All right, let's turn to Romans
8. Usually, the message goes in a lot better
than it comes out. And I hope the Lord will bless
us and bless this. I just, man, I rejoiced over
this. I had a day of absolute rejoicing
over this. In chapter 7, the Lord inspired
the Apostle Paul to describe life in the flesh. And it's a sad life. But here
in chapter 8, he's been describing life in the spirit. Verse 2 says,
The law of, it says, the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. The spirit of life in Christ
Jesus. Verse four, the end of verse
four, he talks about walking after the spirit. Walking after
the spirit. Verse six, he talks about being
spiritually minded. But here's the key truth in all
this. All of the glory for life in
the Spirit of Christ Jesus goes to God. You know, let's walk
after the Spirit, let's be spiritual and all of the glory for this
goes to God, every bit of it. He gets the glory in the giving
of His Spirit. He gets the glory in the work
of His Spirit. He gets the glory in the result
of His Spirit. Verse 10 here in chapter 8 says,
if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin. This
body is dead, but the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies
by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we
are debtors." We're debtors. That's what we are. What do we
have that we have not received? We're absolute debtors. Verse
14 says, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God. Not every person born into this
world is a son of God. The world needs to hear that.
Not every person born into this world is a son of God. But every person who is led by
the spirit of God, he or she is a child of God. It says a
son of God. Verse 15 says they've received
the spirit of adoption. It's the Spirit who teaches us
that, quickens us to that, that we've been adopted. It's God's
Spirit who causes us to cry like the end of verse 15 says, Abba,
Father. Verse 16 says it's God's Spirit
who bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
And verse 17 says he tells us that we are heirs, joint heirs
with Christ. He tells us that we're going
to be glorified together with Christ. That's what God's spirit
does for us and in us. Okay. Now our text this morning,
it begins in verse 26. That's how far we we've made
it down to verse 26. And it continues with something
else that God's Holy Spirit does for each one of his children. And this cannot be described. I feel like in Romans 8, we've
had a couple of these verses that have just been just amazing
to me, just amazing. But none of them are more amazing
than any other one, but this one is amazing. This is amazing. This cannot be described. I'm
telling you things that cannot be described. They cannot be
described. We're just going to have to pray
that he would allow us to enter into the spirit of it. Verse
26 says, likewise, the spirit also helpeth our infirmities. This is what the spirit does
for us. It helpeth our infirmities. And boy, do we have a lot of
them. We have a lot of them. Infirmities. It means weaknesses. It means sicknesses. It means
frailties of this body and this mind. This mind is sick. It's sick. Specifically this morning, he's
talking about our infirmity to even pray. That's what he's specifically
talking about in this verse. Our infirmity to even pray. Look
at verse 26. It says, likewise, the spirit
also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought. What truth that is. We know not
what we should pray for. We know not as we ought to pray. We don't even know the manner
we should pray in. Now, let me tell you how sinful
we are. This is how sinful we are, not just this planet. I'm talking about me. This is
how sinful I am. After a sinner comes to know
the truth, after he knows the truth, We read the truth right
here in God's Word. Our flesh immediately says, I
know what to pray for. They don't, but I do. Isn't that
what everybody kind of said in their mind? And I know the manner I ought
to pray in. That does not apply to me. That's what we all think. That's
what we all said. Oh, wretched man that I am. Oh,
wretched man that I am. God must bring me down. And thankfully, God will. Thankfully, God will. He must
increase, but I must decrease. I must. As soon as I think, I
got it. I got it. Man, may God remind me that that
is the pride that comes right before the fall. That is the
pride that comes right before the fall. That fall is coming
to me, and I'll confess my heart, I think that all the time. And
then I realized, you know, I think I'm a lot dumber than I thought
I was. I am my own infirmity. I really am my own infirmity.
As I say that, and as you hear that, we all say yes, but we
all really don't believe it. Not to its fullest. Not to its
fullest. But I am one gigantic infirmity. That's what I am in my flesh.
