Ephesians 6:18-20 Prayer

Review

Paul’s Purpose in 1st Three Chapters:

God’s Greatness, Power and Love: Throughout this letter Paul has pointed the thoughts of the Ephesians to the greatness, power and love of God.

Full & Correct Understanding of Salvation: All of the truth that Paul has set forth in these first three chapters was meant to give the Ephesians a correct understanding of their salvation and their standing in the church.

The first three chapters should have led us to a deeper understanding of our salvation, of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Those truths that we covered are a great comfort and encouragement and should lead us to stand in awe of God, to praise Him for Who He is and thank Him for what he has done.

Chapter 4

Because of these great truths of our salvation, Paul has called for radical changes in the life of the believer because the believer has been radically changed.

And in chapters 4-6 Paul gives explicit instruction for how believers are to live and how they are not to live. He calls believers to put off the old life and to put on the new. All of which is in the context of our relationships with others.

Paul has called for humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, love, unity and peace.

He has called us to lay aside falsehood and instead to speak truth, to be angry and yet not sin. He has called for bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and all malice to be replaced by kindness, tender-heartedness and forgiveness.

Chapter 5

The worthy walk is a life of imitating God, walking in love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.

The worthy walk is a walk of self-sacrifice for the sake of others.

It is walking in the light rather than in darkness, it is a life that rejects immorality of every kind, but instead exposes the unfruitful deeds of darkness.

Submission - Paul calls believers to be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. That is, out of reverence, respect for Christ, believers are to put themselves under other believers. They are not to demand their own ways but look out for the interest of others.

The chapter finishes with Paul begining to show how submission works on the life of the believer. He begins to explain submission in the various relationships. In chapter 5 he explains submission in the context of the family, Husbands and Wives. In doing so he compares the relationship of husband and wife with the relationship of Christ and the Church.

The marriage relationship is a Picture of the Gospel!

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 begins with a continued explanation of what it means to live a life of submission.

Paul moves on to Children and Parents and then to Slaves and Masters.

In all of this submission, Paul makes it clear that it is to be done “In the Lord” or “as to the Lord”.

Submission must always be in the context of Christ!

Our submission is motivated by our submission to Christ and never goes beyond what Christ would allow.

Spiritual Battle: As we learned in Ephesians 6:10-17 that Spiritual battle is fought in the midst of our daily lives.

It is a battle that is fought against the temptations that surround us and against the fleshly desire to live according to our ∫.

It is a battle that is often fought in our daily relationships within the church, the home and the workplace.

And in spite of the fact that the battle is part of our actual daily lives, Paul made it clear in Ephesians 6:12 that the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

While the battle happens in the physical world with real people and real temptation, the source of the battle is spiritual.

We are to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, \we need to be clothed with the Armor of God.

And since the battle is spiritual and not physical, the armor is spiritual as well.

The Armor of God, is the truth of Jesus Christ, His righteousness, the Gospel, salvation.

As we remind ourselves of the great truths of Jesus Christ, that we have been saved by the very power that raised Him from the dead, that we are protected by that same mighty God who is now also our loving Father, we are able to overcome the fiery darts of the enemy.

But to win the battle against our spiritual enemies takes more than just reminding ourselves of the truths of the Gospel. For our hope is never simply in ourselves, in OUR ability to remember the gospel and “have more faith”. No, verse 10 of this chapter makes it very clear that our only hope is in God Himself.

Introduction

Paul makes clear in verses 18-20, that the Armor of God is not our only defense against the attacks of the enemy. \

We have a Secret Weapon, Prayer.

If we are to stand firm in the battle, if we are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called, if we are to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, then we must Pray.

For we will never win the battle in our own strength.

We must look to God in Prayer.

That is what we will see in Ephesians 6:18-20

Ephesians 6:18–20 NAS

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, 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, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Prayer - The Secret Weapon

As Paul brings this letter to an end, he has one last instruction for the Ephesians to submit to, so that they will be able to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which they have been called.

It is an instruction that we also must heed if we are to stand firm and have victory in the spiritual battles of life.

The instruction is to Pray.

Paul says, “With all prayer and petition, pray...” In addition to putting on the armor of God, the Ephesians were to pray.

As they prayed, they were to do so with all prayer and petition.

The words prayer and petition are very similar.

Prayer

The word prayer is a general term which means to “call on God” and includes the idea of petition.

Petition

To petition God is to make requests of Him.

It is likely that Paul included “petitions” specifically because the context is that of the spiritual battle.

All Prayer - Specific Petitions in the midst of Spiritual Battle is not enough. But Paul makes clear that they are to be involved in all prayer, not just petitions.

