I want you to turn back tonight
to that eighth chapter of Romans. Romans chapter 8. I'm going to read a few verses beginning 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. 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. And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose. The Apostle Paul here speaks for all of God's people. He uses this we representing
all the people of God, God's believing people who all confess that there are
some things that we don't know and some things that we do know. And strangely enough, it is because
both are taught by the Spirit of God. We know these things
by the grace of God. In verse 26, He says, likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought. There's something that we know,
and that is that we know not what we should pray for as we
ought. If we've been made honest by
the Spirit of God, if we've been taught of God, we know that. Because we know from His Word
that His ways are not our ways. The ways of God are not natural
to us. We don't know the details. We don't know what's going on
behind the scenes. We don't know our own heart as
it is. And that makes, I'm afraid, most
of our prayers sinful. We're like the disciples and
like the mother of one or two of the disciples who ask the
Lord if one of her sons could sit on the right hand and one
on the left hand when he came into his kingdom. And he said,
you don't know what you are asking. And then on another occasion,
the disciples came back to the Lord, and they said of some,
Shall we call down fire out of heaven on them? And he said, You don't know what
manner of spirit you are. We don't know naturally what
we should pray for. And that's evidenced in our life
every day, in every way, in everything. Our prayers are selfish. Our prayers are directly against
the will of God. Our prayers are without knowledge
and without understanding. And when we're taught of God,
we know that we don't know how to pray as we ought. But we know that the Spirit of
God helps our infirmities. You see, we have infirmities
because of our sin, because of the nature of sin. Infirmities
mean feebleness of mind. It means weakness and frailties. In other words, sin has left
us with these infirmities. But he says the Spirit helps
our infirmities. And you see, everything that
is contrary to God's purpose is sin. Everything that is against
God's will and purpose is wrong. We know what is right by what
God does. And we have 20-20 hindsight. In other words, we know that
what has happened is right, and we know what is happening is
right because it is God's will. In other words, we know if it
happened, we know if it came to pass, It happened and it came
to pass because God willed it. Now, how do we know that God
willed it? Because he says, and he tells
us in the Bible, that he works all things after the counsel
of his own will. There is only one free will in
the universe. There is only one will that will
be done, and that's the will of God. So if it happens, if
it has already happened, or if it is happening, everything is
according to the will of God. And I saw where one man had written
something like not taking that too far by including sin in it. But that cannot be right. Because everything that we do
is tainted with sin. So in order for God to work all
things after the counsel of His will, it would have to include
our sins. Because everything we do is sin. But we also know that the Spirit
of God makes intercession for us. In other words, we know we
don't know how to pray and what to pray for. We know that all
things that happen, happen according to the will of God. But we know
that the Spirit of God Taking our infirmities into consideration,
he makes intercession for us. He acts on our behalf. He acts on our behalf before
God, and he intercedes based on the will of the Father. You see, in religion, Religion
often sets the will of the Father and the will of the Son and the
will of the Spirit in direct contradiction with each other. But it says here that he knows
the will of the Father, he knows the will of the Son, and his
will is the same, and the Spirit makes intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. What in the world does that mean? Well, I guess you would say the
Spirit knows the language as well as the will of the Godhead,
of all the persons of the Godhead. And it says in verse 27, And
he that searcheth the hearts The Spirit of God who searches
our hearts, He knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because
He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will
of God. Think about how many times, if
we're honest, How many times we have asked God a mess, as
Christ called it. Think about how many times we
