Great Reasons to Pray
Ephesians 6:18-24
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Series: The Book of Ephesians
(Prepared September 8, 2024)
BACKGROUND:
*Today we will finish our study of the book of Ephesians, and this is a good time to review the background to this ancient letter from Paul to the Christians in Ephesus. J. Vernon McGee explained that "Around the year 60 A.D. four men left Rome bound for the province of Asia, which was located in modern-day Turkey. Each man carried a Holy Spirit inspired letter written by Paul. Officers in the Roman Army had no idea of the heaven-sent power and importance of these letters from this little-known prisoner. But if the empire had known, those four men would have been arrested and the documents destroyed.
*When the four Christians said goodbye to the Apostle Paul, each was given a letter to carry to his particular church. These four letters are forever part of God's Word. And they are called the 'Prison Epistles of Paul,' since he wrote them while he was imprisoned in Rome. Paul was there waiting for a hearing before Caesar Nero who was the ruler of the Roman Empire. As a Roman citizen, Paul had appealed his case to the emperor, and he was waiting to be heard.
*The four men and their home cities can be identified: Philippians 4:18 tells us that Epaphroditus was from Philippi, and he had the Epistle to the Philippians. Colossians 4:12 tells us that Epaphras was from Colosse, and he had the Epistle to the Colossians. In Philemon 1:10 we see Onesimus. He was a runaway slave from Colosse, and carried a letter to his master Philemon. The last of the four men was Tychicus. We will see him in today’s Scripture, and he carried the letter to the Ephesians." (1)
*Author John Phillips reported that "Ephesus was a large and important city in Paul’s day, with a population of about 350,000 people. It was on the western coast of modern-day Turkey, midway between two continents. There east met west. Crowds of government officials, Roman soldiers, and Jewish businessmen rubbed shoulders with Eastern pilgrims flocking into Ephesus to worship at the pagan temple of Diana. That temple is famous as one of the wonders of the ancient world, but it was also a shrine to a false goddess who was "worshiped" in sinful sexual ways.
*Ephesus was Paul’s headquarters during his third missionary journey. He stayed in the city for nearly three years and established a large, influential church. His fellow workers and the new Christians fanned out from Ephesus to the surrounding territory. There they planted new churches in city after city." Later, the church in Ephesus was blessed to be led by the Apostle John. With this background in mind, let's begin by reading Ephesians 6:18-24. (2)
MESSAGE:
*The scariest airplane flight I have ever been on was in 1981. I worked for the Air Force back then, and was going to Korea for a contract negation with Korean Airlines. When we were way out over the Pacific Ocean, we hit some bad weather, and I mean it was terribly bad. I looked out the window, and I’m not kidding, -- the wings of that big 747 were flapping like a bird! It was so rough that one of the flight attendants couldn't make it back to her seat. She sat on the floor in the aisle about 15 feet in front of me. And let me tell you, she was terrified.
*My rule of thumb on an airplane is this: If the flight attendant is happy, you are fine. But if your flight attendant is scared, you've got a problem! Before we hit that storm, you could hear people chattering all over that plane. But when we were in the storm, that plane got so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Nobody was talking, but I guarantee you most of us were praying.
*You didn't have to ask the people on that plane to pray. We had a great reason to pray! And as we look into God's Word today, we can see some more great reasons.
1. PRAY FIRST, BECAUSE GOD PUTS A GREAT PRIORITY ON PRAYER
*We see this truth in vs. 18, where Paul tells Christians that we should be "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
*Notice that this is an all-encompassing call for prayer. God's priority is for us to pray at all times, and on every occasion. God's priority is for us to pray with all "perseverance" or "persistence," never giving up on God. And God's priority is for us to pray "for all the saints." That means we should be praying for all Christians everywhere.
[1] BUT HOW CAN WE DO THAT? WELL, WE CAN ONLY DO IT WITH GOD'S HELP.
*That's why in vs. 18, Paul tells us to pray "in the Spirit." But what does praying "in the Spirit" mean? Well, first notice that Paul is talking to all Christians here and all Christians can pray in the Spirit, because we are in the Spirit. As Paul told us in Romans 8:9, "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."
*All Christians can pray in the Spirit in the sense Paul uses here. But what does this mean? William MacDonald explained that praying in the Spirit means prayer "inspired by and led by God's Holy Spirit. Formal prayers, recited only by habit, without giving thought to their meaning have no value at all."
