Romans 8:26-27 When We Don't Know How to Pray October 23, 2022

Romans 8 Verses 26 to 27 When We don’t Know What to Pray

October 23, 2022 Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scriptures:

· Hebrews 7:24-25 (NASB) 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore, He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Main Idea: Sometimes we are so burdened about something that the only thing that comes out in our prayers is a groan.

Study Aim: To understand that the Holy Spirit helps us with the intensity of our burden to pray.

Create Interest:

· PENTECOST was a transitory sign of a perpetual gift. The tongues of fire and the rushing mighty wind, which were at first the most conspicuous results of the gifts of the Spirit, tongues, and prophecies, and gifts of healing, which were to the early Church itself and to onlookers’ palpable demonstrations of an indwelling power, were little more lasting than the fire and the wind. Does anything remain?

o This whole great chapter is Paul’s triumphant answer to such a question. The Spirit of God dwells in every believer as the source of his true life, is for him ‘the Spirit of adoption,’ and witnesses with his spirit that he is a child of God, and a joint heir with Christ. Not only does that Spirit co-operate with the human spirit in this witness-bearing, but the verse, of which our text is a part, points to another form of co-operation: for the word rendered in the earlier part of the verse ‘helps’ in the original suggests more distinctly that the Spirit of God in His intercession for us works in association with us[1]

· Just as we cannot save ourselves, we cannot live the Christian life ourselves. Left to ourselves, we would face continual defeat. We are not left alone. Jesus Christ comes to live in us through the presence and power of His Holy Spirit. He is the One who empowers us to stand against sin, to walk righteously, and to live every aspect of life for His glory.

· On whom can we depend when we struggle with how to pray? What does the Spirit do on our behalf? On what basis does the Spirit intercede on our behalf?[2] Let’s explore these questions together today😊

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Romans was written at the end of 57 a.d. and early 58 a.d.Paul wrote it before he went to Jerusalem (Romans 15:25). It was in the 4th year of Nero and was written in the home of Gaius, a Corinthian citizen. What an honor for the home of Gaius.

· Who wrote the letter to the Romans?This is a trick question. The author of Romans is Paul through the person of the Holy Spirit. Paul did not write the words on the parchments. A man named Tertius did this.

o Romans 16:22—I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.

· Paul loved the folks at Rome. He was eventually martyred in this city (2 Timothy 4:6–8). God used the heartaches of Paul’s family to bring glory to God. In 70 B.C., Pompey came into power. In 63 B.C., he captured Jerusalem.

· Many Jewish captives were led to Rome and were enslaved. It is believed that Paul’s father was one of these captives. Their family was treated kindly. Later, many of these captives were set free by their masters and became Roman citizens.

o When Paul was born, he was free-born as a Roman citizen, a privilege that became a valuable asset in his ministry.

o God can turn your trials into blessings!

· How did the letter get to the Romans? It was 1500 miles away from Corinth. There were no UPS or Federal Express offices at that time. The letter was delivered by a wealthy woman on a business trip to Rome. Phebe was the postwoman who carried this treasure.

§ Romans 16:1, 2— I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea; that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.[3]

§ Little did she realize what she really had on her person. It was dynamite.

📷 Her simple, everyday action is affecting people 2000 years later. No task for God is insignificant.[4]

· The Romans had never met Paul personally. Undoubtedly, many or all of the Roman Christians had heard of him. But Paul’s letter was a prelude to a future visit—a letter of introduction, if you will—and he wanted to make sure that the church in Rome could separate fact from fiction regarding his identity. Therefore, he cleared away any confusion in the first chapter: “There are three things I am committed to,” Paul said in essence:

o “My calling from God (my ministry is not my idea),

o my concern for you (I believe God wants us to be partners in the gospel),

o my understanding of the gospel(it is the only thing that can save the world).”

