Coney Hill Baptist Church
Demonstrating God’s Love Together
Spiritual Disciples
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26In 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 with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
Intro:
Up to now, in our thinking about discipleship, we’ve been wanting to go bigger, broaden our horizons and expand our vision. We’ve emphasised that Jesus is Lord of ALL, Heaven is not just somewhere over yonder but is being built all around us now, and that the whole of creation, every atom and molecule, is caught up in this thing called salvation that is the gospel we proclaim.
Today though we’re coming back to ourselves and getting personal again. Now we know that God’s work of good news is not only about our individual rescue, we need to remind ourselves that it is personal to us. That he knows each of us, cares for us and has a plan for us. That his work is not just about the cosmos, but about our character too.
“Not only so…we ourselves have the first-fruits of the Spirit”
…There’s a parallel between the frustration of the world and in our spirits, and a comparable rescue to.
The Spirit of God within us is …
A Taste of How Things Should Be
Redemption… is a word that means we can be made better, healed if you will. Physical healing is one thing but the work of the Spirit of God is to bring about a wholeness in our lives. To mend brokenness however it appears and to reassure us that we belong, are loved and cherished, as children of God. And, ultimately, that will be out eternal experience. To be full of the Spirit is to get an anticipation of that now.
A Promise of How Things Will Be…
That experience of anticipation, the sense of God so close, within us, that he helps us overcome all the mess of our lives, fuels our expectation that things can be better than they are, and so that it is worth working for good, even when it’s a struggle. In short it builds hope, and hope is the lifeblood of active, fulfilled living
A Help for How Things Are …
It’s not all about tomorrow though. Being filled with God’s Spirit now helps us today. He provides strength and comfort, peace and security. However weak we are, or we feel, God himself, by His Spirit, literally ‘comes alongside’ us and, in the words of the Psalmist, ‘sets our feet upon a rock’. Not least by giving us the opportunity to speak to Him, and even the words to use. Prayer is God’s gift to us, his ever open door to our cries and pleas. When offered in the Spirit, it is the fuel of the most powerful relationship imaginable.
Conc.
To be a disciple of Jesus therefore requires us not only to believe in Him but to invite Him to fill our lives. That presence of His Spirit mends our brokenness, secures our hope and comforts our distress. All we need to do is ask.
Office Address:
Coney Hill Road
West Wickham
Kent
BR4 9BU