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| Order Of Worship (Liturgy) *Song of Adoration: Hymnal #145A: 1-4 “I Will Exalt You, O My God and King” Song of Confession: Hymnal #6 “O Lord, in Wrath Rebuke Me Not” *Song of Preparation: Hymnal #520 “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-24 Text: Ephesians 6:18-24 Message: “Praying at All Times” *Song of Response: Hymnal #227 “How Great Thou Art” *Doxology: Hymnal #565: 1-2 “Praise Ye the Lord, Ye Hosts Above” |
Beloved Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ,
As we come to the conclusion of our series through the letter to the Ephesians, let us take a moment and remember what we have seen. The letter began by glorifying God for his mercy. He has chosen us in Christ and given us all of the heavenly blessings in Christ. God has opened our eyes by the power of the Spirit to our true identity. We are found in Christ. We are by nature children of wrath, but by grace, we become children of God. We are born again into a new life, no longer one controlled by the flesh, but one under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
As new creatures, we become part of a new society, a society which includes both Jews and gentiles. What unites us together is not a common ethnicity, but the blood of Jesus. The ethics of that society operate under the call to walk in love. In chapter 5 and 6 we have see how that applies to family relationships. This letter ends with a call to arms. We are enlisted in the Lord’s army as part of the church militant. Last week we saw that armor. Today we will see what holds that armor together in the Christian life. That is the role of prayer. Our theme this morning is we receive the blessings of the Lord when we call upon him in prayer.
- Call to Prayer
- Manner of Prayer
- Objects of Prayer
- Gifts of Prayer
I. Call to Prayer
After having gone through the armor of God in the preceding verses, our text says, “Praying at all times in the Spirit.” These verses are immediately connected to the text we looked at last week. This is actually still part of the same sentence. This is one of those long Pauline sentences. As we think here then of prayer, we could conclude that this is the final armor of God. But, this would be wrong. That wouldn’t do justice to the role of prayer in our text. Prayer is really here what holds them all together. It is the unifying force.
The call to prayer is for “all times.” Last week we saw that we are called to stand firm. Wobbly Christians are easy prey for the enemy. This is why the call is to pray at all times. In I Thessalonians 5:17 we are called to “pray without ceasing.” Our text is using similar language. What this means is to have a continual heart-directed orientation to prayer. This doesn’t mean we have to spend all day in our prayer closets. As has been said, “we ought not to be so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good.” What this means is that we are to live our lives near unto God. There isn’t an occasion where prayer is not appropriate. Our prayers do not have to be long or drawn out. There is a place for a more formal prayer, but while we are driving, going for a walk, and lying in bed, to converse with the Lord is always appropriate. This is with the understanding that it is the unifying weapon in spiritual warfare.
The next phrase describes our prayer as “in the Spirit.” Some have argued that this refers to speaking in tongue or some type of special prayer. No, all prayer is to be in the Spirit. The Spirit intercedes in our hearts. The Spirit, the sanctifier guides our desire for prayer. We never pray independent of the Spirit, but always with the assistance of the helper, the comforter.
II. Manner of Prayer
The second half of verse 18 tells us to keep alert. As those who are called to live circumspectly, with our head on a swivel, spiritually speaking, we must keep alert. Remember, we are at war. What is at stake is your very soul and the enemy is powerful, deceitful, and spiritual. A physical enemy would be easy to fight, but our battle is not against flesh and blood.
In Matthew 26 the disciples kept falling asleep as our Lord was in Gethsemane. I always felt bad for the disciples. It is hard to stay awake when you are so tired. Jesus told them in verse 41, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” In the army, to fall asleep on your watch is an offense you can be court martialed for, kicked out of the military. In the ancient world, the watchmen were responsible for the city and if an attack occurred without the warning summoned, they bore some guilt.
Remember, the schemes of the evil are to deceive. Isn’t this how sin operates in our lives. We are convinced that sin is minor and then it starts to snowball. Satan has been successful in convincing many that he isn’t real. What a strategy, convince the prey that you aren’t real.
God’s word is a lamp unto our feet and a light upon our path. Be watchful. The next phrase is “with all perseverance.” That means don’t give up. When I’m driving through the Thornton Forest Preserve at night, I am scanning around each corner waiting for a deer to pop out. You go slow for that very purpose. Like driving a boat through an area full of stumps or rocks, you are watching for upcoming danger. This the manner of prayer our text is speaking about. You might think, that sounds exhausting. Like driving through a blizzard, you are exhausted when you are done. Yes, it is exhausting and this is why the warning is so important. Take heed, lest ye fall. Be on guard. “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”
III. Objects of Prayer
There are really are two main objects of prayer mentioned. The first one is for all the saints. Twice in verse 18 the term supplication is used. Supplication is defined as “the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.” We are to make supplication for the saints. You might wonder why we are told to pray for others, can’t they pray for themselves? In this new society purchased through the blood of Christ, God’s people are unity together. Think of the opening verses of Ephesians 4. This unity of brothers and sisters in Christ should be reflected in our prayers.
