Giants & Grasshoppers - Part Sixteen

Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Today, we will continue to look at prayer in relation to the spiritual warfare.

The full text of this message and supplementary study questions can be found on our website here.

Transcript

Sunday August 15th 2021
Giants and Grasshoppers
Part Sixteen

1). Eph 6:10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, 19 and 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.

We have seen in previous weeks how Paul had recorded two prayers in his letter to the Ephesians. Prayers that he had prayed for the church there knowing that after his departure savage wolves would come in not sparing the flock and that men would rise-up among them speaking perverse things.
a). And these prayers find a particular urgency for us within these last days when the Word of the Kingdom is all but completely leavened, and the wiles of the devil proliferate at every turn.
b). And we know that we are always to pray, as an habitual practice, for ourselves and each other because of this, being watchful, attentive and deliberate to this end. And in like manner, and for the same reason, we are to continually sustain and maintain with all seriousness, the whole armor of God that we possess, also as an habitual practice, as without proper care and attention, we can allow the armor to slip and consequently be overcome.
c). We can understand the need for the constant sustaining of the armor through what we know from - Eph 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be [continually] filled with the Spirit….

We know that once God had breathed into us the breath of life, at the moment of our eternal salvation, we are subsequently to be continually filled with the Spirit, by receiving with meekness the implanted Word, that will sustain our spiritual life, with a view to the age to come. And being continually filled with the Spirit is complimentary to putting on the whole armor of God.
d). To have on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit requires us to remain steadfast and immovable in the faith, through coming to a place of spiritual maturity in our ‘epignosis’ knowledge of the King and His Kingdom – Heb 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…

And steadfastness in the faith and maturity in the Spirit can only come from hearing the Word of the Kingdom and understanding it, through being continually filled with the Spirit, by receiving the ‘epignoisis’ knowledge of Christ via the ‘Theopneustos’. And this is the very thing that was the substance of Paul’s prayers for the Ephesians as he anticipated the events that would take place there after his departure – 
Eph 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…..

Eph 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

And these prayers, prayed for the Ephesian Church, must form the basis of our prayers, both for ourselves and for all of those who are in pursuit of the Kingdom with us, because that which these prayers ask for is exactly what is needed to sustain and maintain the whole armor of God that we might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, here, at the end of this dispensation.

2). In the Book of Colossians, which is the companion Book to Ephesians, we find this at the beginning of Chapter 1 – Col 1:3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your [self-sacrificial] love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

At the end of v3 we see Paul ‘praying always for you’. And this had been Paul’s practice ‘since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your [self-sacrificial] love for all the saints’ – Eph 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

And the reason why the Colossians had faith in Christ Jesus and self-sacrificial love for all the saints was because of the hope that was laid up for them in heaven, which they had heard in the word of the truth of the gospel. And the word of the truth of the gospel, the Word of the Kingdom, was bringing forth fruit among them.
a). And in addition to this, Epaphras the faithful minister on their behalf, had told Paul of the Colossians self-sacrificial love in the Spirit. The love that is the very pinnacle of the Christian’s growth to maturity in the Spirit – 1 Pe 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another……..

1 Jn 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.

And because all these things were in place in the Colossian Church, Paul continued – Col 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

For all the reasons revealed in the verses we have previously looked at concerning how the Colossians conducted themselves, from the day that Paul heard about them, he did not cease to pray for the church there. And that which he prayed parallels that which he prayed for the Ephesians.
b). Again, here in Colosse, we find Christians who were in the 4th group from the parable of the sower, those who had heard and understood the Word of the Kingdom, and who were producing fruit because of it. Christians who are pictured in the five wise virgins with the extra supply of oil; those, who like Ruth, had been faithfully following the instructions to wash themselves, anoint themselves and put on their best garment; those, who consequently, would have had on the whole armor of God.
c). And it is because all of this was the experience of the Christians in Colosse that Paul did not cease to pray for them. So, why was it an imperative for Paul to not cease praying for those who had attained an enviable level of spiritual maturity? Those who would already have had on the whole armor of God? The answer is for the very same reason that he prayed for those in Ephesus; that they would be able to continue to stand against the wiles of the devil in his endless pursuit of bringing to an end the fruit production among them.
d). Because what they had attained spiritually at the time of Paul writing to them needed to be continually sustained. What they possessed at that moment in time was not the end in itself but part of the process towards the end that they desired. Because what they had could still be lost without the proper care and attention – Re 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

