The Last Piece of Armor

Introduction

We are now on our last sermon in the book of Ephesians and as we close our study Paul wants us to see the importance of prayer. Here’s our goal:

We are to pray in the power of God for the people of God to the Glory of God.

Read Ephesians 6:18-23.

I. Prayer in the Power of God (18a)

· “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”

· As Paul finishes his letter to the Ephesians he reminds us of the importance of prayer. àIn fact, prayer is included in the list of armor from last week’s passage. It’s not given a physical, representation like the “helmet of salvation” or the “sword of the Spirit”.

· If we wanted to keep up Paul’s analogy of wartime equipment we would say that prayer is the satellite imagery or the lines of communication between the soldier and their leaders. Prayer directs the energy of the attack in a certain direction.

· And as with the rest of the pieces of the armor of God we are called to pray—not in our own strength or might—but in God’s. àWe are to pray “in the Spirit”.

· Our text also says we are to pray prayers of “supplication”. And that we are to “keep alert with all perseverance”.

· And if I were to say to you so church, “keep alert and persevere as you pray prayers of supplication in the Spirit”. àI don’t think I would be serving you very well as your Bible teacher.

· There are questions here.

o Praying in the Spirit sounds great. What does it mean? How do I do it?

o What am I keeping alert for? How do I persevere? And what is supplication anyway?

· If we are going to be obedient to this command, then we need answers to these questions.

· And as we jump in, know that prayer is not supposed to be optional for the Christian! àPaul says, take up the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, praying at all times in the Spirit…

· This is a command. As the people of God we are to pray. And as the people of God our prayer is attacked, isn’t it?

· Have you ever felt listless in your prayer? Tongue-tied? Have you ever felt so distracted in prayer that you don’t know when you transitioned from praying to Almighty God to wondering about who invented the first toaster?

o Don’t pretend to be holier than thou—you know what I’m talking about.

· Our prayer is attacked by the enemy because it is powerful! Prayer is the believer being led by the Spirit as they walk in the power and might of God. àYou better believe that our prayer lives are attacked.

· In the history of warfare, enemies have always attacked each other’s lines of communication.

· Know that you are called to be a child of God who prays. If your prayer life is non-existent then I want to call you this morning to repent for neglecting your birthright—as a born again child of the King it is your birthright to bend the ear of your father.

· Hear me, when you pray…God, the Holy Judge of all the Earth—God the creator of all things—God the Alpha and the Omega bends his ear to you—and don’t get it twisted—not because you are great, but because you are greatly loved!! àDon’t neglect that!

· In the beginning when we started our study in Ephesians we read in 1:3 that God has “blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”. àPrayer is undoubtedly one of those spiritual blessings gained in Christ.

· God the Father listens to us like his children because God the Son died for us and redeemed us with His blood!

· 1. So we want to be those who pray “in the Spirit”. So what does that mean?

· Jason Meyer is a pastor in Minnesota who spent 5 years studying the sermons of the English pastor, Martin Lloyd-Jones. And if you don’t know who that is, Martin Lloyd-Jones was known for being a gifted and bold preacher of God’s word.

o But in Meyer’s study of Jones’s work he found that he learned most about prayer. Lloyd-Jones own wife said this about him, “No one will ever understand my husband until they realize that he was first a man of prayer and then an evangelist.”

o What would people say about your prayer life?

· Meyer, pulling from his study wrote a great article that we have linked in Youversion Bible page of this service. But we glean some precious truths from our brother pastor’s work…

· As we consider what praying in the Spirit is—it is helpful to state what it is not. àThe opposite of the Spirit is the…flesh.

· So what we don’t want to do is be those who pray in the flesh—and that is praying relying on human strength and ability for the praying and the answering.

· But what does that look like?

o It looks like having nothing in our heart while words stream from our faces. Thinking that many words is praying. Thinking that long sentences is praying. Thinking that articulate statements of true doctrine is praying.

o And the tricky thing is that Spirit led prayer can be articulate, long-winded statements filled with biblical truth.

o So what’s the difference? Where is your prayer coming from?

