What to Wear to the Battle: Prayer

Text: Ephesians 6:10-18; Ephesians 3:14-21

Focal Passage: Ephesians 6:18

Date: 10/13/2013 File Name: Armor08.wpd Sermon ID: 22

Theme: In his own power the soldier can do nothing against so great a foe. Hence, as he takes and puts on each piece of his armor and as he makes use of it in the battle he must pray for God’s blessing.

One of the most vital components of any war is the ability of the field soldier to maintain regular communication with Command Headquarters. Not only does this communication allow the soldier to request reinforcements should he need it, it also gives him access to intelligence reports concerning what the enemy’s strength and strategy might be. When a soldier has a clear line of communication with HQ, he’ll never have to guess as to his instructions on what he may be required to do in a particular situation.

It is no different in our spiritual war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Prayer serves as our communication link with God. Prayer keeps us connected with heaven and makes available to us supernatural resources for combating the three great enemies of the Christian life.

As he closes out his thoughts on the believer’s spiritual armor, the apostle concludes by telling us: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV84)

As I have frequently told you, the very best commentary on the Scriptures is always the Scriptures. That is the case here. If you will back up about three chapters in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, you will find one of the best passages on prayer in the New Testament. In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul refers to 1) The believer’s position of prayer, 2) The believer’s petition of prayer, 3) The believer’s purpose of prayer, and 4) The believer’s praise in prayer.

I. THE BELIEVER’S POSITION OF PRAYER

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,” (Ephesians 3:14, ESV)

1. does it really matter what our bodily posture is when we offer our prayers to God?

ILLUS. Once there were three ministers having lunch together in a local café. They were discussing prayer and the most appropriate and effective positions for prayer. At the table next to them was a telephone repairman who was listening in on their theological conversation. The Methodist minister shared that he felt the key was in the hands. He always held his hands together and pointed them upward as a form of symbolic worship. The Presbyterian minister suggested that real prayer was conducted on your knees. Only that showed a proper humility before God. The Catholic priest suggested that they both had it wrong – the only position worth its salt was to pray while stretched prostrate on your face. By this time the telephone repairman man could no longer stay out of the conversation. He caught the minister’s attention and said: "I found that the most powerful prayer I ever made was while I was dangling upside down by my heels from a power pole, suspended 40 feet above the ground."

2. does God hear us better when we pray in certain positions?

a. how about our body posture?

1) should we stand before God when we pray?

2) does God pay a little more attention to us when we get on our knees?

3) does God drop everything He’s doing to listen to us when we prostrate ourselves before Him on the ground?

b. how about our hands?

1) should they be firmly clasped?

2) do we simply fold them together?

3) do we create a symbolic “chapel” by gently touching the finger tips of each hand together?

4) or do we lift them before God as if making an offering?

c. how about our eyes?

1) do we keep ‘em opened?

2) do we keep them shut?

3) do we squint, so we can see how the person next to us is praying?

d. how about our lips?

1) do we pray out loud?

2) do we pray silently?

3) and if we pray silently, do we move our lips or not?

ILLUS. If you remember, Hanna did that and Samuel the Prophet thought she was drunk!

e. how about our heads?

1) do we bow in humility?

2) do we look up in joy?

2. throughout the Scriptures we see the saints praying in all manners and ways

a. most pious Jews prayed on their knees

b. prayer among the Pharisees, however, was done standing up

c. when we see Jesus praying in the New Testament He is often fully prostrate on the ground before God, but he also prayed while kneeling and standing

3. among the Christians during the first few centuries kneeling during prayer was the common practice with one exception ...

ILLUS. The 3rd century theologian and church historian Tertullian, writes that the early Christians prayed on their knees during the week, but on Sundays, in light of the resurrection, stood up to pray with hands out to the side. It is said that the Apostle James spent so much time on his knees in prayer that they became calloused. Believers in the early church affectionately called him “old camel knees.”

4. does the question of position make any difference?

A. THE POSITION OF THE BODY DOES NOT MATTER, BUT THE DISPOSITION OF THE HEART DOES

1. God always looks at the heart when we pray

“And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:27, ESV)

ILLUS. That’s an amazing verse in itself ... “God, don’t listen to him; here’s what he really needs.”

