Okay. Now Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8. We'll go back
for just a moment. Verse 23. We know the creation
is groaning in pain. And not only does the creation
groan, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we groan within ourselves. Romans 8, 23. Waiting for the adoption to wit, or namely
the redemption of our body. Every believer, now not every
person, every believer has the first fruits of God the Holy
Spirit within us, implanted within us. reckoned unto us. And we know that by His will,
by His purpose, and by His grace, that we have the first fruit
of the Spirit. We have tasted of the Lord, and
He is gracious. Remember we read in Galatians
5, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, Long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance in all things. But we also have in this body
of flesh, we also have what is called down here in verse 26,
our infirmities. We have the weakness and frailty
of this sinful flesh to contend with every day, don't we? One day we'll shed this flesh.
and we won't have the infirmities of the flesh. But while we live
in this body of clay, we groan over the fact that we have this
sinful and depraved flesh to deal with each and every day
and each and every moment. It's a battle. The flesh against
the spirit and the spirit against the flesh, these are contrary
one to another. Remember Galatians chapter 5. And it made the apostle Paul
cry out in Romans 7.24, O wretched man that I am, not that I used
to be, that I am. Who shall deliver me from this
body of this death? that we pack around with us every
day. And I love his answer. I thank
God. I thank God. We only have deliverance because
of God's purpose, will for us in Christ. I thank God through
Jesus Christ, our Lord. That's our hope. But we do wait
upon the Lord for the blessed day to have a new body. Can you imagine having a completely
redeemed new body like unto his body? a new body without even
the potential to ever fall, to ever sin again against God. There has been a redemption of
our soul from sin by the Lord's redeeming blood that guarantees
the redemption of our body from the grave as we studied in verse
11 of Romans 8. But if the Spirit of Him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, God the Holy Spirit
dwells in every believer, He that raised up Christ from the
dead shall also quicken your mortal fleshly bodies by His
Spirit that dwells in you. One day soon, we read this in
Scripture, we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus, who shall change
our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue
all things unto himself." And then John put it this way, 1
John 3, 2, Beloved, now are we sons of God, and it doth not
yet appear what we shall be, but when we know that when he
shall appear, We shall be like him for we shall see him as he
is. We'll see him and be just like
him. That's what predestination is
all about. People get all upset about predestination. Every believer loves that blessed
truth. As we're gonna see in verse 29
of Romans 8, for whom he did foreknow, He also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of His Son. Predestination has
to do with what God is going to make us like. He's going to
make us and He has predetermined and decreed that we'll be just
like the Lord Jesus Christ. whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that
he might be the firstborn among many, many brethren." What a
blessed, glorious truth. Anybody who calls himself a believer,
who does not believe in biblical predestination, does not believe
God, because that's what the book teaches. Now, Look at verse
24 of Romans 8. It says here, we are saved by
hope. We are saved by hope. Now, what
does that mean? What does it mean to be saved
by hope? Read on, but hope that is seen
is not hope. For what a man seeth, why does
he yet hope for that? If you realize that, you do not
hope for it. But if we hope for that we see
not, then do we with patience wait for the fulfillment and
the reality and the end of that hope to be like Christ. We are
saved by hope. In these two verses, 24 and 25,
he mentions that word five times. What does it mean? We're saved
by hope. Well, let me tell you what it
doesn't mean first. This is not a mere wish of a sinner. This is not a mere wish or a simple desire based upon some
religious emotion or some religious experience. It's just not a wish
or desire based upon some feeling. That's not a hope. That's not
the hope that we're saved by, but rather a good hope of complete
and final glorification of our body, soul, and spirit based
upon what? Based upon the promise of God
who cannot lie. That is the hope that saves us. Christ is our hope. It is a blessed hope of being
just like Christ being predestinated and conformed to the image of
the Lord Jesus Christ as we just read in Romans 8. Now, I want
us to look in Scripture, and we could spend a lot of time
here on this word, hope. But let's see what the Scripture
says about this hope we have in Christ. Let's turn back to
Romans 5 for just a minute. Romans 5. Being justified by faith, verse
one, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We rejoice in hope of
the glory of God. Now find Romans 15, verse 13.
So we rejoice in hope for the glory of God. Now the
glory of God shines where? In the face of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And in Romans 15 verse 13, we
read in scripture that God is the God of all grace, the Father
of all mercies, and here it says, Now the God of hope fill you
with joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope. in hope through the power of
the Holy Ghost. Now, I want you to find 2 Thessalonians,
2 Find this one, 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 16. And you know the scripture from
Colossians 1, 27 where it says, Christ in you is the hope of
glory. Now 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself. You see the Lord Jesus Christ
himself is our hope. and God even our Father who had
loved us and given us an everlasting consolation and a good hope through... what's that word? Grace. His grace. Salvation by the grace
of God alone. Comfort your hearts, establish
you in every good word and work. Now, if you have the Cambridge
that I have, look just across the page and down to the bottom
of the first column, 1 Timothy 1.1 1st Timothy 1.1, Paul an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior
and Lord Jesus Christ. Now the three words, which is
our, which is, is italicized, we can read it this way, God
our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ our hope. He's our hope. He's our hope of pardon. He's
our hope of forgiveness. He's our hope of righteousness.
