Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 56:1–8

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, ‘The LORD will surely separate me from his people’; and let not the eunuch say, ‘Behold, I am a dry tree.’ For thus says the LORD: ‘To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.’ The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, ‘I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.’” (Isaiah 56:1–8, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Ephesians 6:10-20

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 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, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:10–20, ESV) 

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[Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.] 

Introduction

Although the sermon today will focus only upon verses 18 – 20 of Ephesians 6, I have read verses 10 – 20 because these verses belong together. What Paul says in verses 18 – 20 will bring this entire section of his letter to a conclusion. 

We are to remember, therefore, the original command stated in verse 10: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”, the Apostle said. This we are to do by taking up the whole armor of God — the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for our feet, the readiness given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And we are to take up this armor so that we might stand against the schemes of the evil one in the evil day. 

But here in verse 18, Paul adds these words: “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication…” (Ephesians 6:18, ESV). It is interesting how he worded this. Notice, he did not begin a new sentence to issue a fresh and distinct command, as if to say, stand, having put on the armor of God. And, oh yes, don’t forget to also pray… Instead, he used a participle in the perfect tense, which is translated as, “praying”. The perfect tense indicates that our praying is to be constant and continual. And the participle links the exhortation to pray back to the command of verse 14, “stand there”. The meaning is this: Christians are to be strong in the Lord. They are to stand firm — this is the Apostles command. And they are to stand having put on the armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, etc. They are to stand, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” 

Brothers and sisters, you must put on the armor of God. But I think you would agree with me that wearing armor will not make you a strong and courageous soldier. The armor is essential. God has provided you with all the heavenly armor you need in Christ Jesus. You had better put it on! But something more is needed. You need spiritual courage. You need spiritual strength if you are to use this armor effectively to stand firm. And this is why Paul adds, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” This is how we are to be strong in the Lord. This is how we will stand firm. By putting on the whole armor of God for protection, praying continuously to our Father in heaven, to be empowered by him as a soldier of Christ our Lord. Prayer is not another piece of armor. Instead, to pray is to dependence upon God for strength and courage in the battle. We are to put on the armor of God prayerfully, and in full dependence upon him.  

The passage that is before us this morning is very brief, but it reveals a lot about prayer. Notice seven things:

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Praying At All Times

First of all, the Apostle commands us to pray at all times. Stand, therefore, clothed in your spiritual armor, (verse 18) “praying at all times…”, is the Apostle’s command.

Of course, this does not mean that Christians should do nothing but pray. Paul is not here encouraging a life of monkish solitude wherein a person retreats from the world to devote themselves entirely to prayer. That way of life is inconsistent with the Christians’ calling. We are to live in the world, but be not of it, remember? This means that we must engage in activities common to life in this world. You will need to work, raise your children, clean the dishes, do the laundry, and mow the lawn. You will engage in social activities with believers and nonbelievers alike. You will engage in commerce. You will eat and drink. All of these things you are to do to the glory of God.

When Paul says, “praying at all times” he does not mean, do nothing but pray, but rather, pray continually, in every circumstance, and at every occasion. The Apostle wrote something similar to the churches in Thessalonica. To them, he said, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, ESV). The meaning is the same in both passages. When Paul says “pray at all times”, or “pray without ceasing” he means that the Christian is to have prayer as a regular and constant habit. Prayers are to be offered up, not once a week, nor once a day, but throughout the day, from moment to moment. And more than this, prayers are to be offered up, not only in times of distress but also in times of joy and success. Throughout the day the one who is in Christ should find it natural to call out to God, saying, “Lord, help me”, or “Lord, help them”, or “Lord, I thank you for your goodness. I bless your most Holy name.”  

Prayer for the Christian should be more like breathing than eating. We sit down to eat at certain times, and then we rise from the table to then live off of the nourishment of the food we have eaten. We do not eat without ceasing.  But we do breathe without ceasing. We breathe naturally while we go about many different tasks. Yes, sometimes we breathe more heavily. And yes, sometimes we are more aware of our breathing. But we breathe naturally, at all times, and without ceasing. And prayer to God should be something like this in the life of the believer. It should be natural to live in constant to communion with our Maker through faith the Redeemer as we sojourn in the world that he has made.

Furthermore, to pray at all times means to pray at every occasion. If I were to guess, I would imagine that most who pray, pray mostly during times of distress. Have you heard the expression, “there are no atheists in foxholes”? I don’t know if that expression is entirely true. I suppose that some atheists have managed to remain consistent in their denial of God even in times of distress. But I think the expression is generally true. Even those who live their lives as if there is no God will often cry out to God in times of extreme distress. The Christian’s prayer life is to look very different from this. If we are in Christ, then we have been reconciled to God and adopted as his children. We are to live in constant communion with our heavenly Father. We are to cry out to him when we are fearful, overwhelmed, and perplexed. And we are also to pray to him when we are filled with joy and satisfaction. More than this, we are to communion with God in prayer, not only when we are affected by extreme emotion, be it on the side of joy or sorrow, but even in the mundane moments of life. Tell me, friends, when you do something as common as drinking a cup of cold water, does it lead you to give glory to God in prayer? When you feel the warmth of the sun on a cold day or a cool breeze on a warm day, does it prompt you to pray and to give thanks to God for these gifts?  

