The Divine Prosecutor: Why Logic Fails and the Spirit Convicts

[00:10:40] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
and more.
[00:12:31] Let's pray.
[00:13:17] Pentecost

[00:14:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]:
2019 marks 100 years that Southern Baptist Offering for International Missions has been called the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
[00:14:10] You probably know that 100% of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering goes directly overseas to support
[00:14:17] Serving around the world.
[00:14:19] Zero percent goes to overhead and administrative cost.
[00:14:23] Every penny goes directly to IMB missionaries to declare the majesty of Christ to a lost world.
[00:14:30] Inspired by a spirit of a gospel-driven partnership, the Lottie Moon Christmas offering is an effective initiative that God is using to extend His work in a world that desperately needs to hear that Christ died for the forgiveness of sin
[00:14:46] Because of the mercy and grace of God, Lottie Moon isn't the name of a clever marketing campaign.
[00:14:54] It marks the legacy of a giant who followed Christ with full surrender and championed others to do the same.

[00:15:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
A way in a manger a long time ago On a holy silent night The midnight was clear on that first Noel As the angels were heard upon high
[00:16:04] His entrance was not one of glory and power When the sun rose at first Christmas morn But the angels knew he was the King of all kings And honored when his home was born
[00:16:20] Emmanuel, sing Alleluia!
[00:16:36] Emmanuel, redemption is come!
[00:16:36] Emmanuel, shall hold an end!
[00:16:37] Creation, sing Emmanuel!
[00:16:38] God is with us!
[00:16:43] The earth should have sounded a thundress of walls, And the trees of the field bowed in praise, But only one star in the heavens stood out, Proclaiming the place where he lay.
[00:17:02] Although heaven and earth should have praised the new King, That he came as the lowly of men,
[00:17:06] Still shepherds and wise men knew He was Messiah, The Greatest in heaven concerned.

[00:17:31] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Emmanuel!
[00:17:31] Sing hallelujah!
[00:17:31] Emmanuel!
[00:17:31] Redemption is come!
[00:17:32] Emmanuel!
[00:17:32] Shalom!
[00:17:32] Hosanna!
[00:17:32] Creation sings Emmanuel!

[00:17:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Emmanuel!

[00:17:54] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Emmanuel!
[00:17:55] Sing Hallelujah!
[00:17:55] Emmanuel!
[00:17:55] Redemption is come!
[00:17:56] Emmanuel!
[00:17:56] Shavuot Shalom!
[00:17:56] Shavuot Shalom!
[00:17:56] Creation sings Emmanuel!

[00:18:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Let's stand together with our hope within the kingdom.
[00:18:47] Though he thousand, thousand sent thee, Watch for faithful saviour's way, Thousand, thousand saints attending, Smell the triumph of his glory,
[00:18:58] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:19:10] Amen.
[00:19:26] All things shall live to Messiah's name, Yes, forever, all to Him come.
[00:19:53] Jesus, God the Jesus, Everlasting God the God.

[00:20:04] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[00:20:05] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
You may be seated.

[00:20:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
it's great to see you here in the house of the lord on this sunday morning following thanksgiving and also the first sunday of advent we're thankful that you are here and looking forward to all that god is going to say and do here as we worship this morning in spirit and in truth if you're visiting with us today we want to bid you a warm welcome in the name of the lord and on behalf
[00:20:32] of our Trinity Baptist family in fact our deacons have some gift bags that they would love to put in the hands of those of you who are visiting with us this morning and you'll find some things in the bag that we want you to take home to remember your visit here at Trinity and there's a guest card that's attached as well we want you to take a moment and fill that out
[00:20:51] placed in the offering plate when it comes by a little bit later in the service so we'll have a record of your visit here with us this morning and again we are grateful that you have chosen to be a part of what God is doing right here in Trinity Baptist Church this morning so if you are visiting lift your hand about like this they're going to make their way down the aisle at this time and just hold your hand up high enough and long enough for them to spot you if you're joining us via live stream we welcome you into the sanctuary here
[00:21:17] at Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville, North Carolina, praying that God will speak to your heart this morning as we have gathered together in His name to just lift up and magnify Him.
[00:21:28] And we want you to participate in every aspect of the service.
[00:21:31] When we sing this morning, we want you to sing along with us.
[00:21:35] When we go to the Lord in prayer, we invite you to pray along with us.
[00:21:38] And then in a few minutes when we turn in God's Word,
[00:21:41] We hope that you'll take an opportunity to grab a copy of the scripture, turn with us and follow along.
[00:21:47] And we're asking the Lord to speak to you right where you are from wherever you are all around the world as you're watching this morning.
[00:21:54] We pray that God will minister to you in that very place.
[00:21:58] Well, we're looking forward to kicking off this Christmas season today and seeing that it is the first Sunday of Advent.
[00:22:05] We're honored to have the Long family that are going to be making their way here to the front and they're going to open us up by the lighting of the first candle of Advent and they will also open us in prayer at that time.

[00:22:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]:
On this first Sunday in Advent, we light the candle of hope because Jesus is our hope in this life and for all eternity.

[00:22:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]:
1 Peter 1, 3-5 states, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:22:48] According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.

[00:23:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]:
Who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

[00:23:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Let us pray.
[00:23:17] Heavenly Father, we come to you today and thank you for sending your Son to save us even though we do not deserve such grace and mercy.
[00:23:26] Thank you for the promise of eternal life through the birth, death, and resurrection of your own precious Son, Jesus.
[00:23:35] As we begin this Advent season, let us not forget the true reason for this season, and let the same love and mercy that you have shown us be felt by those that we meet, especially during this blessed season.
[00:23:52] We pray all these things in the name of your precious Son, Jesus Christ.
[00:24:00] Amen.

[00:24:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
Again, welcome to Trinity Baptist Church.
[00:24:04] We're so glad that you can be with us this morning.
[00:24:06] If you have a child that is in preschool through third grade, when we stand up in just a moment, if they can make their way to my right and your left, Ms. Terry will be there to take them to Children's Church.
[00:24:17] But let's stand in our place this morning and let's greet each other with a warm handshake.

[00:25:12] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let us pray.