have asked God, prayed for, tried to get God to do things that
were entirely against His will. I'm afraid that more often than
not, We ask Him directly contradictory and contrary to His will rather
than His will. Because we enter into prayer
so quickly, so without thought, so disregarding God, but it says
that the Spirit knows the mind of the Father and the Father
already knows the mind of the Spirit. and the Spirit maketh intercession
for us according to the will of God. You see, when the Bible says
if we ask anything that we know we have it. How can you ask for
something and be assured and know that you will have it? There's just one way. When we
ask according to the will of God. When we ask according to
the will of God. He says He makes intercession
for the saints. Not everybody. But for these
sanctified ones, these separated ones that are separated by the
Father in election, that are separated by the Son in redemption,
and that are separated by the Spirit in regeneration, they're
saints. And he makes intercession for
the saints according to the will of God. That makes prayer to be something
totally different than most people think that it is. I read something recently about
somebody who was comparing doing something or asking for something,
and he said it's futile as we know that prayer is. Well, he says you have. I mean,
you ask because you have not, because you ask amiss. And so true prayer doesn't change
God. That's why we think that we're
going to send up enough prayers to God to change God, the unchangeable
and perfect one. But true prayer doesn't change
God, and neither does it change His perfect will. It doesn't change His perfect
will. Well, you say, if it doesn't
change his perfect will, if it doesn't change God, if it doesn't
change his mind about something, why pray? Well, the thing is here, and
the Spirit of God is the one that accomplishes this work in
us, the Spirit of God makes intercession according to the will of God,
and He, in the process, works in our heart to make us desire the same thing. You see, the Spirit of God, when
we really pray, and we pray the prayer that is directed and accomplished
in us by the Spirit of God, that true prayer brings our hearts
and our minds in conformity to the will of God. and makes us submissive to it, and causes us to see the wisdom
in it, and makes us, in at least part, find a delight and an encouragement
and a love for it. And Christ himself He taught us to pray that. He taught us to pray. And when
He gave us that model prayer, not the Lord's prayer, but the
model prayer for believers, He taught us to pray this, Thy kingdom
come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And he not only prayed that,
I mean, he not only taught us to pray that, he taught us, and
only the Spirit of God working in us can accomplish that in
us, but he not only taught us to pray that, told us to pray
this way, but he also prayed himself this way. He said, If thou be willing, remove this
cup from me." I've got that part pretty much
down in my life. I'll say, Lord, take this away. Take this affliction. Take this
problem. Take this circumstance. If it
be possible, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me. But now I haven't got the next
part so much. He says, if thou be willing,
remove this cup from me, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." And when the Spirit of God intercedes
for us and brings us in this true spirit of prayer, this true
submissiveness, this true prayer according to the will of God,
He makes us to be conformed to it and He gives us assurance
and comfort and confidence and enables us to see the wisdom
of God, the grace of God, the love of God, and the power of
God. So that we know. We know. We know what? We know That all things. If you like universal statements,
you can take that one with you. All things. We don't know how we're to pray. We have this infirmity. often have many infirmities that
hinder us in this submission to the will and the wisdom of
God. We don't know these things, but
the Spirit makes intercession for us and brings us to this
knowledge, this confidence that all things, what we call good, What we call
bad. When in truth, there can't be
anything bad for a believer. All things. You say, but what about this?
All things. He says, all things work. Do work something. Well, we're
working just as hard most of the time, I'm thinking, against
the will and providence of God, but he works harder than we do. The triune God works. has ordered and ordained all
things and carries them out by hand of predestination and sovereign
power, all things. He works all things. If he didn't, he couldn't accomplish his purpose.
