Day 34 - Jesus Explains The Holy Spirit

Video Host: Darin Poe - Student Discipleship Director

Big Scripture: John 16:5–15 (NLT)

5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. 6 Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 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. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. 12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13 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. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

Big Idea:

Jesus shocks His friends here. He tells them there is something even better than Him being with them. What could possibly be better than having Jesus with us? According to Jesus, the answer is having the Holy Spirit within us! Jesus knew His followers needed the very Spirit of God within each and every one of them, leading and guiding them.

Jesus says the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, will help us understand the nature of our sin, the nature of God’s righteousness, and the nature of the coming judgment. On our own, we would misunderstand sin, righteousness, and judgment. Let’s look at each of those three words.

· Sin. Jesus says that sin is because we refuse to believe in Him. We tend to think that sin is when we don’t behave like Jesus. And while that’s true, the problem of sin is deeper than behavior. Sin is not believing in Jesus; it is not receiving Jesus as He is and receiving what He has done for us.

· Righteousness. While Jesus showed us what perfect righteousness looks like, we can’t be perfect like He was. The Holy Spirit helps us know that our

only hope for righteousness is being hidden in Christ, not in our own efforts or good works.

· Judgment. It is easy for us to believe that the battle we are fighting against evil hinges on what we can do. But the battle has already been won. The ruler of this world—our great enemy—has already been judged. The Spirit encourages our hearts to live in that freedom and victory and to fight from a place of faith, not fear.

When we give glory to God, we have the amazing privilege and joy of joining in the never-ceasing work of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Big Questions:

· What is something you used to believe that you now know was wrong?

· Why is having the Holy Spirit within us even better than having Jesus with us?

· How does the Holy Spirit help us understand sin?

· How does the Holy Spirit help us understand righteousness?

Big Prayer:

God, Thank You for the Holy Spirit. Thank You that the Holy Spirit was sent to live within every person who trusts in Jesus. Holy Spirit, thank You for being a faithful helper. Thank You for giving me the desire to love and serve God and others. Thank You for convicting me of my sin and not leaving me lost in my unbelief. Thank You for leading me to Jesus, the only One in whom I find my perfect righteousness. And thank You for reminding my heart that the battle has already been won. Help me to be more aware of Your voice and leading in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.