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

Well, good Friday morning to you today in our Bible reading. We're reading in Romans chapters five through eight, and I want to focus on chapter eight because Romans eight shows us some things that we know and then some things we don't know and some things God knows, which then leads us to some things that we can know.

Let's look at those things. 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 Spirit, we also ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

In other words, we know that there's a lot of heartache and grief and reasons to groan in this world. The whole creation groans under the duress of death and despair and so forth, and we do ourselves.

We know that, okay? But that leads us to some things we don't know. Because of our groaning and all of the labors of this life that cause heartache and hurt and even despair, discouragement, and so forth, verse 26 says, we do not know what we should pray for as we ought.

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

Say, for example, you get a diagnosis that is really troubling to you, and it's causing you to groan because of the decline of the health of the body. We're all going there, right? And so we get this thing, and we want to pray, save me from this, heal me from this, and so forth.

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

That's what he wanted. Eventually, God said, nope, I'm not going to do it. My strength's made perfect in your weakness. I'm not going to 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.

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, God knows, the Spirit makes intercession for us. He perfects our prayers, if you will, I think is the emphasis of verse 26.

So I pray, I pray for what I think, you know, I want to have happen 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 Spirit is.

So God knows, God knows what the Spirit is praying, which is exactly what God will want to have happen in this thing, because the Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

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. 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. What I can know is that all things work together, all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

Or the passage goes on to say, whom he foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his 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.

I'm in this period of groaning, I know the whole world is in groaning, and I don't know how to pray. The Holy Spirit knows how to pray. So what I can know is in this situation, because I love 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.

He's working this thing to somehow bring me into conformity to the image of his Son, to be like Christ. In other words, 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.

What is that golden chain? What is the ultimate aim of that golden chain? What's the last link in that chain? Here it is. In verse 29, it says, whom he foreknew, whom 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 Son. Now in verse 30, it says, moreover, whom he predestined to that end of being conformed to the image of his Son, these he called.

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

And so the ultimate end in this chain is glorification. 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.

So when you're going through some really challenging time and you just don't know how to pray, be confident that the Holy Spirit does, and be confident also that some way, somehow, God is using this to forge that last link in the golden chain.

He's called you, he's justified you, and he will glorify you. 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, and it's your goal for us, that we might be conformed to the image of Christ.

Oh Father, may we be graciously submissive to that conforming process, we pray. In Jesus' name and for his sake, amen. All right, well listen, I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and listen, it's Sunday's coming in a couple days, so put your sights on the Lord's Day, and make your plans and priorities to be with God's people on the Lord's Day.

God bless.