[00:26:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]:
If you will grab a hymnal and turn to hymn number 243.
[00:26:05] We're going to sing Emmanuel and then hymn number 244.
[00:26:10] So go ahead and grab your hymnal.

[00:26:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
His name is called Emmanuel Come with us Reveal in us His name is called
[00:27:22] His name is called Emmanuel God with us Revealed in us His name is called
[00:27:47] Emmanuel Come thou long-expected Jesus Gorgeous and thy people free
[00:28:22] of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the Son of Man, the Son of Man,
[00:29:07] of the King, Born to reign.

[00:30:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Good morning, Trinity family.
[00:30:26] This is the part of the service where we give back to God our tithes and offerings, which are an expression of our appreciation and thanksgiving to God.
[00:30:37] For God is the one who's given all of that we have, and here we give back to him.
[00:30:43] We can give this morning here in the church service or online at the Trinity website.
[00:30:49] Let's pray.
[00:30:52] All that we have is yours, God, and we continue to pray to maintain strong fellowship with you by giving thanks for all your goodness and providing for us to seek your will, Lord, for each of us and to have the courage and obedience to do your will in every part of this day and weeks to come.
[00:31:10] Lord, we are blessed to be in your presence and to have an opportunity to increase our knowledge of you.
[00:31:17] We pray this morning that you be with us and shape our hearts and minds for this morning's tithes, offering, Pastor Mark's sermon, choir music that's already started, that all together will focus us on you, Lord.
[00:31:32] We also continue to pray for the defense of Israel and for the United States and ask for your protection of the families in harm's way.
[00:31:41] We pray for this country to become more educated,
[00:31:44] On your word, we pray for the health, safety, wisdom, and discernment for Trinity Baptist Church families and Christians around the world.
[00:31:54] We ask for all these things in Jesus' name.
[00:31:57] Amen.

[00:32:26] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
I want to walk as a child of the light
[00:32:35] I want to follow Jesus God set the stars to give light to the world The star of my life is Jesus
[00:33:00] In him there is no darkness at all The night and the day are both alike The Lamb is the light of the city of God
[00:33:27] Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus I want to see the brightness of God
[00:33:46] I want to look at Jesus Clear sun of righteousness Shine on my path And show me the way
[00:34:07] In Him there is no darkness at all.
[00:34:19] The night and the day are both a light.
[00:34:27] The Lamb is the light of the city of God.
[00:34:37] Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
[00:34:54] I'm looking for the light
[00:35:08] I want to be with Jesus When we have run with patience the race We shall know the joy
[00:35:40] The night and the day are both alike The Lamb is the light of the city of God Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus

[00:36:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Well, amen and amen.
[00:36:24] Thank you, Brother Grant, for blessing our hearts and turning your Bibles, if you will, to John chapter 16.
[00:36:33] And by the way, you did gloriously finding your hymn book.
[00:36:37] I didn't know if any of y'all would know what a hymn book was.
[00:36:40] It's been a while since we've done that.
[00:36:41] We're going to call this Throwback Sunday.
[00:36:43] So we were able to throw back
[00:36:45] to a time so you could find the hymn book and follow along with us but I'm grateful that you were able to do so.
[00:36:52] Some technical difficulties that obviously we were facing earlier.
[00:36:57] John chapter 16 is where we're gonna pick up this morning in our series through the Gospel of John and really looking at this passage at what sticks out to us.
[00:37:09] Jesus never implied to his disciples
[00:37:15] that it would be an easy thing to follow him.
[00:37:21] In fact, in the closing verses of chapter 15 where we were last week and the opening verses of chapter 16 where we come to today, Jesus discusses the relationship that goes on here of his disciples to the world in which they've been called to live.
[00:37:41] And in these verses, Jesus says,
[00:37:45] The world's going to hate you.
[00:37:47] He uses that terminology.
[00:37:49] He said the world would hate them, the world would persecute them, and would even go so far as to kill them that it would be dangerous to be identified as a follower of Jesus Christ.
[00:38:07] And what a somber reminder when you stop and see what transpired just this week.
[00:38:14] The streets of Washington DC and what we saw with two National Guardsmen who were ambushed and so many things still swirling out there about what was behind this and and was there a cry that was made right before he pulled the trigger and shot them and all these kind of things but would hate Christians
[00:38:44] because of their relationship with Jesus Christ.
[00:38:48] And actually in verse two of chapter 16 he says the time will come that whoever kills the disciple of Jesus will think he is doing God a service.
[00:39:04] Doesn't that sound like our day?
[00:39:06] That we're living in in 2025?
[00:39:11] That to kill a Christian
[00:39:15] Is somehow doing God a service?
[00:39:21] Well we know that this actually is occurring.
[00:39:25] We also know throughout church history there have been periods of great persecution of believers and followers of Christ by a very hostile world.
[00:39:36] Because you see a hostile world has never really loved the things of God.
[00:39:44] And while they have hated the things of God, they have also hated those who follow the Lord Jesus, God in human form.
[00:39:59] So Jesus doesn't paint a very rosy picture.
[00:40:03] Jesus never glosses over, Jesus never ignores the facts.
[00:40:12] He says to them, I'm going away and you're gonna be left to live in a hostile world.
[00:40:23] But he doesn't want his disciples discouraged.
[00:40:28] He doesn't want his disciples anxious about all this.
[00:40:34] So he reiterates, in the verses we're about to begin to dive into, the promise of the Holy Spirit.
[00:40:43] Jesus says, I'm going away, but when I go, I will send you the Holy Spirit.
[00:40:54] Stand, if you will, in honor of the reading of the Word of God.
[00:40:59] We're gonna pick up in verse seven, if you will.
[00:41:06] John chapter 16.
[00:41:09] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
[00:41:12] It is to your advantage that I go away.
[00:41:16] For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.
[00:41:21] But if I depart, I will send him to you.
[00:41:27] And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.
[00:41:36] Of sin?
[00:41:37] Because you do not believe in me.
[00:41:39] Of righteousness?
[00:41:43] because I go to my Father and you see me no more.
[00:41:48] Of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.
[00:41:57] Father, we just bow before you right now as we are reading your word.
[00:42:04] And Father, we ask you to speak to our hearts this morning.
[00:42:09] Lord, create in us a clean heart, oh God.
[00:42:13] So work in our hearts today as we study this portion of your word that the work of the Holy Spirit would be accomplished here in this place.
[00:42:23] That everything we're reading, that we are understanding is happening in real time in these very moments that we have gathered in Jesus' name right here in this building in Mooresville, North Carolina.
[00:42:38] And Father, I just pray that you would speak to hearts as only you can do.
[00:42:42] And whatever brought each individual to this service today, whether it was a family member, whether it was a friend, whether it was out of routine, or whether it was out of ritual, whatever brought any of us here to this place and to this hour, God, I ask you to cut through, break through, and speak to every heart and mind under the sound of my voice.
[00:43:10] Your Word will not return void.
[00:43:12] That we understand.
[00:43:14] And so we pray that You would apply the Word as only You can in this very moment.
[00:43:20] And I pray personally that You would let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, Lord, let them be pleasing in Your sight.
[00:43:28] In Jesus' name I pray.
[00:43:31] Amen.
[00:43:31] You may be seated.
[00:43:34] As we already know,
[00:43:36] The coming of the Holy Spirit is historically what took place on the day of Pentecost.
[00:43:42] As the Holy Spirit came in fullness,
[00:43:46] The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Helper right here in the Scripture.
[00:44:02] In fact, this is the fourth time that Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Helper just in the recent chapters we've been studying.
[00:44:13] If you flip back there,
[00:44:14] In chapter 14 and look at verse 16, you find there, Jesus said, and I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever.
[00:44:29] And then if you drop down to verse 26 in chapter 14, look what Jesus says, but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
[00:44:40] He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
[00:44:47] And then if you go over to chapter 15, where we've been the last couple of weeks, then you drop down to verse 26.
[00:44:55] You'll notice it says, But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me.
[00:45:08] And now, today, in chapter 16 and verse 7, you see it again.
[00:45:14] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth.
[00:45:17] It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.
[00:45:25] But if I depart, I will send Him to you.
[00:45:30] Those words are not complicated.
[00:45:36] The Holy Spirit is the Helper.
[00:45:40] The Holy Spirit in relation to believers is the Divine Helper.
[00:45:47] And what Jesus is about to do in these few verses that we just read this morning is He is about to expand our understanding and He says in relation to this world system that you and I operate in, the Holy Spirit is
[00:46:06] The Helper.
[00:46:08] In fact in verse 8 he gets very specific and when he has come he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
[00:46:23] What I want to do with you for just the next few minutes as we've gathered here in the warmth and beauty of this place on this first Sunday of Advent
[00:46:31] I want to talk for a few minutes with you about how the Holy Spirit works in relationship to the world in which we live.
[00:46:41] Not so much about who He is and what the Holy Spirit is to us as believers.
[00:46:46] We already covered that several weeks ago here in this Gospel of John.
[00:46:52] But I want you to focus in on with me this morning on what the Holy Spirit does in relationship to the world.
[00:47:02] And even more particularly, in relationship to lost people.
[00:47:08] And if you have a pencil or pen, I wanna invite you to jot some things down with me this morning.
[00:47:12] And the first thing I wanna invite you to jot down is the mission of the Holy Spirit.
[00:47:18] Because Jesus reveals here
[00:47:20] The mission of the Holy Spirit.
[00:47:24] Again, verse 8, underline that if you will.
[00:47:27] And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
[00:47:40] That verse, that one verse, educates every one of us to a very important fact.
[00:47:49] And it's that the Holy Spirit has a very special relationship to the world.
[00:47:57] And it is the work of the Holy Spirit to simply convict the world of their need for Jesus Christ.
[00:48:07] It's really the role of the Holy Spirit to be the agent of conviction.
[00:48:15] If you're ever going to understand the Holy Spirit, make sure you get that right.
[00:48:19] When He has come, He will convict the world.
[00:48:28] That issue of conviction is really very serious.
[00:48:35] Maybe more than we've been willing to admit in our day.
[00:48:39] Because here's the deal.
[00:48:41] And I want you to hear me clear, very clearly.
[00:48:48] No person has ever been saved who was not first convicted of their sin.
[00:49:03] Now let that sink in.
[00:49:06] Because a lot of people maybe have sat in a church service
[00:49:10] Or they went to a crusade somewhere and they responded in mass when maybe a bunch of people went forward.
[00:49:20] But I want to be real clear.
[00:49:23] No one has ever genuinely been saved who was not first of all convicted of their sin.
[00:49:36] Nobody's been saved until there was an awareness brought in their heart by the Holy Spirit that they needed to be saved.
[00:49:46] Look, the work of conviction is the first work of God on the human heart.
[00:49:53] I want you to circle that word convict for a minute in verse 8.
[00:49:56] Please circle that word because I need to explain that word right here.
[00:50:01] Some of your translations have the word reprove.
[00:50:04] It may say reprove, it may say convict.
[00:50:07] Same word here.
[00:50:09] It literally means to expose.
[00:50:13] It literally means to turn the light on.
[00:50:17] That word convict is actually a legal term.
[00:50:21] And to reprove or convict means to bring to light certain evidence to expose the evidence to the person under accusation.
[00:50:36] In other words, when a person is brought under accusation, they've been accused, they enter a courtroom, the first role of the attorney is to convict that person.
[00:50:48] And I mean by that to bring the evidence to light that will prove irrefutably that that person is guilty of what they've been accused of.
[00:51:04] But there's also a role in the courtroom of convincing that person accused that they really are indeed guilty.
[00:51:17] And that's never an easy task.
[00:51:20] Because let's be honest, come on now, this world does not ever want to admit guilt.
[00:51:32] The world never wants to take responsibility.
[00:51:36] The world never wants to admit there's a need of salvation.
[00:51:46] And that's the reason I say that the mission of the Holy Spirit is to convict.
[00:51:51] That is that by the preaching of the gospel to prove that the world is guilty before God.
[00:52:01] But its mission also involves convincing and that is to bring an unsaved person to the awareness that they actually are guilty before a holy God.
[00:52:17] Well, why would you do that, Mark?
[00:52:20] So that person will admit that they're guilty.
[00:52:23] That's why.
[00:52:24] So that person will be troubled and disturbed by it.
[00:52:29] That's why.
[00:52:31] So that person would be led to repent and turn away from and turn to faith in Jesus Christ.
[00:52:42] So I want to make sure you see very clearly in your mind and heart this morning that the Holy Spirit has a very important mission.
[00:52:52] He is the prosecuting attorney from heaven whose mission it is to convict and to convince lost people that they need Jesus Christ as their Savior.
[00:53:07] And by the way, I hope you understand
[00:53:12] Only the Holy Spirit, only the Holy Spirit can convince people of their need for Jesus Christ.
[00:53:27] Only the Holy Spirit can convince people that they are sinners and need a Savior.
[00:53:37] And guess what that means?
[00:53:40] You and I can't do it.
[00:53:47] You and I cannot do it.
[00:53:54] I got to tell you, so many of you think you can do it, but you can't.
[00:54:04] You can use all the logic in the world.
[00:54:07] All our logic can't bring a person under conviction.
[00:54:14] I have beat my head against the wall for years on this whole issue of abortion.
[00:54:22] I can sit down with an individual.
[00:54:24] I can show them.
[00:54:25] I can show them through technology we didn't have even back in the 1970s when that Roe versus Wade decision came through.
