Creation is groaning (metaphorically) waiting for its “liberation from decay” brought about by Adam’s sin

(Rom 8:18-22).

We as believers are also groaning (metaphorically) waiting for the outcome of our adoption into God’s family – namely Glorification (Rom 8:22-25).

“In the same way…” (Rom 8:26) the Holy Spirit also groans for us as he continually works on our behalf to bring us also to Glory.

Creation, believers, and the Holy Spirit all groan for our coming heavenly reward!

The way the Holy Spirit groans, for this message, is two-fold:

1. Under our burden of SUFFERING, the Holy Spirit is our COMFORTER

2. Under the burden of SIN, the Holy Spirit is our INTERCEEDER

In 1970 singer Stevie Wonder released a song entitled, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.” We have been looking at the work of God the Holy Spirit these last few weeks and as we continue this morning, this song should be our anthem provided by the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

The job of the Holy Spirit is to convict the sinner, draw that sinner to a “rebirth” (regeneration) and then indwell that born-again Christ Follower with God the Holy Spirit. Wow! That’s awesome, but that’s not all…..

In our study of the Holy Spirit we asked the first question, "Who is the Holy Spirit?" The Holy Spirit is God and is a part of the Trinity. The Trinity is explained as:

-God is three persons

-Each person is fully God

-There is one God

Man has two great spiritual needs:

1. Forgiveness – God answered at Calvary (Col 1:19-22)

2. Goodness – God answered at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4)

From Romans 12:9-13

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Romans 7:21-25

The end of Mark’s Gospel is very sudden (v 8). Why? Because of this sudden ending there is an addition (see brackets). Why? What can we learn from these additional verses?

It’s hard to comprehend, but God’s will was to bring Jesus to the cross and kill Him as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins (Acts 4:27-28, Col 2:14 NLT).

This morning our text introduces us to Pontius Pilate. His question in verse 12 is the ultimate question that every human must answer. Eternity hangs in the balance!