Evidence of being glorified with God

Romans 8:26-39; 3/30/2025; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

One of the great fears in life is not being able to see, not being able to touch, and having to move forward, right?  Paul said earlier: “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:25)”  Anyone who has experienced it knows that  patience, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, is not easy to bear!  What to do?  Obviously, the glory of God’s heirs is the assurance given to us by the Holy Spirit.  Let’s look at the first point:

The power of the Holy Spirit’s presence         

The highest expression of being glorified with God is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  The essence of the filling of the Holy Spirit is that the Holy Spirit is in control and the Holy Spirit is manifesting His power.  First, lead the prayer in the midst of people’s groaning.  When do people sigh?  A moment of weakness, right?  Hey, this year’s harvest is not good again, my son is unemployed after graduating from college, and the house payment is about to be cut off.  If this continues, the whole family will move under a bridge!  Hey, the sigh came out!  This situation and scene are both familiar and sad at the same time!  I guess what he fears most at this time is that someone will come to persuade him and say, you can pray!  Maybe not many people can understand that people in this situation may not be able to do anything but sigh!  At this time, the Holy Spirit appeared.  The Bible says, “but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)”        

Secondly, pray according to God’s great love.  Have you ever wondered why the Bible says that the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words?    Because He loves us!  The Holy Spirit does not send angels to help us, but comes to help us himself.  He does not use any lofty slogans to help us, but uses unspeakable sighs to help us. Why?  Because we are also sighing, we are sighing.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit chooses to accompany us, even without saying anything, just move a small bench, sit next to us, accompany us to cry, accompany us to be sad, accompany us with His great love!  We are so weak that we no longer have the ability to pray.  It doesn’t matter, He sings the melody of intercession with us through sighs!         

Finally, intercede according to God’s will.  Where is God’s will?  Where can you see God’s will?  Of course it’s in the Bible, right?  Have you ever wondered why the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the Bible?  This is because of the unity of the Trinity and because the Holy Spirit chooses to be humble and self-limiting so that His revelation does not go beyond Scripture.  When we read the Bible and seek God’s will, we can confidently and boldly receive the will of the Triune God from the Bible.  The infallibility of the Bible is the foundation of our faith.  The Bible carries the true, accurate, and unerring will of God, so that we can rely on faith and look to the Lord Jesus Christ, our author and finisher, who is interceding for us!  Let’s look at the second point: 

The calmness of the Holy Spirit’s help

In addition to God’s omnipotence to express God’s presence, the Holy Spirit also uses His omniscience to demonstrate God’s glory!  First, all things work together for good.  Since it is all things, nothing is not included in it.  The calmness of the Holy Spirit is due to the attributes of God’s omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. Everything is in God’s hands, and He has the power to make everything work together for good.  Of course, this is God’s perspective, and only those who belong to God can know or even understand it. Paul said: “15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. (1 Cor. 2:15)”  The human perspective is to only see part of oneself, and may even be immersed in one’s own gains and losses, causing bitterness and resentment, making it difficult to extricate oneself.  The Bible says that we know that all things work together for good, but we may not necessarily know why we know it.  It’s very simple, it’s because God searches people’s hearts and knows the thoughts of the Holy Spirit!  

Secondly, be the firstborn among many brothers.  All things work together for a specific purpose, which is to make Jesus Christ the firstborn among us, which means to be the greatest.  This shows us God’s intention for us: when a person is born, it is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; after believing in the Lord, the purpose of our life is to imitate the Lord!  When we read the Old Testament, it is not difficult to find that the image and deeds of Christ are everywhere.  It can be said that the entire Bible is “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”.  It typifies Christ Jesus.  For example, Moses, Aaron, David, Joshua, Joseph, Solomon, Isaac, etc., every fragment of their lives, were living out the likeness of Christ.  When the time was full, the Lord became flesh and came into the world as a human being.  

Finally, being glorified with justification by faith.  The word “incarnation” may be so familiar to us that we may overlook its meaning.  Paul said: “ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:30)”  It turns out that our salvation is by grace through faith, leading to justification by faith, so that we who are saved by grace can be glorified with Him!  This is the great mystery of the universe, which cannot be penetrated by human wisdom, nor can it be understood by human imagination.  Especially for the Jews at that time, this was almost a transgressive and even unbelievable argument.  Let’s look at the third point:

Peace promised by the Holy Spirit       

The peace given by the Holy Spirit is completely different from the peace that people fabricate based on their feelings.  The greatest mystery of all is being in Christ.  Being in Christ is what we want in life and where our peace is!  First, live fully in Christ.  What does it mean to live fully in Christ?  In essence, it means letting go of the sovereignty of your life, letting Christ take control, and living by faith boldly.  Whenever we serve in the name of the Lord, no matter life or death, gain or loss, danger, fame or fortune, etc., we can fearlessly live in Christ, live in faith, live in grace, and live in testimony.  When we are walking with the Lord in the boat, if the wind and waves come,  the Lord will not wake up, I will not be alarmed, and I will not wake Him up.  If you encounter suffering, be grateful!  Because this is a good opportunity for the Lord to bestow grace and an experience of the Lord’s presence.  If we have any losses on the road of life, the Lord will make up for all our shortcomings in Christ, and at the expense of Himself.        

Secondly, life and death are in Christ.  Life is nothing more than a process of life and death.  So, how should we look at it?  The standard by which we look at life and death depends on Christ and how God views and describes the life and death of Christ.  Paul said: “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:34)” When God describes Christ, He is going from death to life.  Christ first died for us and then rose from the dead.  We who have believed in the Lord must also consider how to die in our old self, how to die completely, so that we can possibly experience resurrection!  If you can understand life and death, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (Romans 8:35)”      

Finally, more than conquerors are in Christ.  Victory over life and death cannot be a boast in our mouths!  Why?  Because it was Christ who won the victory on the cross.  If you want to boast, just boast about Christ!  Who are human beings that one wants to boast and be proud of?  Paul’s words reveal the secret of our being more than conquerors.  “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)”  It turns out that the secret of victory is to love the Lord! Complaining is useless, and boasting is even more useless!  “ For I am sure that neither bitterness is useless,death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)” 

Conclusion  

Well, thank the Lord!  The basis for being glorified with God is in Christ.  Because of the presence, help, and promises of the Holy Spirit, no one can separate us from the glory and great love of Christ!  

Let us pray……

 

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 

34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 

36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 

39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.