He is all of our hope of all salvation. And then stay right
with me, find the book of Titus right after Timothy, 2nd Timothy,
Titus chapter two, look at verse 13, Titus 2, 13.
Looking for that blessed hope. Blessed hope. I have a pastor
friend years ago who had a ministry and he called the ministry that
he had the blessed hope ministry. The blessed hope ministry. Looking
for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great
God and Savior the Lord Jesus who gave himself for us that
he might redeem us from all iniquity. And then you have the book of
Hebrews right there. I wrote these down so we could
kind of progress through the scripture. Hebrews chapter 6
makes it a little bit easier for us to find our way around. Hebrews 6, 18. Two immutable
things in which it was impossible for God to lie. We might have
strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope that sat before us. which hope we have as the anchor
of our soul, both sure and steadfast, which entereth into that within
the veil, where our forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus,
made a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek." Now,
we are saved by hope, that kind of hope. We are saved by Christ
who is our hope. Now look down to verse Romans
8, the next verse, verse 25. But if we hope for that, but
if we hope for that we see not, we've not realized the full expectation
of that hope. Not like we will one day in glory. Faith, hope will end in reality. But if we hope for that we see
not, now we see it by faith, we see it in the Word, then do
we with patience, we wait for the full flower of the hope that
we read of in the Word of God. This hope we have that is the
anchor of our soul, Peter called it, and I meant to read this,
1 Peter 1, 3, it's called a living hope, a living hope. a sure hope in Christ because
it is certain and sure based upon the Word of God. And therefore
we with patience and long-suffering do wait for the promise, all
the promise of that hope. Peter called it the exceeding
great and precious promises that we have in Christ. And I love
this scripture, 2 Corinthians 1.20, for all the promises of
God in him are yes. And in him, amen, so be it, unto
the glory of God by us. And then we do with patience,
wait on this hope. Remember Psalm 27, where David
said, wait on the Lord, And again I say, wait upon the Lord, for
His blessings are worth waiting upon, are they not? Faith and
hope are virtues of this life. Someone said this, faith and
hope are virtues of this life and will have no place in the
life to come. Right? Listen to this scripture,
now by the faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is
love. Faith will one day end in sight. We'll see Him as He
is and be like Him. Hope will give way to reality. We'll see Him and be like Him
as He is. But love, love, that abides for
ever eternal love. It'll never end. Faith will end. Hope will end. Not love. Love
we have to Christ and His love for us will never, never end. Now, that's our hope. Therefore,
verse 26, Romans 8, 26, likewise the Spirit, and notice that capital
Spirit, capital S, is talking about God the Holy Spirit Himself,
also God the Holy Spirit helpeth our infirmities. Now, I don't
know about you, but I have a lot of infirmities, and I suspect
you're just a whole lot like I am, because we're sinners. We are sinners, sinful flesh.
The Holy Spirit helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should
pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself, that's
a better word there, as I told you back up here in verse 16,
the Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are children
of God. The Spirit Himself maketh intercession
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now, this is a mysterious
thing. This is a mysterious thing. Likewise
also, God sends us more needed help to aid us, to encourage
us, to give us more consolation with the infirmities of our flesh. If you've read ahead in Luke
chapter 13, we're going to see about a woman today in our message
in the worship hour who had a terrible infirmity for 18 years and the
Lord loosed her from that infirmity. We have God the Holy Spirit who
aids and encourages us and comforts us in our infirmity. He's called
the Comforter. While we're waiting for the complete
redemption of our soul and body, God sends us the abiding comfort
of God the Holy Spirit. You remember our Lord said to
His apostles and to us, when He, the Comforter has come, the
Holy Spirit, when He has come, He'll take the things of mine
and show them unto you. What does God, the Holy Spirit,
comfort His people with? Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look what it says back here
in Romans 8, 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God. being led by the Spirit of God
causes us to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for all of salvation. For we have not, you have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you've received
the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba Father, Father,
Father, Father, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children,
then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together with
him. God the Holy Spirit aids and
helps us to pray according to the will of God by the powerful
influences of God the Holy Spirit within us to enable us to pray
in harmony with his eternal purpose to cause us and to enable us
to pray this way, Lord thy will be done. To enable us after we
prayed Lord to bow and submit willingly to the will of the
Lord. Now let me show you an example
of that. I think this is a good example
of this very thing. Find 2 Corinthians chapter 12,
2 Corinthians 12. The apostle experienced this
and this is given to us by the Holy Spirit written down for
us to read and to learn. 2 Corinthians 12 verse 7. And lest I should be exalted
above measure through the abundance of revelations, in order to keep
Paul humbled, instead of being lifted up and elevated with pride,
God sent this trial. There was given to me a thorn
in the flesh, there is the infirmities of the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet
me. Now why did God allow this? the
messenger of Satan to Buffet Paul, lest he be exalted above
measure, lest he be lifted up with pride and arrogance. For this thing I prayed to the
Lord, I besought the Lord three times that it might depart from
me. And he said, not so fast, My
grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect
in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will
I rather glory in my infirmities, there's that word again, infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Now that's praying
according to the will of the Lord and submitting to the will
of the Lord. Therefore, I take pleasure in
infirmities. Wow. That's saying a whole lot,
isn't it? Reproaches in necessities, in
persecution, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I'm weak,
that's when I'm strong. When the flesh is just whittled
down to nothing and all our hope is Christ, that's
when we're strong. And that's the way the Holy Spirit
leads us to pray. Lord thy will be done. Now one more verse, and he that
searches the hearts, now who is the one who search the hearts?
