Loving Jesus with Incorruptible Love

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Introduction and Scripture Reading

Opening questions

What challenges are you facing for which you feel utterly ill-equipped to handle? What makes your heart pound a bit harder as you contemplate the reality of the battle you face, a decision you must make, a temptation that is before you?

On the other hand, you may be cruising through life without much engagement with the Lord and not realize any oncoming danger, or threat to your spiritual life. But I assure you, that battle is already about you.

(Very) Brief background

The Apostle Paul, the great first-century missionary and church-planter, has been encouraging the church to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of God’s incomparable might (6:10). As he exhorts them—and us by extension—to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil, he draws from the imagery of Isaiah, who pictures Yahweh—the covenant-keeping Lord of his people—and his Messiah as a divine warrior clothed with armor as he prepares for battle to defend and vindicate his people (Isa 11:4-5; 52:7; 59:17; 1 Thess 5:8).

With this understanding, Paul calls the church to use the armor God has equipped them with in order to be ready to stand firm in the spiritual warfare that encompasses them.

The Armor of God

Paul’s told us to

fasten on the belt of truth;

put on the breastplate of righteousness;

put our gospel boots on;

take up the shield of faith which will extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

take the helmet of salvation;

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Then Paul continues right on, in verse 18 of Ephesians 6, exhorting us to be:

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Ephesians 6:18–20 ESV

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, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Illustration

The story is told of a fisherman who was not in particularly good fellowship with the Lord. He was at sea with some godless companions, and they were in trouble in a storm. It looked like the boat very well might sink. So the non-Christians called on the Christian to pray. They said, “Would you call on God?”

But he said, “Man, I’ve been out of fellowship with the Lord a long time and I haven’t really been praying to Him regularly. In fact, I haven’t even been going to church. I don’t even know if I can help. But I’ll try.”

He bowed his head and said, “Lord, I know I have been out of fellowship with You, and I haven’t been in touch with You for fifteen years. But Lord, if You will help me this time and bring us safely to land, then I promise I won’t bother You again for another fifteen years.”

That’s how a lot of us look at prayer. It’s that thing we do when everything else has failed and that we don’t pick up and do again until we are in a similar situation again. That perspective about prayer is a far cry from what God had in mind when He gave us this avenue for communicating with our Heavenly Father in our spiritual life.

Paul has told us to stand firm by prayer, or

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I. Stand Firmly on Your Knees

We are to fight with prayer at the core of who we are because we are God’s children and ambassadors talking with our Father and King. The four absolutes (100% words) introduce the five emphases Paul makes regarding the character of the prayer life for followers of Jesus:

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MATT, review quickly then dig in

Frequency: all times (18a)

Power: in the spirit (18a)

Diversity: all prayer and supplication (18b)

Demeanor: alert with perseverance (18c)

Objects: all the saints…and me/Paul (18d-19a)

5 Emphases of the Character of prayer

Frequency: all times (18a)

This phrase literally means, “at every opportunity.” Similar to 1 Thess 5:17 which says, “pray without ceasing,”

Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18 who kept coming to the unjust judge (an important point) saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” Well at first he refused, but he later thought, “though I don’t fear God or respect man, I will give her justice because she keeps bothering me so she doesn’t beat my down by continually coming and asking.”

The point Jesus is drawing out is, that he is not unjust and he deeply cares about his elect children (v. 7), who cry to him day and night. God, our Father, the Just Judge and caring Father will of course answer us speedily according to his will and timing.

Christian, continue going to the Lord in prayer, laying the same request out with humility before the Lord.

This is what it means to pray int he Spirit.

Power: in the Spirit (18a)

To pray in the Spirit is to pray in the name of Christ, in a way that is consistent with His nature and will as we see it in the Bible. In Romans 8:26-27 Paul promises that

“26 ... the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 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.”

Paul wants us to understand that prayer is ‘foundational/crucial for the deployment of all the other weapons’, so prayer is indispensable if we are to stand firm in our spiritual struggle. Consider how Paul has already demonstrated this concern that we would:

know the greatness of God’s power (1:15-=23), and

be strengthened by it so as to grasp the dimensions of Christ’s love for us and, as a result ,

so be filled with all the fulness of God (3:14–21).

Paul the great encourager of the church wants them, and us, to realize that a life of dependence on God in prayer is essential if we are to engage successfully in our warfare with the powers of darkness.

Diversity: all prayer and supplication (18b)

The idea is, “Stand firm by praying and by staying alert.”

Paul frequently links the two words translated prayer and petition. For example, in Philippians 4:6 he writes,

Philippians 4:6 ESV

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

(Supplication translates the same Greek word behind petition (δεήσεως).

Prayer is perhaps the more general word, whereas supplication may refer to prayer for particular benefits (R. C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament [Eerdmans], p. 189). Here, Paul is piling up these synonyms for prayer (petition is repeated twice), along with the participle (—ing words) praying, to emphasize the priority of prayer in spiritual warfare and the fact that there are different kinds of prayer that we are to use in the battle.

Pray generally and pray specifically.

Demeanor: alert with perseverance (18c)

We’re to work at staying alert as we persevere in prayer. The word means to be awake and vigilant. Jesus told the disciples in the garden (Matt. 26:41), “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”” Well, they quickly went to sleep! And we often chuckle at it and poke fun at these guys. But before I condemn them, I’ve got to admit that I’ve often done the same!

This word, keep alert (ἀγρυπνοῦντες), ties in with the military analogy Paul’s using. You’re a sentry on duty. You must watch for any signs of infiltration by the enemy and go immediately to prayer. Do you see a person who is suffering? Pray that Satan might not get their eyes off the Lord and devour them in their trial (1 Pet. 5:8–9). Do you see someone who is depressed or discouraged? Pray that she will put her trust in God and His salvation. Do you see a husband and wife who are having conflict? Pray! Do you hear of church members at odds with one another? Be alert and pray!

Objects: all the saints…and me/Paul (18d-19a)

One of the main ideas of the entire letter to the Ephesians is that Christians are not living in isolation. To the contrary, God is raising up a people, building his house/temple, from Jews and Gentiles (from people all over the world). He is uniting everyone in Christ! We are one in Christ!

If you’re in a battle, the last thing you want is for the soldier beside you to get shot. If one of our members hurts, the whole body hurts.

When you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ, you’ll also be more inclined to love them—to sacrifice for them.

Pray specifically for those who are on the front lines in ministry (19).

Paul knew he was in danger and had no plans to retreat, so he asks for prayer to stay faithful to the task before it. It was a fearful task: opening his mouth to say the same general words that landed him before a tribute, in prison, and eventually to his death. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how Paul died, but in 2 Tim 4:6-8, which I had the privilege of preaching at a funeral just this week, Paul anticipated his death:

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2 Timothy 4:6–8 ESV

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

There is an American embassy in many countries. Within that building is all the power of the U.S. government on one square block. Everything needed from an American standpoint is inside that building, because when it speaks, it speaks on behalf of the government.

Suppose another world leader said to the president, “Let’s have negotiations.” The president can say, “I already have an ambassador in your country.” What he would be implying is that to talk to an ambassador is the same as talking to him.

The Bible says that you are ambassadors of Jesus Christ. When people hear from us, they have just heard from God. He has given us delegated authority to speak on His behalf. How can we be ambassadors with our mouths closed? He has given us the privilege of being a spokesperson. Speak up, man! Speak up, lady!

Application

if you need helps for prayer, we can provide them for you. But one easy way to pray is to read your Bible daily and as you read, pray for whatever and whomever comes to mind!

During World War Two, an officer was briefing his men on how to take a certain objective. He demonstrated to them the manner in which they needed to hug the ground so as to stay below enemy fire. He said in conclusion, “If you advance on your knees, you will always be safe.”

Brothers and sisters, we must stand firmly on our knees. We must pray. We have the great privilege to pray.

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II. Christ-Centered caring relationships are essential to a church unified in Christ.

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Ephesians 6:21–24 ESV

21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage your hearts. 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.

Tychicus was a good friend to Paul who may have likely dictated this letter. Whether or not he dictated it, he would deliver it. But more than simply delivering the letter, he would tell the Ephesians (and the church at Colossae as almost the exact same phrase is used in Col. 4:7-9) how Paul was doing.

There was a deep kinship between Paul, Tychicus and his churches. Not only would Tychicus pass on Paul’s greetings and how he is doing, but Tychicus would encourage their hearts.

Paul shows us how to be caring, godly brothers and sisters who, by God’s diving favor and blessing will work together under the Lordship of Jesus to fulfill what God has begun and is completing in us.

As Paul closes this gem of a letter, he greets them with peace, love with faith, as an ambassador carrying God’s words to them.

Certainly peace (cf. 1:2; 2:14–15, 17; 4:3; 6:15), love (cf. 1:15; 4:2, 15–16; 5:25, 28, 33), and faith (cf. 1:15; 2:8; 3:12, 17; 4:5, 13; 6:16) are recurring themes in the thought of this great letter. Little wonder Paul gathers all three together and prays that they would be the experience and commitment of all believers.

Grace, or divine favor, was the gift Paul desired for all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible. That is the love that belongs to true believers; so Paul is really identifying the ones who will receive grace as only those whose love is not temporary and thus untrue but permanent and thus genuine!

To apply obediently in the power of the Holy Spirit the principles of peace, love, and faith taught in this letter will bring to every follower of Jesus the blessing and favor of God.

Conclusion and Transition to Communion

Closing Prayer

Communion