ROMANS 8:16-31 THE HOLY SPIRIT COMFORTS ME IN DIFFICULTY2020 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Romans 8:16-31 The Holy Spirit Comforts Me In Difficulty

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2020. As we look at Romans chapter 8 this morning, I've titled the message, The Holy Spirit Comforts Me in Difficulty. The Holy Spirit Comforts Me in Difficulty. My alarm went off my usual time on Sunday morning early and woke up and

Began to kind of get my mind together a little bit, get, you know, my thoughts for the day, began to pray for the service this morning. And I looked on my phone and I had the notification from Hannah McMillan that Jeff McMillan was entered into eternity this morning around 3.30 in the morning. And it's quite devastating, of course, for the family, for us. We love him and we'll miss him.

And as I was kind of just working through all of the emotions and processing, you know, that information, I began to pray, Lord, do you want me to change anything for the message then? Do I teach the same message? Do I continue on in the path that I was preparing? Or is maybe there something different that needs to be shared? And the Lord spoke to me and said that my word hasn't changed.

And so this morning, I'm going to continue to teach the message that I was preparing. The Holy Spirit comforts me in difficulty. I remember Pastor Greg Laurie sharing at a pastor's conference after his son's death. And as he, you know, had experienced that and gone through that and had the opportunity to share with other pastors, he stood up and he said, I want you pastors to know that the things that we've been sharing with people all this time are true.

The presence of the Lord, the work of God, the way that he ministers and heals, he says, I want you to know, like we knew it from a distance, you know, he was sharing, but now having experienced this trauma, he was able to share these things are true. The word of God is true and the presence of God is real. And so it's appropriate for us this morning to be reminded, to be encouraged, to be built up. The Holy Spirit comforts me.

In the midst of difficulty. Now Romans chapter 8 is Paul really expounding the law of the Spirit. In chapter 8 verse 2 he says, The law of the Spirit.

Unlike the law in the Old Testament, unlike the law that brought guilt and shame and sin and death, unlike that law, there was the law of the Spirit that set us free from the law of sin and death. But the fact that it's a law of the Spirit really speaks some important things to us. It means that it's a universal truth.

The things that Paul is teaching about here in Romans chapter 8, these things are true for all believers. It's the law of the Spirit. The fact that it's a law means it applies universally. The law of God established in the old covenant, it applied universally. The law of the Spirit also applies to all who believe in Jesus Christ. And Paul makes that case early in chapter 8. He says, look, if you...

have the spirit then you're in christ and if you don't have the spirit you're not in christ that there is that occasion where you are born again by believing in jesus christ and you have the holy spirit and therefore the law of the spirit applies to you these things do not only apply to mature believers

These things that Paul writes about here in Romans chapter 8, and there's just, Romans 8 is packed full with such incredible blessings that are bestowed upon us as a result of the Holy Spirit's work in our life.

And sometimes you can read through those things and think, well, that's true of Gabe, you know, because he's really mature. But surely not true of me. You know, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. I haven't been doing my Bible reading that much this week. I haven't been, you know, faithful in this or faithful in that. And we can think it's not true for me. It might be true for others. But it's the law of the Spirit.

These things are true for all believers, not just mature believers, not just faithful believers, not just believers that are active and growing and show up for church on Sundays and Wednesdays. These are true for all who believe in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit comforts me in difficulty. This is true for you. He seeks to minister, to bring strength, healing, hope, and comfort in the times of difficulty that we face.

And so we're going to walk through four ways the Holy Spirit comforts me in times of difficulty. The first one is found here in these verses we just read, verses 16 through 18. Here's point number one. He testifies of glory for me in eternity. One of the ways that the Holy Spirit comforts me in the times of difficulty is He testifies. He declares, He reminds of the glory that awaits us in eternity. Again, verse 16 says,

It says, the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. One of the ways that we know that we are children of God is because internally we have this confirmation, this testimony of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is working within us. He's moving and leading. And the Holy Spirit works in a very gentle way. And so sometimes we're not fully conscious of it. And yet at the same time, the Holy Spirit is there, that still small voice to minister to us and to bring that confirmation that we are children of God. We are his. We belong to him. And Paul is making the case here in verse 17. If we're children, that means we're also heirs.

