Read 1 Corinthians 9:24 Don t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

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1 Lesson 4 Run To Win Romans 8: Written by Tricia Brown Point to Remember: The Holy Spirit helps us to become more like Christ so that we can one day celebrate in the glory of the Father. Introduction In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Derek Redmond was favored to win the 400 meter sprint. Unfortunately, things didn t go as planned. About 250 meters from the finish line, Derek tore a hamstring and fell to the ground. With runners racing past him, and emergency personnel trying to get to him, the obviously heartbroken athlete fought to get to his feet, to continue his race. As cameras rolled and the world watched, a man came running from the sidelines, broke through security and came to Derek s side. Derek s father, Jim Redmond, wrapped his arm around his son, and together they hobbled to the finish line. Read 1 Corinthians 9:24 Don t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! Paul compares life to a race and encourages us to be disciplined, to run to win. But just like Derek Redman, we all know that life is full of surprises and setbacks. What are some of the setbacks you have experienced in life? How were friends or family members able to help you? How did it make you feel? When We Are Weak Read Romans 8:26-27 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God s own will. As believers, we can be assured that the Holy Spirit is with us from the time of our salvation (Ephesians 1:13). But when we are at our weakest, we most obviously feel the Spirit coming alongside us to help. Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit is our advocate, our helper, intercessor and comforter. Interestingly, further exploration of the word paraclete used to describe the Holy Spirit in John 14:26 indicates the context of being called to one s side. In Romans 8:26, Paul is reminding believers that just as Jim Redmond came to his son s side in time of need, the Holy Spirit comes alongside to help us.

2 The Holy Spirit has been sent to help us in any of our many forms of weakness, but in Romans 8:26-27, we are given one particular example when we pray. Perhaps it was when you heard the doctor tell you the devastating diagnosis. Or maybe it was as you watched your personal life spiral out of control. It could have been when you stood at the graveside of someone you loved. Most, if not all of us, have been there. There has been a time that we know we need God but we cannot even begin to form thoughts coherent enough to utter into sentences let alone craft a prayer. It s that time when our hearts are breaking, our very souls seem to ache. We feel as if we are clawing our way out of a deep cavern, and we do well if we can simply call out the name of Jesus. It s that time when we are indeed most vulnerable. When we cannot even pray, it s perhaps at that moment, more than any other, that we can treasure the presence and the role of the Holy Spirit. Like a lawyer, the Holy Spirit represents us before the Father, and because He is one with the Father and the Son (1 John 5:6-7 KJV), He is able to make perfect intercession for us, praying not only for us but in harmony with God s will. While our prayers are often skewed by our human perspective, the Holy Spirit knows exactly how to intervene on our behalf. He is our intercessor and our comforter, and we can be assured that in our deepest most profound time of loneliness, we are not alone. When have you experienced a time where you clearly felt the Holy Spirit s presence? In what way did He help you? We Need Help Jim Redmond didn t just help his son. Helping his son could have meant holding his hand while medical personnel attended to his injury. Helping his son could have meant lifting him onto a gurney to be taken off the track. Helping his son could have meant encouraging him that there would be other races in which to compete. But that s not what Mr. Redmond did. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Derek, and helped him to complete the task which he had begun despite the difficult nature of the circumstances. Read Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. This is perhaps one of the most controversial verses in the Bible. Read it to someone, and you will often see a cringe. Seriously? What is good about the loss of a child? What is good about a cancer diagnosis? What is good about losing everything in a fire? People get defensive when they hear that verse. But God didn t make a mistake when He inspired Paul to write it, and it is no accident that it comes directly after the ones before it. Let s be clear. Paul is not saying that everything is good. Everything is not good. The world is full of evil (1 John 5:19), hurt, and pain. God is not trying to coax us into believing that the terrible circumstances of this life are good. Instead, he is reminding us that God can use those

