(Romans 8:26-27) Strength in Weakness (Chapel)

INTRODUCTION:

In the early 2000s,

One of the recruiting mottos for the Marine Corp was -

“Pain is weakness leaving the body”.

It is a powerful expression, and some what true.

- Running, Push-ups, pull ups causes pain, but it is the kind of pain it takes be stronger.

- It literally is weakness leaving the body.

Yet ultimately - we have all limits.

We may be running a 3 Mile PFT at an amazing speed of 18 minutes.

But were not running in 12 minutes.

Even as highly trained, exceptionally fit people .... there is a limit to our abilities.

And wisdom is recognizing that limitation and working around that limitation.

But my point is this - We all have limits.

Physical limits, but also emotional limits.

Life can overwhelm us.

Life can leave us feeling hopeless and helpless.

Life can bring us to a point-

Where we don’t even know how to pray.

Many of us look to the sovereignty of God to help us work through difficult times in life.

In fact, Romans 8:28 is perhaps one of those great passages.

Many of us look to Romans 8:28 for comfort.

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

But let’s be honest … There are places in life where that doesn’t seem like enough.

Without denying the goodness and sovereignty of God -

Let’s be honest - sometimes Scripture feels like a band aid trying to cover up a gushing head wound.

And this passage teaches us … that there is one thing we cannot find in our Christian life >>>>>>>> if all we do is read our Bibles.

Don’t get me wrong >>>> the Christian should have a Scripture Saturated life.

But our faith is more then just reading a book.

What can’t we get by only reading and knowing Scripture -

A relationship with God.

The Work of the Holy Spirit in Prayer is an indispensible help and comfort when we hurt the most.

Look at the wonderful words of Paul this morning, Romans 8:26-27.

Romans 8:26–27 ESV

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.

We learn from Paul that -

PROP: Through Prayer the Holy Spirit Helps Us In our Weakness.

TRANS: And this text teaches us three ministries of the Holy Spirit that help us in our weakness.

As we begin here, I want us to remember the last paragraph.

Romans 8:18-25

- In the last paragraph, a major theme is in hope of God.

God has promised us the day when

creation and

our bodies will be redeemed.

“Glory”

That is > a day when we will no longer face futility and pain in this life.

- And it ends in a challenge in verse 25 >>> to wait with patience.

But let's be honest,

it's hard to do that.

ANALOGY:

When you're hurting… The hope found in God can often feel hundred miles away.

>>> It is not the God's promises are any more or less true…

But we are struggling with remembering and hoping in the promises of God.

In fact… What is the hardest part about being patient?

Waiting.

It is hard to wait on the promises of God when you are groaning in pain.

Romans 8:22 ESV

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

And God knows that.

We have to have a place in our faith for… Weakness.

That's right, you heard me say it… It's okay at times to struggle in your faith.

That doesn't mean you don't love Jesus

and it doesn't mean you're a heretic…

And you're not weird

and abnormal.

Because notice what are passage starts out with.

V. 26 - “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness"

Many times we are afraid to admit that we are struggling in our faith.

ANALOGY:

We live in a fasod that every one of us are zealots ready to die to the end for God… While the reality is many of us (all of us) are at times weak in the knees and trembling in our faith.

EXHORTATION:

I believe this is one of the Hardest Verses … because it points us to something we desperately don’t want to be.

WEAK

Yet,

God expects us at some point to be weak.

>>>>>>>To not be able to stand on our own.

Which is why God doesn't leave us alone.

Despite the power of the cross… Jesus left us comforter.

He gave us a comforter

and one of the reasons he did was because he knew at times we would be weak and struggling in our faith.

WARNING:

My caution at times of struggling isn't weakness,

but the danger of short circuiting our faith by failing to look the one who was supposed to help us when we hurt.

There's not a danger in being Weak.

Because were supposed to be weak and depending upon God for his strength.

The danger is choosing unbelief when we should get on her knees in prayer.

And as we understand the context of this passage -

we realize God expected at times to be so weak >>>>> we don't even know what to pray to God.

>>>> Have you felt like that?

{{{{For some of us that might be a shock to think that the Christian could be at a point

....... where he struggles so much he doesn't know what to pray, }}}}

but I would suggest from this passage Paul thought this was the part of the normal Christian life.

And so you and me ought to expect at times to tremble in our faith.

