Romans 8:26

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 105:1-5
• Hymn — Oh, Praise the Lord, His Deeds Make Known
• Prayer of Invocation
• Heidelberg Catechism — Lord's Day 25 (Questions 65–68)
• Hymn of the Month — My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
• Pastoral Prayer
• Sermon
• Hymn — Spirit of God, Dwell Thou Within My Heart (#393)
• Benediction

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Sermon Title: The Spirit Intercedes in Our Weakness

Scripture: Romans 8:26-27

I. Our Weak Condition in Our Waiting Prayers

A. Paul introduces verse 26 with "likewise," connecting the Spirit's help to the patient hope already described in Romans 8:18-25

1. Christians live between two worlds — the fallen creation and the glory to come
2. The Spirit's help is now directed not only at suffering but at an inward deficiency — our weakness

B. We have the right to commune with God in prayer

1. As image-bearers, God made us for communion with him, giving us thought and speech
2. Adam and Eve enjoyed communion with God in the garden; after the fall, that communion became distorted
3. Christ restored the enjoyment of communion with the Father; through him we have the right to cry "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15)

C. Yet we lack the required knowledge to pray as we ought (Romans 8:26)

1. The weakness is not merely how to pray, but what to pray for
2. John Stott: we are unsure whether to pray for deliverance from suffering or for strength to endure it
3. Paul's own thorn in the flesh illustrates this — he prayed three times for removal, but God's will was endurance (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)
4. The fall clouded our knowledge of God and of ourselves; our prayers are full of self-interest and often misdirected
5. Our instinct is to pray "make this stop," but we do not always know what we ought to pray for

II. The Spirit's Comfort in Our Waiting Prayers

A. The Spirit is our helper and intercessor

1. Promised by Christ in John 14 as the Helper sent by the Father and the Son
2. His manner of helping is intercession — he intercedes for the saints (Romans 8:27)
3. John Murray: Christians have two divine intercessors — Christ intercedes in the court of heaven; the Spirit intercedes in the court of their hearts

B. The Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26)

1. Creation and God's people groan in Romans 8:18-25; now the Spirit himself groans within us
2. The groanings originate in the Spirit, not merely translations of our prayers — they are his own expression on our behalf
3. The Spirit knows the layout of our hearts perfectly — our cares, concerns, and conflicts too deep for us to articulate
4. Stott: these are unspoken, agonized longings for final redemption and the consummation of all things

C. The Spirit intercedes according to his perfect unity with the Father (Romans 8:27)

1. The Father searches hearts and knows the mind of the Spirit — he knows the Spirit perfectly (1 Chronicles 28:9; Jeremiah 17:10)
2. The Spirit is perfectly of one will with the Father; his intercessions always conform to the will of God
3. John Murray: though our groanings are inarticulate, they are wholly intelligible to God and found to be in accordance with his will
4. The Father and Spirit work in perfect harmony, bringing before God exactly what we need

D. This truth is comfort, not an excuse for prayerlessness

1. Jesus commands persistent prayer and not losing heart (Luke 18:1)
2. Paul commands, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
3. Name your needs as best you know them; have confidence the Spirit expresses them perfectly before the Father
4. Cry to him as a needy child — he knows what you need better than you know yourself