During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:16–17
Imagine how Jesus’ disciples must have felt just after He left them and ascended into heaven. They had spent 3 years with the Son of God, and now they were left on their own. But before Jesus left, He promised them He would send a Counsellor to be with them forever. He promised that this Helper would live inside of them. The Spirit acts as a truth-teller, encourager, comforter, and guide in our lives. He even convicts us when we are doing something wrong.
Think of a time when you felt the Holy Spirit telling you to do or not do something. Or, perhaps you experienced His power in your life when you did something difficult that you knew God wanted you to do. What happened when you followed the Holy Spirit’s leading? How did the Holy Spirit help you carry out the thing God was asking you to do?
Look for an opportunity to share your experiences with the Holy Spirit during this lesson. Pray that they will feel His touch directly. Remind them that no matter where they go, as followers of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is with them.
Encourage the students to ask their family members, “Has your conscience ever told you to do something—or not to do something?” The teens can then share that this is a way the Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Set up a curving pathway about 1 meter wide and a few meters long. Put objects, such as chairs, along the sides as boundaries (but nothing that can cause injury). You can even mark a pathway on the ground by drawing in the dirt or sand with a stick. Ask for a volunteer to walk along the pathway without bumping into the boundaries. Applaud when that task is accomplished.
The Bible sometimes talks about life as a walk. Sometimes we find that living is easy and fun and we know just where to step. But sometimes we are not sure what to do or where to go. That makes it more difficult.
Choose another volunteer and put a blindfold on him. If you do not have a blindfold, the student can close his eyes instead. Point the walker in generally the right direction. The other students should try to remain quiet. Once the walker has strayed from the path, ask him to stop.
Let’s try this again but with a little help.
Ask for another volunteer to serve as a coach. With the walker still blindfolded, return him to the starting point. Now ask him to walk the path again, but the coach (who can see the course) will give instructions. The coach may not touch the walker. Instructions must be given verbally.
We have a coach to help us walk through life—someone who will help us to find the right way to go. It is the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity. Let’s hear more about Him.
After Jesus had been with His disciples for about 3 years, He gathered with them for a special dinner. He wanted to give them His final instructions. He knew He would not be with them much longer. On the next day, He would be killed. Three days after that, He would rise from the dead. He would be with His friends for 40 more days, but then He would go back to heaven.
How would His disciples know what to do? How would they continue to grow in their understanding of and love for their Heavenly Father? Jesus had a plan. He was not going to leave them on their own. Here is what He said:
Have a student read John 14:16–17 aloud from the Bible.
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:16–17
He will help us, always be with us, and show us what is true.
He will live with us and in us.
The coach. The walker could not see the coach, but the walker stayed on the right path because of what the coach said.
The coach helped, was right there beside the walker, and said what was true. The Holy Spirit does all those things for us as we live our lives.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit “one who is called alongside.” This includes the ideas of Friend, Comforter, Helper, and Counsellor. Isn’t it amazing to know that Jesus gave His followers someone to come alongside them?
Have a student read the following verse from the Bible.
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.
John 16:12–15
The Holy Spirit was not just there for the disciples. He is also here for us. The Holy Spirit lives inside every Christian. He reminds us of what Jesus said and helps us to understand how to please God. He speaks to us in many ways. Sometimes we just sense His presence and His direction. Sometimes He speaks through that little voice inside our minds that tells us the right thing to do. And often He speaks to us through Scripture, leading us by showing us God’s direction for our lives. Anytime you want to verify that what you think you heard is from the Holy Spirit, you can see if it agrees with Scripture. The Holy Spirit’s guidance will always agree with the Bible. How wonderful it is that we have someone to walk alongside us and help us always!
Sometimes He uses the Bible. We may read and understand things we did not understand before or we may find just the right verse to help us with a problem we are having. That is the Holy Spirit. We will know it is Him because He will never tell us to do anything that is different from what the Bible tells us.
Sometimes we may recognize His voice telling us to do something or not do something. He gives us a sense of what is right and leads us in the right direction.
Sometimes He uses other people to give us His message. He may bring the right person into our lives at exactly the right time. That person will speak God’s truth to us.
Sometimes He also speaks through past experiences, books we read, or music we hear. He even uses our circumstances—situations that seem like God has arranged them to help us make decisions. Remember, He will never tell us to do anything that goes against what the Bible says.
Have students stand and gather toward the back of the room, a distance away from you. Have them take 2 steps forward for a truth and a step backward for a lie.
It is important for us to listen to the Holy Spirit. He tells us the truth and coaches us along our life path. I will read some statements, and you will make a decision about them. Are these lies that people in the world might say to take you off the right path? Or are they true statements that the Holy Spirit would tell you to keep you on the right path? Take 2 steps forward for a truth and 1 step backward for a lie.
“The most important thing in life is to have money.” Is that a lie of the world or a truth of the Spirit? (Lie)
“Put God first in your life, and He will always be with you.” Is that a lie of the world or a truth of the Spirit? (Truth)
“Put yourself first, and do not care about anyone else.” (Lie)
“If you see something you want, you should just take it.” (Lie)
“You should treat others the way you would like to be treated.” (Truth)
“If people hurt you, you should hurt them back or else they will just hurt you again.” (Lie)
“You should forgive others when they hurt you.” (Truth)
“God loves you, so you can love others.” (Truth)
“God is mean and loves to punish people when they do wrong.” (Lie)
“You do not matter. You are worthless!” (Lie)
“God considers you His own precious child.” (Truth)
Have students sit down.
Our God is truly amazing. Let me read more things that the Bible says about God the Holy Spirit.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
Romans 8:26
Do you ever want to talk to God but you do not know what to say? This is 1 way that God the Holy Spirit helps us. Even when we do not know what to say, God knows. He is there for us even when we do not know how to ask Him to be there—or even what to ask Him for.
Let’s take some time right now to pray and listen. Everyone take a deep breath. Think about how comforting it is to have Someone who is always with you. We will all be quiet for a few minutes. If you would like to, you may talk with God about what you are thinking about and then listen for what the Holy Spirit wants to tell you. If you are not sure about God or the Holy Spirit, you can just think of questions you have. I will talk with you after class about them, if you want.
Before we end our time today, let’s review what we have learned about the Trinity and the many characteristics of God.
Answers may include Three Persons in One or God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Name 2 characteristics of God the Father.
Answers may include guide, discipliner, and loving Father.
Name 2 characteristics of God the Son, Jesus.
Answers may include shepherd, Saviour, friend, and protector.
Name 2 characteristics of God the Holy Spirit.
Answers may include coach, helper, comforter, counsellor, friend, and “one who is called alongside.”
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, have students fill in the characteristics of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the appropriate circles.
If your students have difficulty thinking of characteristics of the three Persons of the Trinity, here are some suggestions:
Father—guidance, discipline, created the world and everything in it
Son—protection, friendship, mediation, paid for our sins
Holy Spirit—help, comfort, closeness, wisdom, lives in us
God—unity, holiness, love, righteousness, justice, goodness, mercy
End of Option
Close with a blessing over your students based on John 14:17:
Blessing: May you know the Spirit of truth—God’s Holy Spirit—and may He live in you and through you to glorify our Father in heaven.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