2. because God knows the deepest and most hidden parts of our heart, He discerns the attitudes behind our prayers

a. He knows when our prayers are from a heart of humility and truly selfless and when they are from a heart full of pride and full of selfishness

“All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:2, NIV)

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:3, NIV)

ILLUS. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus tells a parable that illustrates the importance of our attitudes when we approach God in prayer: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed to himself: `God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." (Luke 18:9-14)

3. God Always Looks at the Disposition of the Heart When We Pray—Not the Position of The Body

II. THE PETITION OF PRAYER

1. God has abundant spiritual resources that flow from the riches of His glory to the needs of His people

2. in Ephesians, the Apostle Paul makes several petitions in regard to prayer that teach us how we ought to pray when facing the fiery darts of the world, the flesh and the devil

A. PETITION #1: THAT WE STAND STRONG IN THE LORD

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, ... " (Ephesians 6:10-14, NIV)

1. Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord

a. the word implies that we be “Inwardly strengthened”

b. our ability to fight spiritual forces of darkness is not found in our own ability, but in the power of the Spirit that comes through prayer

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” (Ephesians 3:16, NIV)

c. the greatest need of our weak, naturally sinful inner man is that we be strengthened by the Spirit

2. we’re told four times in this passage to take our stand

a. this term has military overtones, referring to resisting the enemy and holding a critical position in battle

b. the indwelling Spirit—the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead—lives in us and gives us power to stand firm and hold our ground when the world, the flesh, and the devil press in upon us

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31, NIV)

3. when you pray for your family and friends, do you pray that they might be strengthened by the Spirit?

B. PETITION #2: THAT CHRIST MAY DWELL IN YOUR HEARTS BY FAITH

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love," (Ephesians 3:17, NIV)

1. Paul, here in vs. 17, is not talking about our initial conversion experience (although you need one, or you’re simply not a Christian)

2. when Paul prays that Christ dwell in our hearts by faith he is praying that we be more and more aware of the indwelling presence of Christ who will take more and more control of our lives if we let him

a. this faith becomes our shield that extinguishes all the fiery darts of Satan

3. when you pray for your family and friends, do you pray that the indwelling Christ be ever more real to them?

C. PETITION #3: THAT WE BE ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love," (Ephesians 3:17, NIV)

1. this phrase speaks of stability in the Christ-like life

a. notice what we are to be rooted and grounded in love

2. we are to be rooted in the love of Christ and grounded in the love of fellow believers

a. throughout the New Testament we read that one of the results of faith in Christ is a new love for others ... especially those in the body of Christ

ILLUS. Here in the mid-west where the soil is rich and deep, trees send their roots far into the earth. The root system of most trees in our area is as wide as is the leaf line is broad, and as deep as is the tree is high. This way each tree has the ability to stand alone and face the elements. But out on the west coast where the Redwood tree grows, this is not true. The Redwood has roots that spread out hundreds of feet in all directions but only go about four or five feet deep. That creates a problem for a Redwood standing alone. It can easily be blown over because the lack of deep roots gives it no stability. But Redwoods grow together in groves. In doing so, their root structures intertwine with each other and help support the whole group. Though weak as separate trees, they become strong as a group. In the same way, the church brings us together as individual Christians and provides the strength of love and support from one another.

a. boy, does that have a lesson for us as believers!

3. when you pray for your family and friends, do you pray that they be rooted and grounded in love so that they may remain strong?

D. PETITION #4: THAT WE PRAY FOR ALL THE SAINTS

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" (Ephesians 6:18, NIV)

1. in Ephesians 6:18-20 Paul refers to two kinds of prayers

a. he refers to prayer

1) this is a generalized form of prayer ... “God, please bless the each believer in my church. Encourage them in their faith. May Christ be real to them this week as they go through life.”

b. he refers to supplication

1) this is a more specific form of prayer ... “God, please bless Bro. Glen. He is really struggling since his wife died. Lift him out of his depression. Fill his with a spirit of joy in knowing that she was a Christian who loved the Lord and loved her family. Help him to be a witness to your sustaining grace. Father, help me to know how I might minister to him.”

2. do you see the difference?

a. the generalized prayer; a prayer that covers all saints, is a good and proper prayer

1) God can take that prayer and say, “Yes. I can take that prayer, and go places with it that you can’t even imagine.”

b. but sometimes our love for a brother or a sister takes us deeper into grace and longer before the throne recognizing that a fellow believer needs some intercession that goes beyond, “God please bless Bro. Glen.”

