Explores the profound depth of God's redemptive love and the role of the Spirit in our redemption.
Good morning, beloved friends and family. Today, we gather here in shared faith, unified in our desire to understand more deeply the profound depth of God's love and the extraordinary redemption He offers us through His Spirit. In the hustle and bustle of life, we may sometimes overlook the magnitude of this redemption. But today, let's pause for a moment, let's take a breath, and let's turn our hearts and minds to the beautiful truth of God's redemptive love.
We find ourselves in the pages of Romans 8:26-30 today, a passage that shines a light on the role of the Spirit in our redemption, the power of overcoming negative experiences, and the relevance of God's redemption in our everyday lives. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, writes:
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."
The Spirit of God is our helper in times of weakness. This is a profound truth that we often overlook. When we are weak, when we are unsure of what to say or how to pray, it is the Spirit that steps in. He intercedes on our behalf, communicating our deepest needs and desires to God. This is not a passive act, but an active, powerful intervention. The Spirit doesn't just whisper our prayers, He groans them, expressing the depth of our longing and our need for God's intervention.
The Spirit's intercession is not based on our understanding or our words: It is based on the will of God. The Spirit knows the mind of God and aligns our prayers with His will. This is a profound comfort to us. Even when we don't know what to pray for, even when we can't find the words, the Spirit is praying the right prayers on our behalf. He is aligning our hearts with the heart of God.
This alignment is not just about our prayers: It's about our lives. God is working in all things for our good. This doesn't mean that everything that happens to us is good. But it does mean that God is able to use everything, even the hard and painful things, for our ultimate good. This is a powerful promise. It gives us hope and courage in the face of adversity. It assures us that no matter what we face, God is working for our good.
This promise is not for everyone: It is for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. This is an important distinction. God's promise of working for our good is not a blanket promise for all people. It is a promise for those who are in a relationship with Him, those who love Him and are living according to His purpose. This is a call to examine our hearts and our lives. Are we living in love and obedience to God? Are we living according to His purpose?
God's purpose for us is not a mystery: He has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. This is a high calling. It is a calling to holiness, to Christlikeness. It is a calling to be transformed from the inside out, to become more and more like Jesus in our thoughts, our attitudes, our actions. This transformation is not a human effort. It is the work of the Spirit in us.
God's call is a call to justification and glorification: Justification is a legal term. It means that we are declared righteous in the sight of God. Not because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ. This is a profound truth. We stand before God not in our own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Christ. Glorification is our ultimate destiny. It is the final stage of our transformation, when we will be made perfect, without sin, in the image of Christ. This is our hope, our future, our glorious destiny. And it is all the work of the Spirit in us.
In the midst of life's trials and tribulations, we often find ourselves ensnared by negative experiences ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO
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