Embracing Weakness: The Holy Spirit's Divine Assistance

### Summary

Welcome to Menlo Church and our series, "Beyond the Basics," where we delve into the rich truths of Romans 8. Today, we focus on verses 26 and 27, exploring how the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. Life is undeniably challenging, filled with struggles, suffering, and moments of despair. Yet, in these moments, God offers us divine assistance through the Holy Spirit. This help is not passive but active and personal, rushing in to support us when we admit our weakness.

I shared a personal story about nearly drowning in a river, only to be saved by my brother when I admitted, "I need help." This story illustrates how admitting our weakness is crucial for receiving help, both from others and from God. The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, translating our deepest needs and aligning them with God's will. This divine intercession ensures that our prayers are answered according to God's perfect plan, even when it differs from our desires.

We often resist admitting weakness due to fear of vulnerability, loss of control, or rejection. However, Paul emphasizes that weakness is a prerequisite for receiving God's supernatural assistance. The Spirit's intercession is a mysterious yet powerful process, where God the Father understands and answers the Spirit's groans, ensuring our prayers align with His will.

In our journey of faith, God's ultimate goal is to conform us to the image of Jesus, making us more loving, joyful, and patient. This transformation often involves surrendering our own will and dreams to align with God's greater plan. Whether you're struggling with relationships, finances, health, or hidden sins, God invites you to admit your need for help and trust in His strength.

As we reflect on our own lives, let's consider where we need to surrender and ask for God's help. Whether you're a long-time believer or just exploring faith, admitting your need for divine assistance opens the door to experiencing God's transformative power. Let's take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to intercede for us, bringing strength, peace, and hope into our lives.

### Key Takeaways

1. **Admitting Weakness is Essential for Divine Assistance**: In our culture, we often celebrate strength and hide our weaknesses. However, Paul teaches that admitting our weakness is crucial for receiving God's help. When we acknowledge our limitations, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, providing the strength we lack. [26:06]

2. **The Spirit's Intercession Aligns Our Prayers with God's Will**: The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, translating our deepest needs into prayers that align with God's will. This ensures that our prayers are answered in ways that conform us to the image of Jesus, even if it means surrendering our own desires. [29:58]

3. **God's Help is Active and Personal**: When we ask for help, God's response is not passive. The Holy Spirit rushes in with a personal and aggressive form of assistance, providing strength and guidance that far surpass our own capabilities. This divine help is always available to those who admit their need. [35:18]

4. **Transformation Through Surrender**: God's ultimate goal is to transform us into the likeness of Jesus. This often involves surrendering our own dreams and desires to align with His greater plan. Trusting in God's will, even when it differs from our own, leads to a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Him. [41:30]

5. **Inviting Others into Our Journey**: While God's help is essential, we are also encouraged to invite others into our journey. Sharing our struggles with trusted friends or family members provides additional support and encouragement, helping us navigate life's challenges with a sense of community and shared faith. [49:36]

### YouTube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[22:36] - Introduction to Romans 8
[23:12] - Prayer and Opening
[23:48] - Personal Story: Swimming in Willow Creek
[27:20] - Different Forms of Help
[29:16] - The Spirit Helps in Our Weakness
[30:17] - Creation and Believers Groaning
[31:23] - The Prerequisite of Weakness
[34:06] - The Spirit's Intercession
[35:18] - God's Active and Personal Help
[36:27] - The Mystery of Groanings
[38:52] - The Father's Translation of Our Prayers
[40:13] - God's Will vs. Our Will
[41:30] - Transformation Through Surrender
[44:29] - Personal Reflection and Invitation
[49:36] - Derek Redman's Story
[51:03] - Invitation to Seek God's Help

### Bible Reading
- Romans 8:26-27 (ESV): "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. 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."