We're heirs of God. We're joint heirs with Jesus. Whatever Jesus is going to inherit, we will inherit with him. We're children of God. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have this identity with Christ. And so we have this inheritance promised, but along with this inheritance, we also have the reality of suffering. He says, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together.

The reality is we live in a world that is fallen and impacted by sin. And as a result, there is suffering. There is difficulty. And just as Christ suffered, just as he felt the brunt of sin and the fallen world, we suffer with him, but we're joined with him. So then in his death and resurrection, we are united together with him so that in his glory, Paul is saying here,

we get to be united with him as well. That we may also be glorified together. That when Jesus comes in glory, those who believe in him will be with him in glory. If indeed we suffer with him, Paul says. And the word if could also be translated since. It's not really a question. It's a reality that we suffer together.

Along with Christ. We suffer as witnesses for Christ. We suffer as those who represent Christ. But we also suffer just from the fact that we live in a fallen world. And whether it's suffering on behalf of our witness for Jesus or suffering as a result of the world that we live in, we suffer with him. He suffers with us. He hurts with us. He walks through these distresses with us. In James chapter 1,

Verse 2, James says, We have in Christ the opportunity to know that even when we suffer, we are the children of God. And there is being built up for us a work of God within. And God is using these things in our lives to produce in us patience.

traits, character, qualities to bring us into the image of the Son of God, to make us more like Him, and to help us be ready for an even greater eternity. The Holy Spirit, in the midst of our difficulties, in the midst of our trials, in the midst of our sufferings, He testifies of the glory that is to come in Christ.

Again, verse 17, he says, we may also be glorified together. It's inseparable. It's a package deal. We're heirs of God and his glory. That means we suffer through this life. We experience difficulty with the promise of glory on the other side. And the promise of glory is great. In verse 18, he says, I consider. That word consider, it's the idea of like counting it all together, doing all the math, figuring out, okay, I've done the math and here's what I figured out.

The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. We do suffer in this life and there is difficulty and we do need comfort from the Holy Spirit. And one of the ways the Holy Spirit comforts us is reminding us to the degree that we suffer in this life, exponentially more is the reward in the next life. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed. It's a crazy exchange rate.

We put in the suffering here and we cash that in, not at like, you know, equal glory for suffering, right? But 5, 10, 60, 100 fold times the rate of the suffering. Paul says it's far greater. It's not worthy to be compared. Now the apostle Paul here was familiar with suffering. He wasn't being ignorant here.

David Guzik puts it this way, Paul was not ignorant or blind to the sufferings of human existence. He experienced more of them than most of us today. Yet he still considered that the future glory far outweighed the present sufferings. And we need to be reminded and allow the Holy Spirit to remind you as hard as things might be, as suffering might occur in our lives, as we encounter hurt and heartache, that God is working through that suffering.

Things that we can't understand or imagine just yet. Things that will be far greater than we can imagine in eternity. Paul puts it another way in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17. He says,

Now, as you read the rest of 2 Corinthians, you understand it actually wasn't like, we wouldn't call what Paul was experiencing light affliction, but he's comparing it to the glory. And so he says, it's light affliction compared to the glory that is to come. It's working for us. Let the Holy Spirit comfort you and testify of the glory that is being built up. An eternal weight of glory is being stored up for you.

as you endure, as you walk with the Lord through difficulty. Well, moving on to verses 19 through 25, the second way the Holy Spirit comforts me in difficulty is he reminds me to wait eagerly for glory. He points my eyes towards eternity and reminds me to wait eagerly for the glory that is to come.

Jumping into verses 19 through 22, it says, For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now."

