Wednesday 07/08/15
Series: Abiding in the Vine VII
Message – Abiding in the Vine VII.mp3
Our current purpose for Wednesday nights is as a supplement to Sunday’s teachings on the soils. So that we can learn how to have good soil…abiding in our Vine and produce fruit unto Godliness by the Power of the Gospel of Christ! Right!?
Tonight are looking at one way in which the Holy Spirit is our helper/comforter, and this I pray and honestly believe will result in your taking this intervening of the Holy Spirit far more preciously than you have before.
If thoughtfully and gratefully experienced, it can be one of the most awakening and rewarding of experiences in the Christian life here on earth – a very tactile way of experiencing the nearness of the Holy Spirit – His loving, careful and EVER Faithful intervention on our part.
It can (if we allow it – if approached in the right way) awaken a deep and completely surreal experience of our fellowship with Him – our Co-partnership with Him.
The Next Level
Turn to Romans 8 beginning in verse 1.
This chapter comes after Paul’s famous statements outlining the inner struggle to realize and live in the victory over sin Christ made available in every single Christian life.
In Chapter 5 – Paul tells us that we have been justified and are destined for glorification. That God’s grace is our means of realizing victory over sin in this life, though we live in bodies of death and that in fact, that grace abounds under these adverse circumstances.
In Chapter 6 – He tells us that even though grace abounds where sin abounds, we should not live in sin, but walk free from it. He tells us that we have died to sin by dying with Christ and that this sort of thinking should own our hearts so that we do not surrender to sin’s desire to reign in our hearts.
In Chapter 7 – Paul talks about having been set free from slavery to the law – which only awakened and stirred up sin due to our fallen natures. He further talks frankly about our struggles against sin – that even though we inwardly hate it – our bodies are still inclined towards ungodliness.
In Chapter 8 – he discusses HOW we can live in victory over sin in the flesh – by the inward aid and help of the Holy Spirit. That is where we are beginning….
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself comes to our rescue and pleads for us in yearnings for which we can find no words,” – Rom. 8:26
What an AWESOME passage and promise!
The Spirit HELPS – (didn’t we discuss this characteristic of the precious Holy Spirit two weeks ago?)
Sun-anti-lambáno-mai, from sún (G4862), together, and anti (mutual or against – in this case mutual) lambánō (G482), to support, help. So Antilambano – means to take, to hold. Used in the middle passive form antilambánomai, means to take hold of another mutually as by the hand, hence figuratively to support from falling, to support, help or assist.
So, altogether this compound word means to assist someone, to offer help or aid, together with someone.
What do you here in this definition? Fellowship….co-partnership!
What does the Holy Spirit come together and assist us concerning? Our weaknesses!
Our Weaknesses
In the NT, this word (and two others) are the most common expressions for illness and are used in the comprehensive sense of the whole man. However, it can also refer to a special form of bodily weakness or sickness. When it is used figuratively, as it is here asthéneia can mean general impotence, weakness. We are NOT talking about a need for Viagra, but the kind of soul weakness we have in regards to our flesh a lack of self-restraint. This of course was the problem with the law’s ability to aid us – we were weak. This is NOT a design flaw – it is both result of the fall (that is that we have a fallen flesh nature to contend with now that we were not designed with) and by design in that God never intended us to live apart from His strength. Even in the garden and thus in eternity – we were and will LIVE BY THE POWER OF GOD! –
“For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.” ~ 2 Cor. 13:4
As we keep reading we will see that this is the basis for our great hope which is what?
This is a BEAUTIFUL scripture that captures the entire idea being expressed throughout chapter 8,
“He indeed was foreordained before the creation of the world, but was manifest in these last days for you who through Jesus, believe in God, Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that (everybody say “So THAT”) your faith and hope are in God.
(Meaning that is where it truly lies AND that is where the FOCUS of your faith and hope SHOULD BE)
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because “ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, (meaning it is WEAK – just like we are talking about in Romans 8) AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.” Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” ~ 1Peter 1:20-25
How is the weakness manifest?
- Giving into the flesh in terms of sin.
- Focus on the flesh in terms of desires – pursuits – preoccupations (Cares of this life, deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things…sound familiar?)
