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Full Armor of God
Part 10 – Praying at all Times
Rev. Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
1. Introduction
2. Strength of the Lord
3. Put on the Armor
4. Belt of Truth
5. The Breastplate of Righteousness
6. The Gospel of Peace
7. The Shield of Faith
8. The Helm of Salvation
9. The Sword of the Spirit
10. Praying at all Times
INTRODUCTION
Today is Sunday. December 10th, 2023
We have had quite a long run over the last few months looking at our purpose as followers of Christ. What it means to be a disciple, and how we can understand God’s will, His calling on us, and how He has empowered us to fulfill His will here on earth.
The Bible tells us that when Jesus first started His ministry, immediately after being tempted in the wilderness by the devil, the following verses say;
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17
I once debated with a Christian from a particular denomination who was taught through denominational theology that repentance is not necessary for Salvation. Yet, it is the very first thing Jesus says at the beginning of His ministry to bring Salvation.
That Salvation brought about by the crucifixion of Jesus and God raising Him from the dead is now available to all who call on Him.
“for “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” Romans 10:13
I believe it is pretty straightforward and understandable from the many verses found throughout scripture, as well as Jesus’ very own words and the description of living and walking in the Spirit, found in Galatians and Ephesians, that we are not only commanded to call on the name of Jesus for Salvation, but to be imitators of God, as His beloved children (Ephesians 5:1-2), which can only happen by the power of the Holy Spirit, a renewing of our minds, and repentance.
If repentance was not a part of Salvation, Jesus would not tell us to repent. If repentance is not necessary for walking in the Spirit, we could continue to live in our sins, be OK with God, and still inherit the Kingdom.
“Do you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” 1 Corinthians 6:9
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7
When we receive Salvation from Christ, we also receive the Holy Spirit, which endows in us God’s characteristics, which we call the Fruit of the Spirit.
We also receive the Full Armor of God so that we “…will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” and “… be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:12-13
This is how we are “strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength.” Ephesians 6:10
In the last couple of months, we have broken down the various parts of the Full Armor of God and talked about what each piece represents, why Paul chose that part, and how we can use them in our everyday lives to fight the spiritual battles we all face.
Today, we will look at Ephesians 6:18
SCRIPTURE READING
Ephesians 6:10-18 (Legacy Standard Bible)
10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His strength.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth,
and having put on the Breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,
17 also receive the helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
18 praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit,
and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints
Today’s Topic: the Full Armor of God – Praying at all Times
TODAY’S MESSAGE: Receive the Sword of the Spirit
I. PRAYING AT ALL TIMES
a. Being prayerfully minded
i. How easy it is when we want/need something
ii. Quickly,
we turn to God when troubles arise
iii. Quickly, we call out to Him for so many things that do not matter in this world.
1. Vain prayers that accomplish nothing
a.
God, please give/get/make/let, and I
will/promise/swear/try
iv. I
know the Word promises we can pray for our needs.
v. The
biggest problem is some do not know the difference between a want/desire and a need.
vi. We must strive to be prayerfully minded
1. For others
2. For needs
3. For healing
4. For blessings
5. For the Gospel to reach the ears
6. For hearts to be softened
7. Pray
for everything that grows the Kingdom of God and brings Salvation to the lost.
b. All times, various times, various purposes
i. "Be
alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because
you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the
same kind of sufferings." 1 Peter 5:8-9
ii. During feast and famine, remember the Lord
iii. During good times and bad, remember the Lord
iv. During sickness and health, remember the Lord
v. During plenty and want, remember the Lord
vi. In
all things at all times, pray to the Lord
c. Be sure your prayers are not hindered!
i. 1 John 5:14-15 “And
this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that
we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”
1. Did you catch that?
2. Ask
anything “according to His will, He hears us.”
3. One
reason your prayers are not heard by God is that you ask for things outside His
will.
ii. Mark 11:24-26 Jesus said, “For
this reason I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that
you have received them, and they will be granted to you. “And whenever you
stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your
Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
[“But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive
your transgressions.”]”
1. Believing you have received what you prayed for does not mean it will be granted if you pray for something
outside His will.
