Romans Chapter 8:25-27

If somebody's in the midst of a trial, our first inclination, God lifts that trial off of them. But the Lord may be using that trial to develop something really deep and beautiful in their life. So sometimes we're not sure how to pray for the will of God. And if you're not sure, or even if you are sure, ask God to reveal his will.

Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. Many times as we pray, we don't really know what to say to the Lord. Maybe we're walking through some hardships and we really just don't even have the words. Well, fortunately, God brings us his Holy Spirit to help out in those times. Learn more about this as Pastor David McGee continues in Romans 8 with his teaching, We Will Be Changed.

Here's David. Romans chapter 8, verse 25 says, But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. If we hope for what we do not see. In other words, the thing that we're hoping for is what? The ultimate redemption of our body. Back to verse 23 that Paul is talking about. We don't see it yet, but the Bible talks about, the Bible promises us that it's going to happen so we can eagerly wait for it. Eagerly wait for it.

Let's understand what we're talking about. When will we have the ultimate redemption of our body? Well, at one of two events, one obviously would be what we call the rapture. That is when the church is taken up. Those who know Jesus will be taken away.

It comes from the Latin word rapturos, or snatched away in the New Testament. That we don't know when, we don't know where we'll be, but there's another way. Where we'll be, but there's another event that we know is going to happen as well. That is an individual dying. Everybody in here will face that one. You understand that? The statistics are staggering. You realize that 10 out of 10 people are going to die? You realize that? So every one of us is going to face that.

The question is how will we face it and with who will we face it? I've been honored during funerals to preside over things and I've taught it at funerals where there was a lack of assurance over whether the person knew the Lord or not. As a matter of fact, most would say probably not, but gracefully you never know that final moment if they called on the name of the Lord.

And I tell you friend, those are tragic. And the loved ones there, they are saying goodbye. And I've also presided or taught over those funerals where you know that this man or this woman is now in the arms of Jesus. And the comfort that the people have in that moment, their loved ones, they realize they're not saying goodbye. They're saying see you later.

Or Tigger would say ta-ta for now. They'll see him again. See, if you know Jesus, death isn't a doom and gloom proposition. It's the ultimate redemption of the body. Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Heaven won't be heaven because there's streets of gold or mansions or whatever. Heaven will be heaven because God will be there in His fullness and glory and you'll be able to see it.

This old notion of floating around on the cloud getting bored is very unscriptural. When you can behold the face of the Son of God who died for our sins, boredom will be the last thing on your minds. We will worship Him as that song I can only imagine. It's so much to look forward to. Now the world doesn't look forward to that event.

They try to do all these things to put off that event. But as believers we're not infatuated with death. We don't love death, but we don't fear death. Don't fear death.

Think about that friend. 1 Corinthians 15 says, death, where's your victory? Sin, where's your power? See, Jesus has beaten sin and death. We're following somebody that has beaten sin and death. The experience that's before every one of us, He understands and He knows. He wants to deliver us from that, this ultimate redemption. And so because of that, we can eagerly wait with perseverance. And at that point, God is going to complete what He started.

Philippians chapter 1 verse 6 says this, being confident this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. You notice that capital H in He? You know what that means?

It's not you, it's Him. So He began a good work and now He's leaving it up to you to finish. Is that what it says?

That's not what it says. He who began a good work or has begun a good work in you will complete it. Who will complete it? He will complete it. He started it and He's going to finish it.

If you can just grab a hold of that verse right there, it will change your life. He started it, He's going to finish it. He started it, He's going to finish it. Especially in this day and age, you know, there's a popular Christian book out there, you know, if it's going to be, it's up to me.

And that is kind of a weird title. According to Philippians 1, 6, it's not up to you, it's up to Him. Now granted, we've got to make decisions to follow Him and make biblically sound decisions, but He started it and He's going to finish it and understand something better is coming. And He's going to finish it. He's going to finish it. Remember that. When you're in the middle of a trial or tribulation, keep in mind, that's going to pass.

Something better is coming. I'll tell you a beautiful story. This dear saint of God, somebody who knew Jesus was preparing, knew she was going to die, called upon the pastor who would do the funeral to share with Him what He, what she wanted done.