*Eli Dorman added that "Praying in the Spirit simply reflects Paul's encouragement to seek the Spirit's power when we pray. Praying in the Spirit means drawing from the deep well of spiritual resources available to us through the powerful presence of God's Spirit in our lives. Praying in the Spirit means learning to depend on the Holy Spirit when we pray. It means learning to trust that the Spirit will help us both communicate with God, and make God's response to our prayers understandable.
*The Holy Spirit gives us confidence when we pray. The Spirit inspires us and guides us when we pray. Romans 8:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit even prays on our behalf when we don't know what to pray. Only when our prayers are connected to the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives are we equipped to pray with spiritual power. And if we are sincere followers of Jesus Christ, this kind of prayer simply reflects the ongoing, abiding spiritual relationship God expects us to have with the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ." (3)
*God's priority is for us to pray at all times for all people, and He will help us do it!
[2] BUT WE HAVE TO TRUST HIM.
*This is another truth when it comes to prayer. We have to trust in the Lord God Almighty. Sometimes we are like the old story Steve Brown told. It was about a man who fell off the side of a mountain, but he was able to grab on to tiny limb. That man was holding on for dear life, and he cried out, "O God are you there? - If you are really there, help me!"
*God replied, "Just let go and trust Me." The man hesitated for a few moments and then asked, "Is anybody else up there?" (4)
*The answer is No! The Lord made this clear in Isaiah 44 and 45. There God was speaking to the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great. And the LORD called Cyrus by name some 200 years before the emperor was even born! Then in Isaiah 45:5-6 God Almighty said, "I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other." (5)
*Church: We have to trust we have to trust in the Lord God Almighty! We have to trust completely in the God of the Bible. We have to trust in God the Father, God the Son Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. Then we will respond to God's priority for us to be "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."
*But what kind of prayers can we pray for all the Saints? What kind of prayers can we pray for all of the Christians in the world, when there are millions of Christians in the world today? We can pray for all Christians to keep growing stronger in the Lord, stronger in their faith, and better laborers in the harvest for our God.
*We should also pray that all of us would grow stronger in our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. In Romans 16:3-4, Paul said something remarkable about Priscilla and Aquila. He wrote, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life." That is the level of love God wants us to have for each other! So 1 John 3:16 says "We also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
2. PRAY BECAUSE GOD PUTS A GREAT PRIORITY ON PRAYER. AND PRAY BECAUSE GOD HAS A GREAT PLAN FOR SALVATION.
*We see this truth in vs. 19-20, where Paul asked those Christians to pray:
19. . . for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20. for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
*If the Apostle Paul needed prayer for boldness to share the Gospel, then you know that we do too! And that's what Paul was asking for here: "Pray for me that I will be bold enough to tell the world about Jesus Christ. Pray for me that I will boldly say the right thing about Jesus at the right time."
*Paul's prayer request here reminds us that God made prayer an essential part of His plan to save people. So we must pray, because the world desperately needs to hear what we have to say:
-That God loves us in spite of our sins, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from our sins, that when Jesus died on the cross, He took the full punishment for our sins, That Jesus rose again forever from the dead, that our Risen Savior is the Lord God Almighty, and that Jesus Christ is the only hope of salvation!
*People desperately need to hear the good news about Jesus Christ, so we should pray for them! The Apostle Paul knew this as well as any Christian who has ever lived. Remember what Paul said about the lost Jews in Romans 9:1-3. "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."
*And remember how hard Paul prayed for the lost Jews in Romans 10:1-4. There Paul said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
*We need to be much more like the Apostle Paul, so pray for our boldness. And know that God hears our heartfelt prayers for the lost. He always does the right thing at the right time!
*I love how the Lord worked in my grandmother's life. She got saved in 1978 at the age of 82! That was a miracle! How did it happen? Well, you have to go back over 70 years, when my aunt and uncle were living in a tiny apartment with 4 children. Billy Graham was coming to town, and the lady across the hall invited my aunt Helen to go to the Crusade.
*My aunt really didn't want to go, so she lied to the lady. She said, "I would like to go, but I don't have a baby sitter." Aunt Helen couldn't believe it when the neighbor replied, "I'll be glad to stay here with your children, so you and your husband can go." Helen was trapped by her lie, so she did go, and she got saved that night!
*Then my aunt began to witness to my grandmother and pray for her to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior too. Year after year, Aunt Helen prayed. And it took 25 years, but God intervened. My grandmother gave up trying to earn her way into Heaven. She put her trust in Jesus Christ, and now they are both in Heaven today.
