Between the Last Supper and the betrayal in the Garden of Olives, John records four complete chapters of Jesus’ teachings. He tries to prepare His disciples for His death. He prays for the disciples and for all believers who will come after, including us. Jesus promises that He will be with us always and goes on to explain His Holy Spirit will be given to us to help us in many ways. Let’s look at this Advocate who is promised to us.
What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
Leader: This section is designed to get discussions started, examine God’s truth, and apply it to our week. Life Group leaders should not assume everyone in their group is a Christ follower. Because they are participating in a Life Group, they must have some openness to knowing more, exploring. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work and let Him lead you as well.
1. Did you grow up in a faith tradition that stated, “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”? If so, what crazy ideas did this give you about the Person of the Holy Spirit?
Leader Note: As the message mentioned, we have no visual context for the Holy Spirit. We often think of the Father as a wise old gentleman, and we have many (although typically Anglo-Saxon) imagined renderings of Jesus. But we often think of the Spirit of God as “Casper the Friendly Ghost” or the Star Wars Force. You can remind your group of the baptism of Jesus. In that example, the Holy Spirit took on shape like that of a dove. He was visible and present and separate from the Father and the Son (Matthew 3:15–17)!
2. Read Acts 1:5, Acts 2:38, 1 Corinthians 12:13; 6:19-20, Ezekiel 37:14, and Ephesians 1:13-14. Who is the Holy Spirit? Does every follower of Christ have access to the Spirit? How do these verses apply to us today and to our relationships with God?
Leader Note: The Spirit is from God (“the gift,” “whom you have from God,” “I will put my Spirit within you,” and “promised” to us by Jesus in John 14.) He is also God, one of the three Persons of the Trinity. See Deeper below for a discussion of that doctrine. Every believer who confesses Jesus is Lord is given the “seal” of the Spirit; it is the guarantee of our eternal life. The Holy Spirit is God’s deposit into escrow that He will fulfill His promises and bring us into His kingdom, clean, righteous, and forgiven. It is His guarantee that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Joshua 1:5).
3. Obedience is essential to ongoing connection with the Holy Spirit. Read John 14:15-17, 21, 23-24, and Galatians 5:25. What is obedience tied to in this passage? Where does the Spirit reside (see vs 17 and 23)? How does obedience connect us to Him? What does “following the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” equate to?
Leader Note: Obedience is directly tied to our love for God, for Jesus. Verse 23 specifically says that if we obey His teachings, " we will come to them and make our home with them.” That is a close relationship, not a directorial boss/employee situation. Following the Spirit’s direction or leading in all things is the very same as obeying His leading and direction. That means we love God, want to put Him first, and this obedience keeps us connected, so we hear more, follow more, and the cycle gets clearer each time we hear and obey. (It does not always get EASIER, but our ability to hear the Spirit gets easier.)
4. Read Acts 1:8, John 14:16-17, and 26. What are some of the things the Holy Spirit will do for and with us? How does the Holy Spirit accomplish this? What also does Acts 1:8 specifically say He will empower us to do? Has there ever been a time where you were aware of the presence and leadership of the Holy Spirit in your own life?
Leader’s Note: Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit will comfort and direct us. He will not only teach us God’s truth but will bring Scripture to our remembrance when we need it. He will comfort us with His presence and by bringing God’s promises to our minds. Specifically, the Spirit will give us the power we need to share the Good News of Jesus!
5. Final Thought: This week, we were challenged to pray, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” and to trust that the Holy Spirit will reveal God’s Truth to us as we open the Scriptures. He will also help us pray, and He will bring to our remembrance what God has already shown us. How will you draw closer this week? How will you listen for the voice of the Spirit? Will you commit right now to trusting God by obeying the Spirit, staying in step with Him, and walking in faith where He leads?
Deeper
Leader: This section is designed for further use in your Life Group or for personal study. These can also be used as discussion points and ways to stay connected with your group throughout the week. Encourage your group to take time daily to walk through these questions.
Essentially, the doctrine of the Trinity teaches these three things: 1) There is one God. 2) God is three individual persons, and each is fully God. 3) God is a unity (three-in-oneness).
Let’s check out the scriptures for ourselves:
6. Deuteronomy 6:4–5: LN: Old Testament confession of One God.
7. James 2:19 and 1 Corinthians 8:4: LN: New Testament affirmations that there is but One God.
8. Genesis 1:1 and Matthew 6:9: LN: God the Father is fully God!
9. Titus 2:13 and Colossians 2:9: LN: Jesus – God the Son -- is also fully God.
10. Ephesians 4:30, 1 Corinthians 3:16, and Acts 5:3-4: LN: The Holy Spirit is God’s Spirit, an individual Person of the Trinity. In the Acts passage, lying to the Spirit equals lying to God.
11. Genesis 1:26, Matthew 3:15-17, and Matthew 28:19-20: LN: God uses a plural “our” to refer to Himself in Genesis. The three Persons of the Godhead appear at the baptism of Jesus. Also, in the passage called “the Great Commission” by Jesus, we are taught to teach, preach, and baptize in the name of all three Persons of the Trinity.