So she talked to Him about songs and poems and different things that she wanted done. And then, and she said, you know, and I want to be, I want a fork. I want to be holding a fork in my casket. And then, you know, I'd like for you to close with this verse.

This has been a really powerful verse in my life. And you know, he's like fork, fork. You know, she kept talking. He was kind of focused on the fork, which seemed really weird. So he left, he took notes and stuff, and then he comes back and a couple of weeks later, he's going to talk to her. And the fork thing is just, why it's just killing him.

He's just like, what fork? So he comes back and goes, okay, just going to review this order of service. And she says, yes, that's good. And yes, that's good.

And yes, okay. And he says, you know, I got to ask you, the thing with the fork, I don't get, you want to be buried holding a fork? She said, yeah.

He said, well, explain that to me. She said, pastor, when we get together and we have these covered dish dinners, and we all sit together and we eat together and we fellowship with one another, and then the ladies will come around to get the plates before dessert comes out. And what they say when they're about to bring the dessert, the best is yet to come, keep your fork. So I want to be holding the fork in my casket because the best is yet to come. The pastor with tears in his eyes agreed to it.

And at the funeral, as people filed past the open casket, person after person, well, what's up with the fork? And over and over, he got the share that if you know Jesus, friend, the best is yet to come. The best is yet to come.

Sometimes we forget that. Sometimes we get so caught up in the here and the now and things today that we forget that the best is not today. The best is yet to come.

And that's what this verse is saying. We're eagerly waiting for the perseverance. Why?

Because the best is yet to come. Join David McGee for an inspirational live stream event on July 4th. Take part in this exciting event by becoming a host home and partner with Cross the Bridge to invite friends and family members to hear the truth about our country and our ultimate freedom in Jesus Christ. To become a host home or for more details, visit Lordgiveusamerica.com. Again, that website is Lordgiveusamerica.com.

Visit that site today and join with us to change America one soul at a time. The apostle Paul laid the foundation for the New Testament church, and yet few of us in the church today really understand the events and places that shaped this remarkable man. But now, pastor and Bible teacher David McGee has created the footsteps of Paul tour through the heart of the ancient world. You'll be a part of a breathtaking three-day tour of the famous Greek islands. Also, during the tour, David McGee will be opening the Bible to teach on Mars Hill, the very place in Athens Paul taught about the unknown God. We'll go up to the Acropolis and visit the Parthenon. Also, we'll visit Patmos, the place where John wrote the book of Revelation. We'll continue to Ephesus in Turkey, sharing the history, stories, and reality of these historic places that changed the future of the church. Plus, be a part of an actual television production as we film parts of the tour for our national TV program, Cross the Bridge, the footsteps of Paul tour with pastor and Bible teacher David McGee. Combine your vacation with an in-depth experience in the reality of God's Word. For more information, visit crossthebridge.com or call us at 877-458-5508. That's 877-458-5508.

Contact us today, because space is limited and this tour will fill up fast. Now, let's return to our study. Let's look at verse 26. 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 makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Hmm. Let's read this verse again. Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.

Big statement here. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself makes intercession with us with groanings which cannot be uttered. In other words, sometimes we don't know how to pray.

I've been in these situations in life. I don't know how to pray. I'm involved in somebody's hurting and somebody's distraught, and I don't know how to pray. You know, very often, the first inclination is to say, God, lift this from them.

Take this off of them. But in reality, sometimes we should be praying, not that God would lift the load, but that God would give them stronger shoulders. See, we have to be led by the Spirit when we pray. Understand, you know, we pray sometimes. We go, well, God, help me to grow in my faith. Help me to be a stronger believer. You know how God often answers that? He sends you trials and tribulations and temptations.

And then what do we do when we once we get in the middle of that? Well, God, take this off of me. And God says, what are you, schizophrenic? You prayed that you want to grow?

I sent you trials, and now you're growing. You say, get this off of me. You want me to answer the first prayer or the second prayer? And if you've ever prayed for patience, you're going to get this off of me.

You want me to answer the first prayer or the second prayer? And if you've ever prayed for patience, we think that, you know, oh, God, give me patience like, you know, like you get a cup of tea or something. Well, give me patience. Okay, thank you, Lord.

