The Power of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit Part 8
Romans 8:26-30
(From Steve Meenho Kang, Live by the Spirit (Bloomington, IN: Westbow Press, 2022)
Currently we are going through the message series, “The Holy Spirit.”
During this series, we are examining the work of the Holy Spirit.
Today, as we conclude this series, we will talk about the power of the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, the power of the Holy Spirit was demonstrated in many different ways.
The Holy Spirit empowered Joseph to rule over Egypt.
The Holy Spirit empowered Moses to lead people out of Egypt.
The Holy Spirit gave Joshua military power to fight in battles.
The Holy Spirit came upon Samson to tear the lion apart with his bare hands.
The Holy Spirit gave words to prophets to speak prophetically over God’s people.
In the New Testament, this power of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated in many ways.
Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He promised His followers
that He would send them the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This Holy Spirit came to believers during the Pentecost.
Ever since then, the Holy Spirit dwells in all Christians.
And we have the power of the Holy Spirit in us.
Therefore, let me ask you this question:
Have you ever seen some Christians that seems to have more power of the Holy Spirit than you do?
Sometimes we see other Christians who seem to have more spiritual power than us.
When they pray, their prayers sound so much more powerful than ours.
When we talk to them, they seem to have more Bible knowledge than us.
When something goes wrong, they are not shaken.
They seem to have this real, deep spiritual power.
And we are wondering, how is it that they seem to have more spiritual power than us?
The answer could be that they have more ‘spiritual power’ than us.
In reality, there are people who have more spiritual power through the Holy Spirit than others.
It is like this.
There is major construction going on in our neighborhood right now.
They are repaving the street around our house.
It is major construction.
If they were to put on their work gloves and use shovels to remove all the pavement, that would take forever.
However, they brought huge machines, and they broke concrete, pealed off the street and repaved the street.
It is so much easier to use those machines than doing the same work with their hands.
Many Christians put on their little work gloves, and they take out their shovels, and they say; “We are going to live the Christian life!”
In their own strength, they strive and fight, but they do not get very far.
Why?
Because they are trying to live the Christian life with their own strength when there is a far greater power available to them.
We have the ability to live a supernatural life in a natural world.
Yet, so many Christians put their work gloves on and grab their shovels and struggle without the power available through the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, as we conclude our series, we will examine three distinct qualities that the power of the Holy Spirit wants to give to us.
This is what we can have when we have the power of the Holy Spirit.
I. We can find power even when we are weak (vv. 26-27).
Verses 26-27 say this.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
The Apostle Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
And one area that he mentioned as an example is the area of prayer.
When we do not know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
He knows the will of God the Father.
And He intercedes for us according to the will of God the Father.
During this week, someone might ask us to pray for him or her.
“Can you pray for me?”
We might feel, “Oh no! I am not good at prayers!”
But all of a sudden, this prayer comes from nowhere.
That is the Holy Spirit giving us the power to pray confidently!
One other way that the Holy Spirit gives us the power is to witness Jesus boldly.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 say this.
4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
Paul was not an eloquent speaker.
But when he preached, the power of the Holy Spirit was with him.
Just like that, the Holy Spirit can give us the power to share Jesus boldly.
During this week, as you are talking to someone, you may feel prompted to say something about Jesus.
This person needs to hear about Jesus.
But you might hesitate.
You may say, “But I do not know what to say.”
You must follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
Just do it and see what happens.
You will quote Bible verses that you did not even know that you knew.
It is because the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say.
We can access that very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
He is available to us.
He will come upon us in power when we trust him.
He gives us power in our weakness.
One of my personal experiences is this.
When I counsel people, sometimes I do not know what to advise.
So, I pray for His wisdom.
Then a thought to comes to my mind, and I say it to the person.
As the result, that person is helped.
I think to myself, “Wow! That was good!
I know that it did not come from me.
I know that it is the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
That was something that the Holy Spirit did for me in my weakness.
You may be a parent and you are thinking, “I do not know what to do with these kids. They are too much!”
The Holy Spirit can give you wisdom.
You may have a presentation coming up at work and you are thinking, “I panic in front of people.”
The Holy Spirit can help you.
You may have a sin in your life that you just cannot overcome.
You have been taking the little shovel and working so hard.
The Holy Spirit can give you power where you are weak.
We can find power even when we are weak.
II. We can find hope even when we feel hopeless (v. 28).
Verse 28 says this.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
There are three important thoughts here.
First, this promise is to be claimed, not ignored.
The Greek word for ‘know’ in verse 28 refers to the possession of absolute, unshakable confidence.
Therefore, this promise is not something we wish for.
Rather it is a truth which we can have total confidence in because it is given by God.
Therefore, we should embrace this promise of God and make it a vital part of our daily lives.
