Our Helper In Prayer

About this sermon

Introduction: If you ask the average Christian, “Where do you struggle most in your walk with God? Where do you often feel most inadequate?” There will be two answers that you often receive. Christians feel their weakness in prayer. Christians feel their weakness in decision making. I mean decision making in matters of wisdom. We often find ourselves not knowing how to pray effectively. We often find ourselves not knowing exactly what God’s will would be for a given set of choices that face us. The verses that we come to today address both of those issues. And in both matters we find that our God encourages us. He encourages us because He acknowledges our weakness in these areas, but He also assures us that the ministry of His Spirit answers for those weaknesses. This morning we will fix our attention on the question of prayer, tonight we will fix our attention on knowing the will of God, and we will see how the Holy Spirit’s ministry addresses both needs. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR HELPER IN PRAYER (vs.26a) (likewise) As we said a moment ago, prayer is an area of great challenge for God’s people. That has always been the case. When we look back to the time when our Lord was on this earth, we see that John’s disciples needed instruction in prayer, and that the Lord’s apostles desired instruction in prayer. ESV Luke 11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." Think about it, of all the things that the disciples could have asked Jesus to teach them, the one thing they wanted specific instruction about, was prayer. And since they appealed to him based on John’s instruction of his disciples, it appears that John’s disciples sensed the same need. What was true of John’s disciples, and of our Lord’s apostles, is true for us. We know that we struggle in prayer. The 26th verse begins with the word “likewise.” There is a connection between the Spirit’s ministry described in these verses and what has come before. The question is, what precisely is that connection. Commentators differ on that question. Let me give you three options. HIS MINISTRY IN PRAYER HAS TO DO WITH PRESENT SUFFERING How do we navigate the present sufferings? We do so by fixing our hearts and minds on our glorious future, but we also do so by directing our hearts and minds to God through prayer. HIS MINISTRY IN PRAYER IS A THIRD KIND OF GROANING The creation groans, the believer groans, and likewise the Spirit helps us in prayer with His own groaning. And I would agree that the groaning referred to here is not the groaning of the believer, but the groaning of the Spirit of God. And we will talk about that later. MacArthur understands the word likewise to refer to that, to the Spirit’s groaning. John MacArthur – “In the same way refers back to the groans of the creation and of believers for redemption from the corruption and defilement of sin. Here Paul reveals the immeasurably comforting truth that the Holy Spirit comes alongside us and all creation in groaning for God’s ultimate day of restoration and His eternal reign of righteousness.” I completely agree that the Spirit comes alongside us with this groaning, I just don’t know that the word “likewise” or as the NASB translates it, “in the same way” refers to the groaning. Rather, I think a third option is the best way to understand this reference. THE SPIRIT’S PRESENCE DOESN’T JUST ENABLE PRAYER BUT ALSO SERVES TO HELP US IN PRAYER This would look back to verses 15-17. Paul taught us that it is by the Spirit that we cry out Abba Father. It would see verses 18-25 as a side discussion explaining the suffering mentioned in verse 17, and then a return to the theme of the Spirit’s presence in the believer, and therefore the believer’s relationship to God. HIS PRESENCE MEANS THAT WE PRAY (vs.15-17) It is by the Holy Spirit that we pray. Because He lives in us, we cry out to God. And, if not for His presence there would be no true prayer issuing from us. CAN WE BE CLEAR ON THIS? CAN WE UNDERSTAND THAT ONLY CHRISTIANS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO TRULY PRAY? Only those who come in the name of Jesus have open access to very throne room of God in prayer. ESV Hebrews 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. In John 14-16 this is greatly emphasized by our Lord. He promised that we would come to the Father in His name for all that we need. He also promised that the Holy Spirit would be given to us in His name, and what is clearly indicated is that by that same Spirit we would approach the Father in the name of the Son.

Topics

• Prayer