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"THE HOLY SPIRIT INTERCEDES!"
TEXT:
Rom. 8:22-27
INTRO:
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you felt helpless?
Maybe you even felt
unsure, you just didn't know what to do or what was the right solution.
We all face these kinds of situations frequently in our lives. The most
difficult part of these situations – just not knowing what to do, what
is the right thing!
How wonderful it is when
someone comes along and intervenes; when someone who knows the right
solution or even who can go and take care of the problem. What a peace
it is when you know someone who can take care of the matter in exactly
the correct way!
This is in a sense what the
Holy Spirit does in our life when we face situations where we are
uncertain what to do, or what is the right thing to do.
Maybe you have faced a
situation in your life where you simply had no control over the
circumstances, or you didn't know how to pray, or even what to pray
for! At such times we are usually broken and unsure, we often don't
even know how to pray or what to pray for.
This is where the ministry
of the Holy Spirit as our intercessor comes in.
In difficult times He
becomes a great help for He will pray through us to the Father in
perfect accord with God's will and He leaves behind in us a peace that
passes understanding.
PROP.
SENT:
The Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit acts as an intercessor for us
in times of need and uncertainty ... He always prays according to God's
will and gives us an inner peace when He ministers through us!
Jesus prayed to the
Father often. We will see today the Holy Spirit does the same thing,
but he is praying for us, on behalf of us, and through us
I.
STATE OF GROANING 8:22-25
A.
Great Catastrophe 8:22-23
1. In the beginning
before Adam and Eve sinned they enjoyed perfect communion with God and
knew God's will about everything ... it was quite nice!
a. All the world was
in perfect balance.
b. There was no decay,
no weeds, nothing that brought pain or discomfort.
2. When sin became a
reality however all of creation was affected since man had been made
ruler over all creation!
a. This state of decay
has existed ever since sin became reality!
b. The universe now is
running down!!
c. Physicists call
this the law of “entropy” (the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics)
... which simply states that everything in the universe is in a state of
constant decay, that the universe is running down!
d. Chaos entered the
perfect universe when Adam and Eve sinned; because of this, everything
needs constant care just to keep things going!
ILLUS:
HOW ABOUT THAT NEW CAR YOU BOUGHT ... HOW LONG WILL IT LOOK NEW?! HOW
ABOUT THAT BODY OF YOURS ... DO YOU LOOK THE SAME TODAY AS YOU DID 20
YEARS AGO? HOW ABOUT THAT HOUSE YOU BOUGHT ... HAVE YOU EVER HAD TO DO
ANY WORK ON IT? A PLANE DETERIORATES FASTER ON THE GORUND THAN IN THE
AIR, AND A BOAT DOCKED THAN ONE AT SEA.
WE LIVE IN A WORLD THAT IS IN CONSTANT DECLINE ... WE MUST CONSTANTLY
INTERCEDE TO KEEP EVERYTHING RIGHT OR FIXED PROPERLY ... THIS IS EXACTLY
WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES IN OUR LIVES, HE CONSTANTLY INTERCEDES TO HELP
US!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
3. With all our wisdom
and knowledge today there is much we don't know, there are many things
today that we still can't solve, diseases that we don't have answers
for.
a. We can intercede
and solve many things that we couldn't years ago but there is still much
we can't do.
b. When we are sick we
look for someone to intercede for us, someone who knows what to do, who
has the knowledge of what is right.
c. And how grateful we
are when we find someone who can intercede!
4. Here Paul tells us
that even creation is "groaning"
... it is in anguish looking for someone or something to intercede for
it, to bring everything back the way it should be!
a. The
environmentalists have the right concern but they will never succeed in
healing nature; even without man’s negative impact the universe is in a
state of decay because of sin!
It will require the
elimination of sin to restore the universe.
b.
“All creation is groaning” waiting
for deliverance;
in fact this is the
picture Paul uses here, like a mother in labor waiting for deliverance!
8:22
c. For now there is
much pain, much confusion, much anguish; creation looks for an
intercessor!
ILLUS:
JUST IMAGINE IF YOUR PLANTS COULD TALK. HOW THEY WOULD THANK YOU FOR
GETTING RID OF THE WEEDS IN THE GARDEN, OR HOW THEY WOULD BLESS YOU WHEN
YOU ADD THE NUTRIENTS THAT THEY ARE LACKING, THEY ARE OFTEN UNABLE TO DO
FOR THEMSELVES THE THINGS NEEDED FOR BEING HEALTHY ... IT TAKES SOME
INTERCESSION ON OUR PART TO HELP THEM. AS MUCH AS WE CAN DO HOWEVER,
WHEN CHRIST COMES HE WILL LIFT THE CURSE ON NATURE AND THEN YOU WILL
REALLY BE ABLE TO GARDEN!!!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
5. Nature is not the
only thing groaning however, Paul says WE ARE TOO!
