Pastor Goyo has been doing a series the last couple Sundays on conviction, and he's been drawing from John 16:5-16, specifically where Jesus tells the disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, "he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgement" (v. 8). Both times he started the sermons saying that he was not going to focus so much on the part about conviction of sin because as followers of Christ, as His Church, we have already received conviction of sin and are therefore now just and righteous through the blood of Christ.
Last week he pointed out that very often we as believers go around calling ourselves sinners when in fact Scripture says we are now righteous saints, a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9). Then today, we had communion and he referenced Paul's rebuke to the Corinthians for not taking the communion seriously, not respecting it and regarding it as holy. Basically, for approaching the elements with a sinful attitude. He said today that for us, the just and righteous (in Christ's blood), to come to the table calling ourselves sinners, what we're in fact doing is not taking God at His Word, and that is part of that sin of not respecting what Christ did for us, or treating that sacrifice irreverently.
Both weeks, I found myself convicted (go figure!) concerning just these tid bits of the sermon. Last week I found myself thinking about his statement that we call ourselves sinners when in fact we are now the Just, and I asked msyelf why I do that. Because it's true: I do do that! And the answer I came up with was that I'm giving myself an easy out for when I fail (lower expectations) and an excuse for my laziness. Because if I were to keep in my conscious mind that I am now just before the Lord Almighty, I'm convinced that there are many things I would live and do differently. Yet, I continue to walk around with this mistaken, yet automatic, mentality that I'm a sinner, and the end result is that I trick myself into living as such, I convince myself back into the sin of unbelief.
Now the issue is how do I take these things captive and make them submissive to Christ? What does that look like, and what changes does it require of me both in my way of thinking as well as in my actions? These are questions for which I do not yet have answers, but it is a joyous thing to know that in the midst of conviction of sin, I can take comfort in the fact that my God is so merciful and gracious that He never gives up on me even when it's the same thing over and over again! What a great God we serve!
Last week he pointed out that very often we as believers go around calling ourselves sinners when in fact Scripture says we are now righteous saints, a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:4-5, 9). Then today, we had communion and he referenced Paul's rebuke to the Corinthians for not taking the communion seriously, not respecting it and regarding it as holy. Basically, for approaching the elements with a sinful attitude. He said today that for us, the just and righteous (in Christ's blood), to come to the table calling ourselves sinners, what we're in fact doing is not taking God at His Word, and that is part of that sin of not respecting what Christ did for us, or treating that sacrifice irreverently.
Both weeks, I found myself convicted (go figure!) concerning just these tid bits of the sermon. Last week I found myself thinking about his statement that we call ourselves sinners when in fact we are now the Just, and I asked msyelf why I do that. Because it's true: I do do that! And the answer I came up with was that I'm giving myself an easy out for when I fail (lower expectations) and an excuse for my laziness. Because if I were to keep in my conscious mind that I am now just before the Lord Almighty, I'm convinced that there are many things I would live and do differently. Yet, I continue to walk around with this mistaken, yet automatic, mentality that I'm a sinner, and the end result is that I trick myself into living as such, I convince myself back into the sin of unbelief.
Now the issue is how do I take these things captive and make them submissive to Christ? What does that look like, and what changes does it require of me both in my way of thinking as well as in my actions? These are questions for which I do not yet have answers, but it is a joyous thing to know that in the midst of conviction of sin, I can take comfort in the fact that my God is so merciful and gracious that He never gives up on me even when it's the same thing over and over again! What a great God we serve!
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