God knows our hearts. This is the God with whom we
have to do. And he that searches the hearts
knoweth, knoweth, God knows all things, what is the mind of the
spirit, The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, they have one will,
one purpose, to the glory of Christ. That he maketh intercession,
because of the marginal reference had, that he maketh intercession
for saints. Now, who is a saint? Well, we
have Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint John, every believer is
a saint. Every believer is sanctified
by the one offering, the Lord Jesus Christ. He maketh intercession
for saints and it's according to the will of God, to the will
of God. Our God is all knowing. Find
the book of Hebrews again, chapter four, Hebrews chapter four, all
knowing, all knowing. Verse 12, for the word of God,
living and written, is alive, quick, powerful, sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and the joints and mower, and is a discerner of
the thought and the intent of the heart. This is a God with
whom we have to do, verse 13, neither is there any creature
that's not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and
open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." God searches
the hearts. Now you remember that scripture
from over in Luke 16, where the Lord said to those Pharisees,
you are they that justify yourselves before men, but God knows your
heart. And He does. And then he goes
on to say, that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination
in the sight of God. The Lord our God fully knows
the groanings of our heart, knows the mind of the spirit within
us that causes our heart to cry out for mercy and grace to help
in a time of need. Be merciful to me, the sinner. I'm the sinner. And the Lord
says in that same chapter we were reading a moment ago, Hebrews
4 verse 16, Come boldly unto the throne of grace, that ye
may obtain mercy, find grace to help in time of need. The
Holy Spirit makes a continual intercession for, it says there,
for his saints. His saints according to the will
of God. These saints are also, remember,
we are made sons of God, children of God, heirs of God. They are
the saints of God. As many as be led by the Spirit
of God, they are the sons of God. And we as believers, and
every believer is a saint. Christ is our Sanctification,
that makes us a saint in Him. He is our sanctification. And this intercession is according
to the will and purpose of God. Now, the best prayers are not
those of eloquence of words, but rather that spring from a
broken and a contrite heart, groanings in prayer with words
that cannot be uttered. Now let me give you some scripture.
Psalm 34, 18, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart,
save as such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 51, 17, the sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God,
thou will not despise. Now, who is the one who breaks
our heart and gives us a contrite spirit? Well, it's God, the Holy
Spirit. We call that Holy Spirit conviction, don't we? And then,
I love this scripture. I love all of them, but Isaiah
55, 17 is one of my favorites. For thus saith the Lord, thus
saith the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity. I love
that statement. He inhabits eternity, whose name
is holy. I dwell in the high and holy
place with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the
spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Now, I thought of one more example,
and you're familiar with this because we've studied it, over
in 1 Samuel chapter 1. Remember, Hannah did not have
any children, and she cried to the Lord for a son, and God gave
Hannah that special child, Samuel, the prophet of God. But remember
when Hannah went to the temple, and her heart was so burdened,
And she wanted a son so desperately that she went to the temple with
her husband to worship. And as they were worshiping there
in the temple, her heart was groaning and crying out to God
through the Holy Spirit, convicting her. And Eli, the priest, it
says there that he marked her mouth. That is, he was watching
her. And her mouth evidently was moving,
but she spoke no words. But she was uttering her heart
cry unto the Lord. And here's what the scripture
said. Hannah spake in her heart. Now God heard her, didn't He? God gave her that son. Hannah
spake in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was
not heard. And Eli said to her, you're a
drunken woman. What are you doing in here drunk?
You're drunk. And she said, I'm not drunken, but I've poured
out my heart before the Lord. That's what he's talking about
here. I want to pray that way. Be blessed to pray that way before
God.