[00:54:34] I can take them and show them with technology that this baby, this unborn child is a human life that must be preserved.
[00:54:44] I can explain logically all of the ins and outs.
[00:54:48] I can explain the heartbeat beginning at six weeks.
[00:54:51] I can do all I want to do to explain logically to them the importance of preserving life.
[00:55:02] But my logic
[00:55:04] We'll never get a person to give up their immoral lifestyle simply because I can produce the facts and can share all of the logic in the world with them.
[00:55:17] And you know it's true.
[00:55:20] Well the same is true when it comes to convincing lost people that they need Jesus.
[00:55:30] Logic can't do it.
[00:55:33] That's the work of the Holy Spirit.
[00:55:38] I'll tell you something else.
[00:55:39] Our eloquence can't bring anybody under conviction.
[00:55:43] Don't get me wrong.
[00:55:44] People can be moved by hearing an eloquent speaker.
[00:55:47] People can be stirred by eloquence.
[00:55:50] But eloquence cannot bring conviction of sin.
[00:55:54] Only the Holy Spirit can do that work.
[00:55:59] And I'll tell you something else we've seen across our country.
[00:56:03] and that is emotion cannot bring anybody under conviction.
[00:56:12] Don't get me wrong.
[00:56:14] You can get a mass group of people together.
[00:56:17] You can get some highly charged music going.
[00:56:20] You can get people all stirred up emotionally to the point that they cry, to the point that they even walk down an aisle somewhere.
[00:56:28] But I'm here to promise you people are never convicted of their sin purely by emotion and an emotional moment.
[00:56:43] The Holy Spirit is the only one who really convicts the heart of a lost person that they are lost and need to be saved.
[00:57:03] And you know what's really incredible?
[00:57:07] Most people aren't even aware that they need to be saved.
[00:57:14] Most people are not even aware that they need to be saved.
[00:57:19] You take for instance a guy that's got cancer that's just started and is now growing in his body.
[00:57:28] I mean when you look at him on the outside he looks strong, he looks healthy, he looks good.
[00:57:38] And you're not going to be able to do anything with that guy until he gets to a doctor and a doctor looks him in the eyeballs and says, Sir, you got cancer inside of you and it's got to be removed.
[00:57:54] You'll never convince that guy with all the logic.
[00:57:58] And I want everyone to understand this morning in this place that a man will never know that he's really lost.
[00:58:07] He will never know that he needs Jesus as his Savior until the Holy Spirit says, you've got spiritual cancer and you need a cure.
[00:58:19] He just won't.
[00:58:22] That's the reason Jesus talks about the mission
[00:58:25] of the Holy Spirit so directly here in verse 8.
[00:58:31] But not only does he talk about the mission of the Holy Spirit, but real quickly, I want you to notice that he talks about the message of the Holy Spirit.
[00:58:40] You say, what do you mean the message, preacher?
[00:58:42] Now, we've already discussed the picture here of the word which involved a cross-examination of the accused, but now watch.
[00:58:49] The Holy Spirit is the prosecuting attorney from heaven
[00:58:54] He's cross-examining the soul of the lost individual.
[00:59:00] In other words, God the Holy Spirit makes three statements.
[00:59:06] Right here, Jesus teaches there's gonna be three statements that the Holy Spirit will make to a man's heart at some point, somewhere, in order to bring about this conviction.
[00:59:20] Now, did you notice Jesus' words?
[00:59:23] He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
[00:59:31] Underline those three individual words because in verse 9, 10, and 11, that's exactly what Jesus is doing.
[00:59:41] He is expanding on all three of those key things.
[00:59:47] Now watch what the Holy Spirit does.
[00:59:50] He first convinces
[00:59:52] The lost soul.
[00:59:55] You are a sinner.
[01:00:00] That's step one.
[01:00:02] The first thing, if you really ever get saved, the first thing the Holy Spirit does is convicts and convinces you, you are a sinner.
[01:00:16] Now I realize that you and I sitting here on this Sunday morning in Trinity Baptist Church in Mooresville who happen to believe the Bible know that this is true because the Bible is very clear in Romans 3 23 for all of sin and comes short of the glory of God.
[01:00:33] But guess what?
[01:00:35] The average person today has no awareness of the reality
[01:00:47] of their sin.
[01:00:49] They're not gripped by it.
[01:00:52] In fact, this is probably gonna go down as one of the most tragic legacies that our modern culture that we've been a part of is going to leave this generation.
[01:01:08] When they're writing about the history of America and they take from, say, 1980
[01:01:17] to about 2040.
[01:01:21] And you look at those years, decades, this is what they're gonna remind us of.
[01:01:30] What did our culture leave this generation?
[01:01:36] Well, we're a culture that's been shaped by this new morality.
[01:01:41] We are a culture that has allowed us to throw out
[01:01:48] Throw out moral absolutes.
[01:01:54] We're the culture that has said, get rid of the moral absolutes where everybody's opinion is just as valid as everybody else's opinion.
[01:02:06] Because if there's no moral absolutes then what is right and what is wrong is strictly based on what the individual decides or thinks.
[01:02:20] We hear it all the time.
[01:02:22] I've heard it as a pastor for more than 36 years now.
[01:02:27] Well, it may be wrong for you, but it's not wrong for me.
[01:02:35] It may be wrong for you, but it's not wrong for me.
[01:02:42] And the truth is, that's why we now live in a generation where people have no awareness that they really are sinners.
[01:02:55] Look at verse 9.
[01:02:58] Jesus says of sin,
[01:03:01] because they do not believe in me.
[01:03:09] Jesus is talking about the worst sin people commit.
[01:03:14] You say, wait a minute, Mark, what's the worst sin that a person can commit?
[01:03:18] Is it murder?
[01:03:19] Murder's pretty bad, but it's not the worst.
[01:03:23] Well, is it stealing?
[01:03:24] Stealing's bad, but it's not the worst.
[01:03:28] Adultery, that's gotta be it.
[01:03:31] Adultery's bad, but it's not the worst.
[01:03:35] Jesus surprises us when he says that the message of the Holy Spirit to the human heart is you are a sinner on this basis.
[01:03:47] You do not believe in Jesus and his saving power.
[01:03:54] Jesus says the sin the Holy Spirit will convict the human soul of is the sin of unbelief in the saving power of Jesus Christ.
[01:04:09] Now we don't look at it that way today.
[01:04:11] I mean in fact a lot of folks have come again in our generation to think that it's more sophisticated to not believe.
[01:04:21] I mean, you witness to them about Jesus and His forgiveness and His love, and they say, oh no, I don't believe that stuff.
[01:04:30] That's okay for women and children, but I'm beyond that.
[01:04:34] You remember when Ted Turner insulted all of Christianity when he said that Christian faith was just for those that were weak, that you were weak and you needed something.
[01:04:46] Well, that may be what Ted Turner thinks.
[01:04:50] But according to the Bible, it is indeed the worst sin that a person will ever commit.
[01:05:05] Why do you think that's so?
[01:05:09] Maybe it's because all that Jesus went through for you, the wrath of God Himself being burnt up
[01:05:21] on Jesus, His Son.
[01:05:24] Maybe it's because of His hands being extended that were nail-scarred hands.
[01:05:33] Maybe it's because Jesus stands before you and pleads with you for your soul.
[01:05:43] There's no tears in your eyes.
[01:05:46] There's not a choke in your voice.
[01:05:51] There's not a bit of shame in your countenance.
[01:05:57] As you say to Jesus, get out of here.
[01:06:04] I have no interest.
[01:06:11] The worst sin.
[01:06:15] Because see, the very first thing the Holy Spirit
[01:06:20] convinces you of if you're really going to be saved is that you, sir, are a sinner on the basis of your failure to believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ and all He did for you.
[01:06:45] That's his first statement.
[01:06:47] You're a sinner.
[01:06:50] Then there's a second statement he's going to convince you of.
[01:06:54] It's in verse 10.
[01:06:58] He's going to convince you you are not righteous.
[01:07:02] You are not righteous.
[01:07:07] Again, look at verse 10.
[01:07:09] It says, "...of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more."
[01:07:18] In other words, the Holy Spirit convinces us of righteousness.
[01:07:24] And yet I bet if I were to do a survey of this congregation this morning or a survey of everybody listening to me through live stream or whether you're listening to us on television, on delayed broadcast, if I were to ask a thousand of you this morning how you feel about yourself, I would probably get the response
[01:07:47] that you're pretty well satisfied with yourself.
[01:07:51] I mean, out of a thousand people, probably a thousand would say, I'm a good guy.
[01:07:55] I provide for my family.
[01:07:59] I give some money to some worthy causes.
[01:08:02] I pay my bills.
[01:08:04] I'm friendly to my neighbor.
[01:08:07] You might say any or all of those statements.
[01:08:09] Why?
[01:08:10] Because overall, the average person is pretty pleased with himself.
[01:08:16] and maybe has good reason to be.
[01:08:19] Because the reason most people are pleased with how good they are is because they make a false comparison.
[01:08:29] You talk to lost people today, I get it all the time, you start to witness to somebody that's lost, they will oftentimes start by saying, well, what about the hypocrites at Trinity Baptist Church?
[01:08:44] Anybody ever say that to you?
[01:08:46] What about the hypocrites that I see over at any ABC Baptist church?
[01:08:53] Or they say, what about that evangelist that fell and just embarrassed himself and embarrassed all the people?
[01:09:01] What about Jim and Tammy Baker in their years at PTL?
[01:09:05] What about that?
[01:09:07] Lost people take the comparison of their lives
[01:09:14] To what they see in the hypocrisy in the Christian world and feel pretty good about themselves.
[01:09:27] But the problem is it is a fake comparison.
[01:09:33] It is a false comparison.
[01:09:36] It's not your life compared to some other human being.
[01:09:40] No, ladies and gentlemen, the comparison is between you and Jesus Christ because Jesus is the righteous one and you are not righteous when you are compared to Jesus.
[01:09:58] Because I'm just going to be real with you this morning.
[01:10:00] Didn't mean to hurt any feelings, but when you compare yourself to Jesus Christ, you don't come out looking all that good.
[01:10:12] You just don't.
[01:10:14] I don't care who you are.
[01:10:16] When you compare your life to him, the one who never said a word he shouldn't have said, the one who never had a thought he shouldn't have had, the one who never did a deed he shouldn't have done, when you compare your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, I'm sorry, but it's not so good for you.
[01:10:35] That's the point that's being made.
[01:10:38] You may think you're good enough.
[01:10:40] You may think you've got it all together.
[01:10:44] But when the Holy Spirit shows you Jesus and when the Holy Spirit shows you how you look compared to the Lord Jesus Christ
[01:10:58] Then you're gonna know that you're lost and you need a savior.
[01:11:01] You're gonna know that you're unrighteous and you need to be made righteous.
[01:11:08] And the only way is that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to you.
[01:11:18] That's the only way.
[01:11:21] See, the Bible says when Jesus died on the cross for our sins
[01:11:25] Our sins were laid upon Him so that His righteousness could be imparted to us.
[01:11:35] That's what we have.
[01:11:38] Oh, listen, the good news of the gospel.
[01:11:41] tells us that you and I are sinners and unrighteous, yet God can make us righteous in the person of His Son.
[01:11:49] The first message of the Holy Spirit is what?
[01:11:52] You are a sinner.
[01:11:54] He convinces you you're a sinner.
[01:11:57] Listen, if you've ever really been born again, you've ever really been saved, that was the first message He convinced you of, is that you are a sinner.
[01:12:05] And then the second message was that you can be made righteous.
[01:12:11] Even though you're unrighteous today.
[01:12:14] But then there's a third message real quickly to the lost soul, and it's this.
[01:12:20] You are headed for judgment.