· To the degree that Paul is an example for all believers (1 Cor. 4:16), our identity should be like his—and like that of William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army. The Booths’ daughter, Evangeline, characterized her parents this way: “Very early I saw my parents working for their people, bearing their burdens. Day and night. They did not have to say a word to me about Christianity. I saw it in action” (Hughes, Stories, p. 59). There should never be a question about the identity of those called by God, concerned about people, and committed to the power of the gospel.[5]

· Romans 8 needs to be read against the backdrop of the chapters that precede it. Chapters 1–5 declare the need of all people for salvation and that God has provided salvation and life through Christ. What does it mean to be saved, and what is this new kind of life in Christ like? Paul described it in terms of holiness, personal faithfulness, and the assurance of victory. He spoke of salvation as having past, present, and future dimensions. Chapters 6–8 primarily focus on how to conform to the image of Christ while continuing to live with the struggles of sin in this life. Chapter 8 declares that the key to victorious living is found in living in the Spirit. In this session we will focus on the Spirit being active in the lives of believers to help them grow toward Christlikeness.

Bible Study:

Romans 8:26-27 (NASB) 26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

· Vs 26: In the same way This introduces a new source of consolation and support, that which is derived from the Spirit. It is a continuation of the argument of the apostle, to show the sustaining power of the Christian religion. The “Spirit” here undoubtedly refers to the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, and who strengthens us.

· Helps This word properly means, to sustain with us; to aid us in supporting. It is applied usually to those who unite in supporting or carrying a burden. The meaning may be thus expressed: “he greatly assists or aids us.”

· Our weakness. Assists us in our weakness or aids us to bear them. The word refers to the weaknesses to which we are subject, and to our various trials in this life. The Spirit helps us in this,

o By giving us strength to bear them;

o By exciting us to make efforts to sustain them;

o By ministering to us consolations, and truths, and views of our Christian privileges, that enable us to endure our trials.[6]

· The point is that, even after salvation, we are characterized by spiritual weakness. Acting morally, speaking the truth, witnessing for the Lord, or doing any other good thing happens only by the power of the Spirit working in and through us despite our human limitations.

· Several times in his letter to the Philippians Paul beautifully pictures that divine-human relationship. Speaking of his own needs, he said, “I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:19).

· The Spirit supplies us with all we need to be faithful, effective, and protected children of God. In the following chapter he admonishes, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12–13).

o The Spirit of God works unrelentingly in us to do what we could never do alone—bring about the perfect will of God.

· To make clear how the Spirit works, Paul turns to the subject of prayer. Although we are redeemed and absolutely secure in our adoption as God’s children, nevertheless we do not know how to pray as we should.

o Paul does not elaborate on our inability to pray as we ought, but his statement is all-encompassing.

o Because of our imperfect perspectives, finite minds, human frailties, and spiritual limitations, we are not able to pray in absolute consistency with God’s will.

o Many times we are not even aware that spiritual needs exist, much less know how best they should be met.

§ Even the Christian who prays sincerely, faithfully, and regularly cannot possibly know God’s purposes concerning all of his own needs or the needs of others for whom he prays.

· Jesus told Peter, “Behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31–32). Fortunately for Peter, Jesus kept His word despite the apostle’s foolish bravado.

o Not only was Peter no match for Satan but he soon proved that his devotion to Christ could not even withstand the taunts of a few strangers (vv. 54–60).

o How glorious that our spiritual security rests in the Lord’s faithfulness rather than in our vacillating commitment.

· Even the apostle Paul, who lived so near to God and so faithfully and sacrificially proclaimed His gospel, did not always know how best to pray. He knew, for example, that God had allowed Satan to inflict him with an unspecified “thorn in the flesh.”

o That affliction guarded Paul against pride over being “caught up into Paradise.”

o But after a while Paul became weary of the infirmity, which doubtless was severe, and he prayed earnestly that it might be removed. After three entreaties, the Lord told Paul that he should be satisfied with the abundance of divine grace by which he was already sustained in the trial (see 2 Cor. 12:3–9).

o Paul’s request did not correspond to the Lord’s will for him at that time. Even when we do not know what God wants, the indwelling Spirit Himself intercedes for us, bringing our needs before God even when we do not know what they are or when we pray about them unwisely.