8:23
a. Since we are a part
of nature we suffer loss too.
b. We grow old;
systems in our body don't work properly all the time!
c. We experience the
same anguish that nature does; things don't work right all the time!
6. For us this is not
only true physically but also mentally and spiritually!
a. We struggle many
times not knowing what to do!
b. We struggle
spiritually, fighting against a fallen nature that tends toward sin!
c. Many times there is
a combination; we struggle spiritually and mentally ... we don't know
how to deal with a situation, what is the right way to handle something?
7. Often at such times
we cry out to God for help, for guidance, for insight, to know what to
do!
a. This is life,
facing life is difficult for both believers and unbelievers; but for
believers there is an intercessor available.
b. We will continue to
groan until we receive our inheritance ... the resurrection of our
bodies!
B.
Great Conviction 8:24-25
1. What helps us
endure all this hardship in life?
a. It is the
expectation of the resurrection to eternal life with God in a new body
that will no longer be subject to decay that enables us to endure
hardships!
b. This is something
the world does not have, and it can not have this hope without a
relationship with Jesus Christ!
c. For the world there
is no certain hope or expectation, only uncertainty!
2. Unlike the world,
we can look at the same things they do and yet we can rejoice in the
midst of suffering because we see something they do not see!
ILLUS:
BACK IN OCTOBER, 1982 IN BADGER STADIUM IN MADISON, WISCONSIN A PACKED
HOUSE OF 60,000 DIE-HARD UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SUPPORTERS WERE
WATCHING THEIR FOOTBALL TEAM TAKE ON THE MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS. IT
SOON BECAME OBVIOUS THAT MSU HAD THE BETTER TEAM, BUT WHAT SEEMED ODD
HOWEVER, WAS THAT AS THE SCORE BECAME MORE AND MORE LOPSIDED AGAINST
WISCONSIN THEY WERE BREAKING OUT IN BURSTS OF APPLAUSE AND SHOUTS OF
JOY! HOW COULD THEY CHEER WHEN THEIR TEAM WAS LOSING?! IT TURNED OUT
THAT 70 MILES AWAY THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS WERE BEATING THE ST. LOUIS
CARDINALS IN GAME 3 OF THE 1982 WORLD SERIES. MANY OF THE FANS IN THE
STANDS WERE LISTENING TO PORTABLE RADIOS ... AND THEY WERE RESPONDING TO
SOMETHING OTHER THAN THEIR IMMEDIATE CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY WERE CHEERING
WHAT THEY COULDN'T SEE, BUT WHAT THEY KNEW AS VICTORY SOMEWHERE ELSE!
EVEN IN THE MIDST OF WATCHING THEIR FOOTBALL TEAM LOSE THEY HAD THEIR
HOPES PLACED ON SOMEPLACE ELSE! THIS IS LIKE BELIEVERS TODAY, WE SEE
MUCH LOSS AROUND US BUT WE ARE TUNED IN TO VICTORY SOMEWHERE ELSE AND SO
WE CAN SHOUT AND DANCE FOR JOY NOW ANYWAYS! THE WORLD HAS NO SIGNAL TO
TUNE IN WITHOUT CHRIST!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
3. We have not seen
that new body yet, and we don't look forward to the inevitable
experience known as death, but it is necessary to die in order to move
forward to what God has for us; death is part of getting the new!
ILLUS:
THE IDEA OF DEATH IS NOT PLEASANT TO ANYONE, YET IT IS NECESSARY FOR US
TO RECEIVE IN THE FUTURE A NEW BODY ... EVEN NOW, LOOK AT THE SHOW
EXTREME MAKEOVER. BEFORE THEY CAN REBUILD A PERSON'S LIFE, THEY MUST ASK
THEM TO LEAVE THEIR OLD LIFE BEHIND. THEN THEY TEAR IT DOWN AND REBUILD
A NEW STRUCTURE THAT IS STRONG AND FRESH ... IT IS UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THE
TENANTS WHILE THEY ARE OUT, BUT WHEN THEY COME BACK AND SEE THEIR NEW
LIFE AND HOUSE THEY REJOICE. THE TENANTS DO NOT BROOD OVER THE LOSS OF
THE OLD; INDEED THEY ARE JOYOUS OVER THE NEW. WHEN WE DIE, WE VACATE
THE OLD STRUCTURE, BUT BOY WILL THE NEW ONE BE WORTH IT!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
II.
SPIRIT OF GROANING! 8:26-27
A.
Great Concern 8:26
1. Here is where the
ministry of the Holy Spirit comes in!
a. Yes we are weak; we
don't always know how to pray or what to pray for!
b. Even when we do
pray we don't always ask properly or with correct motives.
c. Sometimes we are
even physically too weak to pray or emotionally at wits end!