· Mark 12:41-44 & Luke 18: 10-14: àWhat’s the point here?

o Where is the offering coming from? Is your prayer offered up because you “know you are supposed to pray” or because your heart is filled with a longing for God and a worship of God and a trust of God?

· If we pray in the flesh we pray in our own strength to be those who are “faithful prayers”—that is no different than the pharisee who magnifies his own righteousness.

· Transition: So we know that praying in the Spirit is not praying in the flesh, so what is it…

· 2. Prayer in the Spirit is carried forward by the Spirit—it is prayer that flows from a heart of praise—it is dependent on the Spirit’s strength and not our own.

· The author of the article I mentioned earlier said the difference between praying in the flesh and praying in the Spirit is like riding a bike up a hill. The ride up the hill is praying in the flesh—struggling, powering through, depending on self.

· The ride down the hill is praying in the Spirit—being carried along by gravity.

· Spirit led prayer doesn’t “look” a certain way, but it does “feel” a certain way—it is freedom to pray—whether it is a joyful prayer, a prayer of great need, of desperation, a prayer of sorrow—it is prayer that comes easy because our mouths pour out to God a heart filled with God.

· Transition: So the question that helps us to pray in the Spirit is…

· 3. What kind of heart are we praying from?

· When we pray do we admit inability?

o Brothers and sisters we should not come to spiritual things thinking that we don’t need the Spirit of God to accomplish them.

o Every time I read the word of God I confess to God that without him I will not understand these spiritual things.

o When we pray do we understand that we need help in the praying?

· Do you have the reality of your life in Christ in your mind?

o You have communion with God—always. You have a living communion—a living relationship with God.

o When Jesus died the temple veil—the separation from God was ripped in half to show that God’s people are no longer separated from him.

o It is only our hearts that restrict God to certain spaces or times. But the reality is that God is with us at all times.

o We have access to God at all times.

o And God is not burdened by your prayer—your need—your dependence on Him—he does not begrudge your weakness—but delights to share his strength.

o The enemy would have you believe that you are bothering God—that he doesn’t love you, but tolerates you. It’s not true.

o Do you have an accurate picture of your reality in Christ in mind as you come to prayer?

· Do you plead the promises of God?

o All of God’s word is an excellent guide for prayer. Are you praying God’s words back to him?

o Do you want peace? God promises peace that surpasses all understanding.

o Do you need patience? Pray that God would make you quick to listen and slow to speak.

o Do you need wisdom? Pray that God would give you wisdom—he gives to all who ask without reproach.

o Do you need food? A light bill? Extra money for the budget? Pray that God would provide for your physical needs—he says he knows that you need these things and will provide them.

· Transition: As Paul calls us to pray in the Spirit he calls our attention to prayers of supplication…

· A prayer of supplication is a prayer in which we ask God for something that is needed. God is concerned with our real, physical needs.

· Jesus made wine, gave bread and fish, healed physical ailments

· Illustration: George Muller was an English pastor who ran an orphanage in Bristol. He housed over 10,000 orphans in his homes and he only ever prayed for what was needed. He received many donations, but never asked anyone but God for them.

· Many times he would start the day not knowing how he was going to feed the children their dinner, but he would pray for God to provide. And people would come with stories of feeling compelled to give or provide.

· Muller believed what God’s word said. And in his own words he said, ‘If God cared for the sparrows he cared much more for his own children.’

· George Muller purposefully only asked God for what was needed in prayer as a proof to believers that they could trust their God.

· Do you trust your God? Are you asking him to supply you with your needs? Do you believe that he can?

· James 4:2 says that you do not have because you do not ask.

· Friends, if God can save your dead soul from hell can’t he provide for your physical needs?

· When Jesus healed the lame man lowered through his roof. He said, “So that you know the Son of man has power to forgive sins—get up, take your mat and walk.” à Jesus point is I have power over all things. I can forgive sins. I can heal the broken. I can feed the hungry. So ask!