 In Christ we are to stand firm, clothed in spiritual armor, praying at times and at every occasion. Yes, we are to pray for strength and courage for ourselves and others in times of difficulty, but all of our prayers are to be filled with thanksgiving. 

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Pray In The Spirit

Secondly, the Apostle commands us to pray “in the Spirit”.

What does it mean to pray “in the Spirit”? Well, it does not mean to pray silently, as if the Apostle were commanding us to pray quietly and in our hearts. Many of our prayers offered up to God throughout the day will be silent prayers — prayers offered up in the heart — but this is not what the Apostle is here referring to. Nor does it mean to pray in some spiritual language or tongue. That idea is nowhere found in this text, and it is based upon a misunderstanding of the gift of tongues as it existed in the early days of the church, in the age of Apostles. Instead, to pray in the Spirit means to pray, being lead by the Spirit, and with his assistance. 

We should not divorce what Paul says here about “praying… in the Spirit” from what he has said in the rest of this epistle about the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and in the church. The work of the Holy Spirit is a central theme in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. We should remember that the theme of his letter is “unity in God’s inaugurated new creation” (Baugh). The new creation is present in the world now. And it is present in the world through the church, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And Paul is urging us to maintain the “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”. Stated differently, in the new creation everything will be Spiritual, that is to say, filled with and empowered by the Holy Spirit. The new creation will be physical, of course, but it will be Spiritual in the sense that it will be filled with the glory of God, empowered by, and under the complete control of the Holy Spirit of God. And here in Ephesians (as well as in other places), Paul is teaching that the new creation is present in this world now because the Spirit has been poured out upon those who believe, and these have been gathered together within Christ’s church, the temple of the Holy Spirit. He is urging the new creation community (the Church) to maintain its unity, which is a unity brought about by the agency of the Holy Spirit.

Here is a brief survey of what Paul has said regarding the Holy Spirit in this letter:

1:13: “In [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…” 

2:18: “For through [Christ] we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” 

2:22: “In [Christ] you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

In 3:16 Paul reported praying “that according to the riches of [the Father’s] glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being…” 

In 4:3 we were urged to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” 

In 4:4 the basis for this unity was identified: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—” (Ephesians 4:4, ESV)

In 4:30 we were warned, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30, ESV)

In 5:18 we read, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…”

And then in 6:17, we are commanded to “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…”

When all is considered, it is clear that the believer and the church (which is the assembly of those who believe) is set apart in this world by the Holy Spirit. If you are in Christ you are sealed with the Spirit and filled with the Spirit. It is through the Spirit that we have access to the Father. It is by the Spirit that we are joined to Christ, and thus to one another. Together we are the temple of the Spirit, a dwelling place for God. The Spirit strengthens the believer, and he strengthens the church.

When Paul says, pray “in the Spirit” he means that we are to pray individually and together being lead by the Spirit and with his assistance. 

What is the alternative to praying in the Spirit? Well, I suppose it would be possible to pray being driven by the flesh. If a worldly person were to pray, how would he pray? What would the unspiritual and unregenerate person pray for? Worldly things, I assume. I doubt his leading petition would one, “Our Father in heaven hollowed be your name”, or “you kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The worldly and unregenerate person will not pray for the forgiveness of sins, nor that the Lord lead him not into temptation. Instead, worldly people pray for worldly things — health, wealth, and prosperity. I am not saying that the Christian should not pray for worldly provisions. Indeed, Christ taught his disciple to pray, “give us this day our daily bread”. But that is very different than having health, wealth, and prosperity as your leading and exclusive concern. 

When a Christian prays “in the Spirit”, the Spirit of God leads them to pray for spiritual and heavenly things — the glory of God in all things, the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom, which is the salvation of souls and the growth of the church. The one who prays in the Spirit is concerned that God’s will be done, and not their own. For the one who is born of the Spirit and lead by the Spirit sees the world differently. They know that a spiritual battle rages. They live being mindful of that battle and for the world to come. 

Stand firm, clothed in armor, “praying at all times in the Spirit…”, the Apostle commands. 

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Pray All Kinds Of Prayers

Thirdly, Paul commands us to pray all kinds of prayers. Stand, therefore, clothed in spiritual armor, (verse 18) “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18, ESV).

