WEBVTT 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:15.019 And tonight we will conclude with verse 18, which 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:20.219 says this, With all prayer and petition, pray 00:00:20.219 --> 00:00:23.739 at all times in the Spirit, and with this in 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:27.679 view, be on the alert with all perseverance and 00:00:27.679 --> 00:00:32.560 petition for all the saints. And pray on my behalf 00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:35.479 that utterance may be given to me in the opening 00:00:35.479 --> 00:00:38.479 of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery. 00:00:48.959 --> 00:00:52.700 Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we come 00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:57.679 to you this evening. And Lord, we ask that you 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:03.399 would bless our time in the word of God. Lord, 00:01:03.460 --> 00:01:06.500 we ask that you would use your word to encourage. 00:01:07.390 --> 00:01:13.750 the downcast. Lord, to strengthen the weak. Father, 00:01:13.810 --> 00:01:17.129 we ask that you would use your word to stir up 00:01:17.129 --> 00:01:21.030 a spirit of prayer in those who are struggling 00:01:21.030 --> 00:01:25.670 to pray. Lord, comfort those who are hurting. 00:01:26.349 --> 00:01:30.469 Lord, build up your people. Edify and sanctify 00:01:30.469 --> 00:01:35.170 the people of God through the word of God. Father, 00:01:35.189 --> 00:01:38.969 we thank you that we can come to you by the Spirit, 00:01:39.109 --> 00:01:44.530 through Christ, to you, our Father. Lord, we 00:01:44.530 --> 00:01:47.650 ask that we would never take for granted the 00:01:47.650 --> 00:01:52.069 great reality and privilege that we have to come 00:01:52.069 --> 00:01:55.469 to your throne. We ask these things in Jesus' 00:01:55.629 --> 00:02:00.090 name. Amen. So we have seen in Ephesians chapter 00:02:00.090 --> 00:02:07.859 6. The armor of God that the Christian life is 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:16.379 likened to an ongoing battle, an ongoing warfare. 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:20.699 The Christian throughout their life from the 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:24.560 time they are saved unto the time that they enter 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:30.979 into glory are in fact in a spiritual battle. 00:02:31.789 --> 00:02:39.629 Every day. Every hour. Every moment. Paul exhorts 00:02:39.629 --> 00:02:44.110 the believers in Ephesus to be strong in the 00:02:44.110 --> 00:02:49.289 Lord and in the strength of his might. He exhorts 00:02:49.289 --> 00:02:54.490 them to put on the full armor of God. He gives 00:02:54.490 --> 00:03:00.629 them the pieces of armor. And he lists for them. 00:03:02.250 --> 00:03:05.169 How to stand firm, he says, having girded your 00:03:05.169 --> 00:03:08.409 loins with truth, having put on the breastplate 00:03:08.409 --> 00:03:11.449 of righteousness, having shod your feet with 00:03:11.449 --> 00:03:14.889 the preparation of the gospel of peace, taking 00:03:14.889 --> 00:03:19.310 up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, 00:03:19.550 --> 00:03:22.490 and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word 00:03:22.490 --> 00:03:29.520 of God. Now, when we come to verse 18, You notice 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:35.819 in the NASB, it begins with the word with. With 00:03:35.819 --> 00:03:41.419 all prayer. Some translations that translate 00:03:41.419 --> 00:03:44.860 this differently, they will have this included 00:03:44.860 --> 00:03:49.500 with the armor. Others break and start a new 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:53.699 paragraph. But it seems a bit abrupt to begin 00:03:53.699 --> 00:03:59.259 the next word with, with. What is he trying to 00:03:59.259 --> 00:04:04.500 tell us about prayer as it relates to the armor? 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:08.180 Or is he trying to tell us anything about it? 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:13.259 What if I told you that in the Christian life, 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:20.220 the armor alone, the means alone that God has 00:04:20.220 --> 00:04:28.550 given us, are not enough? What if I told you 00:04:28.550 --> 00:04:36.370 that the armor, the belt of truth, and all of 00:04:36.370 --> 00:04:42.069 these pieces are not enough by themselves, but 00:04:42.069 --> 00:04:47.509 something must accompany them in order for them 00:04:47.509 --> 00:04:53.050 to be vitalized, in order for them to be useful, 00:04:53.410 --> 00:04:58.279 in order for them... to have their effect in 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:03.040 order for the power of God to be at work in and 00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:07.680 through them. Paul wants us to recognize and 00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:14.100 see that prayer is meant to accompany the armor 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:21.259 that he has just exhorted the readers to. So 00:05:21.259 --> 