Turn with me over to Ecclesiastes 6. Ecclesiastes 6, look at verse
12. For who knoweth what is good
for man in this life? All the days of his vain life
which he spendeth as a shadow. For who can tell a man what shall
be after him under the sun? We pray for things that we think
are going to be good for us in the long run. We pray for things
that we think will work together for good. We're going to start
praying for this. But Ecclesiastes 6 verse 12 says,
Who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days
of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? For who can tell
a man what shall be after him under the sun? We have no idea
what God's purpose in tomorrow is. No idea. So how could we know what we
should pray for? We know not what we should pray
for. When we do pray, Almost every
time I pray, I stand up here. It is hard to pray in front of
people. And I would prefer somebody else
do it. Because every time that I pray,
I'm reminded of my infirmities. I really am. There are times that we are at
a loss for words. Men, have you ever had to pray
and all of a sudden you can't think of anything? So you try to say some things
that you know everybody likes to hear, some things that have
worked in the past. This is just true honesty. How could we be at a loss for
words? After everything that we have
to be thankful for, how could this sinner be at a loss for
words? How often is the communication
to our God lifeless? Now see if you know what I'm
talking about. We all pray to God in the closet of our heart.
He said, when you pray, enter into your closet. And he's talking
about this heart. And if there's a whole bunch
of people around, go get in a closet. Nobody needs to see us praying.
That is pride. That's pride. We do here together,
because God commanded us to, and we pray that the Lord would
take all that from us, But out in the world and just out in
public, we do it in the closet of our heart. Sometimes we're called on to
pray. And man, how many times has your
mind been focused on your mouth? You know what I'm talking about?
The words that are literally coming out right here, thinking
about what's coming out right here. And what that means is I know
that people are listening to me. No emotion. No affection. Just, oh wretched man that I am. Wretched
man that I am. How could we be lifeless toward
the God of our salvation? How could we not show emotion
and affection as we call on our merciful and loving God? I called
Chris this week. Chris is going to read for us
in a minute, and he's going to pray for us. And I said, I want to
warn you. Start calling on God. And I've
been calling on God for him. When you pray after this, ask
the Lord to let you forget about everybody in the room. Lord,
let us call on God. Let us just pray to God. How often during that personal
prayer in our closet could we not control our thoughts if our
life depended on it? Prone to wonder. Prone to wonder. Well, go back with me to the
text. It's about to get a little, we're
about to get a little bit better news. We just heard the truth, and
truth hurts. Now we're about to hear some
good news. First of all, we're not alone. Paul wrote, we know
in verse 26, likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities,
for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. He said he's in the same horrible
boat with us. Look at chapter 7 verse 15. He said, For that which I do,
I allow not. I just don't know why I do it. For what I would, what I wish
I did, that I do not. But what I hate, that's what
I do. That is what I do. But thankfully
for us, God has given us some good news. God's mercy to us
is that He would send us His Spirit. Okay, now let's take
us and get rid of us for just a minute. He would send us His Spirit and
the reason is because His Spirit helpeth our infirmities. Everything that I lack in my
flesh God provides for me and in me through His Spirit. Isn't
that wonderful? All of the wrong that I am, God
makes it right through His Spirit. To the point that it goes on
to say in verse 26, Likewise, the Spirit also help with our
infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we
ought, but, that's the gospel word, but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. It's not possible. Not by a man's
mouth. Not by this mouth. God's Holy
Spirit prays for us using words and emotions and affections that
are so glorious and so heavenly, there is no possible way we could
understand what's taking place for us. No possible way. Not right now. Not down here. Not in our infirmities. Turn with me over to 2 Corinthians
chapter 12. 2 Corinthians 12 verse 2 says,
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago. This is the
Apostle Paul writing about himself. And he said, I knew a man in
Christ above fourteen years ago. Whether in the body I cannot
tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth. Such
in one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man,
whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God
knoweth, how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable
words, which it is not lawful, and that word means possible,
for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory,
Yet of myself I will not glory but in my infirmities." It is
not possible for man to say the things that Paul heard in paradise. But God has sent His Spirit to
His children for the purpose of speaking this heavenly language
to God for them and in them. In the text back over in Romans
chapter 8 verse 26 it says, The Spirit itself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. I think that that
is sweet. I think it's sweet. Thanks be to our God for this.
We know not what we should pray for as we ought. We're so sinful
and we're so low, we could never say the right thing. Never. We could never say it in the
right way. Never. We could never enter into it. We could never enter into it.