And what is the promise?
“In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”
This is the promise that God gave us and the Holy Spirit constantly reminds us.
This is the hope we can have even in seemingly hopeless situations.
Second, this project is God’s, not ours.
How can we be sure of this hope?
It is God who causes all things to work together.
Notice that it does not say, “God causes all things to occur.”
We know that God is not the cause of sin and evil.
However, God uses all things that happen in our lives to work together for our best interest.
We can be assured in the fact that He is all-good.
And He will always do what is the best for us.
Third, this plan is total, not partial.
God causes all things to work together for the good.
Many times, we do not see how some events in our lives could possibly be for our good.
However, the fact that we do not understand does not imply that God has no idea.
He has not lost control.
He sees everything clearly from the beginning to the end.
He knows all things completely.
We, on the other hand, see and know partially.
God will not allow anything to come to us that will destroy us.
Every circumstance is designed for our ultimate good.
Romans 15:13 says this.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So many people today have very limited hope.
Let’s say that this water represented hope.
This is about all the hope that we may have.
We are not overflowing with hope.
We have very limited hope.
And the reason is obvious!
It is because we place our hope in something besides God.
If we put our hope in ourselves, we have limited hope.
If we put our hope in other people, our hope is limited.
If we put our hope in our circumstances, our circumstances will only take us so far.
Our hope is limited because it is not put in an unlimited God.
The good news is… if we put our hope in God, He can cause our hope to overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
If we are hopeless, we must put our hope in God.
We must let Him overflow us with hope of the Holy Spirit.
If we lost our job, we must place our hope in God.
We must let the Holy Spirit be our provider.
If someone we love is sick, we must put our hope in God.
We must let the Holy Spirit be our healer.
If we find ourselves worried, we must put our hope in God.
We must let the Holy Spirit be our comforter.
If we lose someone we love, as much as it hurts, we do not have to grieve like those who have no hope.
We must let the Holy Spirit comfort us with the promise of the resurrection and glory eternally in heaven.
We can find hope in Him even when we feel hopeless.
III. We can find security even when we fail (vv. 29-30).
Verse 29 says this.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
What is the purpose of God in our lives?
The purpose of God is to conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
God wants to reproduce the characteristics of Jesus in us.
God knew us even before we were created.
He predestined us to be His children.
Now He does His sanctifying work in us to conform us to the image of His Son through the Holy Spirit.
What is the process?
Verses 30 says this.
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
The foundational process by which He brings about this image of Jesus in us is spelled out: Predestination, calling, justification, and glorification.
These are some hard concepts.
But the point is that the Holy Spirit helps us in each step of this process.
And He will finish the work that He began in us.
For Paul, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification were not just some theological concepts that he believed in.
They were his daily experiences.
He experienced the sanctifying work of God in his life daily through the Holy Spirit.
The work of the Holy Spirit should be a living reality for us.
Just as we experienced God’s calling through the Holy Spirit when we committed our lives to God, we must experience the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.
The one who started this work will complete it in us.
Of course, we sometimes fail and sin.
However, God is not done with us.
God will eventually accomplish His plan in our lives.
This is why we must not give up just because we sometimes fail morally and spiritually.
We must admit our sins, confess our sins, receive His forgiveness, and move on.
This is why Paul wrote this in verses 37-39.
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We can find security even when we fail.
Conclusion
In our church and in our country, there are many people who claim to believe in God.
They go to church, pray sometimes, and read the Bible every now and then.
They try to be good people.
But when we look at their lives, we do not see much difference from the rest of the world.
They are still hurting, still addicted, still filled with worries, and still struggling in marriages.
There is no real power.
There is no real victory.
Why?
It is because they do not rely on the Holy Spirit even though the Holy Spirit can empower them.
There is the reality of the power of the Holy Spirit in us.
We can bear the fruit of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.
We can be led by the Holy Spirit and receive His guidance.
We can have a joy unspeakable.
We can live a supernatural life in this very natural world.
We can have all this through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We must rely on Him and watch Him strengthen us, comfort us, guide us, counsel us and be our intercessor.
As He empowers us to live the life that we are incapable of living on our own, we can bring glory and honor to God.
We went through an eight-week message series, “The Holy Spirit.”
During this series, we examined the work of the Holy Spirit.
First week, we talked about the person of the Holy Spirit.
Second week, we talked about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Third week, we talked about the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Fourth week, we talked about the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Fifth week, we talked about the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Sixth week, we talked about the Holy Spirit and healing.
Seventh week, we talked about the Holy Spirit and gradual healing.
And today, we conclude this series with the power of the Holy Spirit.
I hope and pray that these messages will empower you to experience the work of the Holy Spirit in you.
