Scripture Eph 6:10-18 Focus: 18
Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab
I remember last week I mentioned that the suit of armor given to us by God is not dead metal but is powered up more like Iron man. Deep down inside, a lot of us wish that it really could be like Ironman, stepping into real metal with real power, especially if we know we’re heading into conflict.
In his armor, Tony Stark was nearly invincible. He was powerful and confident to take on a world full of evil enemies bent on destruction. In his powered-up suit, Tony was fast. He was strong. He could fly. And he had powerful weapons in his hands to beat most any bad guy. He knew what he could do. He knew he could win. And he knew how to win. He wasn’t a killer. But he wasn’t gentle either. He met force with force. Basically, he fought fire with fire. But he always won, by being smarter than the bad guy.
As humans, that’s the way we naturally think of power and its value for protecting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But in reality, we know that the armor we have from God does not work like Ironman’s. Ours is a different kind of power, the power of love. And we have a different kind of confidence, not confidence in our own strength and weaponry, or even our own clever use of the gifts God gives us. No, our confidence must always be placed in God and in His plans.
That is why we must always “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Even though you’re wearing spiritual armor provided by God, PRAY! You are not in charge. God is!
Tony Stark commanded everything that happened in his suit of armor. But the Christian is not like Tony Stark. The Christian is like Jesus, who said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” John 5:30 Jesus told his disciples too, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing,” John 15:5. There’s also this Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you,” in John 20:21.
So, the Christian should say, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear from God, and when that happens, my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” Prayer, then, is the way we stay under God’s command. That is the only way that we will use the gifts we have in ways that bring honor and glory to God, in ways that bear much fruit. Prayer is what keeps us focused on acting in love. It is what strengthens us to be bold in right ways. It is what keeps us from falling into the temptation to try to use God’s power in human directed ways that try to force things to happen. So, in my spiritual armor, I’m not fighting my own battles. I’m still always praying, “What do you want me to do Lord?” And of course, we already know, most of what he really wants us to do is not “fight” but love him and love one another.
On the other hand, for a lot of us, we believe in the Ten Commandments, and sharing the gospel, and loving our neighbor, and we’d rather hope that’s all there is to it. We feel like we don’t need any spiritual armor. We’re not up to fighting spiritual battles. We just want to live a quiet, peaceful, unadventurous life. Unfortunately for you, that’s not what God has called you to. The Great Commission is also there for everyone. The spiritual battle is real. All God’s children are called to be aware of both, command and commission, and participate in both according to the gifts you have been given. I don’t remember where I heard this, but I like the imagery. The Church is not like a cruise ship where everybody just has a good relaxing time enjoying each other’s company. There are definitely parts of life in Christ that are like that. But the Church is really much more like a battleship. And in the cause of Christ, it’s “all hands on deck.”
To get that right, we must be in prayer as Paul instructed us. He said, “Pray in the Spirit.” Now for some people that means praying in tongues. But that’s not necessarily the case. For example, in my own walk with the Lord, I prayed specifically several times to receive the gift of tongues. But one day it was as if the Lord said to me, “You do good enough in English.” And that’s actually not good English. The correct wording would be, “You do well enough in English.” God does have a sense of humor!
What “pray in the spirit” really means is listen, to be led by the Holy Spirit. Ask to be led by the Holy Spirit. Believe that the Holy Spirit is in you, and trust that on some occasions when you really don’t know how to pray for a situation, you don’t always need words: Romans 8:26 says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
In the spirit then, we can pray “On all occasions.” That is in keeping with “pray without ceasing.” It comes from an awareness that God is always with you and available for a conversation. Every moment in your life can very easily be a moment in which you might pray for God’s guidance, or pray for a need or someone else’s need, or give thanks for a blessing you just received or that someone else received. When things are going well, praise the Lord! When things are hard, cry out to him! There is no occasion in which it is wrong to pray.
So, we offer “All kinds of prayers and requests.” That’s Adoration or Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Is that sounding familiar? Yes, that is the pattern we use in the prayer insert in our bulletin. The Lord’s prayer in Matthew and Luke is also an example of not just one prayer but a collection of several kinds of prayers. Listen, “Father in Heaven, you are holy!” See, it starts with praise and adoration. Then more praise that includes a request: “Your kingdom should come and rule everywhere.” That’s praise because it means God’s kingdom is the best. It’s a request because we know it has not fully happened yet and we can’t wait to see it. “Your will be done” Is a request that His good things should happen. But it is also a promise that we will obey His will to the best of our ability. As you think through the rest of that prayer you can see there are a few more requests and then it ends on praise again.
The next part of Paul’s instruction to the Ephesians says, “With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Isaiah 56:7 says, “I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. … for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Being a house of prayer makes prayer the top priority for all God’s people. We don’t just pray for ourselves, but we pray for missionaries, and our brothers and sisters all over the world as well as our brothers and sisters in the other congregations all around us in this city. I call that the church that meets in Lake City. We also pray for all the Christians in the whole county, and state, and country, as well as the world.