[01:12:26] Hello.
[01:12:26] Look what he said in verse 10, or verse 11.
[01:12:30] Again, Jesus is expanding on what he said in verse 8.
[01:12:34] The Holy Spirit is going to come to convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment.
[01:12:39] In verse 9, he talks about of sin.
[01:12:41] Verse 10, he talks about of righteousness.
[01:12:43] But then verse 11, of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.
[01:12:53] And I got news for you.
[01:12:54] In 2025, nobody wants to believe that either.
[01:13:00] Nobody wants to believe that.
[01:13:02] Nobody wants to hear that today.
[01:13:05] People do not want to face the fact that somewhere out there in the future, there is a judgment day that is coming.
[01:13:15] There is a day of accountability and nobody wants to face that.
[01:13:20] There is a day of responsibility and it is coming.
[01:13:24] But I promise you this morning, with all my heart,
[01:13:30] that embedded, embedded in the heart of every human.
[01:13:38] It's there.
[01:13:40] There is the built-in knowledge that out there somewhere there is a judgment day.
[01:13:51] You might try to cover it.
[01:13:53] You might try to dispute it.
[01:13:55] You might try to argue with it.
[01:13:56] You may try to just hope it's not there or block it out of your mind.
[01:14:03] But embedded in every human heart, there is the knowledge that somewhere out there, there is a day of judgment.
[01:14:17] And as sure as you're in this building this morning, ladies and gentlemen,
[01:14:21] There will come a time when every one of us, me included, will stand before the God of this universe.
[01:14:30] It will happen.
[01:14:32] People don't want to believe that.
[01:14:36] And yet Jesus says here the Holy Spirit will bring the reality of judgment to your heart.
[01:14:46] So look, when the Holy Spirit
[01:14:49] Convinces you and makes you aware that you're a sinner.
[01:14:53] And the Holy Spirit makes you aware that you're not right with God.
[01:14:59] And then he convinces you and gives you a picture in your mind of you standing before a holy God in your sin.
[01:15:08] That brings conviction to your soul.
[01:15:16] And Jesus says when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict this world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
[01:15:28] That's the message of the Holy Spirit.
[01:15:30] It's that clear.
[01:15:33] Three truths that if you ever get really saved, or really do get saved, those three truths are going to be brought to you by the Holy Spirit.
[01:15:47] to bring you to Himself.
[01:15:50] Mark it down.
[01:15:52] And the last thing I want you to see, and I'm done, is I want you to look at the method of the Holy Spirit.
[01:16:00] Because the question I get most of the time is, Mark, how does the Holy Spirit do what Jesus says He will do?
[01:16:07] Well, this is real critical for you to understand this morning.
[01:16:11] Go back to verse 7 where we started.
[01:16:14] What Jesus says, the key is in the last phrase of verse seven.
[01:16:19] But if I depart, I will send him to you.
[01:16:25] Now what did I say the word convict means?
[01:16:30] Means to expose.
[01:16:32] Means to turn the light on.
[01:16:35] So you see, when God always convicts by means of the light,
[01:16:43] Well, the Bible says that God is light.
[01:16:45] In Him is no darkness at all.
[01:16:47] We sang about that this morning.
[01:16:50] And when man turned from God, man turned from the light into the darkness.
[01:16:59] In other words, people are walking away from God today.
[01:17:02] People are walking into the darkness of their sin.
[01:17:06] People are walking and wondering in the darkness of judgment.
[01:17:13] And so you see the role of the Holy Spirit is to what?
[01:17:18] Flip the switch.
[01:17:20] It's to turn the light on.
[01:17:22] You say, but Mark, if people walk away from God, who is that light?
[01:17:30] How in the world does the Holy Spirit do this?
[01:17:34] Well, let me close with this.
[01:17:37] For one,
[01:17:39] God also put the light, he is light, but God put the light in Jesus Christ, the Savior.
[01:17:47] Jesus himself said, you remember John 1.8, I am the light of the world.
[01:17:54] So he put the light in the Savior.
[01:17:58] But yet we're warned in John 3, 19 and 20, it tells us that they don't come to Jesus.
[01:18:06] Ah, that's interesting.
[01:18:08] So what does He do?
[01:18:10] He puts the light in another place.
[01:18:13] God put the light in the Scripture.
[01:18:16] Did He not?
[01:18:17] Psalm 119, 105 says, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
[01:18:26] When a person reads the Bible, what happens?
[01:18:28] They get exposed to the light.
[01:18:34] But let's be honest.
[01:18:36] How many lost people you know who read the Bible?
[01:18:40] Hmm?
[01:18:41] Not many.
[01:18:43] They're not interested.
[01:18:46] So they don't come to the Savior who is the light.
[01:18:50] They don't read the Scripture who is the light.
[01:18:55] So God put the light in one other place.
[01:19:04] He put His light in the saints.
[01:19:08] He put His light in you if you're a believer and have genuinely been saved.
[01:19:20] The way the Holy Spirit convicts lost people of their sins today is not only pointing to the Savior, not only the light of the Scripture,
[01:19:38] But it's when believers allow the Holy Spirit to live in them and to witness through them.
[01:19:50] So when lost people are saved, guess what?
[01:19:55] The light comes on and they are convinced that they need a Savior.
[01:20:02] Now I do want to show you a passage of Scripture real quickly as I do close.
[01:20:07] because there's two ways this happens number one look over at first corinthians i just want to want you to see the proofs in the pudding in first corinthians i want you to look in chapter 14 and i want you to look down at verse 24 and 25. if you have your bibles i encourage you to look there first corinthians 14 24 and 25 look what the word says it says but if all prophecy
[01:20:34] and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in he is convinced by all he is convicted by all and thus the secrets of his heart are revealed and so falling down on his face he will worship God and report that God is truly among you now you know
[01:21:05] What Paul's talking about in 1 Corinthians 14?
[01:21:09] He's talking about a church service.
[01:21:12] In other words, this is one of the ways it happens.
[01:21:15] When God's people get together and they sing in the Spirit,
[01:21:20] and they're prayed up and they're yielded to the Holy Spirit.
[01:21:24] Listen, I'm not talking about your average church service.
[01:21:27] I'm talking about a church service where Jesus is exalted, where the Bible is preached, where God's children are alert, where they're prayed up, where they're witnessing, where they're serving.
[01:21:36] Son, when a lost person gets in that atmosphere, lost people are convicted of their need for Jesus Christ.
[01:21:47] And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14,
[01:21:50] that's what happens when you go to church that's that's the reason i'm just telling you that's the reason the word of god warns do not forsake forsake the assembling of yourselves together church is important being consistently in church in the word of god is critically important for this to work
[01:22:14] But then look at the second thing.
[01:22:15] You say, but Mark, most lost people don't come to church.
[01:22:18] I get it.
[01:22:19] They don't.
[01:22:19] I agree.
[01:22:21] So how else does it happen?
[01:22:23] Well, Ephesians chapter five, verse 11, 12, and 13, and then we're done.
[01:22:34] He says, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
[01:22:44] For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
[01:22:50] But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
[01:23:04] In other words, the second way that this happens
[01:23:10] is don't participate in their sin with them.
[01:23:18] Don't go along to get along.
[01:23:22] Let me repeat.
[01:23:24] Stop going along to get along.
[01:23:30] That word exposed right here in Ephesians 5, same word that's used back there in John chapter 16.
[01:23:41] You see, out there in the world there are lost people.
[01:23:47] Many of them don't have a clue that they're sinners and need a savior.
[01:23:53] Most of them don't realize that they're unrighteous.
[01:23:58] Most of them don't understand that just out there in the future there is a judgment day and they're going to stand before a holy God.
[01:24:10] So Jesus says, I'll send the Comforter, the Helper, the Holy Spirit to you.
[01:24:20] In and through you.
[01:24:25] As you let the light of Christ shine by the way you live your life, by the way you walk, by the way you talk, by the way you treat others, when you let the Holy Spirit shine in your life and in your witness, and as you live for the Lord Jesus, as you live by the principles of this Word, the world will see a difference.
[01:24:55] And when they see the difference, you can tastefully and lovingly share the gospel with them of how they can be saved.
[01:25:13] In other words, only as you and I as believers
[01:25:26] Live the way we ought to live.
[01:25:30] The Holy Spirit can bring conviction to bear and turn the light on in the lives of lost people because of what they see in you.
[01:25:46] What they see in you.
[01:25:50] What they see in you.
[01:25:55] That's what Jesus is talking about in this passage.
[01:25:59] That's what He is making so clear about the work of the Holy Spirit.
[01:26:06] It's all about Him working in and through you to reach a world that honestly doesn't care, doesn't understand,
[01:26:27] and needs to see the truth lived out before them each and every day.
[01:26:38] The reverse of that is also true.
[01:26:42] When you claim the name of Christ and you live like hell nobody wants anything to do with that.
[01:26:58] Jesus says, I'm going away so that my Holy Spirit will come live in you.
[01:27:11] And that's how we're going to reach the world for Christ.
[01:27:17] Would you bow your heads right where you are, please?
[01:27:21] Every head bowed, every eye closed.
[01:27:29] I don't know what at this very moment the Lord may be saying to you, but I do know this.
[01:27:41] If you've been tracking with me over the last 45 minutes, then you understand that I've been seeking to make clear
[01:27:56] that you can know if you've ever really been saved because that work and the truth and the power of the Holy Spirit happened in you and through you.
[01:28:20] And if you're here today and you've never received Christ,
[01:28:27] His first statement is to remind you that you are a sinner and you need a Savior.
[01:28:40] He's in the work of convicting.
[01:28:42] He's in the work of convincing.
[01:28:49] I can never convince you.
[01:28:50] I've already told you that today.
[01:28:58] But He can.
[01:29:02] And if you happen to have stumbled your way into here or accidentally found yourself at Trinity Baptist Church today, just listen.
[01:29:13] Just please listen to the Holy Spirit and what He's saying to your heart right now.
[01:29:20] My invitation is simple.
[01:29:22] I want to invite you to come to Christ.
[01:29:25] I want to invite you to say, hey preacher, this was not my plan today.
[01:29:29] Look, it wasn't my plan today.
[01:29:34] But somehow in the course of this service, God's Spirit is working so diligently in your mind and your heart that today may be the day of your salvation.
[01:29:49] And I want to invite you to come and receive Him.
[01:29:52] We're going to stand and sing in a moment.
[01:29:55] If you're here and God's leading you to accept Christ, maybe you're already a believer but you're not walking with Him as close as you'd like and part of that is you realize you don't have a church home.
[01:30:04] I want you to know that the doors of this church are open to you and we welcome you whether you come by baptism or by letter or by statement.
[01:30:13] But if God's leading you and say, hey, you're a believer, you have trusted me, you are following me,
[01:30:19] but you need to get plugged into a church we welcome you this morning to take that step but listen to what he's saying to your heart today and act on it in obedience father this is your invitation and we trust you we depend upon you and we surrender ourselves to you right now
[01:30:43] We love you and we ask your grace and your strength and your power upon us.
[01:30:50] For it's in Jesus' name we pray.
[01:30:53] Amen.
[01:30:53] Would you stand to your feet as Brother Grant comes to lead us in our hymn of invitation.
[01:30:58] This altar is open and I invite you to come.