· And then some of us don’t ask because we are afraid that God will say no. What does it mean if I pray for something that I need and God doesn’t give it to me. What does that mean?

· Friend, it means that you didn’t need it. It means that God has a different plan. We fear God saying “No” when we don’t trust God.

· But when we know that God’s ways are best, that he sees our situation clearly and we don’t we trust the provision of our God.

· Maybe—your prayer for your heart—needs to be, “God help me to trust you more than myself.”

o When prayer is about what we want and not God—it’s worship of the blessing and not the God who blesses. We angrily cry out to God and demand that He give us our idol—and the God who loves us says, “NO. I am sufficient for you.”

· Transition: God calls us to pray prayers of supplication in the Spirit. And then our passage continues and we see…

II. Prayer for the People of God (18b-20)

· “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

· These prayers are not just for ourselves, but we are told to keep alert and persevere in this prayer. àLike a watchmen are we keeping alert for opportunities to pray for one another?

o Are you listening to what people say and making mental notes? Are you lifting them up in prayer about these things? Is a dear brother or sister in Christ passing an anniversary without their spouse? Do you make note of that? Do you pray for them?

· I want to challenge you in this church—today—before you leave find one person in the church to pray for this week. They will know us by our love for one another, Jesus said.

· Listen do you pray for your pastor? Paul turns the focus of prayer to himself. As we continue the text says…

· “and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

· In addition to praying for one person in the church I would ask you to pray for me, your pastor. Here’s four ways that you can do that from our text.

· 1. For Words

o That when I preach in the pulpit and when I teach in the various ways, I get to do that—that God would give me his words for his people. àIf you know me, you know that I am not at a lack of words in my own strength

o But as your pastor you don’t need my words, I’m not called to preach my words, I’m called to preach God’s words from the Bible.

o There is the old joke that if you don’t like the pastor’s preaching that you should pray for it.

o I hope that my preaching is a blessing to you—but pray that it would be more of a blessing. Pray that God would use me in powerful ways for the benefit of his people.

o Another way you can pray is…

· 2. Focused Boldness

o Paul says pray that I would be bold to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.

o Boldness in itself does not equal holiness.

o I don’t want to be a bold jerk.

o Pray that I would be bold to proclaim the gospel—that I would never shrink back from proclaiming the truth in the pulpit and in the world.

o But please pray that I would have a focused boldness in the gospel. But be gentle and longsuffering in all other areas.

o Illustration: We were ministering on the sidewalk outside of Planned Parenthood two weeks ago and an older man drove a young girl up to the door—as she was going to walk in I called out “Can I please give you some information so you can make an informed decision about what you are doing? This company doesn’t care about you.”

o And the guy who dropped her off approached us and let us know that she wasn’t there for an abortion, but just for birth control. He was upset because I had “assumed that she was there for an abortion”.

o This situation needed humility—and calm—and understanding. I could have been bold with words—“I could have said—we don’t know who’s here to kill their babies and who isn’t. If your girlfriend is uncomfortable with people calling out to her she shouldn’t go to a clinic where they murder infants.

o In this situation I calmly explained why I called out—not knowing—and that some people are here for abortion or abortion consultations and I desperately don’t want them to make that mistake. I apologized for her discomfort and we had a fruitful conversation with the guy.

o I know folks that may have handled it that way.

o Friends I want to be bold, but Paul calls for focused boldness—bold with the gospel—gentle everywhere else.

o Paul was a bold man with the gospel—but listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians 2:3, “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

o Pray for gospel boldness and patient gentleness elsewhere.

