Ephesians: The Holy War - Preach The Word

More documents

Recommendations

Info

THE HOLY WAR: THE ARMOUR OF GODPastor David LeggeThe Holy War - Chapter 6"Varied Prayer"Copyright 2001by Pastor David LeggeAll Rights ReservedEphesians 6:18b1. General Prayer – "all prayer"a. Praiseb. Confessionc. Waitingd. Scripturee. Intercessionf. Singingg. Listening2. Specific Prayer – "and supplication"Ephesians and chapter 6 again, Ephesians 6 - and just in case it is your first time here, and you'rebreaking into the thirty-third study in the book of Ephesians, then why did you leave this late tocome? Now we're on number 33! I can't re-cap that whole book for you tonight I'm afraid! Let me justsay that we are the study on the armour of God, and this is our sixth study in the armour of God. We've beenlooking at the six pieces of the armour that most of us are well acquainted with within chapter 6. We arelooking, and have been looking last week, and we will be looking this week, and in the weeks that lie aheadwhen I return, we'll be looking at this seventh piece of the armour which is entitled: 'All-Prayer'. We're doingour best not to rush over this verse 18, that depicts All-Prayer, because there are many important facets ofthis weapon in God's armour that we must not neglect, or look over, or ignore.So, last week we were looking at the first part of verse 18 which said: 'Praying always'. This week we'regoing to look at the second part: 'With all prayer'. Let us read - it's important, and I hope that as we readthese verses together that you're beginning to memorise them, because I know that they're getting into myhead as we read over them week after week. So we'll read from verse 10 again: "Finally, my brethren, bestrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able tostand against the wiles", the methods, "of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but againstprincipalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness inhigh", or heavenly, "places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able towithstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about withtruth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospelof peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of thewicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Prayingalways with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance andsupplication for all saints. And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouthboldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I mayspeak boldly, as I ought to speak. But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do" - and we'll leave itthere.Let's just take a moment to bow in prayer again, it's important that we ask the Lord's protection as we look atsuch a portion of Scripture. Father, we have been instructed that the devil is our enemy and is a roaring lionseeking whom he may devour. So we pray that You will shut his mouth tonight, Lord that You will bind him50
THE HOLY WAR: THE ARMOUR OF GOD51Pastor David Leggeand put him out of this place, and that Jesus the Lord Christ may reign in our gathering tonight - that Hemight have the pre-eminence, and that through Him we would know the victory ground tonight, to His glory.Amen.The holy war, and the armour is such an important thing within that holy war. We've looked at constantprayer, and now we look at All-Prayer - and indeed that's how Bunyan depicted it within Pilgrim's Progress,this piece of armour, the seventh, the perfect piece of armour. The piece of armour - perhaps we could say -that is the most important piece of armour that we cannot do without. We know that it is not the armour thatmakes the warrior, it cannot be. It cannot be the weapons that win the fight, there must be something more -and it must be, as we looked at last week, the courage and the strength that is within that warrior, yesadorned with that great armour, but he must have courage and he must have energy. Verse 10 tells us thatthat energy, that strength, and that courage is not our own, but it is of the Lord. To stand in the strength of theLord!We know that if that strength is to be imputed into our lives, and if we are tocome into the good of it within the battle that we may be in day by day, it has tobe adorned by prayer. We know - and if you don't know this, I would questionwhether you're in the battle - that we need help within the battle. I needed helptoday in the battle, I need help every day in the battle. It is so important, as we'vebeen learning, that the soldier on the bloody battlefield never ever loses contactwith High Command and with the Captain of our salvation, the Lord JesusChrist. The Christian must have this divine energy, this force of courage andstrength for the battle that he faces day by day. It must be a constantcommunication - it is not something that we can leave off at any time, for whenwe do so we give the enemy a foothold. We ought not for one moment to beignorant of his devices.But varied prayer, that we are looking at this evening, flows out of constant prayer that we looked at lastMonday night. For if we are praying continually and if our prayer is, as we thought, a way of life and aconstant communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, if we are living lives of constant, continual prayer we willface various situations. In those situations we will need various types of prayer. That is why God has givenus those types of prayer, and when we constantly face differing deadly situations in the battle, we can - praisethe Lord - take hold upon these parts of the armour of God, and fight the battle of faith with All-Prayer. It'swonderful, isn't it, to know that there is a type of prayer for every situation. All that life can throw at us, thereis nothing that is immune from the prayer that God gives us to use. In the battle, if we are skilled in the art ofAll-Prayer, and all the types of prayer that God has given to us, we will constantly, day by day, have thevictory over the enemy.Now that is so important as we come to this study this evening. I want to be as practical as I possibly can aswe come to this second phrase in verse 18, and to do so I'll be quoting from many writers and Christians ofbygone days to show you this varied prayer that many of them used, and we find it within the word of God.Look at verse 18: 'Praying always with all prayer and supplication' - now that's what I want us to look attonight - 'All prayer and supplication'. Two types of prayer: all prayer and supplication. I believe that Paul isdifferentiating [between] - as you see on your sheet from the first point and the second point - first of allgeneral prayer, which is all prayer, and secondly specific, definite, direct prayer, which is described assupplication.Now that's look at the first: all prayer, which is general prayer. You could say, as one man has put it, that thisis all sorts of prayer at all sorts of times in all sorts of ways. Varied prayer, all sorts, at all times, in all ways.Now if you think about it for a moment, and you have a brainstorm about the different types of prayer that
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 49: 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?