### Observation Questions
1. What does Romans 8:26 say about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
2. According to Romans 8:27, how does the Spirit intercede for us?
3. In the sermon, what personal story did the pastor share to illustrate the importance of admitting weakness? ([26:06])
4. What are some reasons mentioned in the sermon for why people resist admitting their weaknesses? ([32:42])

### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the Holy Spirit's intercession with "groanings too deep for words" provide comfort to believers? ([29:58])
2. Why is admitting weakness considered a prerequisite for receiving divine assistance according to the sermon? ([31:46])
3. How does the Spirit's intercession ensure that our prayers align with God's will, even when it differs from our own desires? ([40:13])
4. What does the pastor mean when he says that God's help is "active and personal"? How does this contrast with our own strength? ([35:18])

### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt weak or overwhelmed. How did you respond, and did you seek help from God or others? ([26:06])
2. Are there areas in your life where you are resisting admitting your weakness? What steps can you take to be more vulnerable and open to divine assistance? ([32:42])
3. How can you invite the Holy Spirit to intercede in your current struggles, whether they are related to relationships, finances, health, or hidden sins? ([44:29])
4. Think about a specific prayer you have been praying. How might the Holy Spirit be aligning that prayer with God's will, even if it means surrendering your own desires? ([40:13])
5. In what ways can you actively seek God's help in your daily life? Are there specific situations where you need to ask for His strength and guidance? ([35:18])
6. How can you involve others in your journey of faith, sharing your struggles and seeking their support and encouragement? ([49:36])
7. Identify one area in your life where you need to surrender your own dreams and desires to align with God's greater plan. What practical steps can you take to trust in His will? ([41:30])

Day 1: Admitting Weakness is the Path to Divine Strength
In our culture, we often celebrate strength and hide our weaknesses. However, Paul teaches that admitting our weakness is crucial for receiving God's help. When we acknowledge our limitations, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, providing the strength we lack. This divine assistance is not passive but active and personal, rushing in to support us when we admit our weakness. Just as the speaker shared a personal story about nearly drowning and being saved by his brother after admitting, "I need help," we too must recognize our need for help to receive God's support. The Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, translating our deepest needs and aligning them with God's will. This ensures that our prayers are answered according to God's perfect plan, even when it differs from our desires. [26:06]

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV): "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Reflection: Think of an area in your life where you feel weak or inadequate. Can you admit this weakness to God today and ask for His strength to support you?


Day 2: The Spirit's Intercession Aligns Our Prayers with God's Will
The Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, translating our deepest needs into prayers that align with God's will. This ensures that our prayers are answered in ways that conform us to the image of Jesus, even if it means surrendering our own desires. The Spirit's intercession is a mysterious yet powerful process, where God the Father understands and answers the Spirit's groans, ensuring our prayers align with His will. This divine intercession is crucial for our spiritual growth and transformation, as it helps us to trust in God's perfect plan for our lives, even when it differs from our own. [29:58]

Romans 8:26-27 (ESV): "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. 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."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent prayer you made. How can you trust that the Holy Spirit is aligning your prayer with God's will, even if the answer is different from what you expected?


Day 3: God's Help is Active and Personal
When we ask for help, God's response is not passive. The Holy Spirit rushes in with a personal and aggressive form of assistance, providing strength and guidance that far surpass our own capabilities. This divine help is always available to those who admit their need. God's active and personal help is a testament to His love and care for us, ensuring that we are never alone in our struggles. By relying on the Holy Spirit, we can navigate life's challenges with a sense of peace and confidence, knowing that God's strength is working within us. [35:18]

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV): "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to experience God's active and personal help today? Can you invite the Holy Spirit to provide the strength and guidance you need?


Day 4: Transformation Through Surrender
God's ultimate goal is to transform us into the likeness of Jesus. This often involves surrendering our own dreams and desires to align with His greater plan. Trusting in God's will, even when it differs from our own, leads to a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with Him. This transformation requires us to let go of our own control and trust that God's plan is better than anything we could imagine. By surrendering our will to God, we open ourselves up to His transformative power, allowing Him to shape us into more loving, joyful, and patient individuals. [41:30]

Galatians 2:20 (ESV): "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?


Day 5: Inviting Others into Our Journey
While God's help is essential, we are also encouraged to invite others into our journey. Sharing our struggles with trusted friends or family members provides additional support and encouragement, helping us navigate life's challenges with a sense of community and shared faith. By being vulnerable and open with others, we create an environment where mutual support and growth can flourish. This sense of community is vital for our spiritual well-being, as it reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles and that we can rely on the strength and encouragement of others. [49:36]

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV): "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!"

Reflection: Think of a trusted friend or family member you can share your current struggles with. How can you invite them into your journey and support each other in faith?