[01:31:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]:
Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown When thou camest to earth for me But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room For thy holy nativity O come to my heart, Lord Jesus
[01:31:45] Jesus, there is room in my heart for thee.
[01:31:53] Heaven's arches rang when the angels sang, proclaiming thy royal decree.
[01:32:06] Born of lowly birth, this I'll come to thee.
[01:32:24] There is room in my heart for thee.
[01:32:33] The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest, in the shade
[01:32:44] of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[01:33:04] There is room in my heart for thee.
[01:33:13] Thou camest, O Lord, with thy living word, that should serve thy people.
[01:33:25] of Christ Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
[01:33:44] There is room in my heart for thee When the heavens shall ring and the angels sing And thy coming to victory
[01:34:06] Let my voice call me home, saying yes, there is room, there is room at my side for thee.
[01:34:28] My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus, when thou comest and callest for me.

[01:34:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Let the instrument softly play just with your heads bowed and eyes closed would you just pray pray for folks that may be on your row that maybe God is working in their lives right now and that they just need they need to take that step of faith today
[01:35:06] and would you pray for them the presence of the spirit is so clear in this place today his work what he's doing the hearts and drawing them i know he's moving many of you to pray for your loved ones that need to hear these very things we've talked about today that the power of the spirit
[01:35:36] So please just continue to pray for folks that may be sitting on your row right now.
[01:35:44] There's no more important moment than this moment in time.
[01:35:49] That I promise you.
[01:35:57] It's important in eternity.

