Thank You, Lord, for the Helper YOU Sent to Us
JESUS said to His disciples—
“But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
(John 16: 5-7 NASB)
But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
HELP!
Raise your hand IF you could use some “HELP” today.
If we stopped right there and focused upon that question, then the whole society of the known world would look around and exclaim: “Nearly every hand is raised high in the air” because we are a people who are most weak. When I was young, I heard a teacher say: “A week without sharing time in God’s Word makes one weak.”
I love this saying and the use of the homophone, and as a teacher of word usage, it is true that many times, everyone struggles to use the correct word. For example:
May we ponder:
JESUS CHRIST, the SAVIOR & REDEEMER tells each person—
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
(John 16: 7 NASB)
Again, raise your hand IF you’ve noticed how your life benefits from the presence of the “HELPER” Jesus sent.
The LORD JESUS continued—
“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
- concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
- and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
- and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes,
- He will guide you into all the truth;
- for He will not speak on His own initiative,
- but whatever He hears, He will speak;
- and He will disclose to you what is to come.
- He will glorify Me,
- for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
All things that the Father has are Mine;
therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”
(John 16: 8-15 NASB)
In Sunday School class last night (the class for young-twenty-something-year-olds), we fellowshipped together, shared food, laughter, and a Bible devotion about sharing our testimony with others. Then, later in the evening, we played a verbal game as we sat together in the living room. It was a game of questions: a game of THIS—or—THAT. Questions asked sounded something like: Would you rather enjoy a holiday at the beach—OR—enjoy a holiday in a city?
After several rounds of voicing our answers of THIS—or—THAT, a question was asked, one that caused me to consider: the many ways the Bible reminds us how the Holy Spirit “helps” us.
The question asked: IF YOU COULD READ ONE BOOK ALL OVER AGAIN, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WHAT BOOK WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Speedily, the Bible came to my mind.
Thank You, Lord, for the Helper YOU Sent to Us
We are given the opportunity to open our Bible, to daily read, allowing the Holy Spirit into our daily lives, guiding & speaking to us. Every time we open our Bible to read, it’s as if we are reading God’s Word for the very first time because the HOLY SPIRIT HIMSELF helps us understand more about God as we grow into spiritual maturity.
- RIGHT NOW, wherever we are in our relationship with Jesus Christ, that’s where the Holy Spirit of God, the Helper sent by JESUS HIMSELF—meets with us—the believers, the Christ-followers.
- AS WE STILL WALK AS SINNERS, wherever we are in our Christian walk with Jesus Christ, that’s where the Holy Spirit of God, the Helper sent by JESUS HIMSELF—convicts us of our disobedience—the Christians.
- AS HE MAKES US AWARE OF OUR SINS, wherever we are in our spiritual walk with Jesus Christ, that’s where the Holy Spirit of God, the Helper sent by JESUS HIMSELF—meets us as He leads us to confess our sins—the disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us often how we have a “shield of faith” to hold up in front of us as we go, given to protect us from the fiery darts Satan fires daily at God’s children. Satan is watching for our weakest area, and he is trying with all his might to make our faith weak. This is one primary reason why we need to be found daily in God’s Word.
Remember: “A week without sharing time in God’s Word makes one weak.”
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
By this you know the Spirit of God:
- every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
- and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God;
this is the spirit of the antichrist,
of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
- You are from God, little children, and have overcome them;
- because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
They are from the world;
[the apostle John speaks of the spirits of the antichrist]
therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
We are from God;
- he who knows God listens to us;
- he who is not from God does not listen to us.
[the apostle John speaks of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit—US—the three persons of GOD]
By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
(1 John 4: 1-6 NASB)
It is true; everyone struggles, and that is why JESUS KNEW HIS DISCIPLES NEEDED THE HELPER!
- JESUS left HIMSELF to fill us, to walk with us, to lead us, to seal us, to protect us, to convict us, & to help us in our study of the Holy Scriptures.
- JESUS also left HIMSELF to convict those who do not yet believe.
May we raise our hands up high and exclaim in worship—Thank You, Lord, for the Helper YOU Sent to Us.