Rooted in the Spirit
Waking up to the Spirit • Message 4
Bryan Jones
May 4, 2025
Prayer Points for Prayer Time:
- Pray to grow deeper in your faith every day.
- Pray to hear the Holy Spirit clearly.
- Pray that Brookwood will be a light in our community.
Scripture Reading:
“But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future.”
John 16:7-13 (NLT)
A. Introduction (Ephesians 5:14)
Now, did you know you will spend 1/3 of your life sleeping? And for some of you, that number is higher, because for some of you, sleep is like your spiritual gift! And how many of you love to hit the snooze button?
Now, one of the worst parts about going to sleep is waking up to the alarm noise (Share a few) …
But I want to show you a few interesting alarm clocks... (Here are a few)
… “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Ephesians 5:14 (NIV)
See, it’s impossible to spend your life completely asleep, but spiritually speaking, it’s possible to spend your life completely asleep, unaware of the things of God.
He doesn’t just want to get you to Heaven; He wants to help you now. He wants to speak to you. I grew up in a Baptist church, and honestly, we talked about God the Father and Jesus the Son, and we replaced the Holy Spirit with the Holy Bible. So, it wasn't until maybe a decade ago that I really learned how to hear from God, and it has honestly changed my life.
So today, we are going to be in John Chapter 16… If you have your Bibles, you can follow along…
This morning, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT HOW TO STAY AWAKE SPIRITUALLY…. (how to not hit snooze on what God started) … how to stay sensitive to the voice of God.
B. The Holy Spirit
- Is a real person who SPEAKS.
(John 16:7. C/R: John 14:16)
This is a simple point, but it's so important…
But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you.
John 16:7 (NLT)
In John 16, Jesus has been hanging with his disciples for three years, and then has the audacity to say, "It's better that I go. It's better that this whole thing stops." How could it be better that Jesus is leaving?
How could that be? Because when Jesus goes, the Holy Spirit will come…
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to help you and be with you forever—
John 14:16 (NIV)
In English, there is just one word for another. In Greek, there are two words for another. One is the Greek word Heteros, and the other is the word Allos.
Imagine I got a book, and I didn’t like it, and I said, I want to get another book, a different kind or different author. That is Heteros. But if you come up to me and you want that book, and I say I’m going to buy another... I’m going to buy another book of the same kind … that is Allos…
The word Jesus used in John 14:16 is Allos… I’m going to send another helper of the same kind. It’s the same. The Holy Spirit isn’t a force, it isn’t just a mysterious presence; rather, it’s a person… it's God.
See, there is one God in three persons ... meaning that God’s existence is comprised of three distinct centers of intellect, emotion, and will.... There is one what... but three who’s... the point is, there are some things we can’t perfectly explain. But here’s one we can … The Holy Spirit is real and a real person...
This is important because if the Holy Spirit is real, then He really speaks…
Now, for me, the way the Holy Spirit speaks isn’t audible. I wish it were like that… like you are at the store, and the Spirit goes… Paging Bryan Jones right now on aisle 6; someone needs a word from me…
But it’s a small whisper, it’s a thought he puts in your mind or heart….
This is important because some of the Godliest people I’ve talked about this with say for them, it’s a whisper, a small voice, and sometimes you can question it… But the more you walk with God, the more you learn to distinguish His voice… Sometimes I wonder if I heard Him right, and you might feel the same, but I encourage you not to hit snooze…
But it's also spontaneous. You never know when God is going to speak, so you just have to show up…
Jesus revealed himself to 500 people after His resurrection, but only 120 showed up to church in Acts 2… and when they did, God showed up in a radical way…
Here’s my point … keep showing up to church, keep showing up to your daily time with God, and at different times you will have an encounter with God… just be faithful…
- Is the one who CHANGES
(John 16:8)
And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.
John 16:8 (NLT)
Notice that the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts—or, in some versions, convinces, and I like that word….
How do you know if you’ve really been saved? How do you really know if you are a Christian? Because the Bible says there are many people who think they are in, but they aren’t. So, how do you know…
The Bible makes it clear that if you are born again, the Holy Spirit convinces you of 3 things:
Holy Spirit's role in salvation:
a) Truth about
(John 16:9)
The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.
John 16:9 (NLT)
I want to free you with something. Notice that the Spirit is the one who helps us believe.
When I look at my life, what I find out is that it wasn't me pursuing God—it was God pursuing me. Yes, I have a part to play, but I don't change myself; the Spirit does.
And if you are in the room and you feel distant from God, or if you are not a Christian, ask the Spirit to reveal Himself to you.
And let me just say... the biggest issue in our church and in our world... Do you know what it is? The verse says the people have not put Jesus in the right place, that Jesus isn't at the Center. This has to be the most important thing for us as the church.
The biggest issue isn’t social justice, it's not government, it's not worship style or denominations, it's not philosophical, it’s not education reform. These are all good things… but they're not the ultimate thing. The ultimate thing is that Jesus hasn’t been put in his right place, that He hasn’t been worshipped, treasured, and valued above all. The issue is that sin twists our hearts and minds…and we need the Spirit to wake us up.