Well, welcome, Menlo Church. Welcome to our series, Beyond the Basics, where we've been diving into this amazing, content-rich chapter in the book of Romans. It's a letter that Paul wrote to the church at Rome, and it's got these incredible essential truths that have been so encouraging.

My name's Josh, and I'm the creative director here at Menlo. It is my job to herd the cats, as they say, all of our amazing creative volunteers and staff. We have an amazing team here, and it's just a thrill for me to get to be here and get to share the message today.

As I shared, we're in Romans 8, and if you haven't gotten a chance to journey with us through that, I want to invite you. Go online and check out some of the previous messages and just get the encouragement that you need and get caught up with that. It's a fantastic series, so check that out.

A special welcome to our Bay Area campuses. Here at Menlo Park, we have Mountain View, San Mateo, Saratoga, and if you're joining us online, we are thrilled that you would take some time to be with us. Welcome campuses, glad to be together today going through this series. We're one church with multiple locations, and we exist to bring hope to everyone by living out our identity in Christ every day.

So we're just thrilled to jump into this passage. I'm going to pray for us, and then we'll dive in together.

God, thank you for this time. Thank you for this moment. Thanks for bringing us together, God, across campuses and online, and Lord, we just ask you would speak to us through this chapter that we've been studying. We ask that you would give us faith to say yes to those invitations that you have for us, no matter if we're somebody who knows you and has a relationship with you or someone who's just checking things out. God, give us ears to hear how you might be speaking and inviting us today. And we pray this in your name. Amen.

Well, it's 2019. My family and I had a little vacation where I'm from, Humboldt County, and we went to a little place called Willow Creek. Anybody here from Humboldt? Humboldt County? Humboldt County, land of massive redwoods and other interesting plants that have become very lucrative.

We were at Willow Creek, and some family—I have four brothers—and two of the brothers had their families with them, and we were all together on the creek there, just playing by the water, skipping stones, having a blast, enjoying Humboldt.

And my brother Aaron and I get this crazy, not-so-smart idea to swim across the river. We're like, oh, this is great. Let's go for it. There was an outcropping of rock on the other side that we could see, and we're like, let's just go for that one there.

And so we start swimming across, and we get a little bit beyond halfway and realize, oh, wow, this is harder than we thought. There had been some storms weeks prior, and so the river itself was a little bit, you know, more full than usual, and the current was a little stronger than usual. And so it was a little scary.

We had that moment of, I don't know how this is going to end. And so we kept paddling hard and stroking hard, and Aaron makes it across to the end and gets to the rock, and he's out of breath. And I'm about 10 feet away, and I'm like, oh, man, I'm starting to lose strength.

And I think, I need to dig deeper. So I swim a little harder. And I look up. I'm still about 6 feet away, and I am out of strength at this point. There's a little eddy nearby, and there's a little swirl around the rock, so I think my body's getting pulled. At least that's what I tell myself, because how in the world would my younger brother beat me? You know, come on. There's got to be some reason.

And so I'm close, but I'm not close enough. And in that moment, I just had this thought, like, is this my day? Like, is this the day I see Jesus? And my first thought wasn't like, oh no, this is terrible. It was like, well, you know, my life's been okay. And, like, life's really hard, and it's so challenging. And, wow, it'd be kind of nice to, like, not have any suffering or temptation. I'd just be with Christ, and heaven's pretty amazing.

And so I start to go down that path, and then I think, wait a second. My family's on the shore. This is way too dramatic. Like, let's just make it. And so I get a little bit more strength. I swim a little bit farther. And then I've got just enough strength to kind of heave my head up out of the water and raise my hand up to my brother.

And I had three words for him that I think changed the trajectory, at least of that day. Maybe my life, I don't know. But I said these three words: I need help. I need help. And then I just kind of froze in time.

And Aaron saw me, and immediately reached his arm out, grabbed my hand. And I will not forget the feeling when his hand grabbed mine. There was a strength that rushed into me that I did not have. And he pulled me to that rock and got me up out of the water. And I sat there, drained of energy, breathless.

And he's like, man, that was way harder than I thought it would be. And I'm like, what are you saying, dude? Like, am I fat? Like, come on. And then he goes, Josh, he goes, whatever you do, do not tell our wives what just happened. I mean, just deadpan face.