*That was a miracle! And it happened because people prayed. That neighbor prayed for my aunt. And there's no telling how many other people prayed for that Billy Graham Crusade. Then my aunt began to pray for my grandmother. How many times do you think she prayed over those 25 years? -- Thousands of times I'm sure! And we don't know why it took so long, but we do know that God answered those prayers!
*People desperately need to hear the good news about Jesus Christ, so we should pray. It will hopefully change their hearts, and Christians, it will certainly change our hearts.
*Listen again to Paul's prayer in vs. 19-20, this time in the NIV, where Paul said, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
*Do you think God answered those prayers? -- We know He did, and God will do the same for us.
3. PRAY BECAUSE GOD HAS A GREAT PLAN FOR SALVATION. AND PRAY BECAUSE GOD HAS A GREAT PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES.
*God's Word reminds us of this truth in vs. 21-22, where Paul said:
21. But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you;
22. whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts.
*"Tychicus" is a most unusual name for us. But the root word picture is an arrow or javelin hitting the mark, and that's the way Tychicus tried to live his life. He tried to always be on target for the Lord, going where the Lord wanted him to go, and doing what the Lord wanted him to do.
*That's why Paul could say that Tychicus was both "a beloved brother and a faithful servant of the Lord." Paul knew that he could trust Tychicus. And that's wonderful, because God had a great purpose for Tychicus' life. Here Paul was telling the Ephesians, "I'd come if I could, but I can't, so I am sending Tychicus in my place to comfort you."
*God had a great purpose for Tychicus. And God's got a great purpose for us too! As Rick Warren once said, "God has never made anything without a purpose. Every rock has a purpose. Every plant has a purpose. Every animal has a purpose. And if you're alive, YOU have a purpose." Rick also said, "If you want to know if God still has a purpose for your life, check your heart. If it's still beating, God still has a purpose for you here on earth."
*God has great purposes for our lives, and He reveals them through His Word. Rick Warren did a good job outlining five of God's great purposes for our lives:
-"We were planned for God's pleasure: That's worship.
-Formed for God's family: That's fellowship.
-Created to become like Christ: That's discipleship.
-Shaped for serving God: That's ministry.
-And made for a mission: That's evangelism." (6)
*Christians: God's got great purposes for our lives!
*In June of 1944, the Allied armies invaded Normandy in France. Most of the world was locked in a gigantic struggle for freedom from the brutal tyranny of the Nazis. It was one of the most important battles of World War II, and American jeep drivers were helped out in a very unusual way.
*At night they had to drive with lights out to keep from being seen by the enemy. But they were helped by the glowworms that lived along the sides of the roads. The tiny lights of those bugs, flashing to attract mates, kept the drivers on the roads. Their tiny lights greatly helped make the invasion a success. (7)
*Do you think that was luck? -- Of course not! God was helping us to defeat that monster Hitler. God had a great purpose for those little glowworms. And you can be sure He's got a great purpose for you! Right now, you may think, "How can I possibly make a difference for God? -- My light is so small." But the same God who used the glowworms can use us too! And together, we can make a great difference in our world!
4.SO PRAY BECAUSE GOD HAS A GREAT PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES. AND PRAY BECAUSE GOD WANTS TO PUT GREAT PEACE IN OUR LIVES
*Verse 23 reminds us of this truth, because there Paul proclaimed: "Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
*Christians: God wants to give us peace, real peace, peace that even passes our ability to comprehend it. Remember that in Philippians 4:6-7, Paul tells Christians to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
*Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace! He can give us heavenly peace, peace with the Father above, forgiveness and a total pardon for our sins! But Jesus can also put peace in our hearts, and He promised to do this in John 14:27. There the Lord said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
*Jesus has promised to give His peace to His followers, and the Lord always keeps His Word! Part of God's good news is that when we are on top of the world, and when we are in the darkest valley, the Prince of Peace can give us peace that passes all understanding.
*Many of us have heard of Bethany Hamilton. She is the surfer who lost her left arm in a shark attack back in 2003. Bethany was 14 at the time. About a year later, she appeared on the "Today Show" to talk about the book she coauthored with her pastor. It was titled SOUL SURFER: A TRUE STORY OF FAITH, FAMILY, AND FIGHTING TO GET BACK ON THE BOARD.
