Romans 8:26-28 Likewise
the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we
ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for
words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of
the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes
for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know
that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who
are called according to his purpose.
We come again to the heart of Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Our focus will be on the matter of the Spirit’s intercession for his people.
But before we do that we need to look at the work of the Holy Spirit in this
magnificent chapter! In the Christian church today there is too little
reference to the Holy Spirit. Often, when there is a reference to the Holy Spirit, it is in an effort to win a debate
about the Holy Spirit. Let’s look at this chapter’s description of the work of
the Spirit.
Looking back to the beginning of the chapter we see that the
Holy Spirit…
Sets us free. Romans 8:2 For the law
of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and
death.
We need to be clear in this, the word “law” refers to an idea
or a principle. Before coming to faith in Christ we were under the old principle of sin and death. However, that old
principle has been replaced by the new principle of the Spirit of life. In
Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit has set us
free from sin and death. Before we come to faith in Christ we were in slavery
to sin. We must remember that sin pays its wage — death! Spiritual death that
ultimately results in physical death and eternal separation from a loving
Father. Recognizing that the law did not have the power to free us, God the
Father sent the Spirit of life to set us free.
Let’s look back to Romans
6:14. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but
under grace. For me, this verse contains one of the most powerful promises. Ultimately, sin will not rule over
us. We are not under the “law principle”! We are under the “grace principle”!
It is God’s grace that saves us not anything that we have done. Not our
righteousness but his! Left to our own devices we will never escape the damage
that sin has done to us. Nothing we do can wipe out the past. Nothing we do can
set us free from the law of sin and death. Grace says, “God’s Riches at
Christ’s Expense!” The law principle will always lead us to death — spiritual
death followed by physical death.
But the Spirit…
Fulfills the correct requirement of
the law. Continuing
in Romans 8:4 we see, in order that the righteous requirement of
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but
according to the Spirit.
The requirement of the law is impossible for us to meet.
Because the “law principle” always leads
us to failure. We have no righteousness of our own that would overcome the law
of sin and death. If we are to fulfill the requirements of the law we are
subject to death and hell! What we must have is a righteousness that is not our
own. We are to walk, not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit creates a new race of people who no longer live according to
the flesh — “the law principle”! The law has always failed to meet God’s
requirements. There is an old poem that goes like this:
Run, John,
Run, the law commands,
But neither
gives us feet or hands;
Far better
news the gospel brings:
It bids us fly, and gives us wings.
—
John Bunyan (1628-1688)
When we live according to the Spirit we are no longer in
bondage, because the Spirit…
Gives life and peace. As we see in Romans 8:6. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the
mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
The mind set on the
flesh is death. The mind set on the
Spirit is no longer set on sin and death it is now set on life and peace. This
is a new mind and it gives us real liberation! Paul took another direction in Galatians 5:16. But I say, walk by the
Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Live your life according to the Spirit and you will not have
time to satisfy the flesh. Most people go about this new life trying to
suppress the desires of the flesh. And failing over and over again. It just
seems to be the right thing to do! And so we find ourselves in the condition
Paul describes in Romans chapter 7. There we are described as having died to
the law through the body of Christ. But being released from the law does not
result in a new way of living. Instead, along with Paul, we can say, “I do not do what I want to but instead I do the
very thing that I hate.” Life becomes an eternal struggle. The law of sin that
dwells in our flesh seems to override the law of life. We fall back into
walking according to the desires of the flesh rather than walking by the
Spirit.
We have the Spirit of Christ — the indwelling Holy Spirit. As
a result, we should reflect the same
attitude as Christ himself. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to live a
godly life and also…
Gives us life beyond death. Let’s move on to Romans 8:11. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus
from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also
give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
The life given to our mortal bodies refers to the idea that
the Holy Spirit is our source of life. Not only ours but all life depends on
the Spirit of God. Remember, before the creation that we know existed it was
the Spirit of God that was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2).
So it was God’s Spirit that gave life to everything that exists. When Jesus was
nailed to the cross, buried in the tomb and raised from the dead it was the
Father who sent forth the command, the Holy Spirit that gave life to Jesus’
mortal body and God the Son that had promised the resurrection and cooperated
in it happening.
It was the Holy Spirit who conceived Jesus in the womb of
Mary his mother. When Christ returns it is the same Holy Spirit who will
complete this life-giving work by giving resurrection life to our mortal
bodies!
