And He That Searcheth the Hearts Knoweth What Is the Mind of the Spirit
The Holy Spirit is our Advocate within, praying in us and inspiring our petitions, and God understands and answers our prayers with a loving Father's heart.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of intercession for the consecrated heart, highlighting that we have two Advocates: Jesus, who intercedes for us at God's right hand, and the Holy Spirit, who prays within us. He explains that we often do not know how to pray or what to pray for, but the Holy Spirit inspires our petitions and presents them to God. God, in His loving nature, searches our hearts to find the Spirit's prayers and answers them, even those we may not fully understand. Simpson assures us that when we reach our heavenly home, we will appreciate the depth of love from our Divine Friend who has interceded for us. This sermon encourages believers to trust in the Holy Spirit's guidance in prayer.
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The Holy Spirit becomes to the consecrated heart the Spirit of intercession. We have two Advocates. We have an Advocate with the Father, who prays for us at God's right hand. We also have the Holy Spirit, the Advocate within who prays in us, inspiring our petitions and presenting them, through Christ, to God. We need this Advocate. We know not what to pray for and we know not how to pray as we ought, but He breathes in the holy heart the desires that we may not always understand, the, groanings which we could not utter. God understands, and He, with a loving Father's heart, is always searching our hearts to find the Spirit's prayer and to answer it.
He finds many a prayer there that we have not discovered, and answers many a cry that we never understood.
And when we reach our heavenly home and read the records of life, we shall better know and appreciate the infinite love of that Divine Friend who has watched within as the Spirit of prayer and breathed out our every need to the heart of God.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Intercession
- A. The Holy Spirit prays in us, inspiring our petitions
- B. The Holy Spirit presents our prayers to God through Christ
- II. Our Need for the Holy Spirit
- A. We do not know what to pray for
- B. We do not know how to pray as we ought
- III. The Holy Spirit's Work in Our Hearts
- A. The Holy Spirit breathes in us the desires we may not understand
- B. The Holy Spirit inspires groanings we could not utter
Key Quotes
“We have two Advocates. We have an Advocate with the Father, who prays for us at God's right hand. We also have the Holy Spirit, the Advocate within who prays in us, inspiring our petitions and presenting them, through Christ, to God.” — A.B. Simpson
“God understands, and He, with a loving Father's heart, is always searching our hearts to find the Spirit's prayer and to answer it.” — A.B. Simpson
“And when we reach our heavenly home and read the records of life, we shall better know and appreciate the infinite love of that Divine Friend who has watched within as the Spirit of prayer and breathed out our every need to the heart of God.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We should seek to have a consecrated heart that is open to the Holy Spirit's work.
- We should trust in the Holy Spirit's ability to inspire our prayers and present them to God.
- We should have faith that God understands and answers our prayers, even when we do not understand what we are praying for.