· Paul emphasizes that our help is from the Spirit Himself. His divine help not only is personal but direct. The Spirit does not simply provide our security but is Himself our security. The Spirit intercedes on our behalf in a way, Paul says, that is totally beyond human comprehension, with groanings too deep for words. The Holy Spirit unites with us in our desire to be freed from our corrupted earthly bodies and to be with God forever in our glorified heavenly bodies.

· Contrary to the interpretation of most charismatics, the groanings of the Spirit are not utterances in unknown tongues, much less ecstatic gibberish that has no rational content. As Paul says explicitly, the groans are not even audible and are inexpressible in words.

o Yet those groans carry profound content, namely divine appeals for the spiritual welfare of each believer. In a way infinitely beyond our understanding, these groanings represent what might be called intertrinitarian communication, divine articulations by the Holy Spirit to the Father.

o Paul affirmed this truth to the Corinthians when he declared, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11).

Thoughts to Soak on

· Our Scripture focus issues for which we don’t know how to pray. In addition believers groan for the throne and for the return of the Lord where the redemption of our bodies and our adoption will be complete and perfected. Oh, to be free from trials, trouble, tribulation, testing, and time’s effects upon us. Oh, to be free from the trauma of life in addition to

headaches, heartaches, backaches, and body aches. We look forward to the day when we are delivered from sore joints, knees, and shoulders, sunken-in eyes, hair and bellies that pop out, and wrinkled brows. Notice Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5.

o 2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (NIV2011) 1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,

· We groan for the throne because we have a taste of Heaven, the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the pledge or guarantee of our inheritance in Christ and our glory to come.

o 2 Corinthians 5:5 (NIV2011) 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

o Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV2011) 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.[7]

· It is not that the Spirit helps in those occasional times whenChristians are weak; their state isone of weakness and the Spirit continually helps them.

o The Greek word for weakness (astheneia) may include physical, emotional, and spiritual disability (James 5:14) evidenced by inward “groaning” (Rom. 8:23). “Helps” translates synantilambanetai, a rich word that pictures someone helping another carry a heavy load. (It is used elsewhere in the NT only in Luke 10:40.)[8]

· We remain justified and righteous before God the Father only because the Son and the Holy Spirit, as our constant advocates and intercessors, represent us before Him. It is only because of that joint and unceasing divine work on our behalf that we will enter heaven. Christ “is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).

o Jesus’ divine work of redemption in a believer’s heart begins at the time of conversion, but it does not end until that saint is in heaven, glorified and made as righteous as God is righteous, because he possesses the full righteousness of Christ.

o That is guaranteed by the heavenly high priestly work of our Lord and by the earthly indwelling Holy Spirit, which also make secure the divine adoption and heavenly destiny of every believer.

· If it were not for the sustaining power of the Spirit within us and Christ’s continual mediation for us as High Priest (Heb. 7:25–26), our remaining humanness would have immediately engulfed us again in sin the moment after we were justified.

o If for an instant Christ and the Holy Spirit were to stop their sustaining intercession for us, we would, in that instant, fall back into our sinful, damnable state of separation from God.

· If such a falling away could happen, faith in Christ would give us only temporary spiritual life, subject at any moment to loss. But Jesus offers no life but eternal life, which, by definition, cannot be lost. To those who believe, Jesus said, “I give eternal life … and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28; cf. 17:2–3; Acts 13:48).

o To have faith in Jesus Christ and to have eternal life are scripturally synonymous.

· Were it not for the sustaining and intercessory work of the Son and the Spirit on behalf of believers, Satan and his false teachers could easily deceive God’s elect (see Matt. 24:24) and could undermine the completion of their salvation.

o But if such a thing were possible, God’s election would be meaningless. Satan knows that believers would be helpless apart from the sustaining work of the Son and the Spirit, and in his arrogant pride he vainly wars against those two divine persons of the Godhead. He knows that if somehow he could interrupt that divine protection, once-saved souls would fall from grace and again belong to him.

o But the never-ending work of Christ and the Holy Spirit make that impossible.

