Pastor Matthew Johnson continued The Tree Church's series on the Holy Spirit this week with a message that reframes something many Christians have misunderstood. The topic was conviction, and Pastor Matthew opened by admitting that on the surface, conviction sounds like bad news. By the end of the message, he showed why it is actually one of the clearest signs of God's love.
Why Conviction Feels Negative At First
Pastor Matthew started by naming the tension in the room. When people hear the word conviction, they think of courtrooms, guilty verdicts, and punishment. He said this is why many Christians feel uneasy when they hear that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, a statement Jesus makes to His disciples in John chapter 16.
He explained that in our culture, exposing someone's failure is usually meant to make them feel bad. He connected this to cancel culture, where a mistake is used to strip away someone's standing or reputation. Because this is the pattern people experience most often, it becomes easy to assume God works the same way.
The Difference Between Condemnation and Conviction
Pastor Matthew drew a sharp line between two ideas that often get confused. He defined condemnation as pointing out sin in order to push someone away from Jesus in shame. He shared that for years earlier in his life, he carried a voice telling him he was a failure and did not deserve to be in God's presence. He said he now recognizes that voice was never from God.
He then read John 3:16 and the verse that follows it, which says God did not send His Son to condemn the world but to save it. He also pointed to Romans chapter 8, where Paul asks who could possibly condemn believers when Jesus Himself is interceding for them. From these passages, Pastor Matthew said the Holy Spirit never uses condemnation.
Conviction, on the other hand, was defined differently. Pastor Matthew said conviction points out sin and draws a person toward Jesus for grace and change. He explained that the purpose is not to create guilt, but to help someone recognize the truth about their own heart so they can respond to it. He put it simply. Conviction is not about making someone feel guilty, but helping them realize they are guilty.
The Spirit Convicts Us Of Sin Because We Do Not Trust God
Working through John 16:9, Pastor Matthew explained that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin because people do not believe in Jesus. He connected this to a statement he once heard from Pastor Chris, who said the root of every sin is a lack of trust in God, tracing that idea back to Adam and Eve in the garden.
To make this practical, Pastor Matthew walked through several areas of life where this plays out. He talked about conflict resolution, where Jesus calls people to forgive freely and even love their enemies, while culture teaches people to defend themselves and fight for their rights. He talked about sexual morality, where scripture calls for faithfulness within marriage, while culture treats sex as a simple physical appetite. He also mentioned finances and the use of time and talents, where God calls people to generosity and eternal investment, while culture pushes people to accumulate more for themselves. In each case, Pastor Matthew said choosing the way of the world is really a quiet way of saying we do not trust God's way is better.
The Spirit Convicts Us Of Righteousness Through Jesus
Moving to John 16:10, Pastor Matthew explained the second area of conviction, righteousness. He described the scene at the cross, where religious leaders and onlookers mocked Jesus, believing His death proved He was a fraud. Pastor Matthew said Jesus was actually proving the opposite. As Jesus ascended to the Father, it confirmed that His sacrifice had been accepted on behalf of everyone who would believe in Him.
He read 2 Corinthians 5:21, which says Jesus, who never sinned, took on our sin so that we could become the righteousness of God. Pastor Matthew explained that because of this, God does not look at believers through their failures. Instead, He sees them through the righteousness of Jesus. He encouraged the church to stop holding onto sins that have already been forgiven, saying that when people do this, they are essentially arguing with God about something He has already resolved.
The Spirit Reminds Us How The Story Ends
The third area of conviction comes from John 16:11, concerning judgment. Pastor Matthew explained that this is a reminder that the ruler of this world has already been judged and defeated. He described how Satan believed the crucifixion of Jesus was his greatest victory, without realizing it was the very moment God used to bring salvation to the world.
Pastor Matthew connected this to the temptation to live only for today. He said culture pushes people toward instant gratification and short term thinking, while the Holy Spirit reminds believers that they are living for something eternal. Because the outcome of the story is already secure, believers can make sacrifices now with confidence, knowing they are living for a greater reality.
Four Ways The Holy Spirit Convicts Us Today
After summarizing these three areas of conviction, Pastor Matthew shifted to a practical question. What does this actually look like in everyday life? He offered four ways the Holy Spirit brings conviction.
Through God's Word
Pastor Matthew read Hebrews 4:12, which describes the word of God as living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, able to expose the thoughts and intentions of the heart. He said scripture cuts through the masks people wear to hide their struggles. He also pointed to the verses that follow, which describe believers coming boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy. He said this shows that when scripture exposes something, it is always followed by an invitation to grace rather than shame.
Through His Voice In Prayer
Pastor Matthew described prayer as a place where believers can ask the Holy Spirit to search their hearts, citing Psalm 139, where the psalmist asks God to search him and know his thoughts. He also referenced Psalm 95, which warns against hardening our hearts when we hear God's voice. He explained that delayed obedience often turns into disobedience, and that a pattern of ignoring the Spirit's voice can eventually lead someone to stop hearing it clearly at all. His encouragement was simple. When the Spirit speaks, respond quickly rather than delaying.
Through Other Believers
Citing Hebrews 10:24-25, Pastor Matthew talked about the importance of godly relationships who have permission to speak honestly into someone's life. He shared that he personally has people in his own life, including fellow pastors and church leaders, who regularly ask him how he is really doing and who he has invited to challenge him when needed. He encouraged the church to build these same kinds of relationships, especially through connect groups, where honest and loving correction can happen in the context of real friendship.
Through Life Circumstances
Finally, Pastor Matthew pointed to Galatians 6:7, which says a person reaps what they sow, and Hebrews 12:7, which describes hardship as a form of discipline. He encouraged the church to view difficult seasons as an invitation to ask the Holy Spirit if there is something that needs to change, rather than assuming every hardship is random or unrelated to their choices.
A Time Of Reflection
Pastor Matthew closed the message by inviting the congregation into a quiet moment of reflection, asking them to consider a time when the Holy Spirit spoke to them and they delayed or disobeyed. He encouraged everyone to bring that moment back to God in honesty and to respond to His voice today rather than waiting. The message ended in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to continue speaking, challenging, and drawing the church closer to Him.
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