Here in verses 19 through 22, Paul gives us really a creation summary, reminding us we live in a fallen world. And creation itself looks forward to and has the earnest expectation of the glory that will be revealed in the children of God, you and me. We like to call this tree back here the tree of life. And when you're sitting there in the cool shade in a Sunday morning service, it does feel like the tree of life. You have the breeze and it's just like, oh, it's great.

But wait till you see what this tree is in eternity, right? When it's unbound by the shackles of sin that has come and taken hold on this world. All of creation will be restored when Jesus reigns. And creation itself longs for that day. The prophet Isaiah gives us a little glimpse of that in Isaiah chapter 11 verse 6, where he talks about the wolf lying down with the lamb.

There's going to be a restoration of all of creation. The animal kingdom, the trees, the weather, the birds, the air, all of it will be restored and renewed in the glory of the Lord when the sons or children of God are revealed. But it's not just creation. It's not just creation.

that will be delivered in that day, it is something that God has in store for us as well. Verse 23 says, not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even when we ourselves are even we ourselves grown within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. And so it's not just creation that is going to be restored and renewed, but he says, oh, even us.

Creation is eagerly waiting for that day, and you and I, we are eagerly waiting for that day. We groan within ourselves just as creation groans. We groan eagerly waiting for the redemption of our body. Salvation has essentially three parts to it. You believe in Jesus Christ, and there is the justification, that is the right standing before God, the forgiveness of all sins.

But then you also have the sanctification, and that is that God works in your life to bring you into conformity with the Son, that He cleans up our lives, helps us to walk like Him, develops within us the nature that He has. It's a lifelong process, this sanctification. Justification, it's done. As soon as you believe you're forgiven, you're right before God, it's taken care of.

sanctification you walk with god through your life and he's working in your life but then the third aspect is glorification and that's what paul's looking forward to here the redemption of our body that time where we will have a new body where we will be fully delivered from sin where we will be fully redeemed and delivered uh in the glory of the lord

God has many glorious things for you in this life, but the final fulfillments of all of God's promises and prophecies will be in eternity. We have to be careful to not try too hard to be fully satisfied in this life. We'll always turn up empty, recognizing that God's promises will be fulfilled in eternity.

And so Paul says, that's what's coming, but there's a deposit that we have right now. He says, we have the first fruits of the Spirit. The first fruits was an offering that the children of Israel would bring before the Lord. It was the first part of the harvest. And so here is this whole field to harvest, right? And they would take a small portion of it, take it and offer it to the Lord and say, Lord, we want to thank you now in advance for all the rest of the harvest that we're about to work on.

In a similar way, the Holy Spirit is given to us as the first fruits. That is that God says, here's a little deposit. You get the working of the Holy Spirit in your life. It's just a small taste of the whole rest of the work that I have planned for you. You have the deposit of the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of the Holy Spirit. In verse 24, he says, for we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. For why does one still hope for what he sees?

But we hope for what we do not see. If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Paul says we were saved with this hope that it wasn't just for this life and for this moment that we are saved, but it's for the eternal that we are saved. And so we have this hope. It's promised to us. The biblical usage of hope allows no room for uncertainty. It's not like we use the word hope today where there's elements of uncertainty.

When Paul says hope, he's not saying, yeah, there's a little bit of a question. No, the hope is the promise. It's guaranteed. It just hasn't happened yet. And so we are saved in this hope, with this promise of eternity. And we don't have it yet. If we had it, then it wouldn't be called hope, Paul says in verse 25. We hope in what we don't see yet. We don't see the reality of the glorified life that we have in Christ.

And so instead we have the hope and the Holy Spirit reminds us to eagerly wait, to continue to point us to eternity where all of those things will be fulfilled. And so he says we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Paul puts it another way in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. He says,

Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God who has also given us the spirit as a guarantee. We groan in this body. Our body hurts. It has aches. It has pains. We suffer. We go through difficulty. It's a tent like these canopies here in our parking lot. It's a tent. These are temporary and a strong gust of wind is just going to knock all of these things over. We'd be running around frantically, right? It's meant to be temporary, but the building is permanent.