Thoughts to Soak on

· It is prayer and the Holy Spirit that delivers and saves a man. As the believer faces the sufferings of this life, he has the greatest resource imaginable: prayer. He has the right to approach God whenever needed, and to ask God for the strength to walk through and to conquer the suffering. That is what prayer is all about.

· Two significant things are said about prayer.

o Believers do not know how to pray as they should. Note the word we. Paul includes himself in this, which is to say no believer knows how to pray. By nature we are weak, lacking the power …

§ for prolonged concentration

§ to avoid distractions

§ to stop all wandering thoughts

§ to prevent emotional changes

§ to govern varying affections

§ to know what lies in the future, even one hour from now

§ to know what is really best for us and our growth in any given situation

o The Holy Spirit helps our infirmities. It is true that He helps us in allour infirmities, but the point of the present passage deals only with prayer.

§ Note: it is assumed that we are praying in this verse.

v The Spirit is not going to force us to pray. It is our responsibility to pray, to take the time to get alone and pray.

v When we do this, the Spirit begins to act both uponand for us.

§ Note this also: the Spirit “helps our infirmities.” Whatever our particular weakness is, it is that weakness which He helps

v If we are truly sincere and are wrestling to pray, then the Spirit helps us to control concentration, distractions, wandering thoughts, emotional changes, and affections.

v How? As we struggle to pray by controlling our flesh and its weakness, the Holy Spirit takes our minds and emotions and …

📷 quiets and silences them

📷 stirs and excites them

v draws and pulls them

v directs and guides them

📷 … leading us to pray as we should, controlling and subjecting the flesh and concentrating upon the prayer.

§ Note another fact: the Holy Spirit makes “intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Sometimes the struggles and sufferings of life become so heavy we just cannot bear them. At other times, matters of such importance grip our hearts to such an extent that words are impossible. Emotions become too much for words. We become lost in the presence of God. Every genuine believer knows what it is to be speechless before God and left groaning in the Spirit.[9]

· Vs. 27: And He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, Paul continues.

o He refers to God the Father, who searches the hearts of men.

o In the process of selecting a successor to King Saul, the Lord told Samuel, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).

o At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon prayed, “Hear Thou in heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knows, for Thou alone dost know the hearts of all the sons of men” (1 Kings 8:39; cf. 1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 139:1–2; Prov. 15:11).

o When they were choosing between Joseph Barsabbas and Matthias as a successor for Judas, the eleven apostles prayed, “Thou, Lord, who knows the hearts of all men, show which one of these two Thou hast chosen” (Acts 1:24; cf. 1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:13).

· If the Father knows the hearts of men, how much more does He know the mind of the Spirit. The Father understands exactly what the Spiritis thinking because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

o Because the Spirit’s will and the Father’s will are identical, and because God is one, Paul’s statement seems unnecessary.

§ But he is pointing up the truth in order to give encouragement to believers.

§ Because the three persons of the Godhead have always been one in essence and will, the very idea of communication among them seems superfluous to us.

§ It is a great mystery to our finite minds, but it is a divine reality that God expects His children to acknowledge by faith.

· In this passage Paul emphasizes the divine intercession that is necessary for the preservation of believers to their eternal hope.

o We can no more fathom that marvelous truth than we can fathom any other aspect of God’s plan of redemption.

o But we know that, were not Christ and the Holy Spirit continually on guard in our behalf, our inheritance in heaven would be reserved for us in vain.[10]

Thoughts to Soak On:

· Paul points out that while we endure this suffering in hope we have the privilege of praying in the Spirit. Perhaps too much of our praying is of the flesh—long, beautiful, “pious” prayers that glorify man and nauseate God (Isa. 1:11–18).

o Paul indicates that the most spiritual prayer could be a wordless groan that comes from the heart! “Sighs too deep for words” is the way one translation renders v. 26. The Spirit makes intercession for us, the Father searches our hearts and knows what the Spirit desires, and this He grants to us. The Spirit always prays in the will of God (Vs. 27).