00:05:24.360 he's not necessarily including prayer in the 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:28.300 armor. but he's showing that prayer must accompany 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:33.199 the armor in order for it to be effective and 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:38.620 vibrant. So prayer is an essential aspect of 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:44.899 the Christian life. In this text, we are given 00:05:44.899 --> 00:05:52.600 a comprehensive view of wartime prayer in the 00:05:52.600 --> 00:05:59.360 Christian life. Notice the emphasis on all in 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:05.360 verse 18. With all prayer and petition, pray 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:09.920 at all times in the Spirit. And with this in 00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:14.060 view, be on the alert with all perseverance and 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:20.420 petition for all the saints. Paul wants us to 00:06:20.420 --> 00:06:24.180 have a comprehensive and full view of prayer. 00:06:24.889 --> 00:06:28.490 With regards to how it ought to accompany the 00:06:28.490 --> 00:06:31.750 armor that he has given to the believer to stand 00:06:31.750 --> 00:06:37.009 firm with. We'll begin considering this with 00:06:37.009 --> 00:06:44.129 this. Wartime prayer must be continual and in 00:06:44.129 --> 00:06:49.930 the spirit. Notice what Paul says in verse 18. 00:06:51.250 --> 00:06:57.220 Pray at all times. In the Spirit. What is He 00:06:57.220 --> 00:07:01.540 teaching us? The Christian life. The Christian 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:05.279 in their life. They are supposed to have a life 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:10.620 of continual and ongoing dependence and reliance 00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:16.839 upon the Lord. On the power of the Holy Spirit 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:21.860 in their life. They are constantly To be looking 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:27.339 to the Lord for strength and power. We find, 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:31.899 Paul says elsewhere in 1 Thessalonians 5, to 00:07:31.899 --> 00:07:37.860 pray without ceasing. Now, some in this room 00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:42.279 might hear that and say, that seems very spiritual. 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:50.389 Isn't that overly pious? For the Apostle Paul 00:07:50.389 --> 00:07:54.790 to be telling Christians to pray without ceasing, 00:07:54.850 --> 00:07:59.990 meaning to continually be speaking and talking 00:07:59.990 --> 00:08:05.089 with God throughout their day, throughout their 00:08:05.089 --> 00:08:08.329 week, throughout their lives, throughout their 00:08:08.329 --> 00:08:12.910 months. Isn't that overly pious? Brothers and 00:08:12.910 --> 00:08:17.529 sisters, does the devil grow weary of tempting 00:08:17.529 --> 00:08:25.519 you? Does the devil grow weary of seducing your 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:32.039 heart? Does your enemy grow tired of alluring 00:08:32.039 --> 00:08:38.200 you to the world? Absolutely not. There is a 00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:44.059 constant and a continual need in your life. You 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:48.200 are constantly battling sin. Don't tell me you're 00:08:48.200 --> 00:08:52.580 not. You are constantly battling pride. Don't 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:55.759 tell me you're not. You are constantly battling 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:59.980 lust and anxiety and worry and stress. Don't 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:02.220 tell me you're not wrestling with things in your 00:09:02.220 --> 00:09:09.059 heart. Therefore, we must pray at all times. 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:14.820 We must continue to pray. We must pray without 00:09:14.820 --> 00:09:19.330 ceasing, brothers and sisters. The Lord Jesus 00:09:19.330 --> 00:09:24.929 teaches on this in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 00:09:24.929 --> 00:09:30.649 18. He teaches His disciples through a parable. 00:09:31.149 --> 00:09:35.690 He says this. Now, He was telling them a parable 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:39.509 starting in verse 1. And listen to why He's telling 00:09:39.509 --> 00:09:42.690 them this. Now, He was telling them a parable 00:09:42.690 --> 00:09:47.460 to show that at all times... They ought to pray 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:53.639 and not lose heart. So the Lord Jesus, the Lord 00:09:53.639 --> 00:10:02.100 Jesus is connecting prayerfulness to being discouraged 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:07.000 in one's heart. And he's connecting constant 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:14.220 prayer with being uplifted in one's heart. And 00:10:14.220 --> 00:10:17.620 listen to what he says. In a certain city there 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:20.879 was