And I was listening to him. I'm like, that's a very wise brother. And yet Phil asked me to speak on this, and I'm like, gosh, this story just fits too well. I mean, I've got to share it. So sorry, honey. This is confession day. This is, yeah, I'm not as, yeah, it's not my smartest moment.

Help comes to us in a lot of different ways. Sometimes help comes to us through a brother who lifts their hand out and pulls us physically to safety. Sometimes help comes in the form of a friend or a family member who puts their arm around us and offers some words of encouragement to us about our lives.

And sometimes, like we're going to see in the passage today, in our weakness, God himself offers divine assistance. He offers help to us.

Now, last week, Phil talked about how difficult this life is. One of the things I love about the Bible is it doesn't sugarcoat anything. It just talks about the raw reality of the struggle of this life. Until Jesus returns, until there's a new heaven and a new earth, until we're given glorified bodies like Jesus, we are going to struggle and suffer.

And Phil talked about that last week from the passage earlier from Romans. Our bodies are going to break down. We're going to struggle with anxiety or possibly depression. We're going to have relationships that are strained or are fractured or are not there, broken. We're going to deal with doubt and temptation. We're going to give way to temptation at times, and we're going to deal with addiction.

I mean, it's just like, oh my goodness, this life is so challenging. We're going to have people that we know and love die. And it's like, oh, how do we go through that? Life is very difficult.

Aren't you glad you came to Menlo Church? What an encouraging, uplifting sermon this is so far. Life is hard, but God's grace and His grip is strong, and His strength is endless. Life is challenging, but God doesn't leave you alone in that suffering and that challenge. God intervenes and gives supernatural assistance to you and to me if you're a follower of Jesus. That's the hope that we cling to today.

So if you're here and you're like, yeah, I'm in that place or I've got a friend who's in that place, just know God is with you in that. That's what we're going to look at today.

As we look at this passage, Romans 8, it's verses 26 and 27. If you've got a Bible and you want to look along that way, you can do that, or you can check it out here on the screens. Verses 26 and 27.

And Paul starts off, and he's going to talk to a group of believers in Rome. And this is a group of new Christians, and they're having their own struggles themselves. And Paul's going to write to them to encourage them. And he's going to say, likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we don't know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

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.

And as we've been studying Romans and as you've gotten your Bible study tips going, you'll know that this word, likewise, when you see any kind of qualifier like that that starts off a passage, you can know there's like something going on behind.

And so, this passage, it's, you know, he's referring to something. Like what? Likewise, like what? And as we dig into the passage and we go back a couple verses, Paul has this to say in just a few verses prior. He says, not only the creation, but we ourselves—he's talking about the creation groaning—not only the creation groans, but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we've got the Holy Spirit because we've got Jesus, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons and daughters.

One day, we're going to have a redeemed glorified body. It's not going to be this way. We're going to have a new heaven and a new earth. And Paul says, just like creation is groaning, waiting for that day to happen, he says, you and I, believers in Jesus, are groaning while we wait for that day to happen.

And then he says, and not only that, but God is groaning. There's a whole lot of groaning going on in Romans 8. It's just like nothing but just throughout the whole thing. God is groaning. Creation groans, we groan, God groans. God groans.

But you know, you never groan alone. If you're a follower of Christ, you never go through that alone. God's Spirit is with you. And that Spirit comes to us in a very unique way. And there's a prerequisite for you to receive it. And the prerequisite is this word, weakness.

That the Spirit helps us in our weakness. The prerequisite to receiving the supernatural assistance of God is weakness. We don't know why we don't like this. We live in a Western culture that celebrates strength. You're filling out that college application, and you're like listing off all of your accomplishments. You're looking for that job or that promotion, and you're like, oh yeah, I'm going to get that. I'm going to list my greatest attributes and experience and accomplishments and achievements.

You're asking that girl out this weekend, and you're going to present your greatest strengths. You're posting to Instagram, and you're like, you're going to present your best self, your greatest face. It's like we celebrate strength. We don't celebrate weakness. We don't want to talk about it. We don't want to go there.

A distinguished professor of leadership at a business school called INSEAD, Katz DeVries, he says there are several ways people don't want to admit weakness. There's several reasons. He says one of them is independence. We just don't want to give up our independence. Another one is control. If we ask for help and people give it to us, all of a sudden, we're not in control anymore.