2. The Holy Spirit at
such times comes to help us in our weaknesses!
3. When we don't have
the words the Holy Spirit does!
4. When we don't know
God's will the Holy Spirit does!
5. Even when we are
too weak or too uninformed the Holy Spirit knows exactly what to say and
how to communicate even when we are in so much anguish we can only
groan!
ILLUS:
THE 911 EMERGENCY PHONE SYSTEM IS SET UP WITH OUR WEAKNESSES IN MIND.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS DIAL THOSE THREE NUMBERS: 911. INSTANTLY YOU ARE
CONNECTED TO A DISPATCHER, IN FRONT OF THAT DISPATCHER IS A READ-OUT OF
YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER, YOUR ADDRESS, AND THE NAME BY WHICH THAT
TELEPHONE NUMBER IS LISTED AT THAT ADDRESS. ALSO LISTENING IN IS THE
POLICE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND THE PARAMEDICS. THE CALLER MIGHT NOT
BE ABLE TO SAY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, OR THEY ARE OUT OF CONTROL AND JUST
SCREAMING OVER THE PHONE, THEY ARE NOT COMMUNICATING THEY ARE SO
FRIGHTENED OR UNDER DURESS ... BUT THE DISPATCHER DOESN'T NEED THE
PERSON TO TELL HIM WHERE THEY ARE AT, HE ALREADY KNOWS FROM THE COMPUTER
READOUT AND HELP IS SENT OUT RIGHT AWAY ANYWAYS! PEOPLE ARE ON THE WAY
TO INTERCEDE WHETHER THEY CAN TALK OR NOT. IT IS AUTOMATIC! THIS IS
THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OUR LIVES AS WELL!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
6. There are times
when we are too weak to even talk to God, all we can do is just sit
there and groan!
a. At such times the
Holy Spirit speaks to God for us and the message gets through even
without our speaking!
b. Even our weakness
doesn't shut down the pipeline to heaven, God hears and understands
completely!
ILLUS:
NEWMAN HALL STOOD EARLY ONE MORNING ON THE SUMMIT OF SNOWDEN, IN WALES,
WITH A HUNDRED AND TWENTY OTHERS WHO HAD BEEN ATTRACTED BY THE PROSPECT
OF AN UNUSUALLY GRAND SUNRISE. THEY WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED. AS THEY
STOOD THERE WATCHING THE SUN TINGE THE MOUNTAIN PEAKS WITH GLORY, AND
SPARKLE IN THE LAKES, DR. HALL WAS INVITED TO PREACH. HE WAS SO
OVERPOWERED WITH EMOTION THAT HE COULD NOT PREACH, BUT FELT MOVED TO
POUR OUT HIS SOUL IN PRAYER. AS HE PRAYED, THE TEARS ROLLED DOWN THE
FACES OF THE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE. IT WAS LIKE A SUPERHUMAN STILLNESS
POSSESSED THEM. QUIETLY, WITH SOLEMN AWE, THEY DESCENDED THE MOUNTAIN
AND SCATTERED. AFTERWARD, VISITING THIS REGION AGAIN, THE DOCTOR WAS
INFORMED THAT 40 PEOPLE WERE CONVERTED THAT MORNING HE HAD PRAYED AND
HAD JOINED THE CHURCH IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. HE RESPONDED BY SAYING,
"BUT, I DID NOT SAY A WORD TO THEM, I ONLY PRAYED!" THE MAN RESPONDED
BACK, "YES, AND MORE WONDERFUL STILL, THEY DID NOT KNOW A WORD YOU SAID,
FOR NONE OF THEM COULD SPEAK ENGLISH, ONLY WELSH!" THE HOLY SPIRIT HAD
COMMUNICATED JUST FINE HOWEVER, THROUGH HIS GROANING AND TEARS!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
7. There are those
times when we just don't know what to do, or how to pray at such times
however the Holy Spirit will lift us up and intercede through us to the
Father and His prayer will get through, even if all we can do is groan!
