Sermon
delivered on July 23rd, 2017
Morning Service
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Scripture Text: Ephesians 6:10 -20
Introduction
After
giving us the six pieces of the Christian armour, the Apostle Paul now focuses
on prayer. Paul here seeks to communicate to his fellow soldiers of the cross the
importance of prayer in the spiritual warfare. Having put on the belt of
truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of
faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of
the Spirit, we must reinforce it with prayer.
God
has been gracious to us here at Grace & Truth for allowing us to study and
understand more about the Christian armour. But be aware that knowing
about all the pieces of the armour does not mean you and I are out of danger.
No, temptation is all around, we have an enemy that is very active. The
devil never takes a rest. The moment that you put on the armour of God and you
want to do the will of God in your life, he is going to oppose you. The
life of a Christian is a life of constant battle. The reality is that the
more that you seek to live godly, the greater the hatred of Satan against you.
And so this matter of prayer becomes extremely critical.
In
this sermon I entitled "The Soldier's Prayer", I want us
to consider the following:
I
- The Importance of Prayer
II
- The Quality of Prayer
III
- The Objects of Prayer
I - The Importance of Prayer
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints;
When
you read Ephesians 6 carefully, don't fail to see the connection between the
armour of God to soldier's prayer. Prayer has a very crucial role in the spiritual warfare.
Prayer is absolutely critical as we engage in spiritual battle. It is vitally
important in order to stand. We must fight our battle on our knees. We cannot
fight this battle without prayers.
Two
aspects were we need prayer:
1. Appropriation of the Armour
Some
commentators see that prayer is part of the armour and that it is the 7th piece
of the armour. But I don't see it that way. I agree with another Bible
Expositor who said, "Prayer is
not the seventh piece of the armour but rather it is a saturation in all the
pieces of the armour"
In
other words, prayer is really the means to put on all the other six. You
and I can only appropriate the armour of God through prayer. Without
prayer we cannot put on and utilize the armour that God provided for us in
Jesus Christ.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the Gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
We
can study all the pieces of the armour, and know what they are, we can even try
to put them on but without prayer they cannot be used effectively.
We could have all of these items of protection but if we are not linked up with
God in prayer what good would they be.
Again,
it is not enough just to know about the armour but we need to know how to strap
it on. Prayer is the way to put the armour on. It is the power of God in
the believer's life that equips us for spiritual battle.
2. Communication with the Father
In
a war it is important for soldiers to stay in touch with the Central Command
for support, supply and instructions. Just as it is important for any soldier
on the battlefield to communicate and so it is critical for us soldiers of the
cross to communicate with the Captain of our salvation. And prayer is the means
we communicate during the battle with the Commander-in-Chief, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Without
prayers we our cutoff from God and we become susceptible in the warfare.
Prayerlessness makes us helpless and defenseless. The believer must keep in
constant communication with his Commander in every season of conflict. Only in
this way is he enabled to follow the leading of his Captain closely.
Example
of our Lord Jesus Christ
We
must be constantly in touch with the Father. Our Lord did so. Even though all
power and authority is His, even though He has infinite knowledge, He showed us
by His perfect life that communion with His Father was ever important.
Our
Lord gets up early to pray
Our
Lord had a busy day, and Mark describes it in ...
Mark 1:33 And all the city was gathered together at the door. 34:
And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils;
and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.
Then
we read in ...
Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while
before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there
prayed.
After
a long day and a long night, our Lord still gets up early to pray. There
are times when prayer is more important than sleep.
Psalm 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in
the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
"He who runs
from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day." John Bunyan
Our
Lord had a solitary place to pray
Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while
before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and
there prayed.
Remember
our Lord did not have a house nor an apartment nor a condo; He did not own anything
and yet He finds a solitary place to pray.
If
you do not have a place to pray you probably won't pray. You and I need to have a secret place where we can
be alone with God and receive help, supply, and orders. I challenge you
if you haven't had a place or you used to have place to again make a place
and go there to be alone with God daily.
Our
Lord spent all night in prayer
Luke 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out
into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13: And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose
twelve, whom also he named apostles;
When
He faced an important decision He spent long hours in prayer. And so it teaches
us that if we come to the great needs of decision and tasks of life that we
need to commit them all to prayer.
Our
Lord knows the importance of prayer. It is not possible to meet the
demands of Christian life and warfare without prayer.
Mark 14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The
spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men
ought always to pray, and not to faint;
If
you don't pray you will faint.
Example
of the Early Church
When
we read of the early church, we find them much in prayer. Not only on the upper
room waiting on the promise of the Father, but when the Holy Spirit is given
and they were in the midst of their work and they were advancing the cause of
the Lord in the city of Jerusalem abroad they have many, many prayer meetings.
And the early church advanced the cause of Christ by means of prayer.
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles'
doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and
to the ministry of the word.
Prayer
is one of the foundations upon which the early Church was built. It was as
natural as breathing. It permeated and undergirded their actions and
fellowship. The early church was a praying Church. They prayed at all times, in
every situation. Prayer was their lifeline, their source of strength, their
means of communication and communing with the Father. They understood the
importance of being connected with God, for support, supply and instructions.
E.
M. Bounds wrote:
"What the
Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or
more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can usemen of prayer, men
mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through
men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but
menmen of prayer."
When
we pray we are strengthened and encouraged and we experience the blessed truth
of:
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be
weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
The
Bible abounds with examples of men and women who pray. Fighting men and women
pray - Abraham, interceding for Sodom; Moses, pleading on the mountain; Elijah,
praying for rain; Hannah, David, Hezekiah, Daniel, Simeon, Anna, Paul, etc.
"Give
me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God,
and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will
shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth. God does
nothing but in answer to prayer." John Wesley
Give
me men and women who love to pray and we will get the job done for the Lord.
Closing Thoughts
Brothers
and sisters in Christ, fellow soldier of the cross, we cannot win this
spiritual battle by carnal means. We cannot fight the powers of darkness with
human reasoning or human strength. Don't let the devil deceived you into
thinking that you can stand against supernatural powers in your natural wisdom
and strength! When you start to think that way you will soon be defeated.
Do
not be so naive to think that you can put on the whole armour of God on your
own strength. Do not be so naive to think that you can use the armour of God
effectively without the God's help. All the while that we are fighting in the
girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of
peace, the shield of faith, the helmet or salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, we are to be in prayer. Do not forget to seek God and call on God who
provided the armour and ask for His help that you may be able to successfully
utilize them. The One Who gave us the armour is the only One who can enable us
to appropriate them successfully and effectively.
The
devil will oppose your praying more than anything else in your Christian life. He will oppose you in your prayer whether it is at home or
in church, private or public. The devil will be at work to oppose you when you
go to your knees. But the devil trembles when saints pray. "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his
knees." He fears because then men are linked up to God and
Satan has not the chance of opposing when men and women are in touched with
God.
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle
AMEN!