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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
Read the verbs that pertain to Deity's actions in Romans 8.26-27. To make these words stand out they are cited from the King James Version, the reason to become obvious presently.
The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities... The Spirit itself maketh intercession... He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit... He maketh intercession for the saints...” (each point of emphasis mine; jb). I absolutely do not apologize for using the revered version of 1611; its beauty is surpassed only by its usefulness in sincere Bible study (as this message will well point out)!
I remember my eighth grade grammar book; “Verbs,” it said, “are the spark plugs of the sentence.” Today's message is not about verbs, but its is about God and His unbounded energy and love; it is about God's action!! The King James Version is unique in that it graphically conveys the tenses of actions under consideration. The verb ending “eth” is indicative of present and ongoing action. In the cited text, every verb that has to do with Deity is in the present and ongoing tense. He does not just help, He helpeth! He doesn't just make intercession, He maketh intercession! He doesn't just search the hearts, He searcheth the hearts! He does not merely know the mind of the Spirit, He knoweth it!
From the first inspired biblical author to the last, God was and is the God of action. To Moses, He presented Himself as the I AM THAT I AM (see Exodus 3.14). To John the apostle He reflected a portion of His essence by saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” (Revelation 22.13). God loved and God gave (John 3.16), but neither the love nor the gift ended there. Not to be trite, and not to take away some great marketing slogans, but God is the One who really does give the Gift that keeps on giving. He gave and then He set into action a plan whereby the message of the gift would be spread throughout the world. Why did He do this? Because He is a God of action; His love cannot be contained any more than His strength can be exhausted or His knowledge can be excelled!
It is God's penchant for action – not just any action, but action that will result in the salvation of lost humanity – that compels Him to tirelessly listen to and act on behalf of His children. It is this same penchant for action that moves the Spirit to inexhaustibly work on behalf of humanity. From revealing God's will through His word, to interceding during our prayers, He ceases not to work for our good! As long as there is work to be done, God will continue to work on our behalf; He will not tire nor deter from His labors.
Now back to the text from which our discussion began: “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8.26-27). Note the human side: We have weaknesses; we don't know all we ought to know; we grapple with groanings that cannot be uttered! Contrast the human side and the Divine side in this text! What we are not (in the way of knowledge and strength), He is and always will be!
Questions:
1. What does the verb ending eth indicate in the King James Version?
2. Why do we conclude that God is in fact a God of action?
3. What is the gift that keeps on giving?
4. Contrast our earthly state of weakness with God's heavenly state of perpetual strength and unequaled wisdom. What does it mean to have the Spirit intercede on our behalf?
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