Paul uses two words to refer to the prayers of God’s people — prayers and supplications. “Prayer” refers to prayer more generally. “Supplication” is a particular kind of prayer. When we supplicate, we ask for something earnestly with a sense of urgency. I will not belabor this point, for I have already said that God’s children should bring all kinds of prayers to him. We are to come to him with needs — our needs, and the needs of others. We are to come to him with thanksgiving. Indeed, we are to pray for many things: the glory of his name, the advancement of his kingdom, strength to keep his will, provision of our daily bread, the forgiveness of our sins, and the deliverance from evil. The child of God is to pray for all sorts of things. These prayers will take the form of prayers and supplications. 

And notice that Paul also says that we are to pray with all prayer and supplication. Not only are we to pray for a variety of things, but we are also to pray in a variety of ways. 

The Christian may pray silently and in her heart, or from the heart and out loud. God hears our silent and our verbalized prayers. 

The Christian may pray alone and in a concentrated and deliberate way. This seems to be what Jesus himself was referring to when he said, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6, ESV). It is imperative, I think, for Christians to devote themselves to private prayer — prayer that is individual and concentrated. 

Do you have a time and place set aside for prayer, brothers and sisters? You know it is my view that it is best to use the Lord’s Prayer as a guide for prayers such as this. Set aside a time, a place, and have a plan. Pray through the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. Do not merely recite those petitions from memory, but having memorized them, use them as a guide and expand upon them, filling those petitions out with your particular desires and concerns.  

Not only should the Christian set aside a time and place for concentrated prayer, he should also pray spontaneously and throughout the day. These prayers do not need to be long, nor do they need to be out loud. Bring your prayers and supplications to the Lord throughout the day. Live in communion with your Maker through Christ the Redeemer and in his Holy Spirit. 

Christians might also pray with others spontaneously. If someone is sharing some frustration or concern with you, or if they are sharing some praise, then do not hesitate to say, “let’s pray, brother”, or “let’s pray, sister.” This is a wonderful way to minister to one another, through prayer. 

Christians might also pray with others in a concentrated way. I hope that you are praying as families, in your Gospel Community Groups, and in other groups that are committed to regular prayer. Again, it is important to pick a time, a place, and to have a plan. But the plan need not be complicated.

And certainly, we are to pray as a church corporately. This can be done in two ways. 

One, someone may pray on behalf of the congregation and the rest say “Amen” which means, it is true, or, I agree. When we pray in this way it is important for those who lead to pray prayers that are true, reverent and that express the concerns of the body, and for those who are listening to listen well, to pray along with the one who is leading in the heart, and to offer their hearty “Amen” at the conclusion. 

Two, the congregation might also gather for corporate prayer where the members themselves are invited to pray. This is what we are doing on the Lord’s Day evening. We conclude the service with a time of prayer that is open to the members. Members should come prepared to pray. Prayers need not be eloquent or complicated. In fact, the scriptures do exhort us to pray simple and brief prayers. But our prays should be reverent. Those who are praying should pray according to the truth, and those who listen should listen well, pray along in the heart, and offer a hearty “Amen” to each prayer at the conclusion. 

Stand firm, clothed in armor, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” 

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Pray With Alertness

Fourthly, Paul commands us to pray with alertness. That is what he says in the middle of verse 18, “To that end, keep alert…” To be alert is to be awake. Not only does this mean that we are to be alert while praying, but even while we live so that we might know what to pray for. Are you alert, brothers and sisters? Are you aware of the battle that rages around you? Or have you grown sleepy and dull?

Friends, we should not struggle to find things to pray for. In fact, if we are alert we will have the opposite problem. It will be difficult for us to be concise in prayer so as to not go on and on in it to the neglect of the other responsibilities of life and aspects of corporate worship. If you are alert — mindful of the battle that rages, of your needs, and of the needs of others — you will never struggle to have something to bring as a prayer or supplication before the throne of grace. 

I have been exhorting you, brothers and sisters, to come to corporate prayer prepared. In other words, come to prayer — be it private prayer or corporate pray — alert to your own needs and the needs of those around you.  

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Pray With Perseverance

Fifthly, the Apostle commands us to “pray with all perseverance…” 

The Greek word translated as perseverance means “to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty—‘to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in’” (Louw Nida 68.68). Why would we need to persist in prayer? Because God does not always answer our prayers immediately, nor does he always answer them in the way we expect. Sometimes he answers our prayers very slowly, but he does always use the process of waiting and trusting to refine us. Do not give up in prayer, brothers and sisters. Persist in it. God’s timing may be different than yours, and his ways are often mysterious to us.