If He didn't, He could not assure us of our salvation. He works
all things. He decreed it, and then He entrusted
it in the hands of His sovereign King and Lord and our Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and He carries it out mightily by the
power of His Spirit. He works. Some people seem to think that
God created the world, wound it up, and walked off from it. But he works. He works all things
together. You can't consider any isolated
thing To be good in itself, maybe, but he works all things together. I always think about, when I
think about this verse, I always think about counted cross stitch. You know anything about counted
cross stitch? Well, you look on the back of
a piece of counted cross-stitch that one of these ladies have
done, and it looks absolutely helter-skelter, a mess of knots
and strings, and it just looks like it has no rhyme or reason. But turn it over on the front
side and see a beautiful picture of beautiful words that have
been stitched into the cloth. And that's the way it is with
God. When we look at things with the natural eye, we can't see
how any rhyme, good, or reason, anything could be beneficial
to us, or anybody. We cannot see by our eye. But if we could see things as
God saw, I'll never forget Brother Scott Richardson. He said, if
we could see things like God sees them, we wouldn't change
a thing. We wouldn't change not one thing. Because he says, in all things
work together for good. I'm afraid our definition of
good is a lot different than God's definition. Look over at what He says in
Psalm 119 and verse 71. This is a psalmist writing here,
being enlightened by the Spirit of God. He says, it is good for
me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. Affliction, he said, was good. Sorrow, good. Pain, good. Everything, good. Not for everybody. It's good because it's the eternal
good purpose of God. But he said it is good Them that love God. I used to read that and I would
think, eh, that's the problem right there. And that is my love for God. I believe it was Newton who,
in that hymn, asked the question, do I know the Lord or not? Do
I love the Lord or not? And I thought about that. I'm
sure that we're oftentimes brought to that place in our experience
where because of sin, because of failure, because of what we
realize ourselves to be, we question our love for God. I don't even like to sing that
song, Oh How I Love Jesus. Daddy didn't love, he didn't
like that song either. Because it sounds like I'm saying
something that is so great that is so pitiful. But he said, we love him because
he first loved us. We don't love him like he deserves
to be loved. We don't love Him like we ought
to love Him. We don't love Him like one day
we will love Him. But we love Him. To them that love God. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 2. Look at verse 9. It says, But
as it is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him. For them that love him. Turn on over into the book of
Ephesians. Ephesians 6, the last verse of the book of
Ephesians, verse 24. He says, grace be with all them
that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. That love our Lord Jesus Christ
in sincerity. And look over in the book of
James. The book of that austere man,
James, that so many have problems with, it seems like. Look at
James 1 and verse 12. Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of
life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Look in chapter 2 and verse 5. Hearken, my beloved
brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich
in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them
that love him? Believers love God. They love God as He is. They love Him as He sets Himself
forth in the Word, in His own Word. They love Him for what
He is, and they love Him for what He does. And they love Him
because the Spirit of God sheds the love of God abroad in their
hearts. They know of His love for them
who loved us and gave Himself for us, who are the called. The called. That can mean the named. That means His elect. That means
those that He chose, He named. That can mean those that He called
by the gospel, effectually and mightily by His Spirit brings
them to believe the gospel of His grace and truth. There's a call. According. To his purpose. I'll never forget net. Southern Baptist Church and the
deacons meeting. When what I was. Preaching was
being questioned and rebuked and stuff. One of the deacons
that was just, oh, he was idolized by everybody. And I said something, I quoted
some verse that showed the grace and the glory of God, the sovereign
grace of God. He said, that's not according
to Hull. Now, I'm not too up on this,
but I believe Hall was the authority on bridge, wasn't he? Playing
bridge, card game. And he said, that's not according
to Hall, but it's according to this book.
And salvation, as well as every part of it, every detail of it,
Every person it involves, which is God's elect, the called, them
that love God, everything that happens is according to His purpose. Purpose. As Barnard told Henry that time,
everything God does, He does on purpose. Paul said to Timothy, speaking
of him, he says, who has saved us and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us. His purpose and grace, His salvation,
His calling, given us not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. before the world ever was, before
we were born, before we breathed the breath, before we sinned,
before we ever made a choice or exercised a will or anything. And that's why we're saved. And
that's why He gets all the glory. And that's why we know that all
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
that are the call according to His purpose. We don't know how to pray most
things. We don't know what to ask. We
don't know what's good for us. We don't know what's good for
our friends, our families, our loved ones. We just don't know. But He knows. And the Spirit
of God brings us in submission to God's will and we pray but
not my will be done, but thine. Thy purpose be accomplished.
Lord, do what you will, and it'll be good. It'll work somehow for
good, your glory and our good. And by faith, And by our past experiences, but mainly by the Spirit of God, we know it. We know it. Our Father, we ask you tonight
to speak to our hearts. Grant to us your comfort and
your assurance in the knowledge of what you accomplish according
to your purpose and providence in our lives. Give us grace to
submit willingly, to love you for all that you
have in wisdom and grace done for us and are doing for us. And we pray that you would get
all the glory and all the honor unto yourself. Help us when we don't know. Make
intercession for us by your spirit according to your will, which
is good and wise and perfect. We thank you and we pray in Christ's
name. Thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven. We ask all things in the name
of Thy blessed Son, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.