Riches: Of Power of Prayer
Sufficiency of Christ - A Walk through Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 21 viewsPrayer a powerful weapon for the Christian Army
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Check your gear
Check your gear
Knowing the gear you are issued and how to use it is vital to the solider.
Have relationships in order (marriage, child, father, slave, master
Have relationships in order (marriage, child, father, slave, master
Have unity in place, one body, Spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God
Have your order - walk as imitators of Christ
Take your given tools, belt, breastplate, helmet, feet, sword
(Insert Armor of God Slide)
This brings us to the last piece in our armament needed and it is what gives us the energy, and enable us to be the soldier for Christ we are called to be, that being prayer.
Battles take warriors, both those on the front line every day (missionaries, etc.) and the ones fighting with them and for them in prayer in the spiritual realm.
In Exo17:8-16 is the story of Moses, Joshua and the battle with Amalek (Summarize this passage, do not put on the screen, too much, too long) Where Joshua was on the front line, Moses was on the prayer line. Prayer was the power to victory in that case and prayer is our power to victory in the spiritual battles we face.
I. Power of prayer (energy needed)
I. Power of prayer (energy needed)
In just a few verses Paul tells us not just about the power of prayer but how to pray for victory, victory that defeats Satan.
It is not about the words we use, its about being constant in prayer
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
Another way is how Paul says it to the Thessalonians
17 pray without ceasing;
1The
Not about praying every second, but being in prayer communication with God throughout the day, keep the prayer line open. We are always open to temptation and what did Christ say to do.
“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
41 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Mt26:
Don’t get hit with a surprise attack by Satan because you are not prayed up! Pray without ceasing, keep the communication line open!
SO WE HAVE PRAY ALWAYS, NEXT WE HAVE PRAY WITH ALL PRAYERS
All prayers, there are different kinds of prayers
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
Prayers- yes this is praying, asking for things for self. - the Lord’s prayer in singular fashion asking or God’s provision and protection over you.
Supplication - this is spiritual requests -prayers of supplication is seeking the power of God to accomplish will of God.
Thanksgiving - This is just as it says, thanksgiving, thanking God for His Provision even if you don’t have it yet. It is thanking Him for all things you have in your life, including the suffering, hard times we go through.
Entreaties - Making a humble and earnest request of God
Petitions on behalf of all men - Don’t miss out, we are to pray for each other, to petition for each other. We all need prayer cover. This is how you can pray for missionaries, people on our prayer list and those who serve God here or in other place where you join with them through prayer.
Next we are told to PRAY IN THE SPIRIT
The Spirit knows the heart of God and the will of God even when we don’t or can’t but our prayers into words, the Spirit will intercede for us.
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Prayers are to be in line with the will of God and we don’t always know what God’s will is so the Spirit intercedes for us.
In the O.T. there is a picture of the the prayers of the people being lifted up by the Spirit, the altar of incense (Exo30) is described and the priest would take the specially mixed incense and place on the fire and the spirit is represented by the fire who takes the incense (prayers) to the Lord in accordance to the will of God.
PRAY ALWAYS; PRAY WITH ALL PRAYERS; PRAY IN THE SPIRIT; NOW BRINGS US TO PRAY ON THE ALERT or in other words pray watching.
Nehemiah set up a watch.
9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.
9 But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.
They were on the alert day and night as the wall was being worked on.
We know about the Garden when they were told to keep watch.
When we watch and pray we have victory over the world.
33 “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
the flesh
38 “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Remember we are battling satan and his fiery darts
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
EPh6
God gave us a mind and wants us to use it
We need to have the power, we need the Spirits power to take our prayers to the Lord in accordance with God’s will.
THEN WE NEED TO ADD PERSEVERANCE
We need to keep at it, keep praying, don’t give up. We have examples
14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Act
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
Devoted, is to persevere , to keep praying to not stop, be the persistent widow that Jesus mentioned.
Persistence in prayer is not praying for our will to be done in heaven, it is for God’s will to be done on earth. It is
Devoted to pray does not give up, another good example
James has been the first apostle killed by order of Herod
(summarize Act12:1-19)
2 And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.
Peter has been arrested
2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
2 And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.
Act19:
3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
Act12:3
Prayers and petitions were being offered up for Peter
5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.
And Herod planned to kill Peter on the exact night that God answered the prayers
6 On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.
7 And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.
ACt12:5
(Summarize the angel and the release) vv.8-11
He went to where he knew the prayer warriors were
12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
Act12:
23 “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.
1sam12:31
May we always lift our prayers, consistently, persistently and on behalf of others
1Sam
23 “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.
Pray for the Lord’s will for others!
Paul was asking for prayers, look again at the passage, see what he asked for
19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Not for release from prison, release from chains
Asked for prayers for boldness to share the mystery of the gospel
Asking for prayers for what he ought to speak
Here is another example of Paul’s request
3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
So, in case you are wondering, did the prayers he asked for work? Were they answered?
30 And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.
12 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel,
22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.
Yep, sure did! = so pray for those who preach the gospel to boldly proclaim the truth of the mystery of Jesus Christ so hearts can be pricked and lives changed eternally.
II. Final Exhortation
II. Final Exhortation
eph6:21-
21 But that you also may know about my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you.
22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.
As mentioned when we did the intro to Ephesians this was a cyclical letter and there was not much personal identification in the letter as there is in other letters, but Paul did not forget He would have Tychicus bring them word of Paul
I
Tychicus was an encouragement to Paul; Paul was now sending him to be an encouragement to them. He would share everything that was going on with Paul.
4 And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
And in usual fashion Paul wanted them to have peace, love, faith and grace in Christ Jesus for in Him we have all spiritual blessings
3 And there he spent three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
4 And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. 5 But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
I don’t want us to forget we started with talking about the last piece of God’s armor we put on, prayer, maybe it is hard to remember to put on each piece, but I’ll bet you can remember this, each day, make the decision to put on Jesus
He is the Truth (belt) Jn14:6
He is our breast plate (righteousness) Rom13:14
He guides our feet in peace (Lk1:79)
He is our shield of faith (Heb12:20
He is the captain of our salvation (Heb2:10)
HE is the Word who was made flesh
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
All things are summed up and wrapped up in Him.
III. Having done all - Stand
III. Having done all - Stand
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
Satan the accuser is there, ready to accuse us. And many of his accusations can be true, we can be judgmental, we can be a hypocrite, we can have sinful thoughts and even actions at times, but the victory, the victory was won on the cross of Christ.
It is not taking a stand in anything we have done, it is taking a stand in what Christ did on the cross for us.
To summarize a quote by John With from his book the flight
God’s answer to our guilty conscience is sending Christ to die on the cross for us.
We may answer that we do something, confess more, pray more, give more, serve more - but the Father accepts us not on anything we have done but what Christ did for us on the Cross. -The Father welcomes us because the SOn died on the Cross for us.
Jesus said “it is finished” and that was it, it was finished, God’s perfect and acceptable sacrifice for our sin died and gave up the Spirit and then he set the captives free by overcoming death.
When you feel overwhelmed, when you feel guilt, when you feel broken and worthless, those are tools of Satan to try to detour, distract, detail or dismay you. Remember it is finished when Christ died on the cross and Stand firm
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
When we stand firm in the strength of His might and the proof of the power of the Cross we can withstand the schemes of the devil.
Remember who you are in Christ Eph1-3; Remember who we (church) are in Christ Eph4, remember what we are to do in Christ (Eph5) and how we do it (Eph6) - but first you need to be in Christ! (Lead to invitation)