[01:36:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
... ... ... ...

[01:36:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Would you be seated just one moment, please?
[01:36:40] Come on up here, Titus.
[01:36:44] It's my pleasure to introduce these two young people that are standing here in front of me and or beside me here this morning.
[01:36:53] And many of you know Reed and Catherine.
[01:36:56] They have been coming to our church faithfully for quite a while.
[01:37:02] As you know, this is Titus Reed, a letter I should say, and Reed belongs
[01:37:07] The Lord is with you.
[01:37:15] Amen.
[01:37:32] Ask both of them to tell me about when they did this and what took place.
[01:37:37] And they both described to me the commitment that they had made and when they had made it.
[01:37:43] And I just praise the Lord for both of them being willing to present themselves listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit as He has spoken into their hearts and lives and drawn them today.
[01:37:54] and what's your pleasure in affirming Titus Reed Leto and Katherine Thunberg as they come and step forward today as candidates for baptism.
[01:38:05] Motion made.
[01:38:05] Second.
[01:38:06] All in favor lift your hands.
[01:38:08] There's your friends this morning.
[01:38:10] Reed and Katherine.
[01:38:16] We're blessed to hear them sing.
[01:38:18] You know, when we have the children's choir out here singing, they're always there singing out and leading out and how grateful we are.
[01:38:25] And they're active and involved in the ministry of our children's ministry here.
[01:38:30] And that is so crucial because it's where they will grow in the Word and grow in the knowledge and understanding as they grow in the principles of His Word.
[01:38:39] So what a great, great praise to the Lord.
[01:38:42] Well, let's all stand to your feet.
[01:38:43] I'm going to invite them to go with me back to the door in just a moment and greet folks as they make their way out.
[01:38:51] Brother Robert's going to come and close us in prayer.
[01:38:54] And Robert, as you pray for us today, please do pray.
[01:38:57] For the young man, Andrew, National Guard, who is still holding on, clinging to life even today.
[01:39:04] Pray for the family of the young lady, Sarah, who went to be with the Lord.
[01:39:09] As you know, her father testified and said that his sweet, precious daughter
[01:39:15] who he loved had gone to glory on Thursday and we know indeed so pray for these families whose lives are shattered right now and for God's presence and power and again as Andrew hangs on to his life we continue to pray for him there are no life groups tonight as folks are still getting back in town after Thanksgiving and all of those things that are
[01:39:41] are happening to get ready to finish out this weekend but thank you for your faithfulness here today do note uh in your bulletin the things that are happening this week a lot of things taking place this first week in december and uh as we get into this christmas season so robert you'll close us and then grant's gonna sing us out amen thank you pastor mark and thank you holy spirit for what he has done in and through us today