3 circumstances to bring about good. If you want to understand these verses, you have to understand what Paul is referring to when he uses the word good. Can you think of a time when a very bad situation lead to something good? How did you see God at work in that situation? To Finish our Task In Romans 8:26-27, we have been reminded of our weakness. We have just been given a picture of ourselves like Derek Redmond, injured runners, completely helpless and vulnerable, broken and empty, unable to complete the race. And then comes the Holy Spirit rushing to our side, lifting us up, and helping us complete the task set before us. Then God comes along with a promise to use every circumstance for our good even those devastating circumstances of our broken lives. But what is good? The good that is referred to in Romans 8:28 is actually defined in the next verse. Read Romans 8:29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. The good to which the verse is referring is the completion of the task that God has given us, fulfilling the purpose to which we have been called. Derek Redmond s task was to finish the 400-meter race, to cross the finish line. What is ours? Reread Romans 8:29. For Christians, the task is to be conformed to the image of God s Son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit is coming alongside us in our weakness, interceding on our behalf with the Father, and helping us to complete the task the Father has given to us which is to become like His Son, Jesus. Taking these verses in context and as a whole, we can then understand that the Holy Spirit not only helps us by intervening on our behalf but also by helping us to pray with the right perspective during difficult times. While we plead with the Father for many things, our ultimate prayer should be like that of the Holy Spirit that God would use the circumstances of our lives to make us more like Christ. Which is your greater concern when praying? Do you pray for things to be resolved the way you wish, or do you pray that God will use the situation to make you more like Christ? Do you ever add the phrase if it s Your (God s) will? Is there a benefit to this? Why? Why not? And Gain the Prize Derek Redmond finished his race. He finished last, and there was no prize waiting for him, no medal, no trophy, no victory wreath. However, when he crossed that finish line, he was

4 welcomed by the adoration of thousands of people who applauded his courage and fortitude and his dad s compassion. If our task on earth is to become more like Christ, what then is our prize? Read Romans 8:30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. If our task on earth is to become more like Christ, what then is our prize? While becoming like Christ is in itself a reward, God promises us an even greater prize Himself. We can only imagine how sweet that victory will be. When we cross our finish line, in the Holy Spirit s embrace, with our face firmly set on Jesus, we will stand in the presence of God the Father and experience His glory. What has been the hardest physical task you have ever attempted? Was there a reward for the completion of the task? Was the reward worth the effort? What is the best earthly prize you have ever received? What did you do to earn it? Conclusion Can you imagine how different Derek Redmond s story could have been had his father not came to his aid, or, if by some chance, Derek had refused to allow his father to assist him? Read John 16:7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don t, the Advocate won t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. The disciples had to be confused. Jesus was their friend. They loved Him. They didn t want Him to leave. But Jesus said that it was actually better that He leave so that the Holy Spirit could come to complete the task of sharing the gospel with the world. The Holy Spirit is a gift. We need the Holy Spirit. We need His comfort, His intervention and His help. But like the injured Olympian, we too have a choice. We can refuse the Spirit; we can refuse to accept His help. How silly it seems to do such a thing. Yet, we do it all the time. Life is full of bad things, circumstances and events that are at best frustrating and at worst devastating. How many times do we act like we can do it on our own? How many times do we fail to allow the Holy Spirit to help us instead of fully leaning into Him and letting Him carry us to the goal? God never intended for us to go through difficult times alone. He knows we are weak, and He sent the Holy Spirit to help us run the race and to finish it. It s up to us to accept His help and to allow Him to work in us to make us into the image of Jesus so that at the end of our race, we will bask in His glory forever. Has someone ever rejected your offer to help? Have you ever rejected someone else s offer to help you? Why?

5 Put it into Practice: Consider a difficult situation in your life. Think specifically of the ways in which you have felt the Holy Spirit s help in dealing with the circumstance. Thank God for the ways in which He has helped you thus far. Pray that He will guide you and empower you as you go through it. Think about ways in which God might use a difficult circumstance to mold you more into the image of Jesus. Ask God to empower you through the Holy Spirit and to make you more like Jesus. Reflect upon how you pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray in harmony with God s will for your life. Pray that God uses the circumstances of your life to grow you more into the image of Christ.