Practice:  "This Word Convicts!"

Tonight we are going to investigate and study how Love convicts.  We must listen to the voice of conviction, because God is speaking to us from a place of Love.

READ: John 16:7-11  The Holy Spirit speaks to our spirits to convict us of sin and convince us of righteousness.
• Role and of the Voice of the Holy Spirit--speaks holiness
Great gift; Promise
Work:  Convict humanity
Sin--Rebellion/violation against God's standard
Righteousness--Rightness of heart, right standing with God; in other words right by divine command (God's authority) Christ is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Judgment--final sentence by God; what the future holds for those who choose to remain in sin

• Voice of the Spirit:  Conviction--Helper, Comforter, Guide into all Truth,
calls believers to righteousness and holiness
 "Conviction is my Friend!  It lifts me to a new level in Christ!"
Spirit convicts us and condemns the sin but celebrates the person

 
• For every Authentic Holy Spirit voice there is a counterfeit voice.
Satan's/self voice:  Condemnation--declare guilty w/o trial--nothing fair or right about condemnation--leaves you feeling HOPELESS!
Enemy will set you up and condemn you afterward--all lies
Satan condemns the person

Our Response to the Spirit
Repentance- Initial sorrow and immediate change of direction

READ John 3:16-18  Jesus does not desire to condemn
Believing includes trusting God's Word/Promise to save us but also trusting in Christ to bring the power for the necessary change into our hearts.
Condemnation does not come from Christ (share an exception later)
Remember the woman caught in adultery

READ:  John 8: 9-11
Who was bringing the condemnation at the time?--religious leaders
This is a classic example of Christ's loving conviction and call for repentance

SIN IS BREAKING THE LAW OF LOVE!  Conviction is sent to deliver us and sets us free from God's judgment!  If we judge ourselves; God will not need to judge us.

READ:  Ezekiel 11:19-20 God desires to give us a new heart with new motives--it is the work of the Spirit and it comes through conviction.
We are to offer God a pliable soul (mind, will, emotions)
We can choose to have a hard heart--SELF-CENTERED!

The Spirit will convict us when we:
Speak harsh words
Wrong thoughts about others (defensive, unforgiveness, etc.)
"That wasn't Jesus, just so you know!"|
Actions that are not congruent with God's standard of holiness
The Spirit serves as the Potter and we are the clay
God desires to convict us in order to make us more like Him.  He desires to make us more authentic to our created form--God's image
Sometimes we do not realize how deeply we are in bondage until we are delivered by Christ.

The process we go through to become more like Jesus is conviction.
With every nudge, emotional squeeze, physical test...we are invited to ASK FOR GOD'S HELP TO change and become more like Jesus.
Holiness comes from listening to God!
"HOLINESS IS A PASSION NOT A PERFORMANCE!!!" We become holy because of Who lives in us.  We can give Christ the power to make us holy when we yield when the Spirit brings conviction.
We fight and resist conviction; we do not want to follow Jesus when the tension begins.  Instead we try to decide what is causing the tension and remove it.  Be careful, Jesus has always been the source of tension and rebellion against self-centeredness and you may actually be rejecting Christ in others.
Jesus is around the temple causing tension with the Pharisees.  They don't much like it so they begin to set a trap to get rid of the tension-maker.  Remember what Jesus said to some of the Pharisees? 

READ: Matthew 23:27-28, 33
The hard hearted, self-serving attitude of the Pharisees grieves the Spirit; can't do the job--fulfill the purpose
The consequence of this attitude is a limitation of the blessing God desires to pour out to those who love and trust Him
Hearing from God through conviction is a great a wonderful invitation.

SO, YOU BETTER LISTEN, BECAUSE GOD MAY BE TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION!