Let us turn again to the portion
of Scripture that was read in Romans chapter 8. Remarkable portion of Holy Scripture. Romans chapter 8. And directing
you for a little while before we turn again to the Lord in
prayer to the words that we find in verse 26. Romans 8, 26. Likewise, The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities,
for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. Previously he speaks of the whole
creation groaning and travailing in pain at verse 22 There is
that curse that has come upon all of God's great work of creation
because of man's rebellion, man's fall. Then he speaks of those
who have known the regenerating grace of God in verse 23, not
only they but ourselves also he says. We which have the first
roots of the Spirit even we ourselves grow within ourselves waiting
for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body how in this present
world believers do at times groan under that awful burden of sin
that they feel within that they witness all about them but he
goes on then to speak of that great hope of the people of God
and that really leads into the words that I announced as our
text concerning the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth
our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as
we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. And I want to look at these words
for a while and say something I trust with regards to that
spiritual prayer the spiritual prayer that he's being spoken
of. It's the only real prayer of course. His spiritual prayer,
prayer is not just saying a multitude of words. The Lord Jesus makes
that quite plain in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter
6. There are those who vainly think that they shall be heard
for their much speaking. There are those who want to make
a display of prayers. But prayer is really a spiritual
exercise. And just a two-fold division,
I want first to say something with regards to the believers'
infirmities, and then that help that comes by the intercession
of the Holy Spirit himself. First of all, the believers'
infirmities. Interesting to see how the apostle
speaks. Here he's addressing, of course,
the believers in the church there at Rome. But he doesn't use the second
person. He speaks in the first person
plural. He says, likewise also the Spirit
helpeth our infirmities, our infirmities not just their infirmities
but Paul includes himself and of course this epistle though
historically addressed to the church the gathered church there
in the city of Rome it's part of the canon of scripture and
it therefore belongs to all the church all the people of God
all God's people know something of these infirmities something
of these groanings of which Paul is speaking we think of the words
of the Lord Jesus Christ himself remember in the course of his
earthly ministry how he would often speak by parables and we're
told on one occasion he spake a parable to this end that men
ought always to pray and not to faint Certainly if men ought
to pray that is very applicable to those who know anything of
the Lord Jesus and submit to his authority and embrace his
teachings. We must recognize that that is
part of what the Lord Jesus Christ himself has commanded of his
people and we time and again have the exhortations at the
end of the Pauline Epistles where He gives direction. He exhorts
the people. For example, think of the words
that we find at the end of 1 Thessalonians, where he says, Pray without ceasing. All God's people are to be a
praying people. And we were reminded of that
just now, of course, in our opening praise. Long as they live should
Christians pray, for only while they pray they live. We are to be those who pray.
And yet, how true it is that believers feel their utter inability
to pray aright. If we know anything of what real
prayer is, we will feel ourselves to be such Poor prayers. We feel we ought to pray and
yet we scarce know how to begin to pray. But that was the case
with the Lord's own disciples. On one occasion he was asked
by them, Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples
to pray. How do we pray? Well, prayer
is that that is spiritual in its very nature, as I've already
said. And we're so weak. But we're
not to conclude that all that weakness that we feel is necessarily
sinful weakness. The infirmities that we feel
when it comes to prayer are not always sinful infirmities. The
Lord Jesus Christ himself was one who also knew what it was
to experience those sinless infirmities that we will also know on occasions. And it is a great comfort, is
it not, that the Lord Jesus Christ was a real man. Though a sinless
man, nonetheless, He was a real man. Some people say, well, it's
human to sin. It is not human to sin. When
God created Adam, when God created Eve, they were man and woman. But they were without any sin.