Thank you for the patience. I'll take off. Give me a little more love. Thank you, Jesus. God, let me in a little more. So when you pray for patience or you pray for love, does God just hand you those things?

No. He gives you the opportunity to walk through a trial with more patience. If you pray for more love, He puts you in a position where somebody in your life is a little less lovable than they were at one time and gives you the opportunity to love them. We really don't know how to pray sometimes. God does know what's best.

We often do not know what's best. And we need to understand that when we go to pray that sometimes we simply don't know what or how to pray. And that's when Spirit-led prayer becomes so important. Now, Spirit-led prayer, understand when you're in prayer, it's not just you talking, or it shouldn't be.

Prayer's not just you talking to God. Let me ask you a question. You got a cell phone or a home phone? If you've noticed that that phone works, hopefully you understand it works both ways. Hopefully you're not calling friends going, hey, how you doing?

Hope you're having a good day. If you have anybody that calls you and does that, then we offer biblical counseling here. Maybe you could refer them to, no, that's not what happens.

You talk back and forth. Do you understand that's what you should do in prayer? Some of you are going, God's going to talk to me in prayer?

Oh, absolutely He will. Now, I've never heard the audible voice of God, but I have heard that still small voice of the Lord that speaks to me. And oftentimes in those times of prayer, but if I'm like, God doesn't have the ability to get in a word edgewise. So part of prayer is being silent before the Lord and listening.

And God reminding you of something or reminding you of a verse or reminding you of event or leading you how to pray. And here this verse is saying, even when we don't know how to pray and we don't know the words, groanings. Groanings? What do you mean groanings? Groanings in prayer? You know, I've been there.

I've been in those moments of time. I didn't know what to pray. I didn't know how to pray it. And the only thing I could do was groan to God and say, Lord. And yet even somehow in that moment, the Spirit was making intercession.

It's interesting. Jesus gave us what we call the Lord's prayer. The Lord's prayer is actually later on in the gospel of John when Jesus is praying for the people. That's more of the Lord's prayer. I understand what we call it the Lord's prayer. You know what's interesting is Jesus starts that out by saying, when you pray, don't use vain repetition like the heathen do. And then he gives us his prayer, our Father who art in heaven. And once I read what Jesus said before that prayer, I was kind of shocked because what have we done with that prayer? I prayed it for years before I even thought about what it was saying or what it meant. You know, I mean, I had that part down.

I had no idea. Later on, I looked at scripture. Later on, I read a book about what that prayer meant and I was just blown away because I'd prayed it for years without thinking about it.

Define a vain repetition. Jesus also says, don't just go on and on and on. That's my North Carolina paraphrase, but he talks about the Pharisees getting caught up in these lengthy, lengthy, lengthy prayers. And he says, that's not impressive, but still we think they are.

Have you ever met some of those guys? You know, as a pastor, man, I listen to some pastors pray and they're just, and you know, I've noticed some of them write it out and they pray and it's like, my goodness, that was just, that's pretty, you know? I mean, they just, it reads like a poem or something, you know? And I'm not saying you shouldn't write prayers out. The Jewish people write prayers out for everything. I mean, they got a prayer, but you got a prayer for this.

You got a prayer for that. You don't just spontaneously pray or talk to God. And we think old, long, eloquent prayers. God's really impressed.

Isn't he? While I've noticed the beauty of some of these prayers that some people pray, I also noticed that strangely enough, sometimes their voices change when they begin these prayers and their language changes. It goes from like normal, everyday conversational to King James English. I love the King James.

I have a King James Bible. The poetry of it, I just, I think it's beautiful. I don't talk that way. And the prayer, you know, to change your language and then change your tone, that to me is, it's a little weird. I want reverence for God. I want respect for God. But if you're talking to me and I'm talking like this and then somebody else comes up and you know, hey, how you doing?

How art thou? You know, if I'm watching this, I'm thinking, well, he's not being real in one of these Spirit-led prayers. You remember when Peter, Jesus walks out on the water and disciples are in a boat late at night. And I love Peter.

