Introduction and Review

Several weeks ago, I preached to you all a message on Praying in the Holy Ghost. And the text we covered was Romans 8:26,27:

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 there were two ways we were gonna look at this. Let me just read to you my introduction from that message:

This verse brings to our attention the New Testament principle of praying in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit. The bible teaches us and encourages us to pray in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18, Paul says, Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; In the letter to Jude, chapter 1, verse 20 it says, But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

And of course this brings to us many questions: Are we praying in the Holy Ghost? What is praying in the Holy Ghost? Is this something that we are practicing? Now answering this is not necessarily easy in certain respects. Now I’ve come to this: There’s two ways to answer these questions. There’s two ways to look upon this matter of praying in the Spirit. Both ways are beneficial to study. I’ll preach on one today and the other another time. Both ways may very well be right.

Preacher Allen would always say that there are always two train tracks traveling side by side. One track is the Sovereignty of God and the other is the Free Will of Man. If you ever wake up in the morning and only see one track, go back to sleep. There’s something wrong.

And what we did was go down the track of the Free Will of Man. At least we tried to. I tried to shed some light on our part of this praying in the Spirit. I tried to present this as something that we should strive for. Something that you can’t just sit on your haunch and expect the windows of heaven to open to you. Something to strive for. Something to learn about. I had said: On this side, there’s a free market to this matter of prayer. The benefits of our prayer life is directly proportional to how hard we work at it. James said (James 5;16) The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. And I brought you three points:

#1 The Holy Spirit Knows Why to Pray

We need help. In this current state, in our infirmities, in our weaknesses, we are in desperate need of help. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities… That’s our motive for praying in the Spirit. It is to this end that the Father has sent him to us. He said I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. (John 14:18) We need help in this world. We need a Comforter.

#2 The Holy Spirit Knows What to Pray

And we talked about the teaching ministry of the Holy Ghost. And that the Holy Ghost will teach us to pray as Jesus taught his disciples to pray. (John 14:26) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. And the text read for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. So we looked at the Lord’s prayer. This is the matter in which we should pray. I tried to demonstrate to you through the scriptures that the Holy Spirit is very much concerned about every aspect of the Lord’s prayer: the Father, the kingdom, the will of God, our daily bread, forgiveness of our sins and other’s, and protection (deliverance from evil).

#3 The Holy Spirit Knows How to Pray

…but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. There is an intensity to the intercession of the Holy Ghost. God is groaning for us. There’s a fervency and an effort made on our behalf before the throne of God. And this is the manner in which we should pray.

So all these things: the Spirit knows why to pray, what to pray, and how to pray. I brought all this to us (the motive of prayer, the matter of prayer, and the manner of prayer) that we might yearn and strive to pray under these constructs, that we might endeavor to pray in the Holy Ghost. We have a free will. And it should be our will to pray in the Holy Ghost.

The Sovereignty of God

However, I said there are two ways to look upon this matter of praying in the Spirit. And I said we’d cover one that day and cover the other another day. Well I believe that day has come upon us. We went on to Romans 8:28 and 29. But I feel that it would be good to go back and look at this again from that other perspective.

There’s two tracks. There’s the free will of man on one side and the sovereignty of God on the other. You need both tracks. You can’t go anywhere on one track. So I want to look at this text again through the perspective of the Sovereignty of God.

You say, Preacher, you keep saying that, the sovereignty of God. What is sovereignty? Well, you’ll find out when somebody encroaches on your sovereignty.  I believe that the word sovereign comes from two words super and reign. Super means above. Reign means to rule. So in a sense, it means the super ruler; or can I say this: the ruler above rulers. (Revelation 19:6) And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. There’s you a biblical definition for sovereign: King of kings and Lord of lords.

#1 The Holiness of God

In this first section, Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, To declare our infirmities, is to declare the goodness and holiness of God. To admit that we are sick is to declare that God is pure and clean. (Romans 7:16) I never thought in my wildest dreams I’d truly gain an understanding of this verse or use it effectively, but I know no other verse that demonstrates this truth so well. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. If we admit, or if we ascribe our infirmities to ourselves, then we ascribe holiness and purity and goodness to God. (Mark 2:17) They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

In this first section, I see the holiness of God, the righteousness, the purity and goodness of God. God is not like us, infirm, sickly, and plagued. (Romans 3:4) …yea, let God be true, but every man a liar… I see the holiness of God. So when we enter into prayer, praying in the Holy Ghost, we are entering in the holy of holies, the very presence a holy God. (Hebrews 10:19) Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