Another one is rejection. What if we ask for help and that person doesn't help us? Now it's like a personal rejection. He says another reason is victim mentality. We just don't think we're worthy of being helped. Well, I'm not worthy, so why would I ever ask? Because no one would ever help me.

But at the top of this list that he gives for reasons why people don't want to ask for help and people don't want to admit their weakness is a fear of vulnerability. That if you and I are vulnerable and we display our weakness, it's going to make us seem and be weak, and people are going to see it. And it's like, we don't want to do that.

So we do everything possible to manage our image and put everybody at arm's length so that you don't get to know what's really going on in here. You don't get to know my weakness, and I don't get to know yours.

And Paul says, yet in this instance, if we want spiritual assistance from God, that's a privilege. That's a prerequisite. Weakness. Whether you're a follower of Jesus or not, you're just checking things out. Somebody just dragged you to church today. Weakness is a prerequisite for the divine assistance of God. That's true of all of us.

When we do admit our weakness, Paul says, you know, we don't know what to pray for. I mean, we can be so weak and distraught. We're without words. Like, I can't even—I don't even know what to do in this situation. Paul says, the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

The Spirit comes to help us. And this intercedes, it's an interesting idea here that the Spirit of God helps or prays. If you're a follower of Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit in you. Just a little side note here. You've got the Spirit of God in you, and it's a guarantee until the end of your life, and he'll lead you into glory with Jesus in the new heavens and the new world. You've got the Spirit in you, period.

And the Holy Spirit helps in a unique way. The word for Holy Spirit is this word parakletos, and it means comforter or counselor or help. And it's a unique help. When we ask for this kind of help, the Spirit helps us in a very personal and very almost aggressive way. God's help is not passive. He's not sort of back here like, oh yeah, I'll send a couple angels. No, no, no. When we ask for help, God rushes in, and he's very personal, and he's very aggressive in his help for us. He's very involved.

And that kind of power that we receive, I mean, when we admit our weakness, we become the conduit through which the Holy Spirit comes through us. It's the conduit of God's strength. And that strength is so far different. It's so beyond our strength. Our strength is so limited, and God's strength is unlimited.

I think of an image of like lifting a piano, which would take like six or seven people, by the way, a grand piano. It's just so heavy. And I think, what would it be like to lift a piano with God? You know, I picture God lifting up the piano and then just sort of putting it on one hand and like spinning it around on his finger and then like grabbing the binder off of the piano itself and saying, here, you take this part. Let's carry this together.

You know, that's sort of the image I have in my head, and even that fails to articulate kind of the difference, the power, the strength that's available through God's strength when we ask for help.

And the way he helps us is this prayer through this groaning too deep for words. What is that all about? This stenagmois is the Greek for this groaning. And we go, what is that? And there's all kinds of different ideas around this. It's a mysterious image. No wonder there's controversy or differences of opinion.

Some people think this is the Holy Spirit stirring up somebody's affections, and they themselves are the ones humanly uttering these wordless groans while the Spirit is stirring that up. So that's one idea that several people believe. I mean, another idea is that this is actually the gift of speaking in tongues, the gift of glossolalia, where a person animated by the Holy Spirit speaks out words that are utterances that you don't understand. It's a language you don't understand, or sometimes you do, sometimes you don't.

And it's this Holy Spirit language, and people are like, oh, this is an example of that. This is like speaking in tongues where you find in different parts of the Scriptures. But as I read this passage and we look at it today, I'm kind of like, well, wait a second. Here we go. Here comes the Holy Spirit, and He's actually Spirit.

And he speaks in tongues, and then not just the Spirit talking to—not just the Holy Spirit like He speaks in tongues on these words that are being translated. You see that? There's a different person coming into play here. He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because, and then it's going to go back. Now we're back to, ah, the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Well, here we have like a cool little image, a little peek into the Trinitarian nature of God. We can't have time to go into that, but God is one God, but He's Father, Son, and Holy Spirit equal and one, all three but one. And you see that here. It's an interesting mystery.

But you see the Spirit interceding, groans too deep for words. He who searches hearts, now we're talking about God the Father searching the heart of a human being, knows all of our hearts, knows everything what's in us, and knows what the mind of the Spirit is or the Spirit's mindset.

