God’s help in our weakness

INTRODUCTION

Been a couple weeks since we have met so let me give you a reminder of where we are in Romans!

Last time we were together our main focus was on creation. We talked about how at the end of this age God will redeem creation in its entirety.

People

The Earth

Every part of God’s creation will be redeemed at the return of Christ

REVIEW QUESTIONS

QUESTION: How do we get through the present suffering faithfully according to verse 18?

ANSWER: We keep our mind on our heavenly inheritance

QUESTION: How was creation subjected to futility?

ANSWER: Adam’s sin also brought a curse upon the ground

QUESTION: What does it mean to have the first fruits of the Spirit?

ANSWER: It means the presence of God within us is only a sample of what we have waiting for us in heaven

1) The Spirit prays for us when we do not know what to pray

Romans 8:26–27 “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; 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.”

A few things about prayer

Prayer changes things. I reject the idea that prayer changes the person that prays, and not the circumstances or outcomes in this life.

There is example after example of people praying and God moving because of that prayer.

I just spoke about Hezekiah in the OT who got sick and God sent to the prophet to him to tell him to get his house in order because was going to die. Hezekiah went to the Lord in tears and prayer and God extended his life 15 years. Prayer changes things. We must be a praying people..

God answers prayer that line up with His will

1 John 5:14–15 “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

QUESTION: How can you know God’s will?

ANSWER: By knowing His Word.

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

But there going to be things and times when even knowing His Word does not reveal His will to us. Quite often actually. That’s where this is really going to bring some encouragement.

When we do not know what to pray for, the Spirit within us intercedes for us. He prays for us. And the Spirit knows the will of God because He is God and knows God’s mind and God’s will.

So when you do not know what to pray, the Holy Spirit inside of you knows exactly what to pray and prays for us exactly what God wants.

Application: Here is some comfort from this verse. You may be in a place where you really do not know what God’s will is for your life and you may not know what to pray for. Rest assured that there is another praying for you and knows exactly what God wants.

And what kind of prayers does God answer? Those prayed according to His will.

2) God works every circumstance for the good of the believer

Romans 8:28 “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.”

“And we know”

First we are to have confidence of this. This is not a maybe. It is not a sometimes. It’s one of those promises from God that we must keep in our forefront at all times. Because there will be things that will come into your life that you will not see how any good whatsoever could come from it. Kind of like when Jesus was murdered on the cross and all ter disciples saw every hope and dream disappear. Until Jesus rose from the grave.

You have to know this or you will stumble in your walk with Jesus sometimes of the point of apostasy. Have confidence that God will work every circumstance together for good.

“all things together for good”

That is both good and bad things. Things that hurt, things that are lovely, things that shock us, things that terrify us…ALL THINGS God works together for good.

“good” does not necessarily mean making us feel good and happy. The good here means to make our character Christ like. That is God’s primary purpose for your lie and sometimes that hurts a little bit.

This truth is often seen in this life, but not always. The ultimate good of all things will only be fully realized at the end of time.

Some things happen and we cannot for the life of us see how any good can come from it. Well that good will not be known until we cross over into eternity.

“for those who love God”

Here is what applies the promise to specific people. Its not for everyone. God does not work all things together for good for everyone, but just for those who love God.

QUESTION: What does it mean to love God?

To put Him first in your life - Love the Lord with all your heart, soul , mind, and strength…this is the greatest and first commandment

To love Him more than the things of this world

1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

To obey Him

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

This is not just following the rules. This is a true desire to obey Jesus out of love. Like a son who desires to please his father because he loves them. Not because they have to, but because they want to.

3) God arranges your life to make you more like Jesus

Romans 8:29–30 “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; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

“For those whom He foreknew”

Now this verb “foreknew” is often interpreted as “to know ahead of time”. In other words that God knew those who would come to Him and believe. So on that foreknowledge, God elected those to salvation.

But this verb means more than just foreknowledge, it means to know someone intimately or enter into a relationship with before hand and specifically before the world was ever created.

How do we know that? Because only those God foreknew did He predestine, call, justify, and glorify. It makes know sense to say God only foreknew things about Christians but not all the other people in the world whom God created.

“predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son”

That is God has determined our destination in this life. The ned of the road, where we will end up is to be made into the image of Christ. That is God’s plan for you and me is to be Christlike.

So God works in such a way that our character, our actions, our words, our thoughts, everything become more and more like those of Jesus.

If we were to take a road map of your life, every little stop along the way would be to grow your character.

“And those whom He predestined, He called”

That is those whom God entered into a relationship before the foundation of the world, He called. That is He drew them to Himself.

John 6:44 ““No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

“And those whom He called, He justified”

What does it mean to be justified?

Declared righteous, or not guilty

“And those who he justified, He also glorified”

Jesus was glorified when He was resurrected and ascension into heaven

But that isn’t us! We are not in heaven….The point is that those whom God foreknew, he called, He justified, will 100% also be glorified. Its a done deal even if it has not happened yet

QUESTION: How do you know if you are one of the ones that God has foreknew?

ANSWER: Because you are being conformed to the image of His Son.

4) God’s assurance that you will stand on the day of judgement

Romans 8:31–34 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

If God be for us, who can be against us?

Who is going to judge sin? Its not the devil that we fear on the day of judgement. It is God whom we fear because it is God whom we all are accountable to, including the devil himself!

And so the point is, if God is for us, then what do we have to worry about?

If God does not have anything against us, then it really doesn’t matter who opposes us….all that matters is being right with God

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?? God is the One who justifies and God is the One who condemns

5) Suffering is not a disqualifying mark of being God’s children

Romans 8:35–39 “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

List of potential candidates to separate us from God’s love

tribulation or distress: No terrible life experience of suffering: “tribulation or distress” (35)

persecution: No opposition from unbelievers or “persecution” (35)

famine or nakedness: No lose of the basic necessities of life

persecution, peril, or sword: : No threat of death that might come from persecution

“neither death nor life”: no aspect of living or dying – this is all inclusive

“nor angels, nor principalities”: no spiritual being, where good or evil

“nor things present, nor things to come”: nothing we are experiencing now or ever will experience in life

d. “nor powers”: No work of an evil spirit or a miracle performed by them can separate us from God’s love.

“nor height, nor depth” nothing in any direction

Here is the point: When you are saved, you are saved. And there is nothing that can take it away from you