Skip this: Beyond the basic idea of calling on God or petitioning Him, there are other elements of prayer that are just as necessary and appropriate.

There are many ways to remember the various aspects of prayer. Many people like to use acrostics such as the word “ACTS” where each letter of the word is the first letter of one of the forms of prayer. “A” stands for adoration, praising God for who He is and what He has done. “C” is for confession. When we approach God in prayer, if we are doing so in the Sprit, we should be led to an awareness of our sin and need of confessing it before our Holy God. “T” is for Thanksgiving and “S” is for Supplication which means interceding or praying on behalf of others.

When to Pray - Pray at All Times

Ephesians 6:18 (NAS)

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,

So, the Ephesians were to be involved in all prayer and petition and they were to “pray at all times in the Spirit”.

So what does it mean to “pray at all times”,

Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing”?

Does that mean that we are to become hermits and devote all of our time on our knees with our heads bowed and eyes closed, praying to God?

Certainly that is not the case.

Paul has been expressing the need to walk worthy in the midst of everyday life.

And in the immediate context, Paul has been discussing the Spiritual battle that is waged in the midst of their daily lives.

Here is what it means:

Constant Awareness of and reliance on God

To pray at all times means to to live with a constant awareness of and reliance upon God.

Pray in the midst of the spiritual battles

There are different kinds of spiritual battles:

Doubt - During times of doubt and discouragement

Temptation - Times of temptation to indulge our fleshly desires.

Conflict - It means to pray when we are in conflict with someone in the church, at work or at home.

Witnessing - It is to seek the Lord in prayer in the midst of witnessing to an unbeliever.

Pray in the Good Times

It also means that we are to be in prayer during the good times as well.

Praise

Thankfulness

In those times we can and should praise and thank God for His goodness toward us.

And we must also pray in those good times that He would keep us focused on Him and His Glory.

There is a great danger when things are going well to begin to rely on ourselves instead of on God.

We must never forget as Peter instructs us in 1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 NAS

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

***So to pray at all times means that we are to be constantly aware of God and our need of His help.***

How to pray - In the Spirit

Ephesians 6:18 (NAS)

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,

And as Paul says, our praying is to be done “in the Spirit”.

We must seek the Lord with all of our hearts.

Controlled by the Spirit - With hearts that are being controlled and directed by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Spirit Directed Prayers - As the Spirit directs us, our prayers will be in line with the will of God because they will be led by the Spirit of God through the truth of the word of God.

Who to Pray for - Prayer for all the Saints

Ephesians 6:18 (NAS)

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,

Context

Up to this point, Paul seems to be focused on our own personal prayers.

But as we think about the context of the passage, the putting on of the armor of God, we should realize that we are not in the battle alone.

In war, the entire army would put on their armor and go to the battle together.

Paul was not writing to one person, but to the church.

The entire church is to take up the armor of God.

The entire church is pray!

Be On The Alert

Ephesians 6:18 (NAS)

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,

In view of the fact that we are to pray always, Paul calls the Ephesians to be on the alert.

They were to be alert, awake and watchful

Actively looking for things to bring to God in prayer

Concern for Others - “…for all the saints”

Alert not only for themselves and their need of prayer, but also for the needs of all the saints.

Perseverance

Devoted to prayer for others

Not giving up on prayer if answers don’t come quickly

All the Saints

Who are “All the Saints”?

All believers everywhere around the world at all times?

He is not teaching them to pray for all saints in all places.

There is nothing wrong with praying for persecuted believers in other countries

Context

Do not forget that Paul’s concern was for the daily lives of the Ephesians as they interacted with one another.

Saints they have contact with: So from the context it is clear that when Paul calls them to pray for all the saints, he is calling for them to pray for all the saints with whom they have contact.

They were to pray for all the saints around them:

Children or parents

Men or women

Who to Pray for Prayer for all the Saints

Jew or Gentile.

Other believers within the local church no matter who they were because they were indeed all One in Christ.

And based on the context of the letter to the Ephesians, what specific prayers would Paul have had in mind? What have been some of the themes in the letter and therefore should be the focus of their prayers for one another?

They should be praying for:

Unity in the body

That others would walk worthy

That they would recognize the real enemy

That they would focus on their true hope, Jesus Christ and stand firm in the battle.

Prayer for Church Leaders

Ephesians 6:19-20

Ephesians 6:19–20 NAS

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, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Who Needs Prayer

It is clear that when Paul called the Ephesians to pray for all the Saints he meant that none were to be excluded.

Not only are we to pray for new believers, the spiritually weak and immature but even those who are spiritual strong, spiritually mature.