When we pray, it is not because we have any power to accomplish anything. No, it is because we are talking to God, who has all the power. And he loves us and uses all His power to bless us with what is best for us. Prayer is not about us getting what we want. Prayer is about us getting what God wants us to have. Prayer is not about getting God to do what we want. Prayer is about getting us in line to do what God wants from us. When you study all the prayers of the Old Testament you see that they understood this.
For example, King David wanted to build a temple for the Lord. That’s what he wanted to do. But God said, “No, not you.” And God went on to say, to David, “I will build your house.” Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human! “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.” He concluded his prayer with, “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.”
Solomon got to build the temple, and when had finished it he prayed. He did not pray about what a great job he had done! He praised the Lord! “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today. And if you remember that lengthy prayer of dedication recorded in 2 Kings 8, you know it was all about reminding God to be merciful according to his promises, and remembering his covenant every time the people go astray, and for every sin, that when they repent God will graciously forgive and restore. This was a great dedication. But it was really a humble prayer about the people’s weakness and our dependence on God for blessings.
Then there was King Hezekiah. When he was under attack and besieged, he did not pray for a great army and superior weaponry. He went up to the temple of the Lord and spread out before the Lord a threatening letter that he had received from the enemy. He basically said to God, “Look what they are saying about you!” “Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these other nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”
Prayer is about us getting what God wants us to have according to His promises. Prayers is about getting us in line to do God’s will, because we are sent by Him, into this world to let the light of true love shine and to preach the gospel and welcome and train new believers. So, I thought, as we draw to a close, having studied the spiritual armor of God, and as we prepare to receive again the blessing of the Lord’s Supper, could we pray the way they prayed in the older parts of the Bible?
Let’s pray: Lord, we have heard of your fame. We stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known. Strengthen your church. Revive your church to serve you with great boldness and to proclaim the gospel to all the world. We are your body. You are the head. Command us and give us life and strength to respond in obedience.
Lord, You are the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments. We have often sinned and done wrong. Even though by faith in Jesus we have become your children, we have often turned away from your commands and laws. We have lived out of harmony with your will. We have not always listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. Today we repent. Today we give thanks for your gracious offer of forgiveness through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, offered up in our place and for our salvation.
Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from us. Hear the prayers and petitions of your servants. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on us because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, Oh Lord, do not delay, because your people bear your Name.
And so, with great thanksgiving we receive the blessed sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Holy are you and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ. Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captive and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and announce that the time had come when you would save your people. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always, in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.
On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given to you. Do this in remembrance of me.” When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and the fruit of the vine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father now and forever. Amen.
Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab
I remember last week I mentioned that the suit of armor given to us by God is not dead metal but is powered up more like Iron man. Deep down inside, a lot of us wish that it really could be like Ironman, stepping into real metal with real power, especially if we know we’re heading into conflict.
In his armor, Tony Stark was nearly invincible. He was powerful and confident to take on a world full of evil enemies bent on destruction. In his powered-up suit, Tony was fast. He was strong. He could fly. And he had powerful weapons in his hands to beat most any bad guy. He knew what he could do. He knew he could win. And he knew how to win. He wasn’t a killer. But he wasn’t gentle either. He met force with force. Basically, he fought fire with fire. But he always won, by being smarter than the bad guy.
As humans, that’s the way we naturally think of power and its value for protecting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But in reality, we know that the armor we have from God does not work like Ironman’s. Ours is a different kind of power, the power of love. And we have a different kind of confidence, not confidence in our own strength and weaponry, or even our own clever use of the gifts God gives us. No, our confidence must always be placed in God and in His plans.
That is why we must always “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Even though you’re wearing spiritual armor provided by God, PRAY! You are not in charge. God is!
Tony Stark commanded everything that happened in his suit of armor. But the Christian is not like Tony Stark. The Christian is like Jesus, who said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” John 5:30 Jesus told his disciples too, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing,” John 15:5. There’s also this Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you,” in John 20:21.
So, the Christian should say, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear from God, and when that happens, my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” Prayer, then, is the way we stay under God’s command. That is the only way that we will use the gifts we have in ways that bring honor and glory to God, in ways that bear much fruit. Prayer is what keeps us focused on acting in love. It is what strengthens us to be bold in right ways. It is what keeps us from falling into the temptation to try to use God’s power in human directed ways that try to force things to happen. So, in my spiritual armor, I’m not fighting my own battles. I’m still always praying, “What do you want me to do Lord?” And of course, we already know, most of what he really wants us to do is not “fight” but love him and love one another.
On the other hand, for a lot of us, we believe in the Ten Commandments, and sharing the gospel, and loving our neighbor, and we’d rather hope that’s all there is to it. We feel like we don’t need any spiritual armor. We’re not up to fighting spiritual battles. We just want to live a quiet, peaceful, unadventurous life. Unfortunately for you, that’s not what God has called you to. The Great Commission is also there for everyone. The spiritual battle is real. All God’s children are called to be aware of both, command and commission, and participate in both according to the gifts you have been given. I don’t remember where I heard this, but I like the imagery. The Church is not like a cruise ship where everybody just has a good relaxing time enjoying each other’s company. There are definitely parts of life in Christ that are like that. But the Church is really much more like a battleship. And in the cause of Christ, it’s “all hands on deck.”