· 3. Pray for Protection

o Paul calls himself an ambassador in chains.

o Friends, if we stand for the gospel there will be consequences—in Paul’s day those consequences involved chains and eventually an execution.

o And in our day—in America—persecution of the church does not look like this. I feel almost sheepish, to ask the church to pray for the protection of their pastor who enjoys so many comforts while my brothers and sisters around the world are experiencing real, physical persecution.

o And yet I think it would foolish not to ask you to pray for protection from the spiritual attacks of our enemy, the Devil. In America—pastors fall because of their comfort, because of their celebrity, because they are put up on a pedestal and they believe the lie that they are somehow different than the rest of the body of Christ.

o Paul says pray for the saints and for me—not because Paul is separate from the saints, but because he is one of the saints—and while the Bible says to honor the one who labors in the word for you—our human hearts are prone to make idols out of the ordinary. Honor your pastor and appreciate him for his labors on your behalf, but don’t forget that he is in desperate need for prayer like the rest of the saints.

· 4. Pray for Conviction

o Paul says pray that I declare the gospel boldly as I ought to speak.

o There is conviction in Paul that the gospel is a message that must be proclaimed and it must be done so boldly and he says he “ought to speak this way”

o There is pressure in this world, even in our churches for our pastors to be more palatable—"don’t mention Hell from the pulpit—don’t talk about sensitive issues like sexuality or race—don’t call people to repent, that’s between them and God.”

o Some churches would prefer that their pastors be offensive to none and acceptable to all.

o And to expect this of a pastor is to ask him to lay down the gospelàBecause the gospel is offensive. Especially to our modern culture.

o The gospel says you don’t deserve heaven, you aren’t good, there is punishment for your sin—and God is love, but he’s also a just judge.

o Now I thank God that no one @ Covenant Life would expect me to lay down the gospel. But pray that I would daily feel the conviction of the gospel work that “I ought to be doing”.

· Paul calls the church to pray for all the saints and him. We’ve seen that we are to Pray in the Power of God for the people of God…

III. Prayer to the Glory of God. (21-22)

· “So that you may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts.”

· John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

· God is glorified when his people love one another—and reflect his love for his people by their love for one another. à When God’s people pray for one another we show a care and concern that reflects the gospel.

· God entered into our lives and into our mess and he took concern with our brokenness, our needs, our hurts.

· When we love our brothers and sisters well we enter into their lives and we take personally their hurts and needs and desires. We pray for them because God loves them and they are precious to him. And as we do this they become precious to us.

· Paul says, I’m sending Tychicus to you and he’s going to tell you everything on how’s it going with us! à So you can pray for us.

· As we seek to glorify God in being a people that prays for one another we need:

o To let people into our lives. Tell them what is going on with us. Our struggles our needs our weaknesses.

o Paul says you will know how I am and what I am doing.

o Do you know the heart and hands of your brothers and sisters in Jesus? How are they? What are they doing? How can you pray?

· And as we do this encouragement comes too. Paul says I’m sending Tychicus to you that you may be encouraged.

· As the Ephesians here what is happening in the ministry of Paul they are encouraged by the prayers that God is answering.

· Illustration: On Tuesday nights we pray on Zoom at 8:30pm to 9:30pm and I want to invite you to come and be a part of that. Because we are praying for the church and we are going to celebrate when God answers these prayers. I don’t want you to miss out. àI think about how at Covenant Life we prayed that God would give us a building to have our church in so that we wouldn’t have to set up and tear down every Sunday. And God powerfully answered that prayer for us. As we are in a building rent and utility free. àI think about praying that God would give us hearts that love Him well and all around me as a pastor I am encouraged by the hearts of my people seeking the Lord.

· Are you encouraged by the answered prayers in the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ?

· God has given us prayer that he would be glorified amongst his people. Our church exists to see people radically transformed in Jesus who leverage their lives for God’s glory. àAnd we can fulfill that as we are a people that Pray in the Power of God for the People of God to the glory of God.

Conclusion

Prayer is a beautiful gift for God’s people. It is an integral part of the spiritual warfare that we are fight in everyday. It is a family affair for the people of God. Paul ends his letter to the Ephesians in v.23 like this, “Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.”

Paul appeals to the peace, faith, and incorruptible, secure love of God’s people in Jesus Christ as he closes his letter. Follower of Jesus, prayer is your birthright. Are you taking up your birthright and giving glory to God? Let’s pray.

Discussion Question: What is difficult about prayer for you?