It's like this. The Father hears the groans, immediately translates them, and then they're answered immediately because every single prayer is according to the will of God. Isn't that cool? Wouldn't you like to have that kind of power? It's like, wow, I just pray this prayer, and it's answered immediately.

Well, these prayers that the Spirit prays are answered immediately because the Father translates, answers, translates, answers, translates, answers, and it's always according to the will of God.

My wife and I have three boys, and when they were tiny babies, it was so difficult to try to get them to stop crying. And I would pick them up and be like, okay, let me try this, and I would try this, and this, and screaming, screaming, screaming, wouldn't stop. I'm like, why do I, why do I do, ah?

And then Danielle oftentimes would come over, and she'd be like, ah. She would translate the cry. This type of cry means they need to be changed. This cry means they need to be fed. This cry means they need a nap. This cry means they just need to be held. And she would walk over and oftentimes take the baby and know exactly what the cry is, translate it, and then answer that request.

And I'd be like, oh my goodness, you know, like total failure here, right? That's kind of what dads feel all the time. Magic mom comes in and knows exactly what's needed. This is similar to what God is doing with our prayers. Translates answers.

And notice the answer is according to the will of God. That's a really important point of this passage, and something that I think I don't really like. I'd like to remove that part. Can we do that? Just scratch that part out of the Bible. He answers them according to his will.

What God's will is sometimes is different than what we want. Some of us are like, no, God's in my life to get me the things that I want and to help me achieve my thing. And then when it doesn't work out for us that way, we go, oh, we tried Christianity. It didn't really work for me.

And it's like, well, wait a second. That's actually not what following Jesus is. When you follow Jesus, there's a will for your life, and his will for your life is that you'd be conformed into the image of Jesus, that you'd become a person who's more loving and joyful, somebody who's more peaceful, patient, somebody who has life filled with goodness and kindness and gentleness, and a man or a woman who has self-control.

These are things that God's will is for you to be shaped into, the very image of Jesus. That's our whole life journey, and God is using everything to do that thing. So it's like we might be praying one thing, and the Spirit's like, oh, yeah, he's praying for this, but what he really needs is this.

And the Father's like, got it answered. Oh, she's longing for this thing, but what she really needs is this, and she's longing for this thing, and she's longing for this thing, and she's longing for this thing, and the Father's like, yes, that's right, got it answered.

And this is the process, part of the process of how we become more like Jesus. We don't do that on our own. We can't do that on our own. God does that in us supernaturally, and that's his will for our life.

Sometimes our will is against God's will, and when that happens, God wars against our will, because the Holy Spirit is not just the comforter. Not only does he comfort, he confronts, and you go, wait a second, what are you talking about?

Think even about Jesus when he's en route to Jerusalem to take on the cross, and Peter gets in his way. He goes, you're not going to Jerusalem. You're not going to die. No way will I let that happen, and Jesus says, get behind me, Satan. Whoa, I don't know if I like that, Jesus.

This is the Spirit of God in you, and sometimes when our will is like, I want this, and God's like, but this, and will we say, okay, you're the Lord. I'm just a person who you've saved.

2019, my family had a chance to go to Tennessee, and I had a decades-long dream to be a songwriter, so I wanted to be there. Proximity equals power, equals opportunity, equals success, and so I'm in that path, and we get there, and I'm like, after three months, I'm like, this is great. This is a cool adventure, and my family's like, let's get back to the Bay Area. We like California, and I'm okay.

I had a job offer, but it was like not quite the right fit. I had some neat meetings with some publishing companies. I didn't quite have the hit songs to get the contract. I was like, oh, what do we do? And it was so clear. God was like, back to the Bay Area. I've got plans for you, and it felt like a death of a dream, and it was like, God, I thought you put this dream in me. Now you're killing it, right?

There's some interesting things that we go through in life sometimes, and we came back to the Bay because apparently God wanted me to hang out with you guys at Menlo, learn a lot more about leadership and management than about song structure, learn more about navigating change within a church than about navigating publishing contracts.

And so I go, okay, Lord, here we are. Let's go, and God, He loves us. He's good, and He can be trusted, and sometimes it's like, ah, that hurts, but God cares more about our love for Him than even about the dreams He gives us.