- Limited ability to honor and serve God correctly, faithfully and in duration (strength) – also sound familiar – Remember Sunday – Seed, water, sunlight and what? Time=endurance.
“..for you have need of what?…. ENDURANCE”, Hebrews said.
But good news! The Holy Spirit is here and He offers STRENGTH!
In our current example of weakness, we are talking about prayer. “For we do not know, what to pray nor how to offer that prayer in a worthy manner as we MUST” – This is an inherent weakness of our flesh! One the Holy Spirit has come along side us to overcome! (Woo-Hoo!)
Remember when the disciples were about the face the worse trial they had ever faced – in the garden. To WHAT did Jesus direct them, in order to be ready and NOT fail? Prayer! When they failed to even pray – where did Jesus say the weakness was located? “The spirit indeed is willing but the ____is WEAK!”
Splash of Cold water…
So are you seeing how this applies to abiding in the Vine? Remember our focus on Wednesday nights is to Abide in the Vine in order to produce fruit unto what? – Godliness
By what means? God’s Power – WHO IS the Holy Spirit! God’s power is represented MANY times in scriptures not as a THING, but as the person of the Holy Spirit.
So we do not KNOW HOW to pray – how to offer it in a manner WORTHY of the God that created & saved us as we MUST, BUT….!!!!
This is where Dave would say, “The Holy But”.
The Spirit lends aid…
“But the Spirit Himself comes to our rescue and pleads for us in yearnings for which we can find no words,”
Now the words “for us” are accurately rendered, but do not uncover the entire truth of what actually happens.
Remember our phrase, “In like manner the Spirit HELPS us…”
This praying FOR us – is ‘A’ truth on one level, but neglects to connect it to the former truth that the Holy Spirit also prays – WITH & THROUGH us.
This is NOT a translation error or a screw-up on Paul’s part, it is simply Inspired writing at its best. Remember inspiration is NOT dictation. The concept of “HOW” the Holy Spirit’s gave us aid was addressed earlier in the verse – so we need to NOT forget that when we get to the end of the verse.
1 Cor. 14:14 in the Amplified translation explains the process of praying in the spirit this way,
“For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, …”
If one is looking for the actual way in which praying in tongues is done – this verse represents the methodology. The Spirit lends us AID!
Questions…
- What was Romans 8 addressing as a CHAPTER? How to overcome sin in the flesh by keeping our minds on spiritual things so as to produce the image of Christ in us (bear fruit)
- Why is this example offered in the middle of this topic? The answer is found in the example I offered to you from Jesus to His disciples, “Pray lest you enter into temptation”
- What do tongues have to do with that? We do not know the “whats” and “hows” of praying as we MUST. So the Spirit – our helper – takes hold together with us and prayers through us – directly connecting our spirits with our tongues to pray to our Father perfectly what must be prayed. Wuest translates it like this,
“for the particular thing that we should pray for according to what is necessary in the nature of the case, we do not know with an absolute knowledge; but the Spirit himself comes to our rescue by interceding with unutterable groanings. Moreover, He who is constantly searching our hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because, according to God, He continually makes intercession on behalf of the saints.”
Question: Does God’s power work in us despite our trust in Him or BECAUSE of our relational trust in Him?
Remember Peter says the end result of our faith is the “salvation of our souls” or the Mature fruit of the spirit (which maturity Romans 8 was also talking about). So, what does the scriptures say about our praying in tongues?
Well Paul says it builds us up –
1Co 14:4, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.”
Jude (Jame’s brother) while addressing the sinful and sensual nature of many who were in the church said,
“These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But as for you, beloved, You build yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” ~ Jude 1:19-21
That is ENOUGH for tonight.
I HOPE you are seeing how involved the Holy Spirit is, and in what very real and practical ways the Spirit co-partners with us in our weaknesses – offering us unprecedented power to overcome!
The Holy Spirit IS the Helper, IS the Comforter, IS the Counelor, IS the Teacher & Guide into the truth who is Christ, IS the Anointing & IS the POWER of God – He IS the Spirit of Freedom!
“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” ~ Eph. 1:15-21
I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and learn to abide in Him by the help of the Holy Spirit.
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Blessings!
