The Helper Who Points to Jesus
Month 10: The Upper Room · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 16:7-15
7 But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned. 12 I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. 13 However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you. 15 Everything that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take from what is Mine and disclose it to you.
Memory Verse
“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!””— John 16:33 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Matthew 27-28; Mark 1
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (The cross, the empty tomb, and then Mark begins again — "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.")The Heart of It
Jesus says something His friends could hardly believe. "It is to your advantage that I go away." How could losing Jesus ever be a good thing? Here is how He explains it. When He returns to the Father, He will send the Helper. That is the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit will be with His people everywhere, all the time. Then Jesus tells us what the Spirit does. He "will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." The Spirit gently shows people their need for God and draws them toward Jesus. He never forces anyone. He convinces. He invites. He woos the heart. That's how anyone comes to faith. The Spirit opens our eyes, and we get to say yes.
Then Jesus says the most beautiful thing about the Spirit's job. "He will glorify Me." The Holy Spirit doesn't show up to point at Himself. He points at Jesus. "He will guide you into all truth. He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." This is why we believe what we believe. The Spirit doesn't make up new messages. He reminds us of Jesus and leads us into the truth God already gave. So when something claims to be from God's Spirit, here's a simple test. Does it make Jesus bigger? Does it line up with His Word? The real Helper always brings us home to the real Jesus.
Around the Table
The Holy Spirit is God's Helper, and His favorite thing to do is point us to Jesus!
Let's do it: Point your finger up and say, "Holy Spirit helps me love Jesus!"
Jesus said it was better for Him to go, so the Helper could come to everyone. How is it a good thing for us that the Spirit is everywhere?
Let's talk: If the Spirit always points to Jesus, how can we tell a true message from God?
The Spirit "convicts." That means He convinces hearts of sin and draws them to Christ. He guides us into all truth, and He glorifies Jesus, never Himself.
Let's go deeper: Why is this the safest test for any claim to be Spirit-led: does it lift up Jesus, and does it match Scripture?
💬 Conversation Starter
Have you ever felt a quiet nudge inside to do the right thing, or to get close to God? Let's talk about how the Holy Spirit helps us like that.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "Christians just believe because they were told to," you can answer kindly. Faith isn't blind. Jesus said the Spirit of truth would "guide you into all truth" and "glorify Me" (). And the Spirit always points back to a real Jesus who really lived. His resurrection is the best-proven event of the ancient world (). We believe because the Spirit opened our eyes to the evidence and to a Person. We don't believe because someone shouted louder. So always be ready to give a reason, "with gentleness and respect" ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
This passage anchors a Spirit-filled but sober view of how people come to Christ. Notice the order. The Spirit convicts and draws. Grace goes first. But it is grace that can be received or resisted. Scripture is full of people who "always resist the Holy Spirit" (). That's the Arminian-Wesleyan heart of it. God genuinely woos every person, and every person genuinely gets to respond. Avoid two ditches with your kids. One ditch makes salvation a cold decree. The other makes the Spirit a vending machine for experiences. The true Spirit does not draw attention to Himself. He magnifies Christ. A home full of the Spirit will be a home full of Jesus-talk, not hype.
Draws on: Gordon Fee, God's Empowering Presence; Robert Picirilli, Grace, Faith, Free Will.
Let's Pray Together
"Holy Spirit, thank You for pointing us to Jesus and guiding us into truth. Open our eyes, soften our hearts, and help us say yes to God. Make Jesus bigger in our home. In Jesus' name, amen."
The real Helper always points to the real Jesus. And He's drawing me closer right now.