a judge who did not fear God and did not 00:10:20.879 --> 00:10:25.720 respect man. There was a widow in that city and 00:10:25.720 --> 00:10:29.899 she kept coming to him saying, Give me legal 00:10:29.899 --> 00:10:33.240 protection from my opponent. For a while he was 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:36.860 unwilling, but afterward he said to himself, 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.580 Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:43.700 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:47.000 her legal protection. Otherwise, by continually 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:52.620 coming, she will wear me out. And the Lord said, 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:57.240 Hear what the unrighteous judge said. Now, will 00:10:57.240 --> 00:11:00.460 not God bring about justice for his left who 00:11:00.460 --> 00:11:06.299 cry out to him day and night? And will he delay 00:11:06.299 --> 00:11:11.340 long over them? I tell you that he will bring 00:11:11.340 --> 00:11:15.200 about justice for them quickly. However, When 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:18.419 the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the 00:11:18.419 --> 00:11:24.779 earth? Jesus is teaching them about the significance 00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:30.700 of praying and praying and praying. And he connects 00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:37.519 it to faith. Enduring, persevering prayer is 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:42.200 an expression of enduring and persevering faith, 00:11:42.340 --> 00:11:48.350 brothers and sisters. So, wartime prayer must 00:11:48.350 --> 00:11:54.049 be continual. This is set, we think about private 00:11:54.049 --> 00:11:57.850 prayer, secret prayer, which the Lord Jesus teaches 00:11:57.850 --> 00:12:01.330 his disciples about. Meaning going into your 00:12:01.330 --> 00:12:06.509 closet, be alone. This is prayer we could say 00:12:06.509 --> 00:12:11.309 on the go. C .H. Spurgeon referred to them as 00:12:11.309 --> 00:12:15.470 arrow prayers. You shoot one up real quick. You 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:19.169 shoot a dart, an arrow, here, there. As you move, 00:12:19.169 --> 00:12:22.009 as you go, as you need, you send up an arrow 00:12:22.009 --> 00:12:28.169 to heaven. Arrow prayers. Now, wartime prayer 00:12:28.169 --> 00:12:34.610 must also be in the Spirit. Paul says in this 00:12:34.610 --> 00:12:41.450 text, in verse 18, pray at all times in the Spirit. 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:46.799 Now there's all kinds of erroneous and false 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:51.700 perspectives on this. Some would say when the 00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:54.840 Bible talks about praying in the Spirit, it's 00:12:54.840 --> 00:13:01.080 speaking of ecstatic speech, or tongues, or various 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:04.700 things associated with that. The New Covenant 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:10.299 is clear. It speaks of praying in the Spirit. 00:13:11.070 --> 00:13:15.350 But what does that mean? What does it mean for 00:13:15.350 --> 00:13:21.269 a Christian to pray in the Spirit? Not your Spirit, 00:13:21.429 --> 00:13:26.809 but the Spirit, meaning the Holy Spirit. Well, 00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:31.929 notice also there's a similar statement in Jude, 00:13:32.289 --> 00:13:39.950 verse 20. In Jude, verse 20, we read this. But 00:13:39.950 --> 00:13:43.730 you, beloved, building yourselves up on your 00:13:43.730 --> 00:13:48.230 most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 00:13:48.370 --> 00:13:54.409 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously 00:13:54.409 --> 00:14:00.070 for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal 00:14:00.070 --> 00:14:04.909 life. Now, notice in this how this verse is kind 00:14:04.909 --> 00:14:08.610 of sandwiched between these other two statements. 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:12.679 Building up, edifying oneself in the most holy 00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:17.399 faith, and then it's between that and keeping 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:24.740 oneself in the love of God. So prayer, historically, 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:29.139 has been referenced as the chief exercise or 00:14:29.139 --> 00:14:35.539 act of faith. Meaning, when a person prays, they 00:14:35.539 --> 00:14:40.840 are acting or they are exercising their God -given 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:46.960 faith. Therefore, exercising that faith builds 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:51.960 them up, edifies them, and keeps them in the 00:14:51.960 --> 00:14:55.899 love of God. It strengthens and develops the 00:14:55.899 --> 00:14:59.700 muscles, we could say, that God has given us 00:14:59.700 --> 00:15:04.100 in our souls with regards to holy desires, joy. 