To get that right, we must be in prayer as Paul instructed us. He said, “Pray in the Spirit.” Now for some people that means praying in tongues. But that’s not necessarily the case. For example, in my own walk with the Lord, I prayed specifically several times to receive the gift of tongues. But one day it was as if the Lord said to me, “You do good enough in English.” And that’s actually not good English. The correct wording would be, “You do well enough in English.” God does have a sense of humor!
What “pray in the spirit” really means is listen, to be led by the Holy Spirit. Ask to be led by the Holy Spirit. Believe that the Holy Spirit is in you, and trust that on some occasions when you really don’t know how to pray for a situation, you don’t always need words: Romans 8:26 says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”
In the spirit then, we can pray “On all occasions.” That is in keeping with “pray without ceasing.” It comes from an awareness that God is always with you and available for a conversation. Every moment in your life can very easily be a moment in which you might pray for God’s guidance, or pray for a need or someone else’s need, or give thanks for a blessing you just received or that someone else received. When things are going well, praise the Lord! When things are hard, cry out to him! There is no occasion in which it is wrong to pray.
So, we offer “All kinds of prayers and requests.” That’s Adoration or Praise, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Is that sounding familiar? Yes, that is the pattern we use in the prayer insert in our bulletin. The Lord’s prayer in Matthew and Luke is also an example of not just one prayer but a collection of several kinds of prayers. Listen, “Father in Heaven, you are holy!” See, it starts with praise and adoration. Then more praise that includes a request: “Your kingdom should come and rule everywhere.” That’s praise because it means God’s kingdom is the best. It’s a request because we know it has not fully happened yet and we can’t wait to see it. “Your will be done” Is a request that His good things should happen. But it is also a promise that we will obey His will to the best of our ability. As you think through the rest of that prayer you can see there are a few more requests and then it ends on praise again.
The next part of Paul’s instruction to the Ephesians says, “With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Isaiah 56:7 says, “I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. … for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Being a house of prayer makes prayer the top priority for all God’s people. We don’t just pray for ourselves, but we pray for missionaries, and our brothers and sisters all over the world as well as our brothers and sisters in the other congregations all around us in this city. I call that the church that meets in Lake City. We also pray for all the Christians in the whole county, and state, and country, as well as the world.
When we pray, it is not because we have any power to accomplish anything. No, it is because we are talking to God, who has all the power. And he loves us and uses all His power to bless us with what is best for us. Prayer is not about us getting what we want. Prayer is about us getting what God wants us to have. Prayer is not about getting God to do what we want. Prayer is about getting us in line to do what God wants from us. When you study all the prayers of the Old Testament you see that they understood this.
For example, King David wanted to build a temple for the Lord. That’s what he wanted to do. But God said, “No, not you.” And God went on to say, to David, “I will build your house.” Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human! “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.” He concluded his prayer with, “And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.”
Solomon got to build the temple, and when had finished it he prayed. He did not pray about what a great job he had done! He praised the Lord! “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it—as it is today. And if you remember that lengthy prayer of dedication recorded in 2 Kings 8, you know it was all about reminding God to be merciful according to his promises, and remembering his covenant every time the people go astray, and for every sin, that when they repent God will graciously forgive and restore. This was a great dedication. But it was really a humble prayer about the people’s weakness and our dependence on God for blessings.
Then there was King Hezekiah. When he was under attack and besieged, he did not pray for a great army and superior weaponry. He went up to the temple of the Lord and spread out before the Lord a threatening letter that he had received from the enemy. He basically said to God, “Look what they are saying about you!” “Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these other nations and their lands. They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”
Prayer is about us getting what God wants us to have according to His promises. Prayers is about getting us in line to do God’s will, because we are sent by Him, into this world to let the light of true love shine and to preach the gospel and welcome and train new believers. So, I thought, as we draw to a close, having studied the spiritual armor of God, and as we prepare to receive again the blessing of the Lord’s Supper, could we pray the way they prayed in the older parts of the Bible?
Let’s pray: Lord, we have heard of your fame. We stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known. Strengthen your church. Revive your church to serve you with great boldness and to proclaim the gospel to all the world. We are your body. You are the head. Command us and give us life and strength to respond in obedience.
Lord, You are the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments. We have often sinned and done wrong. Even though by faith in Jesus we have become your children, we have often turned away from your commands and laws. We have lived out of harmony with your will. We have not always listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. Today we repent. Today we give thanks for your gracious offer of forgiveness through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, offered up in our place and for our salvation.
Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from us. Hear the prayers and petitions of your servants. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on us because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, Oh Lord, do not delay, because your people bear your Name.
And so, with great thanksgiving we receive the blessed sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Holy are you and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ. Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captive and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and announce that the time had come when you would save your people. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. When the Lord Jesus ascended, he promised to be with us always, in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.
On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given to you. Do this in remembrance of me.” When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
And so, in remembrance of your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and the fruit of the vine. Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet. Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father now and forever. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment