Ephesians: The Holy War - Preach The Word

More documents

Recommendations

Info

THE HOLY WAR: THE ARMOUR OF GOD42Pastor David LeggeWe have learnt in weeks gone by that this battle is the Lord's, it is not our battle, but the battle belongs to theLord. That is why we stand in the confidence, and stand in the victory that we have in the Lord - it's not inour own strength that we fight against the enemy. So, with that as a backdrop we realise that if we areclothed with the armour of God, given by God to fight and to take on the enemy, it's important that wealways keep in communication with our Captain, with the High Command. This is the way, Paul says, thatwe stand in the strength of the Lord, this is the way that we equip ourselves in the power of His might. Nowsome scholars link verse 18 with verse 19 and verse 20, and they don't believe that there is a link in the sensethat this is part of the armour of God, they believe that the armour of God finishes in verse 17 at the end.They believe that verse 18, 19 and 20 are a section on their own - but I don't believe that. I believe that we'redealing with this evening, in verse 18, the seventh piece of the armour of God Almighty.We are told: 'Watching', look at verse 18, 'Watching thereunto with all perseverance' - there is the call tobattle, the call to be alert, and I believe that's in keeping with the theme of this chapter of the warrior of God,and the armour of God. The other pieces of equipment are important, but once they are adorned by thesoldier of God, prayer is the energy with which to walk onto the battlefield. Prayer is the equipment bywhich the soldier breathes, prayer is the life flowing through his veins, enabling him to fight for God and forChrist. Without prayer, even the greatest Christian that you could ever, or do ever, know is absolutelyineffective and helpless within this holy war without prayer. Now please let me emphasise that: for we gointo the battle, and we are to be going into the battle not in our own strength, but if we go into the battle withthe girdle, the belt of truth, with the breastplate of righteousness, with our feet shod with the preparation ofthe gospel, with the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word ofGod, we are useless! Can I repeat that? We are useless without prayer!There's no use getting a statue of Montgomery, and putting him onto the battlefields of Europe, and dressinghim up in all the armour that you can, and giving him all the medals along his breast that he won - he will donothing in the battle because there's no blood running through his veins, there's no breath in his lungs, there'sno life in him! You might as well push a statue onto a battlefield as go in with all the armour of God uponyou, as a child of God, and be without prayer. Now this is so important, this is the climax of our studies.Prayer is the energy of the soldier, do you know why? Because it brings God onto the battlefield, it bringsGod into your situation, your life conflict, the spiritual warfare and battlefield that we are all engaged in,prayer is the mechanism to let God enter into the midst of it!You remember in the Old Testament when Amalek attacked Israel, as the children of God were beingattacked and all the army were on the battlefield - it was Moses, the man of God, who went up onto themountaintop to pray. While Joshua used the sword on the ground, there was Moses up on the mountain -Joshua fighting, Moses praying. That is what I want you to get into your mind: that there is this dual-purposeof fighting, but if you don't pray as you're in the battle it's absolutely useless, because prayer is the powerbehind the victory. Now, prayer is obviously a very topical subject within the Christian church, it's veryimportant. So much talk can go on about prayer, that we don't really define what it is, and that's why I'mtaking a few weeks over verse 18 - for I believe that there are different aspects of prayer found in this verse,and if we skim over them we'll lose the whole point of it.It's not just any kind of prayer that will do for this battle, there is a specific type of prayer found within verse18. Let me say this before I go on any further: there are very few things that the enemy dreads more than thisweapon of prayer, and because of that he would do all in his power to let you understand the first, thesecond, the third, right to the sixth piece of armour, if you could just forget about the seventh! I believe thatis what he has done in our world, and within the church of Jesus Christ - he gets people to forget aboutprayer. Now you will note that prayer is the seventh piece of armour within this series of adornments for thesoldier of God, and you will also know - I'm sure - that seven, within the scripture, is the number ofperfection. I believe that is not without significance in our context here, that Paul is saying - the Holy Spirit