I bought my son a drone for Christmas, and I went upstairs, and I heard this scream, and when I came down, the drone was completely wrapped up in Selah’s hair. The more she tried to fix it and pull it out, the more it tangled up… and it was so bad that we had to get scissors and cut it out of her hair… so we told her to face this way at school pictures… but what I find so funny is she wanted to keep the hair, she wanted to hold onto it… the very thing that has caused pain … she was trying to hold onto. I told her you don't have to hold onto that, you will get new hair... Something better will come...
Some people are so tangled up in sin, and they want to hold onto it… They keep these sins attached to them that they were never meant to carry. But the Holy Spirit comes in and reveals the truth to us, and He alone transforms us…
b) Truth about RIGHTEOUSNESS.
(John 16:10)
Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.
John 16:10 (NLT)
Think about this... the first role of the Spirit is to convince you that you have a terminal illness, that sin has separated you from God... this is bad news by itself... but then Jesus says Good news, I've got a cure...
It’s this ... I took your place ... I paid for your sin... You are free and forgiven. I have taken your guilt and replaced it with grace and righteousness.
The fact that He sits down at the Father's right hand shows that His work is finished…… and now, when I give my life to Him, I get His righteousness, and He takes my sin…
But what convinces people of this? What convinced Paul? What convinced a criminal on the cross? It’s the Spirit who reveals who Jesus is!
He’s not just a good person; rather, He’s the Savior of the world, the righteous one who has the power to make us right with God.
One of the most important questions Jesus asks is … Who do you say I am?
- Truth about our JUDGMENT.
(John 16:11)
Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
John 16:11 (NLT)
But notice he also brings judgment… judgment on the enemy.
Remember that Jesus hasn’t died and resurrected yet in John 16, but He’s so convinced that his death conquers sin, death, Satan, and Hell that He puts it in the past tense.
Even though it seems like things aren’t going well right now… Jesus has defanged the enemy... that although it seems He’s winning the battle and not the war…
Why does the Spirit need to convict or convince us that the enemy has been defeated?
Because do you know how many people live in fear? Do you know the most repeated commandment is Fear Not.... Why? Because if Jesus has defeated sin, death, Satan, and Hell, what do you really have to fear?
Any Clemson fans in the house? Clemson fans are some of the most devoted fans I know... now you are also a slight bit cultish... but I have talked to several fans who go back and watch past games... they watch the championship game... and here's the thing... they aren't afraid or nervous... Why? They know the outcome... even when there is a fumble, or they are down ... they are calm … because they know the outcome... now when the game was first happening, they were nervous but not now... Church, can I speak some life into someone in this room?
We know the outcome... we know Jesus wins... so if you're in a moment that's creating fear, or you're nervous about something, let the Spirit speak to you this morning that God has got this... (history vs news)
- GUIDES us
(John 16:12-13. C/R: Hebrews 3:15)
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.
John 16:12-13 (NIV)
But what does this mean for us? How do we practically hear the Holy Spirit? How do I stay spiritually awake?
The Holy Spirit comes to guide us.
Buddy in a corn maze, he kept making all the wrong turns/ tower/ called him... The Holy Spirit is the presence of God that sees all who live inside and guides and directs our steps.
How do you know it’s the Holy Spirit speaking? (If it’s a whisper, how do you know?) (class in the program: Hearing God)
- Does it resonate with the Bible?
- Does it resonate with your Spirit?
- Does it resonate with other Godly people?
But also let me say this, the more you say yes to the Spirit, the louder His voice gets…
I have been thinking about how I respond when the Holy Spirit CONVICTS me – many times, I kind of hit the SNOOZE button…. I just want the feeling to go away…. I don’t have time to deal with it….
If the Holy Spirit is sounding an alarm in you and challenging you to do something, don’t push the snooze button…. Here’s why….
… “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion. “
Hebrews 3:15 (NIV)
If you keep pushing snooze, eventually, it stops going off. If you keep resisting the Holy Spirit, your heart gets hard, and you stop hearing His voice. You stop sensing His conviction.
What is it that God is convicting you of/prompting you to do?
Some of you think that once you say a prayer, it means you're never going to struggle, but that isn’t true at all. For some of you, this is very important. In the Old Testament, there is a group of people who are powerless; they are oppressed by a man named Goliath until one man steps up and liberates a group of people to push back and battle the enemy. Well before Jesus, we were powerless, dead in our sins, but once Jesus conquered the grave, he liberated us to fight the addictions and the evil in our hearts.
We are not liberated from the struggle; we are liberated to struggle. If you don’t care or feel anything, you should be worried. It’s a sign you have hit the snooze button.
You’ve been liberated to struggle and fight well…. Those who struggle, it's your greatest assurance.
Is there anger that you're holding onto? I met with a student who talked about their brokenness and the hurt a family member had caused, and she felt like God was revealing this to her, so she chose not to hit the snooze button and forgave her sister.
Is God convicting you that you need to let go of the past?
Maybe God is convicting you of someone at work with whom He wants you to grab lunch or coffee and then ask them how you can pray for them… just to take a step to be a light.
Maybe the Holy Spirit is convicting you about the situations you put yourself in?
Maybe he's convicting you because you're dating someone you know who isn’t into the heartbeat of your King.
Unless you do that, you might miss God…