2 Corinthians 5:5-7 He who has prepared us for this very
thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good
courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the
Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
The Father gave the Spirit is a guarantee, or a down payment,
of our future fellowship with him in heaven. Since the Holy Spirit is a down
payment we can see how the gifts of the Spirit, during our lifetime, are
additional payments. These gifts are minor compared to the future that God has
promised us. Both the Old Testament and the New contains the promise “what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor
the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1
Corinthians 2:9). As we live our lives today we should live in anticipation of
all that God intends for us. Throughout Scripture,
we see that God intended good things and mankind simply would not receive them.
Asaph, the songwriter of Israel, wrote,
“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.” (Psalm
81:11). The Psalm concludes with “But he
would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I
would satisfy you.” (Psalm 81:16) Israel missed those blessings symbolized
by the finest wheat in the best honey because they would not listen to God!
Remember Jesus approaching the city? “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones
those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children
together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, you were not willing!”
(Matthew 23:37).
These are but examples of what God would have done but his
people would not receive the blessing. We can only imagine the wonder that
filled the thoughts of the angels as they observed the neglectful rebellion of
men.
The Holy Spirit not only gives life to our mortal bodies and
gifts to sustain us in that life he works with us as he…
Puts to death the deeds of the body. Let’s read Romans 8:13. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but
if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
A quick read of this verse could lead us to believe that we
have the ability and the responsibility to put to death the deeds of our body!
This is a reminder of our role in all of our Christian life. Putting to death
the deeds of the body is not done in our strength. Putting to death the deeds
of the body can only be done “by the
Spirit” — it is not even in the realm of possibility apart from the work of
God’s Spirit!
The Holy Spirit not only gives life and sustains it. He works
in our lives to suppress and even eliminate the work of the flesh.
The Holy Spirit…
Adopts us into the family of God. Let’s read Romans 8:15-16. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall
back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom
we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children of God.
To say that we are adopted doesn’t have the same strength
today that it had in the first century. Natural children just appeared on the
scene. Adopted children were chosen by the parents. Therefore, the adopted
child might hold a stronger position in the family than the natural born child.
That is not the way adoption is looked at in our society. The Spirit of
adoption gives us a new relationship to
God! As a consequence of Jesus’ death on the cross for us, we are brought into his family and can use the familiar term
“Abba”. When Jesus returns we shall be like him. One similarity we have is the
family relationship.
The concept seen here is made even clearer in…
Galatians 4:4-6 But when the fullness
of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to
redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son
into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
At the right time, and in the right way, God the Son came
into the world and had a very intimate relationship with God the Father! Jesus
could call on the Father as a Son and, with our salvation, God sends the Spirit
of his Son into our hearts. We are able to call God, “Abba, Father.” Consequently,
we are able to come to our Heavenly Father. Who, in the power of the Holy
Spirit…
Helps us in our weakness. Let’s look at Romans 8:26. Likewise the Spirit
helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but
the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
This passage is not talking about something the Holy Spirit
does FOR US. This passage is speaking of something the Holy Spirit does in
cooperation with us. The verb for help here is only used one other place in the
Bible. You will remember that Jesus was in the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. While Jesus was teaching Mary came
and sat at his feet. Martha, distracted with much serving, asked Jesus to
instruct Mary to help! Obviously, she was not asking the Lord Jesus to make
Mary do the work but to work alongside her! In just the same way the Spirit
helps us in our weakness. One way the Spirit “helps” is to encourage our prayer
life and even translate, or interpret our
prayers.
There are times when we cannot pray. We might have such a
severe need that we can’t even explain it to ourselves much less to God. We may
have been so hurt that we cannot put it into words! The Holy Spirit lays hold
of our weaknesses along with us and takes our yoke and carries our load for us.
The Holy Spirit is not a passive counselor he walks alongside us and gives us
real help allowing us to be able to bear our weaknesses. We have two
intercessors! One in heaven — our Lord Jesus who intercedes for our sins. And
one in our hearts — the Holy Spirit himself. It is amazing to see the love of
God revealed through the work of the Holy Spirit.
God willing, next week we will take up the text in verse 27
and go forward guided by God’s Holy Spirit.
Romans chapter 8 is perhaps the most convincing passage of
Scripture concerning the existence of the Trinity. There is nowhere in the
Bible where you find a sentence that says, "There is one God existing as
three persons equal in divine essence,
but distinct in personhood." We believe in the Trinity because throughout
the Bible we are confronted with one true God. That one God is revealed as the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who are each, individually, God. At the
same time, they are individually
presented as distinct persons. Difficult to understand? No doubt! Yet we have
no choice but to follow the book — the Bible. We must take the Bible in its
entirety. We cannot pick and choose what we will believe. Have you believed all
of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he your Lord? Today can be your day of salvation.
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