2. And
Jesus says if you harbor unforgiveness, don’t even bother praying. Because you
must forgive others if you want to be forgiven.
3. If God
does not consider you forgiven, will God hear your prayers and answer them?
iii. Speaking of unforgiveness, other sins can hinder your prayers as well.
1. Psalm 66:17-18 “I
called out to Him with my mouth, And He was exalted with my tongue.
If I see wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;”
2. You
can call out your prayers and exalt the Lord with your words all you want. If sin
is in your heart, He will NOT hear your prayer.
iv. Sin will always separate us from God.
v. Selfishness
is another reason God will not hear us, “You ask and do not receive, because
you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You
adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility
toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world sets himself
as an enemy of God.” James 4:3-4
1. God, let me win the lottery.
2. God, let me be rich.
3. God, let me be famous/popular/a star.
4. What
is the TRUE motivation for your prayer? Is it for yourself or worldly things,
or is it truly God’s Will?
vi. Another
prayer blocker is ignoring the word of God, or “knowing what is right and
choosing wrong.”
1. “Therefore,
to one who knows to do the right thing and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17
2. Even
if it is not a sin, but you think it is, and you do it, it becomes your sin
because you thought it was wrong and did it anyway.
vii. And the biggest roadblock of all for men…Husbands, pay close attention
1. “You
husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with
a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of
the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” 1 Peter 3:7
2. What
is the “weaker vessel?” It means her feelings can be hurt if you do not show
her understanding, honor (respect), and equality.
a.
If you do not give your wife
understanding, honor, respect, or treat her as a subservient, lesser, rather
than an equal, God will NOT hear your prayers.
viii.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one
another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective
prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16
II. WITH ALL PRAYER AND PETITION
a. Types of prayer
i. “praying
at all times with ALL prayers and petitions…”
ii. Prayer of worship (Hebrews 13:15; Revelation 4:11)
iii. Thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4)
iv. Faith (James 5:13-16)
v. Intercession (Daniel 9:1-27)
vi. Corporate prayer (Acts 12:5-18)
vii. Consecration (Matthew 26:26-27)
viii.
Prayer of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27)
b. Praying with purpose
i. "The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full." John 10:10
ii. Be specific with your prayers. Even keep a journal.
c. Petitions with purpose
i. "For
he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom
of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:13-14
ii. So,
let us pray for others to receive the same!
III. AND TO THIS END
a. Original Greek
i. Ephesians 6:18 in most Bibles
reads something like, “praying at all times with all prayer and petition in
the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and
petition for all the saints,”
ii. The
Greek says, “During every prayer and petition, praying in every season (occasion)
in spirit and into it (prayers and petitions on every occasion), being
vigilant in all perseverance and petition concerning all of the saints.”
iii. Paraphrased
Greek would be, “On every occasion, pray in the spirit for all the saints,
being watchful and dedicated.”
b. Prayers for others
i. Pay attention
ii. Dedicate yourself to prayer
iii. Pray on every occasion
iv. For all the saints
c. Prayers are powerful
i. “The
weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they
have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every
pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take
captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Why must we pray for others and situations? Doesn’t
God see and know everything?
John 9:31
“We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and
does His will, He listens to him.”
God allows us to take part in His kingdom. A pray of
petition is part of this.
The resources of God are released through obedience
and prayer. Through prayers of petition, God releases His power, the Spirit
moves upon hearts, and Divine orchestration takes place.
Matthew 7:11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who
ask Him!”
Prayers also demonstrate your close relationship
with the Lord! In John
15:15 Jesus said, “No
longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is
doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My
Father I have made known to you.”
Jesus began His prayers to the Father with
thanksgiving (Matt
11:25, Luke 10:21, John 11:41)
CONCLUSION
One of our greatest tools in the Full Armor arsenal is our ability to speak directly with our commander-in-chief during times of battle. Yahweh makes Himself available to us through prayer, and His power, might, strength, defenses, and all of His resources are immeasurable and endless.
Whatever
our needs, especially concerning matters of Spiritual Warfare, the Lord will protect
us and provide.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men, for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen and guard you from the evil one.”
Next week:
The Full Armor of God Part 11: BE ON ALERT
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