Focal passage: John 15:26-27; 16:7-15
Pinterest became popular right as I became interested in baking and decorating. How convenient. The site is still filled with all the ways I can DIY art and cupcakes. If you’re interested, Google “Pinterest fails.” You’re sure to get a good laugh! Sometimes, we’re just not equipped to do it ourselves. This is the truest when it comes to living life as God intended. On our own, we don’t have the power to live the way we are meant to. Thankfully, God has sent us the Holy Spirit to help us.
The Holy Spirit is the power within us to proclaim Jesus. As He was about to ascend into heaven, Jesus told his disciples that they would receive power, through the Spirit, to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). To think that we need help to simply open our mouths and declare truth, can seem kind of strange. But Jesus reminds us that we need His spirit to proclaim truth because His spirit is truth.
The Holy Spirit also brings conviction of sin. While no one wants to feel the weight of conviction, this is actually a good thing! God, in His grace, sends His spirit to convict us so that we can repent and be forgiven. Even now, the Holy Spirit is at work in the world bringing people to a knowledge of their sinful condition. He is working to bring salvation to those who need to repent.
The Spirit always glorifies Jesus. Christ told His disciples that the Spirit would teach them the truth about Him. The Holy Spirit teaches us about who Jesus really is – about His righteousness and His deity. The Spirit is the reason that any of us can truly know and confess who Jesus is (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin, testifies about Christ, and empowers us to live rightly before God. Praise God for the helper who has come so that we do not have to “do it ourselves!”