1) that prayer may not motivate us to do anything

2) the former prayer for Glen may motivate us to bake a casserole or spend an hour with Glen just talking

3. when you pray for your family and friends, do you pray both generally and specifically?

III. THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER

“may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18–19, NIV84)

1. the purpose of prayer is to unleash the power of God in the lives of His people and the world

2. whatever our petitions might be, the purpose of prayer is the unleashing of God’s power in our life or the lives of those we pray for

ILLUS. R. A. Torrey (a good Baptist preacher) said, "Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God's infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer"

3. one of the problems among God’s people is recognizing the power of God at work and believing it when we see it

ILLUS. Years ago, the following story appeared in “Our Daily Bread”, a devotional guide for Christians. It tells the story of an incident in the small Texas town of Mt. Vernon. Drummond's Bar began construction on a new building to increase their business. The local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from opening. Their legal efforts at changing the zoning law was unsuccessful. So they began to pray that God might somehow intercede. Work on the bar progressed right up till the week before the grand re-opening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground. The church folks were rather smug in their satisfaction … until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the destruction of his building, either “through direct or indirect actions or means.” The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court. As the case made its way into court, the presiding judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing he commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not.”

4. why do we have such problems believing in the power of God even when we see it openly displayed?

A. THE FULLNESS OF GOD IS EXPERIENCED WHEN WE PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD

1. we put on that armor through prayer

a. every true child of God soon learns that the Christian life is a life of spiritual warfare

b. the hosts of Satan are committed to hindering, and obstructing the work of Christ and to knocking the individual soldier out of combat

c. the world we live in is deeply affected by spiritual forces of evil that dominate every aspect of culture

d. the more effective a believer is for the Lord, the more he will experience the savage attacks of the enemy

1) the devil does not waste his ammunition on backslidden Christians

2. in our own strength we are no match against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places

a. so the apostle commands that we should be continually strengthened in the Lord and in the boundless resources of His might

1) His resources and His strengthening come through prayer

3. God’s best soldiers are those who are conscious of their own weakness and ineffectiveness, and who daily seek His fullness by putting on the spiritual armor He provides

IV. THE PRAISE IN PRAYER

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV)

1. here is one of the great doxologies of the Scriptures

2. Paul concludes the chapter by bringing the prayer for power into union with the purpose of God

ILLUS. Arthur J. Moore is not a name familiar to us Baptists, but our Methodist brethren would most likely recognize it. Moore was pastor in some of the largest Methodist churches in the South before he became a Methodist bishop. Over a period of several years, at least one person was genuinely converted every Sunday that he preached – Sunday after Sunday. A friend was visiting Moore’s church one Sunday and they were discussing his success as an evangelist. Being curious, his friend asked. "How do you do it?" Moore said, "Come with me." He took his friend to the basement of the Church, where a prayer meeting was in progress. About seventy men were fervently praying for their pastor and for the worship service that was about to begin. When they finished, they quietly walked up the stairs and into the service. Arthur Moore turned to his friend and said, "Notice where they sat?" His friend was puzzled. "What do you mean? They are scattered all over the congregation." “Yes, thank God," Moore replied. "And where each one of them sits down, he's such a center of divine warmth that anyone frozen in sin who sits near him is liable to thaw out before the service is over."

1. Arthur Moore knew where the church gets its power

2. God is at work in His Church ... God is at work in this Church ... which means that God is at work in your life

a. He wants to do exceedingly abundantly beyond what you can ask or think

b. He wants to display His power through your life

c. He wants to display His power thorough your life and this church so that Jesus Christ is magnified and glorified forever and forever

1) because, in the end, it’s all about Him and not us

The purpose of God in Christ is to be accomplished by God’s power working in the members of Christ’s body. We call that body the church. God’s power is appropriated through prayer, both private and corporate. This is at the very heart of the Christian life.

Prayer is the chief agency and activity whereby we align ourselves with God's purpose. Prayer does not consist in battering the walls of heaven for personal benefits or the success of our plans. Rather it is the committing of ourselves for the carrying out of His purposes. It is a telephone call to headquarters for orders. It is not bending God's will to ours, but our will to God's. In prayer, we tap vast reservoirs of spiritual power whereby God can find fuller entrance into the hearts of men.