"Triple H" - Hurt, Help and Hope
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Introduction
Introduction
Good morning you all, So good to see your faces today, that indeed bring me joy for this day.
I hope you’ve had a good week, and in the midst of this past week, what did you face and how did the Lord help you in that time of struggle or suffering?
Now lets move the focus outwardly, how were you able to help someone else? Just as the Lord has helped you, what were you able to do for another?
Since last Sunday were you able to minister to another person, were you able to encourage them, were you able to witness and share the love of Christ with someone?
And if you say no… I want to ask you why not? You are called to encourage, comfort and help one another.
Today I want us to go back to Romans chapter 8, we are still working our way through the text, and I want you to see the blessing God has given us. Through this life He is sanctifying us, making us more and more like the men and women God has pictured us to be in Him.
There in is where our meaning for life is found, where our joy, peace and hope remain.
So lets return to our text of and here is an important question; did you bring your Bible.
Why do I ask you about your Bible? I’m afraid that is you don’t bring them to church with you it might be a sign that you never use it during the week either.
So is the Word of God a great paper weight in your home or is it your instruction for life that you read everyday?
Something to think about....
Romans 8..
Verses 18-30 is my text for today...
Hurt (Suffering)
Help
Hope
But I am not going to take the time to ready the whole text… but 26-30 will be more of a focal point for me today...
Romans
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
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. 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. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 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. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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.
12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 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. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 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, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
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. 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. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
romans 8
So today I am going to Title this message “Triple H” and no, before any of you start thinking it is not the former WWE wrestler and actor…
No, but maybe before we are done God will put a smack down in our lives and teach us, grow us and make us more into the people He has called us to be...
My “Triple H” refers to three words...
Hurt (Suffering), Help and the last is Hope.
Three words I hope you will be able to identify with my friends.
So lets address the first one my friends....
1. Hurt - (Suffering)...
1. Hurt - (Suffering)...
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? 30 Why are we in danger every hour? 31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! 32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” 36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. 39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Hurt (Suffering)
Without a doubt there are difficulties, there are sufferings along the journey with Christ. These are events, particular points where life is a little more difficult, but in all things, with Christ with us, we can do all things!
Paul understood life bore these difficult points in time. Lets look at our text
Verses 18-25
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
If there is anything Paul was acquainted with in life, we could identify suffering as one of those points of life. He faced difficult days, without a doubt.
In fact all mankind has, mankind has been suffering under difficulties since the fall of man that we have recorded in Genesis chapter 3. We see that sin changed the world, ruined and harmed it. And our world has never been the same, and never will be until redemption comes to us.
The world like man was hurting, suffering .....
But right off the bat, Paul says this… its worth it. In fact it is nothing in light of what is to come… verse 18
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Can you imagine, we know Paul has faced more in couple of decades of walking with Jesus than we can ever imagine in a life time. If you think i’m kidding, let me share with you Paul words from 2 Cor chapter 11, verses 23-28.
2 Cor
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
Paul has suffered much, but he says it is not even worth comparing to the glory of God that was about to burst upon Him, He was a citizen of Heaven, and he knew that which was coming was far more wonderful that what was presently dealing with… it made it worth it all.
He was longing for heaven, he was homesick and couldnt wait for Jesus.
In fact, Paul says all of creation was eager for the coming of glory as well, you know why, creation has suffered as well. You all of creation suffered under the curse of sin, the curse that God placed on the land because of Adam’s sin.
Verse 20 Paul says that all of creation was subject to futility - frustration. But the curse was not permanent, there was hope, there was coming a day when creating would be set free from the curse, from the bondage of decay. When the sons and daughters are changed so will creation enjoy that blessings as well.
Now I’m not saying that the earth will be redeemed when Jesus calls us home. There are a couple of thoughts here, perhaps under the 1000 year reign of Jesus, the Millennium reign the earth is enjoying this new time of joy. Or it might be pointing all the way to the time of where by we know a the new heaven and the new earth coming down from heaven.
In either case, the earth will enjoy a new day as well. for now, Paul says it is in travail as if like a time of birth, a time of pain, but it is not meaningless, but carries with it a day of joy a day of hope..
But until that time we are hurting, the people and this world are suffering. We are suffering waiting for a new day.
What can we do… keep on keeping on! Until Jesus comes or until Jesus calls us home, that is what Paul did and church that is what we are to do even when it seems difficult, even when we are frustrated and we feel like we are suffering.
Keep on keeping on
And this moves us to our second thought,
2. Help...
2. Help...
Here is a wonderful encouragement for us here today. There is help in the midst of hurt and suffering, and that help is the ministry of Holy Spirit in our lives.