Peter is one of my favorite Bible characters because I relate to him a lot. He's just this, hey, let's go for it. What are we doing? You know, and I kind of relate to that. And the staff is going, yeah, yeah, yeah. We know you relate to that.

We're trying to help you. But, but, you know, we refer to him as ready, fire, aim Peter, you know, and, but Peter's in the boat and Peter wants to go out on the water. And a lot of people go, yeah, Peter sank. Peter was the only one that got out of the boat.

You got to get out of the boat to do some stuff, don't you? And when Peter goes and starts sinking, he doesn't go, oh Lord, king of kings, heavenly host. No, I mean, he didn't have it, you know, because he meant, Lord. No, the only thing he had time to say was, Lord, save me. Quick, heartfelt, efficient prayer, wasn't it?

Jesus knew what he's talking about. Lord, save me. He's sinking. He needs help.

I'll get him. That was a Spirit-led prayer. The life lesson here is we often don't know how to pray. We often don't know how to pray. Realize that, friend.

That just strikes at the heart of human pride, doesn't it? Because we, oh, yes, I do know how to pray. No, friend, you don't always know how to pray.

I know this book backwards and forwards. I've read it and studied it, and yet sometimes in life, I don't know how to pray. I'm at a loss for words sometimes when I sit down with people and they've experienced some devastating loss.

Sometimes words just won't do it, will they? Sometimes we don't know how to pray. Verse 27, now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Now he, notice the capital H is, always pay attention then, because whenever it uses a capital and a pronoun, it's speaking about the Lord. Now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God, according to the will of God.

Why is that important? Because we don't want to pray against the will of God. Now a lot of times the will of God is fairly obvious. If you're praying for somebody to get saved, the Bible says that God is willing that not any should perish but that all should repent and come to him. So when you're praying for somebody to get saved, you can know that that's praying according to the will of God.

But sometimes you're not sure. Like if somebody's in the midst of a trial, our first inclination, God lifts that trial off of them. But the Lord may be using that trial to develop something really deep and beautiful in their life. So sometimes we're not sure how to pray for the will of God. And if you're not sure, or even if you are sure, ask God to reveal his will. Or when you pray, say, God, but not according to my will, but according to your will.

See, oftentimes in prayer where it's like we're writing out a five-year plan and handing it to God for him to initial it. God, I got the plan. Know what I'm going to do. Here's how I'm going to do it. Here's how it's going to work. Here's what's going to happen and need you to sign off on it. That's not the relationship we have with God.

At least it shouldn't be. We should go to God and say, God, what do you want to do? What do you want to do? And God will answer. I've lived a life of, it's just an adventure, of watching God time and time and time and time and time again answer prayers I'd barely uttered. Answering some prayers, not in the way I prayed them, but in a much better way.

You can trust him because, again, Father knows best. And being led by the Spirit in prayer according to the will of God. The life lesson here, our prayers should always be directed to God but not directing God. See, sometimes we get into this thing of, it's almost in our prayers we're telling God what he needs to do and how he needs to do it.

Like he doesn't have a clue about how to do something. Well, God, I need you to save this person and here's how you need to do it. You ever prayed a prayer like that? Well, God, this person doesn't know you as Savior and here's what needs to happen in order for them to become a Savior. What's going to happen? I'm going to invite them to church. They're going to say, yeah, they're going to come to church. And then they're going to come down front. They're going to get saved. Hallelujah. There's a plan. God needs you to sign off on it. And then you pray that prayer and the next thing you hear is this person is in a car accident or they've been arrested and thrown in jail or something like that has happened and you go, well, God, what are you doing? I told you how we were supposed to do this. God has a different plan. Now, the result might be the same but the plan different because as a person goes through hardships, all of a sudden they realize they need saving. They need forgiveness. They need a light and a lamp in this life. Friend, do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short, simple prayer, simply telling God you're sorry and asking Him to help you to live for Him. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life and I've done wrong things. I have sinned and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days.

All of my days. In Jesus' name. Amen. Friend, if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible, you've been forgiven. You've been born again. So congratulations, friend.

You just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you've prayed this prayer with Pastor David, receiving Jesus Christ for the first time, or rededicating your life to the Lord, please call and let us know. We want to send you our exclusive First Steps package for free.

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