It's a good illustration for this body as a tent, a canopy. It's not meant to last. It's not meant to be permanent. And so we groan that mortality would be swallowed up by life. And it's as Paul goes on from here in 2 Corinthians 5 that he shares that famous passage, verse 8, we are confident, yes, well-pleased rather, to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. That when this tent is finished,

when it's removed when the wind blows it over then we are in the presence of the lord and this morning that's very personal to us right we know that chico right now is in the presence of the lord we know that jeff right now is in the presence of the lord they're in his arms right there in his midst doing far greater than they've ever been in their lives up to this point the holy spirit reminds us of the things of eternity the glory that awaits

for us to wait eagerly for eternity and to focus on the things that are to come and not the things of this life. He reminds us to groan in this life. We hurt, we ache, we experience difficulty, and he points us to the things that are to come.

Well, moving on to verses 26 and 27, we get the third way the Holy Spirit comforts me in difficulty. And that is that he intercedes for me perfectly. Verse 26 says, 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.

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. Here, Paul gives us another way the Holy Spirit is with us in the times of difficulty. He helps us in our weaknesses, Paul says. What's our weakness? We don't know how to pray. Have you experienced difficulty to the extent that you don't even know how to pray in the midst of the situation that you're facing?

We have a great promise of the Lord that as we pray according to his will, it's found in 1 John 5, verse 14 and 15. As we pray along with the will of God, in line with the will of God, we are guaranteed the answer to our petition, the answer to our request. But it presents a difficulty for us because, well, what if I don't know the will of God? How do I pray? Somebody pray for that Japanese jade beetle. How do I pray? How do I pray?

Grab a string. Let's make a kite. Okay. How do I pray when I don't know the will of God? It's a weakness that I have. But the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, Paul says. We don't know what we should pray for.

And when we don't know what we should pray for, verse 27, it tells us he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. We get to cash in on this promise about praying according to the will of God, even when we don't know the will of God, because the Holy Spirit prays on our behalf for the will of God in our lives. We get to cash in on this because the Holy Spirit is at work interceding on our behalf. Some things we face in life are so hard. We have no words to pray.

But we don't have to come up with the words to pray because the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf. Even if we don't know what to pray for, even if we don't get the prayer exactly right, or even if we're praying for our will instead of his will, the Holy Spirit interprets, translates, modifies what we pray and intercedes on our behalf according to the will of God.

The commentator Douglas Moo says it this way, God's Spirit Himself expresses to God those intercessory petitions that perfectly match the will of God when we do not know what to pray for. Yes, even when we pray for things that are not best for us, we need not despair, for we can depend on the Spirit's ministry of perfect intercession on our behalf. You never have to be nervous to pray.

You never have to be nervous to pray. What if I pray the wrong thing? The Holy Spirit has you covered. What if I don't have a good vocabulary and I don't know quite how to say what I want to say in the prayer? The Holy Spirit has you covered. What if I don't know what the needs are? The Holy Spirit has you covered. We have the benefit of the Holy Spirit interceding on our behalf perfectly in line with the will of God.

And so in that way, you can understand that you are the ultimate best prayer warrior in the whole world. All of you are, because as you pray, the Holy Spirit helps you in your weaknesses. Well, finally, looking at verses 28 through 31, we get the fourth way the Holy Spirit comforts me in difficulty, and that is that he gives me truth to rest upon. In verse 28, it says, and we know that all things work together for good.

to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

The rest of the chapter continues to go on to give us some powerful truth that we can consider. But being considerate of our time this morning, I stopped there in verse 31 because it really sums up the reality. Since God is for us, who can be against us? And so Paul says in verse 28, and we know. Here's a certainty, a truth that we can rest upon. No matter what other things that we face that we don't know.

And the things that we don't have answers for and all the uncertainties that we experience in this life, here's something that we can rest upon, a foundation of truth. And we know all things work together for good. All things, even suffering? Yes. Even heartache? Yes. Even disasters? Yes. God is able to bring forth good from whatever you experience in life.