4 times in our text the word “all” is used. John Stott says, “Most Christians pray sometimes, with some prayers and some degree of perseverance, for some of God’s people. But to replace ‘some’ with ‘all’ in each of these expressions would be to introduce us to a new dimension of prayer.”
I have heard it so many times as a pastor when someone has gone through some difficulty that they have been upheld by the mercy of God and the support of the prayers of the saints. They could sense God’s people praying for them. We must pray for ourselves, but we also must be praying for all the saints. Our catechism says that prayer is the chief part of our thanksgiving to the Lord. If you aren’t sure what you have to be thankful for, go back and read chapters 1-3.
The second main object of prayer is the apostle Paul. Read verses 19-20. Notice that his request for prayer isn’t a selfish one. He is not asking them to pray for his release from his chains. He doesn’t ask them to pray for an easier path or any of the things of the this world. He prays for the preaching of the gospel. He asks for prayer that he might be bold in the preaching of the word. “Boldly” is mentioned again in verse. Paul is also asking for words to be given to him in the proclamation of the gospel. Both of those things must work together.
Some ministers are bold in their preaching. They are courageous. But, their sermons are not great or they preach their opinion. You can think of some Fundamental Baptist preachers like this. They can wrap their sermons in legalism and shame the hearer time and again. They can pat themselves on the back because they are not like those wimpy, sissy preachers who are afraid to offend anyone and so won’t say or preach anything pointedly.
There is other preachers who preach with great clarity. They might be very interesting and winsome to listen to, but they are afraid. They are cowardly in their proclamation of the gospel. They avoid preaching on certain sins because prominent men in the church are guilty of that sin and they don’t want to offend them. Paul asks for prayer that God might give him the words to preach and the boldness in which to preach it.
By application, we can pray for the same thing, maybe not in preaching, but in speaking about the gospel to other people. How often don’t we shy away from a spiritual conversation? How often aren’t we afraid to broach the elephant in the room? What is better, to be viewed by many as a person who is easy to get along with or to be used by God to bring someone to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Paul isn’t asking that he might be brazen and foolish….he is asking for boldness, for courage. Maybe it is time for you to invite that person over or out for a coffee because of your concern for their lack of faith. Pray before you go, pray while you are meeting, and pray afterward.
Paul calls himself an ambassador in chains for the gospel. He doesn’t seem ashamed of that. It seems as if it is a privilege. Please pray for your pastor, that he might be clear and bold. The evil one seeks to bring down those who proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.
IV. Motivating Gifts of Prayer
In the conclusion of this letter we read that Paul is going to send the younger preacher Tychicus to deliver this letter and we know also the letter to the Colossians we know from Col. 4:8. Acts 20 calls him an Asian and Acts 21 calls him an Ephesians. We do not know much else about him, except he was a faithful pastor. Paul will have Tychicus bring greetings to the saints. This is why we do not see the ordinary conclusion to a letter of Paul where he addresses particular people by name. Tychicus is tasked really with three things. First, he was to deliver this letter from Rome where Paul was imprisoned over to Ephesus. Second, he was to give the saints an update on how they are doing. Third, he was to encourage their hearts. They might have been discouraged knowing that Paul was imprisoned for the gospel. But our Lord always has encouragement for the saints.
In the concluding benediction in verses 23 and 24 we find what Richard Phillips called the Mt. Rushmore of Paul’s teaching: peace, love, faith, and grace.
The first term mentioned is peace. This is appropriate because this is what Paul has laid out theologically over this beautiful, theological, and pastoral letter. Salvation in Jesus Christ, being in him, means that we have peace. We have peace first with God. Sin is forgiven and righteousness is granted. Second, we have peace with our neighbor. Our peace manifests itself in unity in the church of Christ. It is also our prayer to live peaceable lives with our neighbors as well.
The next terms mentioned is love. This flows from God because God is love. (agape) Love begets love. Love is an important theme throughout Ephesians. In 1:5 we read “in love he predestined us” . We are made alive in Christ because 2:4 mentions the great love by which he loved us,” are rooted and ground in love in 3:17-19, we are called to walk in love in 5:2 because Christ gave himself up for us. Love begets love.
The third term is faith. Faith and love are often linked .Gal. 5:6 speaks of faith working through love. Faith flows from love. One commentator (B.F. Wescott) wrote: “Peace and love are God’s gifts, and faith is the condition of appropriating them.” Eph. 2:8 says faith is a gift from God. Faith enables the believer to weather the storms of life for their anchor is set in the rock of their salvation, Jesus Christ himself.
The fourth term is Grace. The letter to the Ephesians began with grace and peace and now it appropriately ends there as well. How important is grace? There is no hope without it. It is ordained by God, secured by the Son, and applied by the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, we have seen many beautiful truths over the last number of months in our study of this important book. The book ends with the term “love incorruptible.” At the beginning of our series I encouraged you to pray to God that he might weekly strengthen and grow your love for Jesus. Has that happened? We can conclude by talking about peace and love and grace, etc. They are all key, but the ultimate question must be, “Do you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ?” Ephesians is a letter of love and it comes with a free invitation to trust and when you do so, your become and heir of the greatest treasure imaginable, eternal life. Amen.
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Steven Swets, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2024, Rev. Steven Swets
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