It's like, are we going to love the giver or hold on to the gift? And this is one of those moments I had in my life. It's like, okay, Lord, I'm going to yield to you, and God can be trusted when we honestly go to Him. He'll turn our groaning into gratitude because we'll see His faithfulness in our lives, and sometimes it takes time. Sometimes it takes time.

Well, I want to ask the question now and pivot and say, how in your life do you know that God loves you? How do you know that God loves you? I need the Holy Spirit's prayers for you. What's happening in your life right now? I talked with you about a couple things I've experienced, but what about you?

Is there an area in your life where you're like, yeah, I'm kind of feeling like I've got to surrender something, and I've got to say yes to God's will? Is there something in your life where you're like, that relationship is splintered or fractured, and God, I need you to help bring that back together, or it could be that you need to help bring that back together, or it could be I'm struggling about how am I going to afford this thing, this school, this bill, this payment, whatever it might be.

It could be your body might just be failing in some ways, like, God, I need help. You might have had a friend who passed away, like our family did in the last year, and it's like you're walking through some grief. God, how can I make it through this? I need help.

It could be emotional, right? Just like the anxiety sometimes we struggle with, or depression, saying, God, reaching out our hand. I need help. In what way do you need help? Maybe it's struggling with a temptation. You're like, ah, I don't know. How can I overcome this?

There could be an inappropriate relationship with someone that's not your spouse, and that's starting at work, and you're like, where could this go? And it's like, ooh, and the Spirit's like praying for you, like, wait, wait, wait. And you're like, if I don't stop, this could ruin my marriage and my kids.

It could be like a hidden sin. You're like, I'm never going to let anyone know about this. And then over time, like, of course, it gets worse, and then it not only destroys more of your life, but it starts to destroy people around you, even hundreds of people, potentially.

It's like, oh, man, where in your life does God say, is God saying, hey, let me help you? And where do you need to say, I need help? I need help. That's the question I want to leave us with for these closing moments.

And then to remind us of God's heart, there's a guy by the name of Derek Redman, and he's a former Great Britain, really amazing athlete. And it was the Barcelona Games in 1992 where he made a comeback. And just four years earlier, he had a terrible injury in Seoul, Korea, and had to bow out of the Olympics altogether. Tore his Achilles heel. It was a terrible tragedy.

Then he made a comeback in '92. Here he comes. And he's on the 400 meter, and he's in the quarterfinals, and he wins his heat. And everybody's like, oh, man, all eyes on Derek Redman. And then here comes the semifinals, and things turn for the worse.

I want you to take a look now. The man who comes out to help Derek is not only Derek's coach, but that's his father. He comes out of the stands; nothing can keep him from helping his son. My friend Harold reminded me, you know, nobody remembers the winner of that race. No one remembers. But now you'll remember Derek Redman's name.

And I'm like, oh, man, you'll remember the guy who admitted his weakness. And his father who came to help gave him strength that he didn't have and helped him finish. See, that's the Spirit of God for you. You know, he's with you to help you finish this race. And he's going to help you through it.

If you're here today and you think, well, I can get this with God, just me and God, that's okay, but not quite complete. I want to encourage you to just invite one other friend into that journey with you today. Just invite one person. Hey, just let them know I'm struggling with this. I'd love for you to help me with this. Give me some prayer. Give me some encouragement.

If you're here today and you're not sure about this Christian thing, you're like, I don't know about this. I got dragged here by a friend or whatever. And I know sometimes you think of Christianity, that's just a crutch. Like, I don't need a crutch. I can do this. I got this.

But, but Jesus actually says that we need to surrender our lives to die to ourselves. So Christianity isn't a crutch. It's actually a gurney. Jesus is saying, hey, will you give your life up? Would you die to yourself? And would you receive me to be your savior?

We can't get this kind of supernatural assistance without the Holy Spirit. You can't get the Holy Spirit without Jesus. And so maybe today you might be in a place like, I need this help. And so I would just ask, why not?

Maybe today would be the day where you say, Lord, I don't understand all this, but I know I need help. And so I trust you to come and be my savior. I admit my weakness, my sin, and I recognize my need for you. Ask him to come and help you. Be your Lord.

God will rush in with help that, with strength that you never thought possible. He'll bring you back to life and fill you with hope. It's not just for your life, but hope for others around you.