Anything that you experience in this life will not diminish your glory in the next life. There's nothing that you can experience in this life that will diminish the glory that is in store. In fact, it will only enhance the glory that is in store. All things work together for good. It's a promise that God gives, not universally, he qualifies it a bit, to those who love God. God is sovereign and he's able to accomplish that. He has the power to do that.

There's a lot of the sovereignty of God here in these verses. The sovereignty of God is that God has the absolute right to do with his creation as he desires. I could wish for you that you would get green lights all the way home, but I don't have the power to make that happen. God has the power to not just want the best for you, but to accomplish the best for you. And he says, you know what? I'm going to guarantee you that for those who love me. Do you love God?

To love God is to put him first. When you put God first in your life, he promises, I'm going to make all those things that you face, all the difficulties, all the hurts, all the heartaches, I'm going to work it all together for good to bring about more glory for you in eternity. It's a promise that we receive by faith because again, like the hope that we talked about, we don't see it yet and we don't understand the good that God is working through it.

Sometimes, you know, things happen and we say, okay, see, that's why God allowed that because then, you know, he allowed that accident because then I got a new car, you know, like, oh, praise the Lord. You know, maybe, but if it doesn't have eternal value, I would suggest maybe there's more to the picture than what you're seeing because God's most concerned about our eternity. He's most focused on the glory that he desires to bestow upon us in eternity, right?

And so he gives us truth to rest upon, a foundation to trust him in all things, knowing that he will work it together for good. What shall we say then to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? It's not really a question. It's a logical argument that Paul is applying here, making. God is for us, so who can be against us?

God's on your side. He's rooting for you. He wants what's best for you. He's accomplishing. He's hard at work to accomplish what's best for you in your life. If you are guaranteed more glory than suffering, who can be against you? Anything that comes against you in this life that brings suffering adds to your glory in eternity as a believer in Jesus Christ.

If the Holy Spirit is interceding for you, who can be against you? Who can pray against you? Who can come against you? The Holy Spirit is on your side, interceding according to the will of God. And so we find that no one can be against us. As the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 54, 17, no weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue which rises against you in judgment, you shall condemn.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord. No weapon formed can prosper against you as a child of God. We might question that when we feel pain. Like, well, I feel like that sword hit, it landed. And maybe it did. And God allows us to experience the results of this fallen world that we live in. But the reality is, even though it might hurt for the moment, it accomplishes something.

Things far greater in eternity. And so that weapon cannot prosper because it cannot affect God's purposes and plans for you. The glory that he has in store. And God says, this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. This is true of all servants. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. God will work it together for good. And if God is for you, who can be against you? This is a truth for you to rest upon. Let the Holy Spirit comfort you this morning.

The Holy Spirit comforts us in difficulty. He comforts me in difficulty by testifying of the glory that the Lord has in store for me in eternity. He comforts me by reminding me to wait eagerly, to take my eyes off of the moment and the immediate hurt and to look forward to that which God has promised is to come. He comforts me by interceding on my behalf.

perfectly in line with the will of God, helping me in my weakness. And he comforts me by giving me truth to rest upon. I can rest secure no matter what storm I face. He works all things together for good. He's on my side. Who can be against me? Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the great comfort that you provide.

And I pray, God, that you would open up our eyes and quiet down our minds, Lord, that we might be more open and receptive to the comfort that you desire to provide to us. Let us hear from you. Let us be strengthened by you. God, I pray that you would build us up, that we might trust, rest, and stand strong on the foundation of truth that you have provided. We pray, Lord, that you would be with the Padillas.

Continue to minister to them and hold them together with you strong in your arms. We pray for the McMillans. Lord, that you would provide peace and comfort. Lord, that you would mend wounds, heal hearts. You would provide peace. Help us, Lord, as we work through these days, these times, this life. You have great things in store for us. May we not be moved or shaken because we have you at our side.

the deposit of the Holy Spirit, the guarantee that you're with us. We praise you for that. Help us to stay close to you. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.