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:09.100 peace, and so forth. The graces that God has 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:17.539 given to us. Naturally, we do not want to pray. 00:15:19.740 --> 00:15:24.120 A man, woman, child, in their natural condition, 00:15:24.419 --> 00:15:31.340 ruled and dominated by their sin nature, do not 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:36.830 want to pray. They have no desire to enter into 00:15:36.830 --> 00:15:40.549 the holy throne room of God and to come before 00:15:40.549 --> 00:15:45.450 a thrice holy God. They have no desire to close 00:15:45.450 --> 00:15:48.490 the gap between them and God. They have a desire 00:15:48.490 --> 00:15:55.470 to separate from God. But because the Christian 00:15:55.470 --> 00:15:58.210 is born again and the Holy Spirit dwells within 00:15:58.210 --> 00:16:01.970 them, they have been given a spirit of supplication, 00:16:01.970 --> 00:16:07.389 as Zechariah 11, verse 10 says. Meaning, God, 00:16:07.529 --> 00:16:11.250 when He gives us the Holy Spirit, He works in 00:16:11.250 --> 00:16:17.330 us a desire and a longing to commune and fellowship 00:16:17.330 --> 00:16:21.409 with Him. He's given us the Holy Spirit that 00:16:21.409 --> 00:16:26.090 cries out, Abba, Father. It's evidence and points 00:16:26.090 --> 00:16:31.720 to our sonship. and our adoption in Christ. So 00:16:31.720 --> 00:16:34.159 the Spirit is given to us, brothers and sisters, 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:40.899 to help us overcome our weakness. The Spirit 00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:44.639 is given to us to help us overcome those natural 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:51.159 tendencies that don't want to pray. So the Spirit 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:56.580 is constantly working in the believer to weaken, 00:16:57.289 --> 00:17:02.090 the old man, to quicken the new man, and to incline 00:17:02.090 --> 00:17:05.769 their heart to fellowship and communion with 00:17:05.769 --> 00:17:09.410 God. Let me read from the book of Romans chapter 00:17:09.410 --> 00:17:18.849 8. Paul says this, starting in verse 26. In the 00:17:18.849 --> 00:17:23.410 same way, the Spirit also helps our weakness. 00:17:24.690 --> 00:17:28.059 For we do not know how to pray, as we should, 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:31.700 but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with 00:17:31.700 --> 00:17:36.579 groanings too deep for words. And he who searches 00:17:36.579 --> 00:17:40.619 the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit 00:17:40.619 --> 00:17:44.160 is because he intercedes for the saints according 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:51.619 to the will of God. The Holy Spirit is constantly 00:17:51.619 --> 00:17:54.380 working in the believer, brothers and sisters, 00:17:54.579 --> 00:18:00.269 doing the heavy lifting, So that we can and will 00:18:00.269 --> 00:18:08.569 pray to God. So what does it mean to pray in 00:18:08.569 --> 00:18:13.369 the Holy Spirit? Well I believe it means to pray 00:18:13.369 --> 00:18:17.250 as those who are filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:18:17.349 --> 00:18:21.289 As Paul says in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18. 00:18:22.029 --> 00:18:28.480 It means to pray under the influence. under the 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:33.700 control, under the power, or in the power and 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:37.579 in the strength as directed and governed by the 00:18:37.579 --> 00:18:41.740 Spirit of God as He works in us, bearing witness 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:47.960 to His truth that He has inspired. So as the 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:53.460 Spirit works in us, we pray. As the Spirit gives 00:18:53.460 --> 00:19:01.210 us willingness to pray, We pray. As the flesh 00:19:01.210 --> 00:19:04.349 is diminished and weakened in our life and we 00:19:04.349 --> 00:19:10.849 have holy desires to pray, we pray. The Holy 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:16.329 Spirit is constantly working in the people of 00:19:16.329 --> 00:19:21.529 God to sanctify them and to renew them and to 00:19:21.529 --> 00:19:26.940 bring them more and more. to God experientially 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:31.980 in their lives. And He helps us in our prayers, 00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:36.940 brothers and sisters. We have to pray in the 00:19:36.940 --> 00:19:46.819 Spirit. All true and effective prayer is prayer 00:19:46.819 --> 00:19:52.759 that is offered up in the Spirit of God. In Ephesians 00:19:52.759 --> 00:19:57.890 chapter 1, We read this in Ephesians chapter 00:19:57.890 --> 00:20:03.829 2. I apologize. We read this in verse 18. After 00:20:03.829 --> 00:20:07.210 Paul has just elaborated on Jews and Gentiles 00:20:07.210 --> 00:20:09.230 being brought together in Christ and they're 00:20:09.230 --> 00:20:12.250 being made into one new man, he says this in 00:20:12.250 --> 00:20:17.930 verse 18. For through him, meaning through Christ, 00:20:18.289 --> 00:20:26.400 we both have our access. In one spirit to the 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:32.559 Father. He's talking about prayer there. So believers 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:41.579 pray by the Spirit, through the Son, to the Father, 00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:46.480 brothers and sisters. That's how prayer works. 