They come pristine from the very hand of the Great Creator Himself. Sin is that that is an intruder. But even in creation there is
that that we feel of the infirmities of the body and the Lord Jesus
Himself must have known those things. We have not had high
priest, Paul says, which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities, but was tempted in all points like us we are
yet without sin. In the epistle to the Hebrews
where the Apostle has so much to say with regards to the Lord
Jesus Christ in his great office as the high priest, that priest
who has come to make the one sin-atoning sacrifice forever
And now having accomplished that part of his priestly work he
has risen and descended and he is an interceding High Priest. His very presence, his session
there in heaven at the Father's right hand is a continual prayer
on behalf of his people. But now the Lord Jesus, though
now exalted to the highest heavens, still feels for us in our sinless
humanity. What are we told, Hebrews 5,2,
who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are
out of the way, for that he himself also is encompassed with infirmities? Well, this is the great wonder,
you see, of the Incarnation. because the eternal Son of God
became a real man. And Paul goes on there in Hebrews
5 to say of him who in the days of his flesh when he was here
upon the earth how he was surrounded by infirmities. Look at the language
that the Apostle uses in those verses in Hebrews chapter 5 and
verse 7, who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up
prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto
him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in
that he feared. Though he were a son, yet learned
he obedience by the things that he suffered. Speaking of the
Lord Jesus Christ, that one who is our great High Priest who
understands us, who feels for us and yet though surrounded
by so many infirmities on occasions we see him so so wearied in his
body, think of the language that we have in John chapter 4 where
he must needs go through Samaria, he must meet that woman at the
at the well at Sychar but what happens he comes to the well
and he's weary he's weary in his journey and he sits at the
well and he meets with that woman and he tells her all things that
ever she did and she was a sinful woman oh but she recognized who
this man was isn't this the Messiah did he not tell her all things
that ever she did so associated with the sin as men and women
and touched with the feeling of all our sinless infirmities
and yet in that human nature he was holy, he was harmless,
he was undefiled, he was separate from sinners, he was made higher
than the heavens. But what was that human nature
that was joined to the eternal Son of God, joined to the second
person in the Godhead. It's that holy thing. It's what
the angel says to the Virgin Mary. That holy thing which shall
be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. What is that
holy thing? It's a human body, it's a human
soul. And in the great mystery of the
Incarnation It is joined to the person of the eternal Son of
God. It's a holy thing, that human
nature, but it is truly human. Now, we remarked on that fact
on the Lord's Day. when we're looking at those words
in Hebrews chapter 2 but we see Jesus. And you remember the context
there Hebrews 2, 6 following Paul quotes from Psalm 8 What
is man that thou art mindful of him and the son of man that
thou visitest him thou mayest him a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death and so forth. And then we come to
those words at verse 9. But we see Jesus. And I remarked then that it is
interesting, it's speaking of the human nature of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and He is spoken of as that one of whom the psalmist
prophesies. Psalm 8 is a messianic psalm. The man that is being spoken
of is THE man. that is the man Christ Jesus.
But the word that is used, what is man? And that particular noun
is actually derived from a Hebrew verb that means to be weak. The
word that's used, the word for man, literally reminds us of
man's weakness. When God created Adam, he makes
his body out of the very dust of the ground. Thus thou art,
unto thus thou shalt return." Or the frailty of our human nature. And this is what the Lord Jesus
Christ himself is identified with. But as Paul says there
in 2 Corinthians 13, he was crucified through weakness. He was crucified
through weakness. Nothing of sinful weakness there,
but he is a real man, he's able to die. In the sense, of course,
that human nature was truly an immortal human nature. He would
never have died. Because there was nothing of
sin, the soul that sinneth it shall die. But all the frailty
of it. He was crucified through weakness. And interestingly, the word that
we have there in 2nd Corinthians 13.4, weakness, is the same word
that we have here in the text where it's rendered infirmities. It's exactly the same word. The Spirit also help us our weaknesses,
our infirmities. And the Lord Jesus Christ himself
has come and identified with us in all those weaknesses and
he's able to sympathize with us and this is why of course
he has granted us that great gift of the Holy Spirit all he
says it is expedient that I go away that the Spirit might come
unto you if I go not away the Spirit will not come the Spirit
has come and it is the great gift of the Lord Jesus Christ
and he comes to help us and see here the word infirmities is
in the plural we not only helped with regards to what we might
say are our sinless infirmities the weakness of the body maybe
as we come into a service like this on a week evening and we've
been busy the ladies often probably very busy at home never stopping
looking after the children weary And the men folk, often times
they've had a busy day at work and we come to a service and
we do feel the weakness, the tiredness of our bodies. The
day's been heavy. Well, the Spirit helps in those
sinless infirmities, but He also helps with regards to our sinful
infirmities, when He comes to us as the Spirit of Christ. when
he teaches us concerning the wonder of the person and the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ, all that he is. And all that
he is, and all that he has done, of course, is for his people.
Everything about the Lord Jesus is public in that sense. He's
not a private individual. All that great work was done
on behalf of those at the Father gave him in the eternal covenant.
He is that head of the body, the church. But what do we read
here? Well, we're reminded of our infirmities,
but there is this ministry, the Spirit also help us our infirmities,
for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered." He's speaking of prayer, and that prayer which
as I said is so spiritual in its very nature. And here we're
reminded of the manner, the manner of our prayers. It's as we ought. It's as we ought, we know not. What we should pray for as we
ought to pray. Or the manner of our praying,
what is it to be? Well our prayers are to be sincere,
we're to be sincere, we're not to come before God and pretend
to pray. We're to come with that singleness
of mind, we're to come with that godly simplicity, no duplicity
here. When we come before the Lord
God Himself, He sees our very hearts, He knows what our real
desires are. All we want is to come in that
spiritual fashion, to lift up our eyes above the things of
time and of space. What does Paul say? If then ye
be risen with Christ, seek those things that are above, where
Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. set your affections on
things above, not on things on the earth." Well, what are these
earthly things? We look not at the things which
are seen. The things which are seen are temporal. The unseen
things are the eternal things. And we come to have communion
with that God who is the Eternal God. Well, our prayer then is
to be sincere, is to be spiritual. We are of course to come in faith. Without faith, we're told, it
is impossible to please Him. He that cometh to God must believe
that He is, and that He is a rewarder of all that diligently seek Him.
All that unbelief, that awful seeing, whatsoever is not of
faith, is seeing. How we need then that God would
come and grant us that true faith. and now it is God who must work
that faith within us faith of the operation of God we're told
in Colossians 2.12 and often our faith seems to
be so weak our hearts we feel are so hard and so cold our thoughts
are scattered there are many things that distress us we live
in these fallen worlds We are having daily to fight the good
fight of faith. Satan is so active of going about
seeking whom he may devour. Although the way seems at times
to be so very difficult. And this is the lot of God's
people. Verse 36 as it is written, For thy sake we are killed. All
the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. That's the experience of the
people of God. Again, that verse where we started
our reading, verse 18, I reckon that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us. This is why we set our affection
on those things above. Or we look beyond time. We look
to God in heaven, and our God who is in heaven does whatsoever
he pleases. We come to pray to a God who
is sovereign in all things. But although we feel so much
the sin that clings and clings to us in that awful unbelief,
it's the root. It is the root of all our sins.
It was there in the Garden of Eden, it was the unbelief. of
Adam and Eve that was involved in the fall of our first parents.
Rejecting God's truth, embracing the devil's lie. And after Paul
in Hebrews 11 has given us that tremendous chapter and spoken
of all those great saints of the Old Testament and their faith.
Who through faith, he says, who through faith, and then when
we come through to the beginning of chapter 12 he speaks of the
sin which does so easily beset us and in the context there surely
he is saying the sin which besets us so constantly is the unbelief
and we need that faith or we need the faith of that great
cloud of witnesses that Paul says have all gone before us We do have sinful infirmity,
because of unbelief. But the amazing thing is, of
course, that the Lord Jesus Christ knew nothing of that sinful infirmity. The Lord Jesus Christ had faith. Oh, the Lord Jesus Christ lived
the life of faith. He never had any doubts, like
we are beset with doubts. And when he comes to address
his father what does he say? I knew that thou hearest me always. Or there in John 11 as he's about
to raise Lazarus again from the dead and he sighs within himself
and he says to the father I knew that thou hearest me always. And we have that record of course
in John 17 of His remarkable High Priestly Prayer. Oh, this
is the one that we have to look to then. We have to look to Him who is
the Author and the Finisher of our faith. If we have no faith,
if we want faith, where can we obtain faith? We cannot work
it up in our own hearts. No, it's that looking unto Jesus,
the Author and Finisher of our faith. And how God graciously
counterbalances our unbelief with that precious gift of faith.
By grace, i.e. say through faith and that not
of yourselves, it's the gift of God. Or God must give it. But there's his struggle, you
see. There's his struggle going on within the heart, the soul
of the child of God. That man who comes to the Lord
in the Gospel and says, Lord I believe, help thou my non-belief. Or do we not many, many, many
times have to identify with that dear man? And we have to utter
words similar to those words. We do believe. Or could I but
believe? Then all would easy be. I would,
but cannot. Lord, relieve my help must come
from Thee, we feel it, the flesh lusting against the spirit and
the spirit against the flesh and these two contrary one to
the other and so we have to confess it we know not what we should
pray for as we ought, we know we ought to pray we know we ought
to pray but we feel we cannot pray as we ought But then also
here he speaks of the matter of our prayers. The matter of
our prayers, not just the manner of our prayers. What's the matter?