[01:40:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Church, our benediction this morning comes from the book of 1 John.
[01:40:15] We'll be in chapter 2, starting in verse 1.
[01:40:17] The word of the Lord says this, My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.
[01:40:27] But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
[01:40:34] He is the propitiation for our sins, and not ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
[01:40:41] And by this we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commandments.
[01:40:46] Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
[01:40:53] But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.
[01:40:58] By this we may know that we are in him.
[01:41:01] Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he has walked.
[01:41:09] Would you pray with me?
[01:41:11] Holy Heavenly Father, God, we praise you.
[01:41:16] We adore you for who you are and what you have done, are doing, and will do.
[01:41:21] Lord, we freely confess that we have no righteousness of our own, and we're so thankful for the Holy Spirit that has come to convict us of sin, but Father, also to comfort us, Lord.
[01:41:31] It's the Comforter, the Helper, the Advocate God, and my prayer is that the Holy Spirit would convict those who are comfortable in their sin,
[01:41:40] And Lord, I pray the Holy Spirit would comfort those who are convicted by it with the hope of the gospel.
[01:41:45] Father, we do lift up that family that was mentioned as Pastor Mark closed out the service.
[01:41:51] We pray for the loved ones who are grieving.
[01:41:55] Father, the homegoing, we think of Sarah, Lord, how she's absent with the body but present with the Lord.
[01:42:01] We hope and pray that she knew the gospel, Lord, and we pray that her family would be comforted in the hope that we have in it, God.
[01:42:07] We don't have to grieve of those who have no hope.
[01:42:10] And Father, we pray for the family of Andrew, Lord, as they're clinging and hoping and praying that he could pull through.
[01:42:15] So Father, we pray that your hand would be on all those impacted by those events.
[01:42:21] Father, and not just Washington, D.C., not just Mooresville, North Carolina.
[01:42:25] Father, we pray for the world to come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.
[01:42:30] We ask this in His name.
[01:42:31] Amen.

[01:42:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in His face And I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord There are sweet expressions on each face And I know that it's the presence of the Lord
[01:43:24] We lift our hearts in praise without a doubt

[01:46:24] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
.
[01:46:49] .
[01:46:49] .
[01:46:53] .
[01:47:15] .
[01:47:15] .
[01:47:17] and Recompense

[01:47:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
Let's pray.

[01:49:02] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
.
[01:49:26] .
[01:49:26] .
[01:49:43] of the Holy Spirit
[01:50:10] .
[01:50:24] .
[01:50:24] .
[01:51:07] .
[01:51:30] .
[01:51:30] .

[01:51:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]:
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