Go with me over to Matthew 6. Matthew 6 verse 9 says, After
this manner therefore pray ye, Our Father. Don't you wish just once, just
one time, you could truly enter into and know what it means that
the actual God is your Father. Don't you wish you could feel,
just get it one time? Don't you wish just once you
could really, really, truly enter into The depths and the fullness of
His love for you. The Apostle Paul was called up
into the third heaven. You think he ever forgot that?
He couldn't tell anybody about it, but just once he said, I
heard things. And then after that, he kept
telling people, you just wait. He said, I'd rather go be with
the Lord, but it's expedient for me that I'm here with you.
So I can tell you, just wait. As a father pitieth his children,
I have some children, and buddy, do I pity them. But I'm evil. He's good. Don't you wish just once you
could enter into the safety and the provision of the fact that God, the God
who made all this, is my Father. Just once. Do you think you would
worry at that moment in time? The Spirit groans for us. Our Father. In everything that
means. He groans for us. The love and
the thankfulness and the joy of saying, Our Father. We can't
do it. He does it for us. Verse 9 right
here in Matthew 6 says, After this manner therefore pray ye,
Our Father, which art in heaven. Don't you wish just once, you
could enter into God's heaven. Paul, he said, I was called up
into paradise. And God told that thief on the
cross, today you're going to be with me in paradise. And if
God says it's paradise, it ain't the Bahamas. I can tell you that.
It's paradise. The spirit came from there. The spirit is there. The spirit
knows exactly what it means and the spirit groans for us, our
father, which art in heaven. Verse nine says, hallowed be
thy name. One day we're gonna worship God's
holiness. We're truly gonna worship his
holiness. Thanks be to God. His Spirit that is in us right
now groans for us wholly, wholly, wholly in all of the majesty
and in all of the fear and in all of the reverence that God
deserves. I can't imagine that. It cannot
be uttered by a man's mouth. We had a dog for a while, or
we have a cat. And that cat can communicate.
I have one cat that hates the other cat, and it communicates
it very well. And when that cat wants food,
it communicates. And the word it says is, meow. And I am saying things that are
not possible for a cat's mouth to utter. I can't wait. That thought makes me want to
say, woe is me. I really am undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. Verse 10 says, thy kingdom come. My flesh wants to stay on this
earth a little longer. God's spirit groans for me. Thy
kingdom come. Verse 10 says, Thy will be done
in earth as it is in heaven. As much as I want and say and
wish that I could believe that I really wanted His will, as
I pray for His will, I'm really praying for my will in a roundabout
way, calling it His will. My flesh wants my way, my flesh
wants things, my flesh wants easy street. God's spirit groans,
thy will be done. Verse 11 says, give us this day
our daily bread. My flesh craves money, my flesh
craves the world. God's spirit groans for God's
heavenly word. Just feed us with the word. We're
about to hear, just speak the word. When God's Spirit earnestly asks
on the behalf of God's child, God's child receives. He said,
ask and you'll receive. Verse 12 says, forgive us our
debts as we forgive our debtors. Can you imagine the groaning
that must be made on the behalf of and in thankfulness for our
forgiveness. Can you imagine what groaning
that must be? Our forgiveness. Verse 13 says,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. I think
I'm good. God called me to pastor this
church. I'm good. I'm on the straight and narrow
way. God's Holy Spirit, knowing my infirmities, groans for me. The end of verse 13 says, for
thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. I could never enter into
the greatness of his kingdom. I could never understand the
mightiness of his power. My sinful, wicked tongue could
never ascribe glory unto Him. So God's Spirit groans on my
behalf. Now, this is the amazing part
of it all. You ready for something amazing?
We're going to close with this. Go back over to our text. Romans 8 verse 26 says, 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 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." Here's what that
means. Every bit of the work of the Spirit of Christ is applied
to my account. That's what it means. God searches my heart and He
knows what the Spirit said and He applies it to my account.
Look at the end of Romans 8 verse 15. It says, But you have received
the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. It's applied to me. The Spirit's
doing all the crying. The Spirit's doing all the groaning. But it's applied to us. Isn't
that amazing? That's amazing. Well, I hope
the Lord will bless His Word. You're dismissed.