New Life Bible Fellowship Church
3-3-24

      • Psalm 111:1–4ESV

  • In The Presence Of Jehovah
  • What A Friend We Have In Jesus

      • Psalm 76ESV

  • Doxology

  • Introduction:

    As we continue in our finale of the book of Ephesians, in our last two messages, we’ve been looking at the Whole Armor of God that has given to us as part of our salvation. An armor that is empowered by God himself who rules all things, and as a result will cause us to succeed against the attacks of our enemy, the devil. Last week saw how each individual part of our armor is a parts breakdown of what we’ve been given at salvation. The belt of truth that pointed to Christ, the living word, who is the way, the truth and the life, and the written word the bible, our guide book of truth for life. Then we saw that the breastplate of righteousness was the righteousness that was imputed to us by Christ, so that we stand there before our enemy as if Christ himself was standing there. In the midst of the battle, we are given shoes that move forward in the declaration of the good news, and that this good news is proclaimed as a message of peace with God through Jesus Christ. The shield of faith is our confidence in all that God has promised us and our belief that we are his precious possession, no matter how the slanderer, Satan, tries to tell us otherwise. The helmet of salvation is what controls all the other parts, this salvation is given to us by God and will pervade all the other parts of this salvation armor. Finally, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is that offensive weapon whereby the enemy is dealt painful blows and flees from us.
    But, as any good soldier will tell you, in battle, the soldier must be on the alert, persevering, and knowing why and how to proceed as directed. So what enables him to persevere in the battle? It is the power of God that is part of that armor, which is where we will go this morning as we look at the Whole Armor of God, with reference to the power given us through prayer, the Gospel, and our ambassadorship in Ephesians 6:18-20.

    Text: Ephesians 6:18-20

    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.

    Main Idea: God has provided prayer and his planned purpose as a means to keep us alert and persevere in the use of the whole armor of God, and also to help one another to do the same.

    With all this armor that has been given to us at salvation, what gives us the power to persevere? It is plugging into the power source of God through prayer, and understanding his purpose for our earthly sojourn. Without the power of God and a purpose for living, we wonder about and wallow in self-pity. So we begin with:

    I. Prayer Power (18)

    This is not just any prayer, but…

    A. Spirit Filled Prayer (18a)

    (18a) praying at all times in the Spirit,
    praying (proseuchomai [pre, mid, par]) - to speak with God continually (present tense).
    at all times (kairos [noun]) - occasions, events, seasons
    in (en [preposition of location]) the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) - one of the important functions of the indwelling Holy Spirit is to help in our prayers.
    Romans 8:26–27 ESV
    26 Likewise 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.
    There is never a time in which we do not need prayer. If we are to succeed in our battle against the evil one, we must pray in the Spirit according to the will of God.

    B. Alertness Through Prayer (18b)

    (18b) with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance,
    This action of continual praying contains two parts:
    with all prayer (proseuchē [noun]) - speech to God. This noun form of the verb, praying, doubles the intensity, it’s like saying, “speaking to God with speech to God”. There is a focused intensity here that calls the Christian to pray intently, undistracted and focused to God, as if their very life depends on it! This urgency is further magnified by joining…
    and supplication (deēsis [noun] - urgent request made to God) - Again, it’s like saying, “speaking to God with all urgency”.
    Therefore, these continual prayers are to be directed and focused on God, and done in an urgent, intense way.
    To that end - when that is done in this way, it causes us to…
    [keep alert] (agrupneō [pre, act, par] - staying awake) with all perseverance (proskarterēsis [noun] - persistent determination)
    The prayer that is ongoing is not a prayer that you do out of habitat, or mindlessly make so you can move on to the next item of business, but an agonizing, life dependent prayer with the blood curtailing reality that our lives depend on it. And when we do so, we become awake, and alert to our surroundings, carefully watching, moving, persevering, by relying on God’s power for each and every step.
    There is a proportional relationship between our urgent prayers and our alert perseverance. The grammar supports the idea, the more we pray this way, the more we persevere.
    Matthew 26:41 ESV
    41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
    However, we are not the only ones in the battle, our alertness causes us to be aware of our brothers and sister in Christ, the saints, also need…

    C. Saints Directed Supplications (18c)

    (18c) making supplication for all the saints,
    [making supplication] (deēsis [noun] - urgent request made to God) - the same word and urgent used for ourselves.
    for (peri [preposition of reference] - around in a circle) all the saints (hagios [noun] - those set apart, the true church) - our brothers and sisters in Christ that all all around us.
    This is a call as those who are alerted by prayer, to look around ourselves and engage in the same intensity of prayer for each other. For they also are in this battle with their own set of enemy blows.
    As mentioned last week, our battle against the powers of darkness is not just an endurance battle until reinforcements arrive, but a battle that is moving forward into enemy territory with the gospel of peace. Thus, not only do we have prayer power, but also…

    II. Gospel Power (19)

    In Paul’s instructions on urgent prayers for one another, Paul desires that same for himself, who is, as you remember, chained to a Roman guard. He understands the power of the gospel and therefore asks that he would be able to present a…

    A. Correctly Worded Gospel (19a)

    (19a) and also for me, that words may be given to me
    and also for me - Pray for me also
    that words [may be given] (didomai [aor, pas, sub]) to me - Paul wants the Ephesian Christians to pray that God would give him the right words to…

    B. Boldly Proclaimed Gospel (19b)

    (19b) in opening (anoixis [noun] - emphasis on opening ones mouth to deliver an address ) my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, - Paul’s desire is to bolding proclaim the Gospel. For Paul told the Romans:
    Romans 1:16 ESV
    16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
    Paul’s desire is to always proclaim the Gospel, knowing that in all circumstances, it is the power of God unto salvation. But there is something else here that Paul wants us to understand, not only are we to proclaim the Gospel with all its power, but there is a reality at all times that we also have…

    III. Ambassador Power (20)

    There will always be a truth about our lives on planet earth that defines our existence as God’s saints, and that is we will always be a…

    A. Situation Focused Ambassador (20a)

    (20a) for which I am an ambassador in chains, - the point here I believe, is that Paul recognized that he was still an ambassador of Jesus Christ, even when chained to a Roman guard. We are not ambassadors only when the situation is favorable, but in all circumstances. This, I believe is Paul’s point here and in 2 Corinthians 5:
    2 Corinthians 5:16–21 ESV
    16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
    As ambassador’s of Christ, we have the power of Christ, the message of Christ, and the purpose of Christ behind us…we are Christ’s representative here on earth.
    Paul recognized that this ministry of reconciliation requires us to be a…

    B. Purpose Focused Ambassador (20b)

    (20b) that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. - Again, Paul appeals to boldness to declare all that an ambassador must declare in words and actions as he stands in the place of his master and Lord, Jesus Christ!

    So What?

    Do we understand that in the midst of our battle with the forces of evil, using the whole armor of God, that our staying power and ability to progress forward is directly proportional to our urgent prayer to God?
    Do we also realize that we are responsible to urgently, fervently pray for one another?
    Do we understand that our ultimate purpose for living is that in every circumstance that we find ourselves, and in our battle against evil, we are ambassadors for Christ, delivering his message of reconciliation, the Gospel, to the world enslaved by the evil one?

      • Ephesians 6:18–20ESV

      • Romans 8:26–27ESV

      • Matthew 26:41ESV

      • Romans 1:16ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:16–21ESV

  • Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
dick.bickings@gmail.com
(302) 945-8145
https://newlifebfcde.org
16 members • 1 follower