The bible says (1 Corinthians 3:16,17) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Do you see that the temple is made holy by reason of him who has dwelt in it? God told Moses (Exodus 3:5) …put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Can I say this: God’s presence makes right that which is wrong. God’s presence heals that which is infirm. God’s presence makes clean that which is dirty. God’s presence makes pure that which is impure. I remember Brother Lester Roloff once said that death and sickness and sin could not stand before Jesus. Everywhere he went, where sin was it fled. Where sickness was it fled. Where death was it fled. It all fled from the face of Jesus. The blind were made to see. The lame were made to walk. The lepers were cleansed. And the dead were raised up. Things changed when Jesus passed by. God said (Isaiah 1:18) Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Remember that woman with the issue of blood. (Matthew 9:21) For she said within herself, If I may but touch (the hem of) his garment, I shall be whole. Brother and sisters, we got more than just the hem of his garment. Can I say this: We are the garment! We are his temple. He lives in us. He walk in us. He dwells in us. Paul said, for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. The temple is made holy by reason and merit of him who dwells in it. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities.

(1 Corinthians 6:19) …know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God… I think one key things to understanding in this praying in the Holy Ghost is just that: He’s the HOLY Ghost! And He is the Spirit of a HOLY God! Praise the Lord for His holiness! Praise the Lord for his cleansing power! Sin cannot stand before his presence. Impurities and stains are washed away. Dirt is swept away. The dross is burned away. Thank God that the HOLY Ghost makes the temple holy.

And another key thing in understanding this things about praying in the Holy Ghost is the Holy Ghost praying in you. Praying in the Holy Ghost is the Holy Ghost praying in you. But you see, I’m preaching about the the Sovereignty of God and the holiness of God. This doesn’t have anything to do with my free will. This is just so. If you are saved, it’s just so. In this first section we see the holiness of God.

#2 The Knowledge of God

When we look at this next verse part of the verse, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, there’s a little word there: know. We know not. And our lack of knowledge brings to mind the knowledge of God. God knows everything! God is omniscient. That word omniscient means all knowing. God knows everything!

• (1 Samuel 2:3) …for the LORD is a God of knowledge…
• (2 Peter 2:9) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations…
  
• (Psalm 1:6) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous…
  
• (Nahum 1:7) …he knoweth them that trust in him.
  
• (Psalm 94:11) The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man…
• (Psalm 44:21) …for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
• (Proverbs 2:6) …out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

God knows everything! God knows what you’re going through. God knows your weaknesses. God know how all this is gonna pan out. God knows the beginning from the end. There’s all kinds of things I suppose we can say about this, but let me share something that I understand.

At the shop, there’s a saying that I have that I’ve been using for years and I just realized just how true this is. Here it is: Knowledge is responsibility. At the shop, the best way to get out of having responsibility in a matter, is to not have any knowledge of it. There’s a lot of times that my Dad is giving me information about a job that isn’t mine. It’s my brother’s job. So I’m like no, no, no! I don’t need to know this. I’m not responsible for this job. I gained the knowledge of how to troubleshoot and fix those waterjet machines we have. Guess who’s responsible for fixing them? Knowledge is responsibility. Sometimes my brother is giving me information about a job or something, and it’s alot of information, I’ll just interrupt and say, “Do I need to know this?” Am I going to be responsible for this information? Because if I’m not, I really don’t want it.

But God knows everything! Therefore, he is responsible for everything. And if he’s responsible, then He will see it through. Sometimes, we just have to learn, to take our hands off a situation and let God handle it. He knows what’s going on anyhow. If he knows, then he’s responsible. Knowledge is responsibility. If He has all knowledge, then he has all responsibility. When you give someone responsibilities, what does that mean? It means you trust them. It means you trust them to see it through. It means you have confidence in them and trust them to take care of that task or that job or that situation, amen? (Proverbs 3:5,6) Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

He’s got all the knowledge and all the understanding. That means we can put all our trust and confidence in him. And God is not like man. God is faithful. God is not going to shirk the responsibility that is laid upon Him by his knowledge. This is an attribute of His sovereignty. Have you ever heard the #1 rule of leadership? It’s always your fault. Why? Because the leader is who is responsible or who is held responsible. Leadership (sovereignty) is responsibility. Well Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord or Lords. Amen? We ought to sing as that old song Living by Faith. 

The Lord I know ruleth o’er everything, and all of my worry is vain…

For we know not what we should pray for… That means, in a sense, we’re not responsible. If knowledge is responsibility, and you don’t have the knowledge, then that means that you don’t have the responsibility. I’m not responsible for the outcome when God is in control. All I have to do is obey. If things aren’t working out, then that’s God’s problem. But when he does work it out, then he get’s the glory. Amen? Amen brother Rick.

#3 The Prayers of God

So we see the holiness of God and the knowledge of God. In this next section …but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered we see these words maketh intercession. In the following we verse, (27) we have it used again because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. So I just cannot get this thought out of my head when I see this maketh intercession. And that is that God the Holy Spirit prays. I guess for sometime now, I never thought of the Holy Ghost on his knees as Jesus was on his knees praying for me to God the Father. But it says it. Maketh intercession. That means he’s interceding for me. That means he’s intervening on my behalf. He’s pleading my case. He’s advocating for me. He’s my representative before God down here. And Jesus is my representative up there. So I’ve got alot working for me. The Holy Spirit and Jesus are just as much God as God is God. So when we look at these parts of the text, we see the Prayers of God. I see a few things in the prayers of God.

The People of God

He makes intercession for us and he makes intercession for the saints. Us and the saints? These are the people of God. (Psalm 100:3) Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. We may not be perfect. We may need help and intercession, but that does not take away from the fact that we are his people. We are his church! (Matthew 16:18) … I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I thank God that I am one of his people. I thank God that I am in the church.

(Revelation 21:3) …and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. We don’t have to wait until Revelation Chapter 21 to be his people. If we are not his people now, we will have no part in Revelation 21. He’s praying and interceding for HIS people. We are the people of God. There has always been a people of God. (Genesis 4:26) And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD. That’s us. We are God’s people. (Romans 10:14) Whoseoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

And the fact that God has a people makes exalts His sovereignty. Amen? Kings have kingdoms. Kingdoms have subjects; people. Amen? The kingdom of God is not of the people, by the people, and for the people. No. The kingdom of God is of God, and by God, and for God. He is the King and we are his people. And if you have a problem with that, you better check up. He intercedes for us; for the saints of God. Some people got it all backwards. They think the saints are interceding for them. No. The Holy Ghost intercedes for the saints; the holy band.

I’m glad I’m in that holy band. I’m glad I’m in the church. I am a part of the body of Christ. I’m one of them. I’m one of His People. I’m not my own. I’ve been bough with a price. (1 Peter 1:18,19) Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (23) Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. I’ve been born into his family. There’s that sovereignty again. Birth is a miracle. Once you’re born into a family. There’s nothing you can do to get out of it. My children are my children no matter what they do. I’m a child of God and there’s nothing I can do or not do that is going to change that. It’s just so because God said it’s so.

The Passion of God

We see the people of God. We also see the passion of God. but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And I covered alot this when we preached about prayers last time: The Holy Spirit knows How to pray. With groaning which cannot be uttered. Let me repeat a few things from that:

God the Holy Spirit groans like God the Son. If you want to get a picture of what that looks like, take a little visit to the garden of Gethsename. (Luke 22:44) And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. That’s Jesus Christ praying, amen? Like the old songwrite wrote, “Not a tear for his own grief, but sweat drops of blood for mine.”

Jesus loved the family of Lazarus; Mary and Martha. When Jesus showed up to the town in which they lived after Lazarus had died, the bible says (John 11:32,33) Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, God is concerned with the affairs and hearts of the those he loves. The bible says that he groaned and was troubled at the weeping of Mary. He hurts when we hurt. Those who saw said, Behold how he loved him! He mourned with those that mourned. He groaned in the spirit, in the depths of his person, he groaned.

And when we preached this last time, I used these verses and truths to encourage us to want to pray like Jesus and the Holy Spirit; to pray earnestly; to reach down and pray from within. We were preaching on the manner of prayer. But what I want us to step back and see is that God has a passion for his people. God has a passion for his people. He loves his people. He cares for them. He’s concerned for them. You don’t groan for someone you don’t love.

He’s demonstrated that on the cross. (Romans 5:8) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He died for us, gave himself for us. We are the object of his passion. (Hebrew 12:2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. That joy is you and me and the people of God. He endured the cross for me. He endured the cross because he had a passion, a passion for sinners.

• He has a passion for this old sinful world. (John 3:16,17) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
• He has a passion for his church, his people. (Ephesians 5:25) Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
• He has a passion for me. Paul said (Galatians 2:20) ..the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
  

You don’t give yourself to something unless you are passionate about it. He gave himself. He gave everything he had. This reminds me of the greatest commandment: (Mark 12:30) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. That’s what God did for us. He put all his heart, and all his soul, and all his mind, and all his strength into loving us. It took him seven days to set this world in motion. He’s spent already 6000 years building his church. He’s the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. We’re worth something to God. Jesus said (Matthew 16:26) For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  You are worth more to God than this whole world.

Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting outside on the side of a ditch I had carved out. I was just sitting out there in the open. And all of a sudden there comes this man running down the street. Well he turns in toward me. So I get up. I figure he wants to talk to me. And he’s running. And I’m wondering what in the world is this guy up to. Well as he’s coming he’s asking me if I seen his silver pug. Apparently, that’s a dog. It’s a dog with that ugly smooshed face. He said it had run out and he was looking for it. He asks me if I see him, could I call him and let him know. And he held out his business card with his name and number on it. Well, as I took the card I look up at his face, and there were tears running down his face. He said “That dog is all I got. She means everything to me. She ran out and I can’t find her. I love that dog.” And I said okay I will. And I shook his hand and he ran off looking for that silver pug. That man had a passion for that dog.

You might not think that you’re much worth much more than a dog, but God has got a passion for you. You might be like that woman with the daughter who was sick. Jesus said to her (Matthew 15:26)  It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said to that (27,28) Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Can I say this? God has a passion for us dogs. At first glance, Jesus seemed reluctant to answer the woman. But do you realize that in verse 21 Jesus came into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon and in verse 29 he went out of Tyre and Sidon and he never returned there again. And from verse 22 to verse 28 the only person that Jesus dealt with was that woman with the sick daughter.

(Song of Solomon 4:9) Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes… with one chain of thy neck. You think about that! Just one of thine eyes will ravish his heart. Just one little peak up to heaven and God is moved in the heart. We’re sitting here thinking that we’re not good enough. That we fail all the time. How can God ever love me? God doesn’t care about me. Oh but if we would just peek up to heaven, if we’d just look up to heaven, we’d touch the heart of God. He has a passion for his people. He intercedes, he prays with groanings which cannot be uttered. His groanings have given away his heart.

The Purpose of God

In the prayer of God, we see the people of god, the passion of God, but we also wee the purpose of God: because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. The purpose of God is the will of God. (Ephesian 5:17) Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. The Holy Ghost’s purpose in prayer is that we might find, know, and do the will of God. And this thing about finding God’s perfect will, is getting bigger and bigger to me as this life in Christ presses forward.

Being in God’s perfect will is the greatest peace that this Christian life affords. Being out of God’s will is the greatest misery for the saint of God. I want to be in God’s perfect will. His will are his desires, his plans, his heart, his passion for his people. The Holy Ghost groans on our behalf to God the Father that we might be in his will.

Preacher Allen has always said “Get on the possom’s trail for God’s perfect will in your life, and don’t let anything stand in your way!” When I think of this, I think of a hound dog just sniffing around trying to catch the trail of that possum. He might go left. He might go right. He might circle a tree. He might circle a bush for a little while. Ah, but when he catch the scent gets on that trail, it’s Arooo! Arooo! Arooo! He’s got the trail. And he’s on the move.

God has a plan. (expound) ?

It’s not my will, but thy will be done. (expound) ?

When God’s will become important in your life, then you can sing that song:

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I’d rather be his than have riches untold. I’d rather have Jesus than houses or land. Yes I’d rather be led by his nail pierced hand.

Praying in the Holy Ghost is seeking the Sovereign will of God. If we had any part in determining that, then God would not be sovereign. He’s either in control or he’s not. Don’t ever give up in searching for God’s perfect will. Keep praying to that end. Keep asking. Keep seeking. And keep knocking. (Luke 11:10) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (1 John 5:14,15) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Don’t think for one second that God doesn’t care. That’s all he does. (1 Peter 5:7) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. The Holy Ghost is groaning and travailing for God’s people that we might find and do the will of God. God’s will in not some haphazard plan. He’s not making this up as we go along. It’s of old, it’s from everlasting. It’s conceived in the eternal mind of the everlasting God before the foundations of this world. God knows what he’s doing. I just want to be part of it.

Conclusion

There’s two tracks. Remember that there’s two tracks. The freewill of man and the sovereignty of God. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh weak. That spirit has a little s. That’s your spirit. Your spirit is willing, but that old flesh is weak. When things are looking weak on your side of track… When the wheels start coming off… And they will. (Rom 7:18) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. Remember there’s a whole other side to this journey. Trust and lean on the holiness, the knowledge, and prayers of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God.