conquered at Gethsemane and
Calvary, but the Resurrection and Ascension proved that what looked like victory was a most
signal defeat: instead of conquering he was judged. This result is so certain that from the
point of view of the Spirit’s coming it is spoken of as already accomplished.29
The news is
that Christ has already judged and defeated Satan at the cross.
“It was June 18, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo. The French under the command of Napoleon
were fighting the Allies (British, Dutch, and Germans) under the command of Wellington.
The people of England depended on a system of semaphore signals to find out how the
battle was going. One of these signal stations was on the tower of Winchester Cathedral.
Late in the day it flashed the signal: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D--." Just at that
moment one of those sudden English fog clouds made it impossible to read the message.
The news of defeat quickly spread throughout the city. People throughout the land were sad
and gloomy when they heard the news that their country had lost the war. Suddenly the fog
lifted, and it was discovered there was more to the message. The message had four words,
not two. The complete message was: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D---T-H-E--E-N-E-
M-Y!" It took only a few minutes for the good news to spread. Sorrow was turned into joy,
defeat was turned into victory!"30
So it was that on Friday when Jesus died on Calvary it
appeared that the false message was J-E-S-U-S D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D--- but on Sunday morning
29
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/16-11.htm
30
Source http://www.trinitycrc.org/sermons/lk24v07.html

9. after the darkness and fog of the crucifixion had passed, the world knew the truth: J-E-S-U-S
D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D --- T-H-E--E-N-E-M-Y!
Conclusion: Conviction is a consciousness of one’s sinfulness, of God’s righteousness and the
great gulf that is fixed between us and God. Conviction cries out as those who listening to
Peter on the day of Pentecost were pierced through to the heart with conviction, saying:
“Men and brethren, what shall we do?” implying an apprehension of one’s peril and a sense
of guilt but also a readiness to yield completely to the claims of God. “Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you,
and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
This is the advantage of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Anthony S. Hall is the Youth & Chaplaincy Ministries Director of the
Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.