If we are powerless, that doesn’t mean there is not power at work
ILLUS:
SOME YEARS AGO DURING THE BUILDING OF A BRIDGE ACROSS A PORTION OF NEW
YORK'S HARBOR, THE ENGINEERS WERE SEEKING A BASE FOR ONE OF THE
PILLARS. THEY STUCK UPON AN OLD SCOW FULL OF BRICKS AND STONE THAT HAD
LONG AGO SUNK IN THE MUD UNTIL PRACTICALLY BURIED. IT HAD TO BE LIFTED
WITH ITS CARGO AND MOVED ... DIVERS WERE SENT DOWN AND WRAPPED GREAT
CHAINS AROUND THE SCOW AND HOOKED THEM TO ALL KINDS OF DEVICES IN AN
ATTEMPT TO RAISE IT, BUT ALL ATTEMPTS FAILED. AT LAST A YOUNG ENGINEER
ASSURED THEM IT COULD BE DONE ... WITH LITTLE EFFORT ON THEIR PART! HE
BROUGHT IN TWO BARGES WITH WOODEN BEAMS ACROSS THEM AND CONNECTED THE
CHAINS TO THE BEAMS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BARGES. THEN HE PROUDLY
ANNOUNCED FOR EVERYONE TO GO HOME AND RELAX!! ... BY MORNING THE OLD
SCOW WOULD BE LIFTED! SURE ENOUGH, AS SOON AS THE TIDE CAME IN THAT
NIGHT THE OLD SCOW WAS RAISED AS THE BARGES WERE RAISED WITH THE WATER,
THE OCEAN ITSELF USED ITS OWN POWER TO DO WHAT THE MEN AND THEIR DEVICES
FAILED AT DOING ... THIS IS HOW THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS IN US TOO. WHEN
ALL DEVICES WE HAVE MADE HAVE FAILED, WHEN WE DON'T SEEM TO KNOW HOW TO
HANDLE SOMETHING THE HOLY SPIRIT HIMSELF COMES IN HIS OWN POWER AND
MINISTERS THROUGH US AND DOES THE INTERCESSION WE ARE HELPLESS AT!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
B.
Great Confidence! 8:27
1. At such times when
we allow the Holy Spirit to pray through us, we can have such confidence
that God's Will will be done for the Spirit knows the mind of God
perfectly and HE prays always according to the Will of God!
a. There is perfect
harmony between the Holy Spirit and God the Father and God the Son!
b. As He intercedes
for us it will always be with knowledge on us, and knowledge about
God's will!
2. How often we
struggle, become fearful and uncertain, even in our prayers;
but how much confidence
we can have if only we yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to pray
through us! We struggle so sometimes when we don't really need to!
ILLUS:
A VISITOR WAS ONCE WALKING ALONG A HIGH PART OF THE SHORE OF THE DEAD
SEA WHEN HE LOST HIS FOOTING AND SO FELL INTO THE WATER. HE COULD NOT
SWIM AND, IN DESPERATION AND FEAR LEST HE SHOULD SINK HE BEGAN TO
FRANTICALLY WAVE HIS HANDS IN THE WATER AND SHOUT AT THE TOP OF HIS
LUNGS! DESPERATELY HE KEPT FLAILING HIS ARMS AND LEGS AND SHOUTING AT
THE SAME TIME. THIS WENT ON FOR SOME TIME UNTIL AT LAST HE WAS EXHAUSTED
AND FELT HE COULD DO NO MORE, HE WAS TOO TIRED TO KEEP TRYING TO SWIM
AND DECIDED TO LET FATE HAVE ITS WAY, THEN HE FOUND SOMETHING HE HAD NOT
KNOWN, THE WATER OF THE DEAD SEA IS SO HEAVY WITH SALT AND OTHER
MINERALS THAT WHEN HE LAY STILL IN IT HE FOUND THAT HE FLOATED JUST FINE
... IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SINK! HE COULD NOT DROWN SO LONG AS HE JUST
LAY STILL ... IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO SINK! HE HAD EXHAUSTED HIMSELF FOR
NO REASON AT ALL. THE VERY THING THAT HE THOUGHT WOULD TAKE HIS LIFE
WAS SAVING IT! HE DID NOT NEED TO STRUGGLE AT ALL, HE WAS KEPT AFLOAT
BY THE POWER OF THE VERY SUBSTANCE HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND, HE WAS SAFE!
HOW TRUE THIS IS FOR US, WE EXHAUST OURSELVES NEEDLESSLY SOMETIMES, WHEN
WE COULD PRAY IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. HE WILL BEAR US UP; WE
CANNOT SINK IF WE JUST RELY ON HIM!
– SOURCE UNKNOWN
3. With the Holy
Spirit searching our minds and knowing the Mind of God ... as He prays
we are filled with great confidence that God's heart is moved and that
His Will will be done!
a. This is the
ministry of the Holy Spirit;
He is the
great intercessor,
the one who helps when we are weak!
b. We need to learn
more and more how to let Him pray through us, to yield to Him as we come
to God!
c. What great
confidence awaits those who come to know the ministry of intercession by
the Holy Spirit!
CONCLUSION:
It is certain that life is not easy!
Even Christians face crushing experiences; but unlike those in the world
we are not alone! The Holy Spirit is a great intercessor.
There are times when it is hard to pray, or tough to know what to pray
for, in such times the Holy Spirit prays through us even if we can't
find the words!
His
prayers are always answered, they are always correct!
What joy and assurance it can give us to know He intercedes for us!
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