· Note: What is the will of God?That believers might be conformed to the image of Christ (v. 29). We can claim the promise of v. 28 because of the purpose of v. 29.

o Romans 8:28-30 (NASB) 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

· Note that all the verbs in v. 30 are past tense: the believer has been called, justified, and glorified.

o Why faint under the sufferings of this world when we have already been glorified? We simply wait for the revelation of this glory at the return of Christ.[11]

· This is a remarkable picture of prayer. It is seen as a work of grace. The Spirit within us enables us to pray to the God above us. Prayer is thus God’s work in us. The Spirit does not intercede to convince the Father to pay attention to our prayers. God knows and cares. He uses our Spirit-inspired prayers to work out His will.

o Prayer is the result of the Spirit’s work in the life of the believer.

o We should pray always and pray in the Spirit.

o We don’t know how to pray, but the Spirit leads us.

o We should pray for one another.

A submission from the journal of Dr. Charles Swindoll for discussion:

· I can remember one particular struggle that kept me on my knees for weeks. My prayers started out outlining a reasonable plan of action for the Lord to follow. But as the difficulty continued, I realized He can see issues that are hidden to me and He can account for infinite variables that I cannot (Isa. 55:8-9). So, I decided it was best to leave the “how” in His hands and concentrate on requesting my desired outcome. As the difficulty dragged on, I began to accept that my desired outcome might not be the right resolution, so I surrendered that to the Lord as well. This particular burden eventually brought me to the end of my own strength and left me in a listless heap, too exhausted for prayer. My suffering overwhelmed my capacity for speech, so all I could express to God as the turmoil intensified were pleadings, moans, emotions too intense for words.[12]

Spiritual Transformations

· What do you think of when you think of power?

o People who have fought in wars may think of the many powerful weapons used by both sides.

o People who have been through a terrible storm may think of some mighty force in nature.

o People who have seen the changes in a hopeless person’s life may consider this help of the Holy Spirit the greatest power.

· The power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer is the same divine power that brought Jesus from the dead. The Bible calls this the power of God’s Spirit.

o This awesome power is available for all believers. Further, the Spirit is the source of power for every aspect of life.

o The Spirit convicts of sin and gives believers new birth. He transforms people’s lives, empowering lives of service to others and of worship to God.

· Many believers go through life without fully experiencing this life-giving, service-empowering power. They miss the full life that God intends for His people.

· Many give the excuse that they would like to become a Christian, but they are not able to live up to its high standards.

o Of course, what other kind of expectations would God have?

o But God has made the way for any sincere seeker to find the power to meet His high standards.

o The power He provides is found by surrendering to the Holy Spirit of God.

Questions to Ponder in Closing

· How would you explain what the Bible teaches about being filled with the Spirit?

· In what ways has the Spirit helped you?

Prayer of Commitment

Dear Father, may Your Spirit’s power empower me to do Your will. Amen.[13]

[1]Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture: Romans (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 186–187. [2]Ronald K. Brown, Bible Studies for Life, Winter 2013-14, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2014), 75. [3] New American Standard Bible, electronic edition. (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1986), Ro 16:1–2. [4] Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Romans, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2004), 3–4. [5]Kenneth Boa and William Kruidenier, Romans, vol. 6, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 18. [6]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Romans, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 188. [7] Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Romans, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2004), 242. [8] John A. Witmer, “Romans,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 473. [9]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Romans, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1996), 159. [10]John F. MacArthur Jr., Romans, vol. 1, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1991), 466–469. [11]Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), 389–390. [12] Charles R. Swindoll, Romans, vol. 6, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2016), 183. [13]Robert Dean Jr., Bible Studies for Life, Summer 2012, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2012), 68–71.