Here we have Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, one of the greatest missionaries ever, and he is asking the Ephesians for prayer.

All believers, including those in pastoral ministry must stand firm in the Lord and the strength of His might.

And if Paul needed the prayers of Ephesians, how much more the pastors and missionaries of today!

Selfless Request

And notice the selfless nature of Paul’s request.

Utterance may be given - Words would only come from God

His concern is not actually about himself, but about the Glory of God.

“Make known with boldnesss the mystery of the Gospel”

Paul’s concern was for the proclamation of the Gospel.

“ought to speak” - end of verse 20

He desired both the words and the boldness to preach the gospel in a way that would glorify God, in the way that, as Paul says, “he ought to speak”.

Ambassador in Chains

The amazing detail of this request is that Paul calls himself an ambassador in chains.

What does it mean that Paul was an Ambassador in Chains? What is an ambassador?

Ambassador - one who speaks on behalf of another

In chains - He was an ambassador for the Gospel and because of his proclamation of this mystery, he was imprisoned (Acts 21-28).

And yet, Paul did not ask the Ephesians to pray for his release.

Application

And isn’t that instructive for us.

Our desire should not be that we be freed from all difficulty but that we would be able to live for Christ (stand firm) no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

Paul’s Battle

Paul’s battle was not against the Jews who had accused or the Roman authorities who imprisoned him.

His “struggle”, as ours, “is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

And because of that we must pray, with all prayer and petition all the time and for all the saints.

So how does this look in our actual daily lives?

Let me go back to some things that I said earlier and expand upon them.

Doubt, Depression, Uncertainty, Fear

I mentioned that we are to pray when we are in the midst of a struggle with doubt or depression, uncertainty or fear.

When we find ourselves in that struggle we need to put on the armor of God, remind ourselves of the truth of Jesus Christ and our salvation in Him.

And then we are to turn to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to give us strength.

Disagreements, Fights with Other Beleivers

Well what about those times when we are in a disagreement or even a fight with other believers, whether they are our kids, parents, spouses, employers or other church members? First we must remind ourselves who we are really fighting, that are struggle is not actually with them but with the great enemy of our souls who would love nothing more than to tear believers apart and destroy our relationships.

Then we must pray, and I mean even in the midst of the struggle, that God would give us clarity of the issue.

That we would see where we are wrong according to the word or where the other person might be wrong.

And then ask the Lord for wisdom to handle the situation in a Godly Manner (worthy of our calling), the humility and courage to admit your own guilt and love to cover the sin of the other without allowing a root of bitterness to spring up.

Witnessing

And when it comes to witnessing to unbelievers, we should be in prayer in the midst of that as well.

As a matter of fact, this issue just came up last week. Joelie and I were at a graduation party for one of her co-workers who graduated from college. It was a small group of people and we were at different tables eating pizza and salad. Everyone, except for Joelie and I, were drinking wine and some were becoming intoxicated.

I was sitting with a couple of the men that were there, neither of whom are believers. And the one man is an atheist. Ironically, he attends a local church, although he made it clear that he does not believe but see it as a social gathering.

All those who were at the party are well aware that I am a pastor. And it was interesting as this atheist attempted to get me to “react” to his atheism. He wanted me to witness to him just like other Christians have. He actually made it clear that he was disappointed that I would not talk to him like “I was supposed to”.

And as I was listening to him and trying to determine how I should respond, I realized that I needed to pray. So, as he was talking, I just kept praying that the Lord would give me the right words to say and that He would open this man’s eyes to the truth. Now, this man did not come to saving faith that night and he never came to saving faith. But that does not mean that the prayer was not answered or never will be. It is the Lord who will determine if and when this man will be saved, not my cleverness of speech or ability to manipulate his emotions.

But the point of that story is to show that we are to pray at all times. Even and especially in the midst of Spiritual battles.

A Church on the Alert

Watching. - And as a church we all need to be alert, watching for opportunities to pray for one another.

Involved - That means that we must be involved in one another’s lives to the extent that we are aware of their physical and spiritual needs.

Patient - It means that we are not to be irritated by someone’s lack of spiritual maturity in their words and actions.

Instead we are to pray for them that the Lord would give them greater understanding of His word and how it should effect their lives.

Praying for All - Finally, we must pray for all believers in the church, including those who are more spiritually mature than we are and especially for the leadership.

Pastors are favorite targets of the enemy and those attacks come in many forms, discouragement, doubt, a lack of boldness, feeding on their pride... The list goes on and on.

Paul’s last instruction to the Ephesians in this great letter is to Pray. May we do just that, may we confidently pray in the Spirit to our great and Powerful Father in Heaven through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!