20-6-25 PM, The Art of Prayer
The Art of Prayer • Sermon • Submitted
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A Mighty Fortress is Our God
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Notes from J. Oswald Sanders’s book, Spiritual Leadership, “Prayer and Leadership”
Last time we were together, we talked about the Holy Spirit helping us to overcome our greatest handicaps in prayer:
1. Sin in our heart
2. Ignorance of our minds
3. Physical weakness
We have one other opponent in prayer. It is an actual person, the devil. Satan’s name literally means adversary. Satan will try to depress you, create doubt and discouragement, keep a Christian from prayer.
The Bible expresses this battle between the devil and God’s saints.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
In A Mighty Fortress is Our God, Martin Luther describes our conflict with the devil- See our underlined portions
In A Mighty Fortress is Our God, Martin Luther describes our conflict with the devil- See our underlined portions
Yet the song also speaks to God’s help in the battle- See italicized portions
Vs. 1
A mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Vs. 2
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
Vs. 3
And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
Vs. 4
That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His Kingdom is forever.
We have one other opponent in prayer. It is an actual person, the devil. Satan’s name literally means adversary.
The Holy Spirit is our ally in countering this supernatural foe.
There is a reason why the devil wants to keep us from prayer. The Bible often explains prayer as spiritual warfare. For example, after Paul’s statement of 6:12, he gives us armor imagery to reinforce this daily spiritual warfare:
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Ephesisans 6:13-17
Then Paul pulls it all together with prayer.
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
In this struggle phase of prayer, three personalities are engaged. Between God and the devil stands the Christian at prayer. Though weak alone, the Christian plays a strategic role in the struggle between the dragon and the Lamb. The praying Christian wields no personal power and authority, but authority delegated by the victorious Christ to whom that faithful believer is united by faith. Faith is like a network through which the victory won on Calvary reaches the devil’s captives and delivers them from darkness. 89
Jesus was not so much concerned over wicked people and their deeds as with the forces of evil that caused those people to sin. Behind Peter’s denial and Judas’s betrayal was the sinister hand of Satan. “Get the behind me, Satan,” was the Lord’s response to Peter’s presumptuous rebuke. All around us are people bound in sin, captives to the devil. Our prayers should ascend not only for them, but against Satan, who holds them as his prize. Satan must be compelled to relax his grip, and this can only be achieved by Christ’s victory on the cross. 89
We should deal with sin’s cause rather than effect, so the Christian should adopt the same method of prayer.
This is why in our DGs, we prayer specifically, “I ask you, Lord, to prevent Satan from blinding ___________ to the truth.
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
2 Tim.
Jesus compared Satan to a storng man, fully armed. Before anyone can enter such a man’s house and set captives free, the man must first be bound. Only then can a rescue succeed.
29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.
What could it mean to “tie up the strong man” except to neutralize his might through the overcoming power of Christ who cam “to destroy [nullify, render inoperative] the works of the devil”? And how can that happen except by the prayer of faith that lays hold of the victory of Calvary and claims it for the problem at hand? We cannot hope to effect a rescue from Satan’s den without first disarming the adversary. God opens His divine authority through prayer, and we can confidently claim it. Jesus promised His disciples: “I have given you authority…to overcome all the power of the enemy.”
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