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Jul 30, 2023

The Holy Spirit’s Prayer For Us

The Holy Spirit’s Prayer For Us

Passage: Romans 8:26-30

Speaker: Andrew Kerhoulas

Series: That’s the Spirit: Learning to keep in step with Him who indwells

Keywords: prayer, predestined, called, glorified, justified, conformed, image of jesus, intercedes, groans

Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, God works all things for our good (conformity to Christ not our comfort), predestined for spiritual formation into Christ-likeness

Readings & Scripture

PRE SERVICE TEXT: Romans 8:28-29
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

PREPARATION: Adapted from the Worship Sourcebook
LEADER: As we are called into worship today, it is sobering to remember that when God appeared on earth in the person of Jesus, most of the world did not recognize him and therefore did not worship him. Today we ask for the faith that will open our eyes to see Jesus for who he is, the roaring Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God who was slain for us, that we might worship him in spirit and in truth. People of God, behold your God!

ALL: Come, Holy Spirit and open our eyes to see his glory. Open our ears to hear his wisdom. Open our hands to offer him our gifts. Open our mouths to sing his praise. Open our hearts to offer him our love. He is Lord!

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH/SCRIPTURE READING/CORPORATE PRAYER: Genesis 50:15-21
LEADER: “When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.’ 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’ 19 But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” The word of the Lord.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

CENTRAL TEXT: Romans 8:26-30
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

CONFESSION OF SIN: From the Book of Common Prayer

ALL: Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: Titus 3:4-7

LEADER: But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

BENEDICTION: Philippians 1:6

LEADER: And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

RELATED SCRIPTURES:

  • Genesis 50:25-21
  • Psalm 42:7
  • Proverbs 3:5–6
  • Jeremiah 1:1-5
  • Matthew 7:13-14
  • Romans 3:21-22, 28; 5:1
  • 1 Corinthians 1:17-20
  • 2 Corinthians 3:18; 12:8-10 
  • Galatians 4:19
  • Philippians 1:6
  • Colossians 3:10
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:14

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1.  If you pray regularly, what sort of things do you tend to pray about? How might this passage, which speaks of the Holy Spirit’s crucial role in our prayers, encourage and challenge your default prayers? 
  2. When Paul says “all things work together for the good of those who love God…” (Romans 8:28) what surfaces in your mind? How does verse 29 help you understand what the “good” in verse 28 is? 
  3. Discuss the Tauren Wells lyric, “If it’s not good then He’s not done, no He's not done with it yet.” How might those lyrics based on Romans 8:28 speak into present situations in your life? 
  4. Paul says that we have been “predestined to be conformed to the image of his son” (v.29). Does the word “predestined” spark various ideas and emotions? Discuss. Then linger on the truth of God’s sovereign work in calling you and saving you before the foundations of the world. 
  5. Read verse 30 together or on your own a couple times. Try to imagine what glorification will be like. You might consider the resurrection accounts of Jesus. Then spend time in prayer praising God together or on your own for the glory that is to come. 

QUOTES: 

  • Folks, if we could lose our salvation, we would.  Voddie Baucham
  • If it's not good then He's not done, no He's not done with it yet
  • There will be joy in the morning. Tauren Wells
  • The provision which God has made in his providence for the sustenance and comfort of man and beast is not sparing.  He has made the earth to teem with good things to satisfy the needs of man and beast and to meet their varied tastes and appetites…The provision which God has made for the salvation of men is even more strikingly manifold…This superabundance appears in the historic accomplishment of redemption by the work of Christ once for all; and it appears in the application of redemption continuously and progressively till it reaches its consummation in the liberty of the glory of the children of God. John Murray
  • The Holy Spirit, in the act of effectual calling, causes the soul to become regenerate by implanting a new governing principle or habit of spiritual affection and action. The soul itself, in conversion, immediately acts under the guidance of this new principle in turning from sin unto God through Christ.  A.A. Hodge
  • It is important to consider how the gospel affects and transforms the act of repentance. In ”religion‘ the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so he will continue to bless you and answer your prayers. This means that ”religious repentance‘ is a) selfish, b) self-righteous, c) and bitter all the way to the bottom. But in the gospel the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ in order to weaken our need to do anything contrary to God‘s heart.  Tim Keller
  • [Justification] cannot come from looking in the mirror…one simply cannot justify his own heroism…[It] can only come from outside the individual, from beyond…[but not simply any beyond].  It has to come from the absolute beyond… from our conceptualization of the ultimate source of things, the perfection of creation. E. Becker

  • Regeneration is birth; sanctification is growth. In regeneration, God implants desires that were not there before: desire for God, for holiness, and for the hallowing and glorifying of God's name in this world; desire to pray, worship, love, serve, honor, and please God; desire to show love and bring benefit to others. In sanctification, the Holy Spirit "works in you to will and to act" according to God's purpose; what he does is prompt you to "work out your salvation" (i.e., express it in action) by fulfilling these new desires (Phil. 2:12-13). JI Packer

  • Glorification is the believer’s great hope for the future.  God will make all things right and keep it that way throughout all eternity.  But glorification is a present comfort as well.  In this fallen world where we experience sin both within and without, there is comfort in knowing that God is working even now to purify his saints in preparation for their future glory. R.C. Sproul

  • For wherever the soul of man turns itself, unless towards You, it is affixed to sorrows, yea, though it is affixed to beauteous things… Augustine

BOOKS / DOCS