This passage teaches us three ministries of the Holy Spirit that helps us when we are weak.

*******************PRAYER************

First,

1) The Holy Spirit Helps us Bear our Burdens. ( Rom 8:26a)

Romans 8:26 (ESV)

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

We might try to limit this to simply to the idea of comfort.

But I think this word communicates more than that.

a) The Greek translation of the Old Testament uses this word to describe Moses appointing 70 elders to help him (Exodus 18:22)

So according to this verse,

- When we pray the Holy Spirit literally gives us the strength to bear the burdens of our weakness.

- The Holy Spirit helps sustain us and strengthen us when were to weak to carry on.

One of the reasons it's okay to be weak is

because God is there to strengthen us and sustain us.

This means

- we are to live dependent upon God.

- Were not supposed to have the strength to do this on her own…

- Were supposed to look to God for the strength to handle the most desperate moments.

May I say it practically this way,

quit trying to be strong enough and start looking to God to make it through.

Too often,

We bear burdens we don't need to carry.

[[[[[[Burdens the all wise God knows we can’t carry on her own. ]]]]]]]]]]]

When you're overwhelmed and scared… Pray because God literally gives you strength through your prayers.

But further - This passage teaches us

2) The Holy Spirit Translates our Prayers. (Rom 8:26b)

ILLUSTRATION:

There is a popular movie that is came out a few years ago and in that movie son and a father who just can't communicate.

The father of loves his son deeply… But is one of those men a few words.

And in one of the dramatic moments in that movie is when the sun makes a translator for his dad.

That translator would take the words of dad and communicate them in a way the son can understand.

He would say son and not know what to say.

And the translator would say what he felt >>>> son I love you and I'm proud of you.

It is a point of the movie where most of us can connect with because we all recognize there are times when were not very good at communicating what we truly mean.

And Many times that is the way with God.

Because of our sin nature… We often pray selfishly.

Because of our limited foresight… We often pray foolishly. We don’t have the wisdom to ask God for what we should ask God.

Because of our pride… We have no idea really how to approach the creator, the ruler of heaven and earth.

Even further… At times in suffering >>>>>when you're so overwhelmed you don't even know what to say.

- Our prayers become more tears and groaning then wisely formulated prayers.

- When your particular situation is such a mess you're not even sure what is best.

As our text describes it, looked down at verse 26.

"And likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought"

a) We don’t know how to pray.

Is it possible for a finite (which means a created being limited by time and space and wisdom)

Is it possible for a finite person to know how to pray to an all-powerful, all wise God.

==========================================================

ILLUSTRATION:

On a side note,

this puts a nail in the coffin of ever thinking our prayers will be formal or holy enough.

Remember talking to a friend of mine in high school who was a Catholic.

I had only been saved a year or so and had a chance to tell them about Christ.

And one of her struggles was how Protestant evangelicals pray.

That may have sounded like a Piest thought,

and she said >>>>> I like the prayers the priest give me because they help me pray appropriately to a holy God.

The problem isn't the realization we need to pray humbly and soberly before God – but that she thought that any sinner could pray appropriately to a holy God.

That even a formalized prayer could ever be acceptable before God.

The solution to praying before a holy God isn't formal man-made prayers.

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Focusing in particular on the context of your passage.

When you're hurting and you don't know what to pray for… What you do?

When your situations so much of a mess your not sure where to start.

When the situation seems so impossible you don't know how you're going to get through it.

Just like our passage says - when you don't know how to pray.

How do we pray to God and know our prayers are heard.

And this passage gives us a comfort because

b) The Spirit utters for us.

Look down at your text consider Paul's answer to that question - how do I pray when I don't know what to pray for

V. 26 "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we not know what to pray for as we ought to, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

According to our text,

we don't know what to say or we say the wrong things….The Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

The word interceding is the idea of pleading for someone.

This is the idea of a royal advisor speaking on our behalf.

If tomorrow … you were given an all expense trip to speak to the Queen of England -

Would you know how to properly speak to the Queen.

Would know the formal customs and how to say it.

And my guess - is that nearly all of us would have no idea how to talk to the king.

So what would you do?

We might ask royal advisor who does know how to speak to the queen to speak on our behalf.

To plead our case before the queen.

So that are desperate message would be heard and understood.