THE HOLY WAR: THE ARMOUR OF GOD43Pastor David Leggethrough him - that this is the perfect, this is the ending, this is the icing, the crown on the head of the armourof God: you need prayer! Without prayer you're useless.Bunyan called this weapon, and part of the armour, 'All-Prayer'. He says in his great work Pilgrim's Progress:'So Christian was forced to put up his sword and betake himself to another weapon' - when all had failed hecalled upon All-Prayer - 'So he cried in my hearing, Oh Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul', All-Prayer!What are we saying? We're saying that prayer is the supreme weapon to be used by the soldier in God'sarmy. Prayer is the weapon that God has given to us that we might wrestle not against flesh and blood, butagainst these principalities and powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritualwickedness in high places. But if we make the mistake, as half the religious world does today, of thinkingthat we are just talking this evening about saying our prayers, you may forget about it! What I'm talkingabout this evening is a lot more than 'saying prayers', we're talking about a weapon of God, we're talkingabout a prayer, a type of prayer that prevails with God and prevails with men.Now my question at the outset and at the introduction of our study is this: do your prayers prevail? I believeit was Montgomery, I think it was, Bishop Montgomery who was the grandfather of Montgomery that I'vejust mentioned, the great commander, who wrote that hymn, great hymn of prayer. One of the verses says: 'Ioften say my prayers, but do I ever pray?' - a very valid question. Do our prayers prevail with God? I sense,maybe I'm wrong, that some might say: 'Oh, here he goes again. Prayer again, we've heard it before. He getsit into some of his messages, and even when he's not doing a series on it he fits it in! He's talking about itagain, about praying!'. Can I say this: that as long as I have breath in my body, and as long as I can preach ortalk in any sense, I will preach upon prayer! And I'll not stop, no matter what anybody does or says! Do youknow why? Because I am following my Lord Jesus Christ, and that's more important than pleasing men, ortickling ears.He strove - if you read the Gospels - quite clearly you'll see that He strove to put the saints to prayer in Hisdays of ministry, that was one of His purposes: to get His disciples onto their knees, seeking their heavenlyFather! Our Lord Jesus Christ was moved by the laziness of His own disciples not to go into the harvestfields and to pluck, as brands from the burning, the ripened fruit of the harvest - and such lack of labours,such lack of prayers with His own people - He was wont to say: 'Pray ye therefore!'. That's the Lord - praythe Lord of harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest field. You see it was our Lord thatsaid, it's recorded of Him that: 'He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, andnot to faint'.I believe that the Gospel moves like a snail when the saints are not at prayer early, when the saints are not atprayer late, and when the saints are not at prayer long - and as long as I have the grace of God, and theability, and the faithfulness given to me by His mercy, I will do all that I can to put the saints of God toprayer! We must have prayer, for it is the energy of God's battle, and if we don't have it we don't have theenergy, and we will lose! To that end, let us look at what this prayer, praying always, really is. I've defined itin three ways. First of all: it is a way of life, prayer is a way of life. Secondly: prayer is a constantcommunion. Thirdly: prayerlessness, the antithesis of this always praying, is the cause of defeat, I believe,within the church.Now, if you look at verse 18: 'Praying always', literally in the Greek it could be translated like this: 'Prayingon all occasions'. Not just in the thick of battle, this is not just a weapon that can be used in the bloody,smoky mass of a warrior's battlefield, but this is a piece of weaponry that can be used in preparation for thebattle. It is a thing to be worn so that we are ready to fight. Now, of course, it is critical in the hour of need,and in the hour when the enemy attacks, but this weapon itself must be used before you get into the heat ofthe war. In verse 13 we see this: 'Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able towithstand' - that's the future, isn't it? Take it now that you will be able to stand, so you're being prepared byall prayer for this great battle.
Page 1: EPHESIANS:The Holy WarA series of s
Page 4 and 5: THE HOLY WAR: THE ARMOUR OF GOD4Pas
Page 10 and 11: THE HOLY WAR: THE ARMOUR OF GODPast
Page 14 and 15: THE HOLY WAR: THE ARMOUR OF GOD14Pa
Page 41: THE HOLY WAR: THE ARMOUR OF GODPast
Page 78: Don't miss other booklets of sermon

Ephesians: The Holy War - Preach The Word

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?