“Knowing & Not Knowing” – FBC Morning Light (12/6/2024)

Faith Baptist Church

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Well good Friday morning to you. Today in our Bible reading we're reading in Romans chapters 5 through 8 and I want to focus on chapter 8 because Romans 8 shows us some things that we know and then some things we don't know and some things

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God knows which then leads us to some things that we can know. Let's look at those things.

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First of all verse 22 Romans 8 22 says we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs until now and not only that but we also who have the firstfruits of the

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Spirit we also ourselves groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the adoption the redemption of our body.

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In other words we know that there's a lot of heartache and grief and reasons to groan in this world.

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All creation groans under the duress of you know death and despair and so forth and and we do ourselves we know that okay.

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But that leads us to some things we don't know because of our groaning and and all of the labors of this life that cause you know heart heartache and hurt and even despair discouragement and so forth.

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Verse 28 verse 26 says we do not know what we should pray for as we ought.

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So we know that there's a lot of things that drive us to prayer but we don't always know how to pray for those things.

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We don't necessarily know what God's particular will is with this particular thing.

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So say for example you get a diagnosis that is really troubling to you and it's causing you to groan because of the decay the decline of the health of the body.

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We're all going there right? And so we get this thing and you know we want to pray save me from this heal me from this and so forth.

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That's what we want. But is that what God wants through this? I think for example the

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Apostle Paul who had this thorn in the flesh and he says three times I prayed that God would take this thorn out of my flesh.

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That's what he wanted. Eventually God said nope I'm not gonna do it. My strengths made perfect in your weakness

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I'm not gonna take that thorn out of you. So God had a purpose for that thorn in the flesh that Paul didn't recognize and so he prayed for it to be removed.

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Well that this is our experience. We don't always know how to pray for things as we ought. But verse 27 tells us that God knows

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God knows the Spirit makes intercession for us. He perfects our prayers if you will

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I think is the emphasis of verse 26. So I pray I pray for what

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I think you know I want to have happened with this thing and the Holy Spirit perfects that prayer to comply with the will of God and verse 27 says he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the

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Spirit is. So God knows God knows what the Spirit is praying which is exactly what

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God will want to have happened in this thing because the Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

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So okay I know that the whole world is filled with reasons to groan. Some of those things that cause groaning are my groanings and I take those things to pray but I don't always know how to pray.

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The Holy Spirit knows how to pray and he perfects my prayers. So what all this does when all is said and done it leads me to the joyful understanding of verses 28 through 30.

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What I can know is that all things work together all things work together for good to those who love

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God to those who are the called according to his purpose. For the passage goes on to say whom he foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his

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Son. Okay so here's what I can know. I don't know how to pray for something all the time the Holy Spirit knows how to pray.

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I'm in this period of groaning I know the whole world's in groaning and I don't know how to pray the

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Holy Spirit knows how to pray. So what I can know is in this situation because I love

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God and because I know that God in his grace has called me to salvation I can know that God is working this thing for my ultimate good his ultimate glory.

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He's working this thing to somehow bring me into conformity to the image of his

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Son to be like Christ. In other words

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God is using this whatever it is I'm going through that he's using it providentially to accomplish the ultimate aim of the golden chain.

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What is that golden chain? What is the ultimate aim of that golden chain? What's the last link in that chain?

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Here it is in verse 29 verse 29 says whom he foreknew whom

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God foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son that's the ultimate predestination predestined to be conformed to the image of his

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Son. Now in verse 30 he says more of whom he predestined to that end of being conformed to the image of his

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Son these he called whom he foreknew he predestined whom he predestined he called whom he called he justified whom he justified he glorified.

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You see the links in that golden chain? He foreknew, he predestined, he called, he justified, he glorified.

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And so the ultimate end in this chain is glorification.

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And so here's what I can know. I can know that God is working all things together to accomplish this ultimate end in the great golden chain that I would be glorified.

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So when you're going through when you're going through some really challenging time and you just don't know how to pray be confident that the

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Holy Spirit does and be confident also that some way somehow

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God is using this to forge that last link in the golden chain.

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He's called you, he's justified you, and he will glorify you.

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Our Father and our God we thank you for your great grace exhibited in this wonderful chain and it gives us great confidence in your working in our lives, perfecting your agenda for us, your goal for us, that we might be conformed to the image of Christ.

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Oh Father may we be graciously submissive to that conforming process we pray in Jesus name and for his sake amen.

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All right well listen I hope you have a wonderful weekend and listen it's Sunday's coming a couple days so put your sights on the

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Lord's Day and make your plans and priorities to be with God's people on the