Think of the Holy Spirit as our advocate who communicates our requests to God … because we don’t know how to talk to God.

The Holy Spirit here pleads before God with groanings too deep for words.

What does that mean?

We might understand these groanings is being a pleading of our case that is to elevated, holy, and intense then what we are capable of as believers.

When you're hurting and you don't know what to say… Simply say it the best of your ability... Because the Holy Spirit is then going to take that request and plead it before God with perfect holy, passion on your behalf.

ILLUSTRATION:

It is like the scene from the movie that I talked about a few minutes ago.…

We speak with

finite wisdom,

finite words,

and perhaps even gibberish that doesn't even make sense because were hurting.

And Holy Spirit translates that request to God in the wisdom, and holiness, and respect that it should have.

[[[In other words… We know God hears our prayers

>>>>>because the Holy Spirit pleads them in the perfect and right way before our loving father. ]]]

And the third ministry -

3) The Holy Spirit Approaches God for us. (Rom 8:27)

Romans 8:27 ESV

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.

Paul begins verse 27

by reminding us the God the father already searches and examines and knows the heart of every living person.

Sometimes in suffering we wonder if God even knows?

Let me put it this way,

if God examines every heart >>>>> then he certainly knows that your heart is groaning in pain.

And so

the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) is interceding for us .... to the one (God the Father) who knows your heart.

The word interceding here is a different word from the one in verse 26.

While v. 26 has the idea of pleading to God, this one has the idea of approaching God.

Admittedly there very similar…

But the first has the idea of the Holy Spirit speaking on our behalf.

To put it crudely - This has the idea of the Holy Spirit walking in and asking God for help on our behalf. (The idea of approaching)

ILLUSTRATION:

If you've ever been around important people,

one of the hardest things to do is get five minutes with them to plead your case.

While I was working in the Navy … I begin to work on a project of national significance.

And it was ultimately briefed to the president.

That was a really big deal … why?

Because the President is an important person … and most of our work would never be seen by someone of that importance.

Now - consider when we pray we are talking to the ruler of heaven and earth.

One of my favorite names for God because of what it describes.

It is a common name from Ezra and Nehemiah to describe God.

CAVEAT:

Now let’s be careful here -

The difficulty of getting 5-minutes before the throne of God is not a matter time.

Does God have time for me?

Of course he does … he is the all-powerful, and all-present God.

The problem - is that he is the most majestic, powerful being the world … and whom am I to have his attention at all.

Psalm 8:3–4 ESV

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

You might ask the question, just like David -

Who am I that God would answer my prayers?

You might think that God would never answer the prayers of someone like you!

I know what sin I have done.

I know this mess is my fault … I made this mess that I am groaning about.

Until this last year or so fourth … I never gave God the time … so why would he answer my prayers?

Or just - I am nobody special … so why would God pay attention to me?

But Paul teaches us - the Holy Spirit approaches God for us.

Part of the great blessing of trusting Jesus Christ as your savior .... is that the Holy Spirit approaches our Majestic God with our prayers.

Consider the incredible picture that Paul has here.

You're hurting,

your suffering,

you're on your knees overwhelmed.

You don’t know what to pray

Your hurting so much you don’t know how to carry on... Much less have the faith and trust to believe that God is answering your prayers.

Be comforted …

because even in that weakness …

the Holy Spirit is approaching the ruler of Heaven and Earth and making requests on your behalf.

CONCLUSION:

A passage like this reminds us - not to forget the third person of the Trinity.

It reminds us that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is not merely a doctrine to know and defend … but a doctrine with incredible truth for our lives.

A passage like this reminds us - not to forget the power of prayer in our lives.

So often we pray because we ought to … but we are missing is the strengthening and comfort that comes when we pray.

According to this passage -

PROP: Through Prayer the Holy Spirit Helps Us In our Weakness.

This passage should teach us that it is OK to be weak.

That weakness has a place in our faith.

In fact - if you never experience weakness in your faith … then you might question whether you are really depending on God or yourself.

We can expect at points in our life … to be so weak

- we don’t know what to do.

- we don’t know what to pray.

- we can’t even pray coherently because we keep breaking down in tears.

And that is ok.

Even in the midst of weak, shortsighted, barely communicated prayers … the Holy Spirit is right there to strengthen us and to bring our prayers to the Father.

I challenge us to leave here … looking to God through our prayers.