We have seen the amazing grace of God and powerful work of the Holy Spirit that has brought us into the adoption of sons. Not only has the Holy Spirit given affirmation that we are God’s children, He has given us the assurance that God is “Abba, Father.” The Holy Spirit is not finished when He brings this assurance. He continues to work in us to prepare us for the future glory that shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:29-30 NLT For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.
I am not sure we are able to comprehend the depth of what God has done for us. Consider the depth of change that has happened when He chose us, made us His children, and established us with a right standing in Christ.
Romans 11:33 NIV Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
1 John 3:1 NIV How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Everyone who belongs to the Father has this confidence in Him and yet we groan within ourselves for the day when we shall appear in His presence. Consider the depth of the confidence that we have in Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:22 NLT For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
As a result of Adam and Eve’s sin, the entire creation suffered. All of this creation is awaiting the day when it shall be delivered from the bondage of its corruption.
Romans 8:23 NLT And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
Take note of the word “groan.” All creation is groaning as in the pains of childbirth, and we believers, who have the Holy Spirit, also groan.
What is this “groaning?”
It is in expectation of what God is going to reveal. We long with eager expectation and hope for the day that adopted children will receive their full rights as God’s children. Take a look at the next verses and watch the Holy Spirit’s involvement in this earnest expectation.
Romans 8:24-26 NLT We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
The moment we were saved, God gave us this “hope” and “earnest expectation.”
The endowment of the Holy Spirit within us has taken this “hope” to a new level. We have such confidence in what God has prepared for us that we do not “hope” as the world does. We know beyond any doubt that God has prepared this glory for us. Again, this is where the Holy Spirit helps us. The Holy Spirit helps us and prays for us in our weakness. The word “weaknesses” refers to the infirmity of the body or feebleness of mind. It is the inability to resist. We are weak. In our weaknesses “the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” Inside of us the Holy Spirit is groaning. He is raising a deep earnest longing and intercession within us for that day that we shall be revealed in all of Christ’s glory.
There is another side to the Holy Spirit’s intercession within us.
Romans 8:27-28 NLT And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
We have the advantage of the Holy Spirit’s help.
When Jesus was here, He was a comforter, healer, miracle worker, counselor, helper, and friend. Jesus administered that ministry everywhere He went. Jesus spoke and ministered to hundreds and thousands of people. He ministered to people’s needs and gave words of wisdom and knowledge. Throughout all of His incarnation, Jesus revealed the Father and brought His love and compassion to those who were wounded, bruised, sick, grieving and dying.
One great disadvantage of His ministry was that Jesus could only be in one place at a time.
When Lazarus was sick unto death, Jesus was not there. Mary and Martha said, “If you would have been here our brother Lazarus would not have died.” Because of this human limitation of time and space, Jesus called the 12 and later 70 disciples, and sent them out with His name and authority. They went into towns and villages with the same ministry and message that Jesus was commissioned with. They were given power to heal the sick, cast out demons and declare the Gospel of the Kingdom. Still, there was the human limitation. Only those Jesus personally touched, commissioned, trained, and sent were equipped to carry on the work of the ministry.
John 16:7 NKJV Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
Why is it better or expedient for the Holy Spirit to come? What advantage is gained by the Holy Spirit being our helper?
When the Holy Spirit comes, believers never lose contact with God’s presence, power, or word. The Holy Spirit constantly communicates to believers and provides access to the Father and help.
We have the Divine Paráklētos.
1 John tells us that Jesus Christ is the “Advocate,” or Paráklētos to the Father.
1 John 2:1 NKJV My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
If Jesus Christ is our Advocate with the Father, why do we need the Holy Spirit to be our Helper, Paráklētos?
The Holy Spirit has been sent along beside to help us. We have a Divine Advocate on earth and in heaven. As our Great High Priest, Jesus is our Advocate in heaven. He is seated at the right hand of the Father where He always lives to make intercession for us.
Hebrews 1:3 NIV The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Hebrews 8:1 NIV The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a High Priest, Who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
Hebrews 12:2 NIV Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Romans 8:34 NLT Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for He is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us.
Don’t lose sight of this fact that Jesus Christ did this for us. He became flesh and blood, took on our sins, and was raised to life and was exalted to the highest place of honor so that He might constantly plead for you.
Right now we have the Holy Spirit Advocate (Paráklētos) here on earth. What is the advantage of having an Advocate here on earth?
The Holy Spirit intercedes for us from within us. He knows what to pray because He knows what is in the Father’s heart and mind and He knows everything that is going on in heaven and on earth. The Holy Spirit is involved in both worlds. He has unimpeded access and is not constrained in His intercession for us. He intimately knows our heart and needs.
Romans 8:27 NIV84 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Watch this process.
David told Solomon, “The Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intentions of the thoughts,” (1 Chronicles 28:9). God knows the mind of the Spirit, and the Spirit intercedes for us in harmony with the will of God.
Romans 8:28-29 NIV84 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 likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
How does this work?
God sees all things and is not hindered by time or space. Since He knows the beginning and the ending at the same time, He predestined or pre-determined that everyone who would respond to His call would be conformed to the likeness of His Son.
The Holy Spirit has a language of prayer that He prays through you.
When the Holy Spirit intercedes in prayer, we are assured and have confidence of God’s best.
So, what is the advantage of a Divine Advocate /Paráklētos here with us?
He knows how to pray for us. He knows all things that impact our spirit, mind and body. He is turning things around for us and is causing things to work out for our good. He is conforming us into the image of Christ. We are objects of the Father’s love.
God has established a path of victory and overcoming life for His children.
He knows the plans that He has for us, plans for good and not disaster, plans for a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) He is working to conform or change us into the image of His Son. He is in the process of making us like Christ. Heaven will be populated with Christlike saints (children) of God. When Christ shall appear, we shall be like Him. Read the end of the Bible when you are discouraged. Nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ.
Look at our triumphal assurance.
Romans 8:31-39 NLT What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If God be for us who can be against us? If He gave His Son for us, will He not with Him freely give us all things? If God justifies, who will accuse us? Who will condemn us if Christ died for us?
Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.
We have a Divine Advocate at the right hand of the Father. This further guarantees the prosperity of the righteous. We can face all types of adversities with confidence.
Who shall be able to separate us from Christ’s love?
Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, or sword? In all of these things surpassing victory is ours through Christ. No principality, power, or celestial hierarchy of heaven or hell can sever the believer from Christ’s love. Our connection with Christ is in the power of His victory.
This is guaranteed in the past tense.
The cross of Christ has guaranteed our victory. His resurrection secured victory over hell, death, and the grave. All of Satan’s hierarchy has been defeated.
Presently, Christ our Divine Advocate takes care of our persecutions, distresses, sickness, tribulations, and pains (Ephesians 4:9; Romans 10:7; Matthew 12:40).
The Lord is sitting at the right hand of the Father to make intercession for you.
In the future, Christ has guaranteed surpassing victory.
Even death cannot separate us from this. No circumstance in life can separate us. Nothing that is to come can separate us from this victory and hope. This ends in our heavenly triumph.
Revelation 1:17-18 NIV Jesus said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
We are a part of Christ’s body here on earth and the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our bodies. He wants to walk and talk with us. He wants to work signs and wonders through us. He wants to bring us into Christ’s victory that overcomes the world.