00:20:46.519 --> 00:20:50.480 That is the redemptive economy of prayer in the 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:55.069 life of the Christian. Now, wartime prayer will 00:20:55.069 --> 00:21:06.430 also vary in its kinds or its expressions. What 00:21:06.430 --> 00:21:10.049 do I mean by that? Well, what is prayer in general? 00:21:10.269 --> 00:21:14.910 The Catechism says that prayer is talking with 00:21:14.910 --> 00:21:20.130 God. We can expand on that a little bit and say 00:21:20.130 --> 00:21:25.099 that prayer is... Fellowship and communion with 00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:30.640 God. And we all know from the Bible that there's 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:34.440 different expressions or different kinds of prayers 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:39.380 in the scripture. Here in Ephesians chapter 6, 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:45.299 Paul says, with all prayer and petition. So all 00:21:45.299 --> 00:21:49.059 kinds of prayers, brothers and sisters. What 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:51.579 are some of the kinds of prayer that we see throughout 00:21:51.579 --> 00:21:55.779 the Bible? We see prayers of worship. We see 00:21:55.779 --> 00:22:00.640 prayers of praise. We see prayers of lament. 00:22:01.160 --> 00:22:06.339 The psalmist oftentimes brought his laments and 00:22:06.339 --> 00:22:10.700 his burdens and his struggles openly and transparently 00:22:10.700 --> 00:22:16.700 before God. It's prayer. He is lamenting before 00:22:16.700 --> 00:22:21.240 God. But we also see that there are those arrow 00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:26.140 prayers. There's cries for deliverance that we 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:29.859 see throughout the scriptures. There's prayer 00:22:29.859 --> 00:22:33.980 of thanksgiving. Paul tells in Colossians, he 00:22:33.980 --> 00:22:35.960 says, devote yourselves to prayer. And then he 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:39.059 says, stay alert with thanksgiving in prayer. 00:22:39.859 --> 00:22:44.960 But here he specifically mentions petitions. 00:22:46.890 --> 00:22:52.769 So wartime prayer necessarily involves and is 00:22:52.769 --> 00:22:58.230 characterized by sincere and earnest requests 00:22:58.230 --> 00:23:07.569 that arise from needs in our lives. Isn't that 00:23:07.569 --> 00:23:10.569 appropriate for the context, brothers and sisters? 00:23:12.049 --> 00:23:18.700 Do you have any... Unique needs and difficulties 00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:24.480 in your life. That are possibly involved in spiritual 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:29.500 warfare. That possibly have to do with the opposition 00:23:29.500 --> 00:23:35.240 of the devil. Have you talked to God about those 00:23:35.240 --> 00:23:39.220 things? Or have you only talked to men about 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:46.039 them? Why are we so eager to speak to men? And 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:48.779 to speak to women. And to speak to people. And 00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:52.160 to see the face of man. And to come before people 00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:55.980 with our problems and our issues. Do you talk 00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:59.059 to God about those? Do you bring your requests 00:23:59.059 --> 00:24:04.480 to Him? Do you make your prayers and your requests 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:07.079 and your petitions and your supplications known? 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:09.779 To the Almighty in heaven, the Sovereign One, 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:12.480 who can actually do something about it. The One 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:15.000 who is King of kings and Lord of lords. The One 00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:17.779 who made the world and sustains all that is in 00:24:17.779 --> 00:24:25.140 it. What can we do? Go and talk to the One who 00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:29.099 is on the throne, brothers and sisters. Bring 00:24:29.099 --> 00:24:34.859 your petitions, your needs to Him. Do you bring 00:24:34.859 --> 00:24:39.140 them to Him? Or do you just lay them out before 00:24:39.140 --> 00:24:44.660 people? Bring your petitions, make your petitions 00:24:44.660 --> 00:24:50.880 known to God. Charles Spurgeon said something 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:54.220 similar to, we should seek the face of God or 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:57.099 we should see the face of God before we see the 00:24:57.099 --> 00:25:01.680 face of men. We could play on that in all kinds 