Well, God bids us take with you words, and turn to the Lord,
and say, take away all iniquity and receive us graciously. God
invites us to take words. The psalmist says, or God says
through the psalmist, open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But here we are, you see, so
often we're in this text. We know not what we should pray
for as we ought. Why is it we know not what we
should be praying for? Because of our ignorance. It's not just a question of our
native unbelief. What about ignorance? Remember
how the Lord Jesus in the Gospel addresses the the Sadducees. What does the Lord say to them?
He says, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power
of God. Who were these Sadducees? Well,
in a sense they were sort of rational men. They denied the
resurrection of the body. There was a great difference
between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They try to reason
matters out. And isn't that so often the case
with us? We are just like those men did. We know not the scriptures,
we know not the power of God. How does David pry? That great
7th chapter in 2nd Samuel where David is desirous to build the
temple in Jerusalem. And he's gathered together all
the necessary materials for that work and Nathan the prophet comes
and tells him he's not to build the temple. And then we have
that remarkable prayer. It's a lovely chapter, isn't
it? 2 Samuel chapter 27. And what does David do there
as he turns to God in prayer, well he prays in terms of the
things that God had said to him in the seventh chapter of the second book of Samuel
and the verses 27 to 29 the end of the chapter Look at the language that we
have here. David's prayer for thou, O LORD of hosts, God of
Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build
thee an house. Therefore hath thy servant found
in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And now, O Lord God,
thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised
this goodness unto thy servant. Therefore now let it please thee
to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever
before thee. For thou, O Lord, hast spoken
it, and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed
for ever. He is constantly speaking to
God, pleading with God in terms of what God had said to him concerning
his house. He wanted to build a house to
God, but God had spoken of David's house. Back in verse 12, when
thy days be fulfilled, this is a word of Nathan the prophet,
The mouthpiece of God, when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt
sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which
shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
And he shall build a house for my name, and I will establish
the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, he
shall be my son. Now there's no disputing the
fact that this all speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because
those words at the beginning of verse 14 are taken up by the
apostle in Hebrews chapter 1, where he is speaking of the glories
of Christ. God says to him in the 2nd Psalm
this day, Have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a
father, and he shall be to me a son. And there are the words
you see, I will be his father, he shall be my son. It's not
King Solomon. It's the Lord Jesus Christ. And
this is what David is praying at the end of that prayer. He's
praying for that church that will be saved in and by his own
seed. Because the Messiah himself will
come in David's life. And so he is born there at Bethlehem,
the city of David. Oh, but David prays, you see.
He prays in terms of what God has said. And that's how we're
to pray. What's to be the matter of our praying? The matter of
our prayers is to be these things that are written in the Word
of God. As the old Puritan says, we have
to thicken our prayers with God's words. We have to surround the
Almighty with His own promises. We have to ask for that boldness
in prayer whereby we seek to hold God true to what He has
promised us. Though we come with a meekness
of spirit, though we desire to come in that spirit of true humility,
we take account of those words in Ecclesiastes chapter 5, Be
not rash with thy mouth. Let not thy heart be hasty to
utter anything before God, for God is in heaven, thou upon earth,
therefore let thy words be few." But we all desire to speak in
terms of what God has said. That's the matter of our praying.
And there we need that blessed help of the Holy Spirit if we're
going to pray in such a fashion. And that's the promise that we
have in this text. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities. How can we pray like that? How
can we ever pray like David prayed? That's the man after God's own
heart. Only the Spirit can help us really
to pray. But here is the promise, the
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not what we should
pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings. which cannot be uttered. So let us turn for a while to
consider this ministry, the Holy Spirit's intercession. Notice here the emphasis, that
emphatic pronoun that we have in the verse. He speaks of the Spirit itself,
at the end of the verse, the Spirit itself. Not just the Spirit,
but then the pronoun added to emphasize who it is, the Spirit
itself, maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. And you know it's wonderful here
how we see the great accuracy of our authorized version. because
the pronoun is not in the masculine gender
doesn't say himself it's the neuter gender itself and it's
the same previously in verse 16 we have the promise of the
Spirit the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits that
we are the children of God why is it not in the masculine gender
surely the spirit is a person well the thing is that in the
Greek the noun spirits is a neuter noun not a masculine or a feminine
noun it's a neuter noun so the authorised version is simply
translating the words in a literal fashion now if you read if you
have a an NIV or a New King James version you'll see that they
have actually put the word himself in both of those verses in verse
16 and again here in verse 26 the spirit himself but they're
not really translating it it's a neuter noun, it's a neuter
pronoun that doesn't mean that it's denying
that the Holy Spirit is a person it is so evident that the spirit
is a person if we turn over to Acts chapter 5 we see how the
spirit can be sinned against the matter of Ananias and Sapphira
and what does Peter say to them He says it, verse 4, Thou hast
not lied unto men, but unto God. A certain man named Ananias with
Sapphira, his wife, sold the possession and kept back part
of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain
part and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias,
why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? and
to keep back part of the price of the land. Whilst it remained,
was it not thine own? After it was sold, was it not
in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this
thing in thine heart that was not lied unto men, but unto God?"
They lied against the Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost is God, and
the Holy Ghost is a person. You don't sin against an object,
a thing. Sin is very personal, and that's
what they were guilty of, sinning against the Holy Ghost. How solemn a sin it is. The Lord
says, never forgive them that sin against the Holy Ghost. And
here he is, he is the one who comes, God, the third person
in the Blessed Trinity, and he helps in all the believers infirmities. And what do we read off here?
Well, we have unutterable prayer. Prayers that we are unable to
express in words. The thoughts, the feelings, we
cannot give expression to them. It's groanings. The Spirit maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." And
now we see that this was often the case with the godly. Or think
of that gracious King Hezekiah. There in Isaiah 38, in his prayer
of thanksgiving, what does he say? Like a crane or a swallow. So did I chatter, I did mourn
as a dove. Mine eyes fail with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed. Undertake
foreman." Oh, he felt so burdened with all that was happening,
with the armies of the Assyrians at the very gates of Jerusalem.
Everything seemed to be gone, and now he's struck down with
some terrible sickness, he's going to die. And what does he do? He prays,
but he's chattering. The chattering of a bird, the
mourning of a dove. Unutterable prayer, that's what
he's speaking of. David knew it. Psalm 38, Lord,
all my desire is before Thee. And my groaning is not hid from
Thee. It's the experience of the people
of God. Dear Joseph Hart certainly knew it. What does he say? Jesus
to thee I make mine moan, my doleful tale I tell to thee,
for thou canst help and thou alone a lifeless lump of sin
like mine. All real prayer, true worship
is evidently much, much more than that that is outward. It's not just an observance,
it's not just ritual, it's not just liturgy. And didn't dear
John Berridge know something of that? In the hymn 884, for
thee my soul would cry, and send a laboring groan, for thee my
heart would sigh, and make a pensive moan, he says. And that's what
God delights in. He speaks against the children
of Israel when they draw near with the lip and honor Him with
the mouth, but the heart is far from Him. Sometimes we cannot
utter those things that we really feel and we need that gracious
ministry of the Spirit Himself making intercession, making the
intercession for us. An utterable prayer unuttered
prayers unuttered prayers look at the language of the psalmists
I'm sure you're well aware that there's so much in the psalms
on this matter of prayer the psalm of Asaph there in 77 he
says in the day of my trouble I sought the Lord my soul ran
in the night and ceased not my soul refused to be comforted
I remembered God and was troubled I complained and my spirit was
overwhelmed Sela thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so troubled
I cannot speak I cannot speak he says so overwhelmed and sometimes
that's what it's like in prayer that was the experience again
of dear Hannah as we see her there in the opening chapter
of the first book of Samuel. And how that woman prayed in
all the agonies of her soul. Hannah, she spake in her heart,
only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore
Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long
wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said,
No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk
neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before
the Lord." All the pouring out of the soul, when we come to
pray, and the Spirit helping, helping us. This is what the
Apostle is speaking of then. He helps our infirmities. And it's a lovely word, it's
one of those compound words, three words really, married together
and it means to take hold with at the side to come alongside
and to take hold and to strengthen all we have an advocate in heaven
Jesus Christ the righteous at the father's right hand but we
also have one who comes alongside the people of God the Holy Spirit
himself the Spirit of grace and of supplications Oh, thank God. Thank God for the ministry of
the Holy Spirit. The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities,
for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts
knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession
for the saints according to the will of God or that we might
know that gracious ministry then as we turn to the Lord in prayer
well the Lord bless his word to us let us before we turn to
prayer sing the hymn number 725 The Church of St Michael, 61. The sinner born of God to God
will pour his prayer in sighs or groans or words expressed
or in a falling tear. 725.