So we're going to take a moment now and just allow the Spirit of God just to speak to us and to remind us of his help in your life. And maybe now is a time where you can just say, I need your help, God, and bring that thing before him.

So let's do that. God, would you lead this next moment as the team plays and all of our campuses, our worship leaders are leading this time. God, would you speak to us? God, would you fill us with peace? God, would you bring strength that only you can bring?

And for those of us who aren't quite sure about you, God, we're just asking, if you're real, would you make yourself real to us? We need help. So Lord, would you lead these next few moments?

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "Life is hard, but God's grace and His grip is strong and His strength is endless. Life is challenging, but God doesn't leave you alone in that suffering and that challenge. God intervenes and gives supernatural assistance to you and to me if you're a follower of Jesus. That's the hope that we cling to today." [28:56] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "Help comes to us in a lot of different ways. Sometimes help comes to us through a brother who lifts their hand out and pulls us physically to safety. Sometimes help comes in the form of a friend or a family member puts their arm around us and offers some words of encouragement to us about our lives. And sometimes, like we're going to see in the passage today, in our weakness, God himself offers divine assistance." [27:20] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "If you're here today and you're not sure about this Christian thing, you're like, I don't know about this. I got dragged here by a friend or whatever. And I know sometimes you think of Christianity, that's just a crutch. Like, I don't, I don't need a crutch. I can do this. I got this. But, but Jesus actually says that, we need to surrender our lives to, to die to ourselves. So Christianity isn't, isn't a crutch. It's actually a gurney." [50:13] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "God loves us. He's good, and He can be trusted, and sometimes it's like, ah, that hurts, but God cares more about our love for Him than even about the dreams He gives us. It's like, are we going to love the giver or hold on to the gift, and this is one of those moments I had in my life. It's like, okay, Lord, I'm going to yield to you, and God can be trusted when we honestly go to Him. He'll turn our groaning into gratitude because we'll see His faithfulness in our lives, and sometimes it takes time." [43:01] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "We are going to struggle and suffer. And Phil talked about that last week from the passage earlier from Romans. Our bodies are going to break down. We're going to struggle with anxiety or possibly depression. We're going to have relationships that are strained or are fractured or are not there, broken. We're going to deal with doubt and temptation. We're going to give way to temptation at times and we're going to deal with addiction." [28:08] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


### Quotes for Members

1. "The prerequisite to receiving the supernatural assistance of God is weakness. We don't know why we don't like this. We live in Western culture that celebrates strength. You're filling out that college application and you're like listing off all of your accomplishments. You're looking for that job or that promotion and you're like, oh yeah, I'm going to get that. I'm going to list my greatest attributes and experience and accomplishments and achievements." [31:46] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "When we do admit our weakness, Paul says, you know, we don't know what to pray for. I mean, we can be so weak and distraught. We're without words. Like, I can't even, I don't even know what to do in this situation. Paul says, the spirit himself intercedes. For us with groanings too deep for words. The spirit comes to help us. And this intercedes, it's an interesting idea here that the spirit of God helps or prays." [34:06] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "The Father hears the groans, immediately translates them, and then they're answered immediately because every single prayer is according to the will of God. Isn't that cool? Wouldn't you like to have that kind of power? It's like, wow, I just pray this prayer, and it's answered immediately. Well, these prayers that the Spirit prays are answered immediately because the Father translates, answers, translates, answers, translates, answers, and it's always according to the will of God." [38:52] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "When you follow Jesus, there's a will for your life, and his will for your life is that you'd be conformed into the image of Jesus, that you'd become a person who's more loving and joyful, somebody who's more peaceful, patient, somebody who has life filled with goodness and kindness and gentleness, and a man or a woman who has self-control. These are things that are that God's will is for you to be shaped into, the very image of Jesus." [40:13] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "The Holy Spirit helps in a unique way. The word for Holy Spirit is this word parakletos and it means comforter or counselor or help. And it's a unique help. When we ask for this kind of help, the spirit helps us in a very personal and very almost aggressive way. God's help is not passive. He's not sort of back here like, oh yeah, I'll send a couple angels. No, no, no. When we ask for help, God rushes in and he's very personal and he's very aggressive in his help for us." [35:18] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)