There is a parable that Jesus told on the subject of persistence. In Luke 18:1 we read: “And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:1–8, ESV)

This parable can be easily misunderstood, I think. Does Jesus here teach us to nag God with our prayers? Does he teach that God will give into our nagging if we would only persist long enough? Of course not! To the contrary, Jesus encourages persistence in prayer by appealing to the goodness of God and his love for his elect. The point is that the widow got justice for herself through persisting with an unrighteous and godless judge. How much more reason we have to persist in our prayers given that we pray to our heavenly Father, who is perfectly powerful, good, and just. If God does not answer your prayer right away, or in the way that you think he should, it is not because he is lacking in power, wisdom, or love. To the contrary, he is all of these things and perfectly so! We must persist in prayer knowing to whom it is that we pray — our Father who is in heaven. 

That question that Jesus asks at the end of the parable is a haunting one: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Will he, brothers and sisters? Will he find faith on earth? The implication is that if he will find faith on earth when he comes again, he will find his people persistent in prayer. May it be true of us. 

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Pray For All The Saints

Sixthly, Paul commands us to pray “for all the saints…” “To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” (Ephesians 6:18, ESV).

“Saints” are not some class of supper Christians, as the Romanists teach. Instead, all who are in Christ are saints. They are those washed in the blood of the lamb. They are those with the righteousness of Christ imputed to them. They are those who strive after holiness as they sojourn in this world. “Saints” are Christians. And Paul commands that prayer be offered up for all the saints.

Do not pray only for yourselves, brothers and sisters. Do not pray only for your family or close friends. Pray also for the saints. Pray for the saints at Emmaus. Pray for the saints that you know in other bodies. Pray for the saints in other associational churches. We are to lift one another up in prayer. This is called intercessory prayer — prayers offered up to God on behalf of others. 

We do have a wonderful tool at our disposal here at Emmaus. On the Realm we have a list of regular attenders and members. Even the names of the children of members are listed there. It would not be difficult at all to pray through the membership of Emmaus, to take a few families a day or a week, and to make intercession for them. I do something like this. I have the members of this church divided into four groups and I pray for those groups one per week. Also, we can share prayer requests on The Realm. I think it is wonderful when people share requests. Let us be sure to follow through on praying for those requests that are shared. 

Pray for all the saints. Pray for specific needs, but also pray for general things — growth in Christ, perseverance, fruitfulness, a worthy walk. This is what Paul did. He practiced what he preached. We know he prayed for all the saints because he revealed the content of his prayers for the Ephesians in 3:14ff., saying, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14–21, ESV). When we make intercession for one another for things spiritual, we cannot go wrong in praying as the Apostle prayed for the Ephesians. 

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Pray For The Success of The Gospel

Seventhly, and lastly, Paul commands us to pray for the success of the gospel, which means the salvation of souls, the strengthening of Christ’s church, and the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom. Verse 19: pray “also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:19–20, ESV)

Here we are reminded of where Paul was writing from — a Roman prison. And as we think about this it is worth noting what Paul does not request prayer for — freedom, kind treatment from his captors, comfort. I would not fault him if did ask for prayer for these things. Those would be legitimate and reasonable requests. But evidently these things were not Paul’s primary concerns. Instead, he requests that the Ephesians pray that God would grant him boldness. 

Now, why would Paul request prayers for boldness? Would it not be because sometimes he felt timid and afraid? This must be the case. When we read of Paul’s missionary journeys in the Book of Acts we are often impressed with his boldness. He was very courageous to stand for the cause of Christ. It cost him much, and it would eventually cost him his life. But we should not assume that Paul was immune from fear and anxiety. We should not assume that he was not sometimes tempted to abandon to the cause of Christ and to go the way of Demas who was “in love with this present world” and deserted Paul, to go to Thessalonica” (2 Timothy 4:10, ESV). Paul stood strong. He finished the race set before him. But he was human. And this is why he coveted the prayers of the Ephesians and others. 

Brothers and sisters, are you praying for the success of the gospel? Are you praying for ministers of the gospel — evangelists, shepherds, and teachers — that “words may be given to [them] in opening [their] mouth[s] boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel… that [they] may declare it boldly, as [they] ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19–20, ESV). When Paul speaks of the “mystery of the gospel” he is speaking of the gospel that was first revealed dimly to Adam, and then with every growing clarity through Abraham, Moses, and David until it was fulfilled in Christ the Redeemer. This gospel — that God has provided a Redeemer for all the peoples of the earth must be preached! But it will always be offensive. It will always be met with hostility, for in it men and women are called to turn from their sin and to trust in the work of another, Christ Jesus our Lord.

May the Lord give boldness to those whom he has called to preach the word, and may he sent out laborers into his harvest, for the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few (Matthew 9:37).

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Conclusion

In the meantime, may this church be a house of prayer. May we, individually and corporately, stand firm in the Lord, clothed with spiritual armor, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication… alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also [that]… the mystery of the gospel” would be declared boldly as it ought. (Ephesians 6:18–20, ESV).