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:05.400 of different ways. If we think about our needs, 00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:10.079 In life, we could say our needs ought to be presented 00:25:10.079 --> 00:25:14.380 to God before they're ever made known or presented 00:25:14.380 --> 00:25:18.559 to men. There's all kinds of things, brothers 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:23.980 and sisters. Talk to God about those things in 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:29.359 your life. Bring them to Him. Cast all your cares 00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:35.500 at His feet because He cares for you. Don't hang 00:25:35.500 --> 00:25:39.259 on to the anxieties and the worries and the burdens 00:25:39.259 --> 00:25:47.039 of your life. Give them to God. Now, wartime 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:52.900 prayer also has a necessary attitude that's involved 00:25:52.900 --> 00:26:13.839 with it. We read in verse 18, And with this in 00:26:13.839 --> 00:26:18.460 view, be on the alert with all perseverance and 00:26:18.460 --> 00:26:25.059 petition for all the saints. A good prayer warrior 00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:33.410 is aware of what's going on. A good prayer warrior, 00:26:33.470 --> 00:26:38.529 brothers and sisters, is conscious and vigilant 00:26:38.529 --> 00:26:44.309 of what is taking place with them as they are 00:26:44.309 --> 00:26:50.069 praying. They are vigilant and watchful. They 00:26:50.069 --> 00:26:55.069 are alert with regards to their own soul, their 00:26:55.069 --> 00:26:59.690 own mind, their own thinking, their body. They're 00:26:59.690 --> 00:27:02.769 in what's taking place between them and the living 00:27:02.769 --> 00:27:08.089 God as they commune together. There's an alertness. 00:27:08.730 --> 00:27:14.130 Do you remember in Matthew 26 where the Lord 00:27:14.130 --> 00:27:17.289 Jesus is the night before his crucifixion and 00:27:17.289 --> 00:27:20.750 he tells his disciples to stay and watch and 00:27:20.750 --> 00:27:24.950 pray with him? He goes away and he comes back 00:27:24.950 --> 00:27:27.390 and he goes away and he comes back. And what's 00:27:27.390 --> 00:27:32.289 he find every single time? The disciples are 00:27:32.289 --> 00:27:40.509 dozing off. And what's he say? Watch and pray. 00:27:42.410 --> 00:27:48.529 We have a great need to be alert in our prayers, 00:27:48.549 --> 00:27:52.450 brothers and sisters. We need a spiritual attentiveness 00:27:52.450 --> 00:27:58.539 in our spiritual lives. Because we have such 00:27:58.539 --> 00:28:04.519 tendencies to drift or be distracted or to follow 00:28:04.519 --> 00:28:08.119 rabbits. Everybody knows what I'm talking about. 00:28:09.619 --> 00:28:12.440 If you've spent any time in prayer, you know 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:15.359 that as soon as you sit down or as soon as you 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:17.839 kneel or as soon as you begin to pray, your mind 00:28:17.839 --> 00:28:20.819 all becomes scattered like nobody's business. 00:28:21.980 --> 00:28:24.400 All of a sudden you're thinking about your wife. 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:26.240 All of a sudden you're thinking about church. 00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:28.500 All of a sudden you're thinking about finances. 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:30.440 All of a sudden you're thinking about the yard. 00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:37.619 It's incredible. What do we do? We're alert. 00:28:37.819 --> 00:28:43.200 We're attentive. We rein it in. We control our 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:47.059 minds as believers. We exercise discipline with 00:28:47.059 --> 00:28:54.180 our minds. And we focus on communion with God. 00:28:55.459 --> 00:29:01.319 If we think about our conversations with people, 00:29:01.500 --> 00:29:06.400 and I am guilty of this, when we talk with certain 00:29:06.400 --> 00:29:10.480 individuals, it is clear and obvious that they 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:14.359 are not really involved in the conversation. 00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:19.359 Everybody knows what I'm talking about with that 00:29:19.359 --> 00:29:25.299 too. They're over here. They're over here. They're 00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:29.359 up here. And they're down here. They're off in 00:29:29.359 --> 00:29:34.819 China, probably. They're clearly worried and 00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:40.079 thinking about other things. Now, it's one thing 00:29:40.079 --> 00:29:42.559 for us to do that with people. We shouldn't. 00:29:42.940 --> 00:29:48.140 We shouldn't do that with people. We should listen 00:29:48.140 --> 00:29:53.250 to people. We should... Be intent and focused 00:29:53.250 --> 00:29:59.650 with people. But brothers and sisters. Imagine 00:29:59.650 --> 00:30:06.450 doing that. At the throne of grace. The holy 00:30:06.450 --> 00:30:13.710 of holies. In front of our heavenly father. The 00:30:13.710 --> 00:30:17.130 sovereign of sovereigns. Brothers and sisters. 00:30:17.490 --> 00:30:22.430 We ought to be alert and attentive. in our praying. 00:30:23.309 --> 00:30:28.309 We have a tendency to fall into patterns or to 00:30:28.309 --> 00:30:33.450 fall into unhealthy patterns in our prayer life. 00:30:34.529 --> 00:30:37.690 Meaning we can just continue doing the same things 00:30:37.690 --> 00:30:41.029 almost from rote memory. This is what I always 00:30:41.029 --> 00:30:43.349 do. This is what I always say. And it's really 00:30:43.349 --> 00:30:46.750 not impactful or meaningful. What do we do? We're 00:30:46.750 --> 00:30:50.490 spiritually attentive. My heart is not involved 00:30:50.490 --> 00:30:52.609 in this. I'm just going through the motions. 00:30:52.710 --> 00:30:57.329 There's no warmth. There's no true piety or sincerity 00:30:57.329 --> 00:31:02.849 in my heart. We're attentive to these things. 00:31:04.230 --> 00:31:08.349 We have to be alert. But a good prayer warrior 00:31:08.349 --> 00:31:14.690 is also diligent and they endure or they persevere. 00:31:15.190 --> 00:31:19.640 This word means to overcome. in spite or in the 00:31:19.640 --> 00:31:25.640 face of difficulties. The Christian life is not 00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:33.779 easy. Prayer life is not easy. In fact, I believe 00:31:33.779 --> 00:31:40.140 that prayer is the most difficult, the most challenging 00:31:40.140 --> 00:31:47.299 of all the spiritual disciplines. Because it 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:52.559 is the chief act of faith. And every time we 00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:57.079 pray, it requires that we mortify our flesh's 00:31:57.079 --> 00:32:02.960 desire and enmity to rule over us. Every time. 00:32:04.059 --> 00:32:08.059 Why is it that you don't want to pray? Because 00:32:08.059 --> 00:32:11.880 the flesh fights against holy and good desires 00:32:11.880 --> 00:32:16.279 in your life. Prayer forces you to mortify those 00:32:16.279 --> 00:32:20.380 desires. If you are to pray, you must overcome 00:32:20.380 --> 00:32:24.160 your unwillingness to pray. If you are to lay 00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:26.839 hold of the willingness of God in prayer, you 00:32:26.839 --> 00:32:33.019 must overcome your unwillingness to pray. Brothers 00:32:33.019 --> 00:32:36.759 and sisters, it is hard to pray and it requires 00:32:36.759 --> 00:32:42.970 perseverance and diligence. It's hard work. The 00:32:42.970 --> 00:32:48.150 spiritual disciplines are hard work. Paul in 00:32:48.150 --> 00:32:52.990 Romans 15 requests that the recipients would 00:32:52.990 --> 00:32:56.430 join together with him in prayer and that they 00:32:56.430 --> 00:33:01.630 would strive together with him in prayer for 00:33:01.630 --> 00:33:04.990 him and his deliverance, but also for the success 00:33:04.990 --> 00:33:08.950 of his mission work. That word he uses for strive. 00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:11.980 It comes from the Greek word where we get the 00:33:11.980 --> 00:33:18.319 word gymnasium. What's he saying? Strain yourself 00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:25.339 in prayer. Work out in prayer. Exert energy. 00:33:26.140 --> 00:33:32.200 Exert force. Exert discipline in prayer. That's 00:33:32.200 --> 00:33:36.079 what Paul is saying. At the end of Colossians, 00:33:36.099 --> 00:33:37.619 I do want to read this just because it's one 00:33:37.619 --> 00:33:43.240 of my favorites. Snippets regarding prayer. In 00:33:43.240 --> 00:33:48.660 Colossians chapter 4 verses 12 -13 we read this. 00:33:49.059 --> 00:33:52.660 Paul is walking through his fellow prisoners. 00:33:52.960 --> 00:33:56.299 His fellow prisoner lists. And his friends and 00:33:56.299 --> 00:33:58.940 his co -workers and co -laborers. And listen 00:33:58.940 --> 00:34:05.279 to what he says about Epaphras. What a remarkable 00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:10.750 testimony regarding a man. And Paul obviously 00:34:10.750 --> 00:34:14.289 witnessed this. He saw this. Because they are 00:34:14.289 --> 00:34:16.650 in close quarters and they are near and they 00:34:16.650 --> 00:34:21.570 work together all the time. Epaphras, who is 00:34:21.570 --> 00:34:24.190 one of your number, a bond slave of Jesus Christ, 00:34:24.369 --> 00:34:30.269 sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly 00:34:30.269 --> 00:34:35.230 for you in his prayers. That you may stand perfect, 00:34:35.269 --> 00:34:44.750 fully assured in all the will, Always laboring 00:34:44.750 --> 00:34:50.869 earnestly for you all in prayer. What a testimony 00:34:50.869 --> 00:34:55.630 from the Apostle Paul. In the beginning of Romans, 00:34:55.750 --> 00:34:59.530 Paul talks about how God is his witness, how 00:34:59.530 --> 00:35:04.389 he constantly remembers them in prayer. Meaning 00:35:04.389 --> 00:35:08.599 God witnesses Paul's prayers. he can witness 00:35:08.599 --> 00:35:14.360 how often Paul prays for them. It necessarily 00:35:14.360 --> 00:35:21.159 requires perseverance and diligence. We're in 00:35:21.159 --> 00:35:23.579 great danger when prayer becomes occasional, 00:35:23.760 --> 00:35:33.280 periodic, and neglected. Great danger. Remember, 00:35:33.480 --> 00:35:41.219 this is warfare. I can almost guarantee you that 00:35:41.219 --> 00:35:47.219 if the person has fallen into sin, they have 00:35:47.219 --> 00:35:54.179 first fallen out of prayer. If a person has willingly 00:35:54.179 --> 00:35:57.480 caved to the devil's temptations in their life, 00:35:57.599 --> 00:36:00.880 they have been unwilling to go to the throne 00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:04.590 of grace for help because of the strength. and 00:36:04.590 --> 00:36:09.170 power of corruption within them. It's significant, 00:36:09.389 --> 00:36:13.190 brothers and sisters. When prayer is constant 00:36:13.190 --> 00:36:19.210 and regular, we must expect that sin won't be. 00:36:19.889 --> 00:36:24.510 When prayer is neglected, when prayer diminishes, 00:36:24.530 --> 00:36:28.769 we ought to expect that sin and transgression 00:36:28.769 --> 00:36:32.989 and desires and lusts will increase and multiply. 00:36:34.440 --> 00:36:39.079 We must be constant and continual in prayer, 00:36:39.179 --> 00:36:43.079 going to the throne of grace for help. Lastly, 00:36:43.079 --> 00:36:47.300 we see that wartime prayer comes to the aid of 00:36:47.300 --> 00:36:51.300 others. Notice the last portion of this verse. 00:36:52.199 --> 00:36:56.119 Be on the alert with all perseverance and petition 00:36:56.119 --> 00:37:05.659 for all the saints. So wartime prayer. is intercessory 00:37:05.659 --> 00:37:10.860 prayer. It is prayer that intercedes and comes 00:37:10.860 --> 00:37:14.480 to the aid and the side of all those who are 00:37:14.480 --> 00:37:19.400 in the battle with us, other believers in Jesus 00:37:19.400 --> 00:37:28.119 Christ. As believers, we all have a unique trial. 00:37:28.639 --> 00:37:33.369 In a sense, the church in the world At this time. 00:37:34.090 --> 00:37:39.010 Every single Christian. Is in the trenches. Together. 00:37:40.349 --> 00:37:45.630 And you know. The scourges. Of the devil in your 00:37:45.630 --> 00:37:48.250 own heart. And your own mind. And your own soul. 00:37:48.829 --> 00:37:51.710 You know the difficulties. You know the hardship. 00:37:51.869 --> 00:37:55.829 You know the trial. And all your brothers and 00:37:55.829 --> 00:37:58.789 sisters around the world, in this area, in this 00:37:58.789 --> 00:38:01.010 place, in this church, they're going through 00:38:01.010 --> 00:38:03.590 the same things, brothers and sisters. So what 00:38:03.590 --> 00:38:07.889 does wartime prayer do? It comes alongside and 00:38:07.889 --> 00:38:10.789 helps your brothers and sisters by interceding 00:38:10.789 --> 00:38:16.590 for them. It's amazing how often in my own life 00:38:16.590 --> 00:38:22.570 I find holy prayer turning into unholy prayer. 00:38:23.260 --> 00:38:28.179 Because it's so focused on me. True Christian 00:38:28.179 --> 00:38:34.940 maturity in prayer will inevitably lead outward 00:38:34.940 --> 00:38:40.880 to brothers and sisters in Christ. To support 00:38:40.880 --> 00:38:47.360 and strengthen and aid the saints in the world 00:38:47.360 --> 00:38:52.539 because they're all the object of the devil's 00:38:53.730 --> 00:39:01.349 John Bunyan said this. He said, pray often for 00:39:01.349 --> 00:39:08.289 prayer is a shield to your soul. A sacrifice 00:39:08.289 --> 00:39:14.530 to God and a scourge to the devil. Meaning a 00:39:14.530 --> 00:39:18.710 whip to the devil. I want to close by reading 00:39:18.710 --> 00:39:23.980 a hymn from John Newton. It's called The Power 00:39:23.980 --> 00:39:28.019 of Prayer. I love this. Listen to these words 00:39:28.019 --> 00:39:31.719 and then we'll close in prayer. In themselves 00:39:31.719 --> 00:39:35.920 as weak as worms, how can poor believers stand? 00:39:36.559 --> 00:39:40.300 When temptations, foes, and storms press them 00:39:40.300 --> 00:39:44.639 close on every hand. Weak indeed they feel they 00:39:44.639 --> 00:39:47.860 are, but they know the throne of grace and the 00:39:47.860 --> 00:39:51.400 God who answers prayer helps them. When they 00:39:51.400 --> 00:39:55.440 seek his face. Though the Lord a while delay. 00:39:55.840 --> 00:39:59.940 Help they at length obtain. He who taught their 00:39:59.940 --> 00:40:03.679 hearts to pray. Will not let them cry in vain. 00:40:04.360 --> 00:40:08.340 Wrestling prayer can wonders do. Bring relief 00:40:08.340 --> 00:40:12.260 in deepest straits. Prayer can force a passage 00:40:12.260 --> 00:40:17.480 through. Iron bars and brazen gates. Hezekiah 00:40:17.480 --> 00:40:21.219 on his knees, proud of serious hosts subdued, 00:40:21.219 --> 00:40:25.420 and when smitten with disease, had his life by 00:40:25.420 --> 00:40:29.860 prayer renewed. Peter, though confined and chained, 00:40:30.019 --> 00:40:33.599 prayer prevailed and brought him out. When Elijah 00:40:33.599 --> 00:40:37.519 prayed, it rained after three long years of drought. 00:40:38.019 --> 00:40:43.039 We can likewise witness bear that the Lord is 00:40:43.039 --> 00:40:46.019 still the same. Though we feared he would not 00:40:46.019 --> 00:40:51.059 hear, suddenly deliverance came. For the wonders 00:40:51.059 --> 00:40:53.940 he has wrought, let us now our praises give, 00:40:54.199 --> 00:40:59.019 and by sweet experience taught, call upon him 00:40:59.019 --> 00:41:01.599 while we live.