*In the book's forward, Bethany wrote these words: "I hope (the book) helps people find faith in God and in their own strength and ability. I hope it motivates someone going through a tough time right now to keep on fighting until they rise above it."
*Bethany also said she doesn't want people to pity her for losing an arm at such a young age. She wants them to see an example of how to cope when life doesn't go as planned. And she said, "My strength came from my relationship with Christ, and from the love and encouragement of my family and friends."
*Bethany also wrote to those who wondered why God would allow such a tragedy to happen to a young, vibrant surfer who showed so much promise as a professional competitor. "I don't pretend to have all the answers to why bad things happen to good people," she wrote. "But I do know that God knows all those answers. Sometimes He lets you know in this life, and sometimes He asks you to wait so that you can have a face-to-face talk about it.
*What I do know is that I want to use what happened to me as an opportunity to tell people that God is worthy of our trust, and to show them that you can go on, and do wonderful things in spite of terrible events that happen." (8)
*Bethany Hamilton has the peace that only Jesus can give, the peace that He wants all of us to have today. Jesus Christ is the Prince of peace. Let Him be the Prince of your peace.
5. PRAY BECAUSE GOD WANTS TO PUT GREAT PEACE IN OUR LIVES. AND PRAY BECAUSE GOD WANTS FIRST PLACE IN OUR LIVES.
*The last verse in this great letter reminds us that God wants to have first place in our lives. We know this because in vs. 24 Paul said, "Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen."
*In those closing words, Paul was talking about us loving the Lord with agape love. He was talking about us loving God with the same kind of love He has for us. That is the greatest kind of love! And when Paul called it a sincere love, he was talking about a love that never ends. So the NIV says, "Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love." God wants first place in our lives, -- and He deserves first place in our lives!
CONCLUSION:
*So for all of these great reasons, we must pray!
*And if you are reading this sermon, I would like you to please pray for me. On August 3, 2024, I had a small vessel stroke in my brain stem. It basically paralyzed the left side of my body. Thank the Lord that I did not lose the feeling in my arm or the leg. And that is a great thing, because it gives me much greater possibility to recover from my stroke.
*I spent 27 days in Saint Francis hospital in Monroe. And I was so blessed by the wonderful care I received from the doctors, nurses, and therapists. They were all most excellent at their jobs. But even better, they had a genuine, deep concern for their patients. It may sound odd, but in a way it was a mountaintop experience for me. The presence of the Lord was so clear in basically everyone I met. It also reminded me of another preacher stuck in the hospital who found new meaning to Psalm 23:2. There God's Word says, "He makes me to lie down in green pastures." And the Lord made me lie down too. (9)
*I also want to praise my wife Mary for the nonstop help she is providing for me. Sometimes I feel like an upside-down, one-legged turtle. But Mary has done everything she possibly can to help meet my needs. By God's grace, our love for each other is stronger than ever after almost 50 years!
*I have been home now for just over a week. I am able to walk with a quad-cane very slowly for short distances. My arm has not recovered as much, but I have started outpatient therapy, and I'm so thankful for the hundreds of prayers that have already been offered up for me. But today I would ask you to pray as well, and I thank you for doing it.
*But if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that is the most important thing you need to do! Call on our crucified and risen Savior to save you now, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Adapted from THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH J. VERNON MCGEE by J. Vernon McGee - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville - Copyright 1981 - "Ephesians Introduction" - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(2) Adapted from EXPLORING EPHESIANS & PHILIPPIANS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Exploring Ephesians - Introduction" - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(3) Sources:
-Adapted from BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - Ephesians 6:1-18 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-Adapted from online sermon "Prayer in the Spirit" by Eli Dorman - Ephesians 6:18 - preached at Mulberry UMC - July 10, 2005
(4) APPROACHING GOD - HOW to PRAY by Steve Brown - Copyright 1996 by Steve Brown - Moorings - Nashville TN - p. 38
(5) BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - Isaiah 44:1-28 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(6) Sources:
-Adapted from Rick Warren’s Week 1 Sermon for "Forty Days of Purpose"
-PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE by Rick Warren
(7) Sermons.com sermon "If It’s the Lord’s Will" by King Duncan - James 4:13-17
(8) KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 1708 - SOURCE: Baptist Press, http://www.baptistpress.org - TITLE: Shark Attack Victim Writes of Faith in God - AUTHOR: Erin Curry - DATE: 10/6/2004
(9) Original source unknown