Now He, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and we have talked about him and his work in our lives as we have moved through this chapter, so lets continue to explore His work.
Lets go back to our text...
Verses 26-27
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. 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.
How beautiful it is … there is a word for us to pay attention to in this text, the word is “weakness” or “infirmities” in other texts, but the understanding here is not meant to refer to a physical issue, in the sense of a physical sickness or issue but instead it points to a weakness of the Spiritual life.
What Paul is speaking about is the truth that there are times, when we carry great burdens, hardships that we face, and the struggle that comes about at times for a variety of reasons...
rev 21
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
We walk by faith my friends, not by sight, we do not always understand or know the hows and whys of life, and in the midst of this struggle, when we don’t know how to pray, we cant seem to find the words…
col 1
In the midst of this struggle, when we don’t know how to pray, we cant seem to find the words…
We know that God is listening, and it is here that we find our help
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
The Bible says here that the Holy Spirit himself intercedes for us, with groanings to deep for words. verse 26.
The word “intercede” means to petition the person in authority with the needs of another, He speaks to God for us, praying, sharing our heart, our burdens with God.
Groans are the words that we cannot understand… The groans are the deep words for God by which he communicates on our behalf. There is emotion there I think,in these groans, He is pleading for us.
The Bible says in , that Jesus in the garden praying in the hours before his arrest and crucifixion, he prayed more earnestly being in agony, his sweet becoming like great drops of blood.
The Holy Spirit knows the will of God for our lives and he prays on our behalf, sharing our needs, our burdens but also praying that we might be able to follow the will of God in our lives., as Paul says at the end of verse 27.
The Holy Spirit knows the will of God for our lives and he prays on our behalf, sharing our needs, our burdens but also praying that we might be able to follow the will of God in our lives., as Paul says at the end of verse 27.
The Holy Spirit is working on our behalf that we might continue in the will of God, walking according to His ways allowing nothing to hinder what God has for us my friends.
Aren’t you glad the Holy Spirit loves you, Aren’t you glad the Holy Spirit seeks to work alongside of you for your good, leading you, teaching you and praying, interceeding for us when we cannot seem to pray.
Praise the Lord for the Holy Spirit work in our lives and this world.
Are you listening to Him,
Are you following His direction...
Now just one more thought today, the joy for us is hope
From Hurt to Help, we have Hope...
3. Hope....
3. Hope....
Now we come to one of our favorite verses in the book of Romans.. Now what does it mean....
In the midst of trails and difficulties in this life we hold on to the truth that God has not deserted us, He is with us, loves us and desires the very best for our lives.
So lets go back to the last portion of our text....
Verses 28-30, of Chapter 8
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. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Now we always wonder, what does this verse mean for Paul then and us today...
What Paul is reminding us of my friends is that we have hope in every circumstance of life.
The circumstance doesn’t define or dictate your life, God is in control. So those hurts, and with the help of the Spirit.. God is at work.
The events of life are incapable of actions, those events cannot direct or control us. Instead God is the one at work in the circumstances of our lives.
God directs the affairs of life in such a way, that those who love Him, the outcome is always beneficial, for our good.
Those who love him are those whose hearts are converted.. His children
24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
and
12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
;12
Doesn’t that make you shout, we live in a life full of circumstances, life and death, sickness and health, happiness and sorrow… and in the midst of it all, God is there… Whoo Hoo.
Doesn’t that make you shout, we live in a life full of circumstances, life and death, sickness and health, happiness and sorrow… and in the midst of it all, God is there… whoo hoo.
God is there for those who are his, who are called according to His purpose. The purpose is the eternal purposes of God, the calling He has in our lives.
Understand we ( me, you all of God’s children ) have a calling in our lives, a purpose for our lives spiritually, and beyond that there are things that are in each life, common for each believe like as in being a witness,
He works for our Good!
And that good, well don’t be confused it might not be what we think is best..
But it is definitely what God knows is best in our lives, and ultimately it is our growth, our defining moments whereby we are made more like Jesus.
You see that is the ultimate calling for us in Christ, it is that we are made like Him in all things...
Now verse 29 is where it gets interesting, predestination. It is a word we love .
I don’t want to get in a a great theological argument that might get us into Calvinism or Armininism… What I want to tell you is simple, God has always known you and in that knowledge He has called you, prepared for you a great life.
But the best thing in all the world, He has prepared a great life where by you are conformed into the image of Jesus. That at the end of my days, the best thing is I will be more like him..
How wonderful it is my friends....
He loves us...
Hurts
Helps
and Hope....a glorious hope!
What is He doing in your life today/// and how will you respond.
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. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.