And with this in mind, let’s note what Paul asked the Lord for them, that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding

And this we can compare with the companion prayer in Ephesians –
Eph 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

Paul’s prayer for the Colossians continues - 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God….

And to return once more to where we began today, there would be only one way in which that which Paul asked for could be accomplished – 
2 Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God [Theopneustos], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Eph 4:23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind….

And this of course is exactly what he is asking for, that they would be 
11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

Eph 3:6 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man………

I am sure we can grasp what is going on here. Paul’s desire for the Ephesians and the Colossians, and for all the other Churches was that they would remain steadfast and immovable in the faith. And he desired this so passionately because of the salvation of the soul and the inheritance that awaited them on the one hand and the savage wolves and men rising-up and speaking perverse things on the other. And as we have said before, this was not just Paul’s desire for these historical Churches, but it is the Lord’s desire for every Christian during this dispensation who has heard the Word of the Kingdom and has understood it with fruit production following.
e). And we have seen that in conjunction with the prayers recorded in Ephesians and the instructions given to the Christians there, that there was the final step to be taken by them for their protection, to take up the whole armor of God, armor which had to be sustained in order to be maintained.
f). The whole armor of God is not specifically referenced in Colossians, but the instructions given to the Ephesians with respect to it would have been known by them.
g). What we do find in Colossians though, are other instructions to ‘put on’ that both parallel and compliment putting on the whole armor of God.

3). Col 3: 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

In Colossians Chapter 3 the command is to ‘put on’ the new man. As the elect of God to ‘put on’ tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering. And above all these things to ‘put on’ love, which is the bond of perfection.
a). And those things to be ‘put on’ in these verses are inseparable from putting on the whole armor of God.
b). In v10 we see that the new man, the man of the spirit, is renewed according to the image of Him who created him. The new man then is being renewed in the image of Christ – Ga 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Or to say this another way - Ga 4:19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you…

To ‘put on’ the new man renewed in the image of Him who created him is to ‘put on’ Christ and to ‘put on’ Christ is to ‘put on’ the whole armor of God.
c). To ‘put on’ Christ would also be to ‘put on’ tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering; the very attributes exemplified by our Lord at His first advent – Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

And then above all, or upon all, ‘put on’ love, the self-sacrificial love that the Lord has given as our example. To ‘put on’ this love is to ‘put on’ tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, it is to ‘put on’ Christ, it is to ‘put on’ the new man renewed in His image; to ‘put on’ the whole armor of God.
d). And the tender mercies, kindness, humility etc. find their place in the fruit of the Spirit – Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.

Eph 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

Here in Ephesians Chapter 5, we are given the connection between the fruit of the Spirit and walking in the light. Which will immediately remind us of – Ps 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 106 I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments.

Reminding us of our transfer of allegiance from the powers of darkness to the Kingdom of the Son of His love – Col 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

And if we go to the Book of Romans, we will find how all of this brings us once again to the whole armor of God – Ro 13:8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

This section of Scripture in Romans, that leads us to the armor of light, begins with love. The same love we are commanded to put on, which is the bond of perfection, from Colossians Chapter 1; the same self-sacrificial love we are to have that is expressed through our relationships with each other, ‘love your neighbor as yourself’.
e). And again, according to Romans, we are to do this, ‘put on love’, because the night, this age of spiritual darkness, is far spent and the day is at hand when the Light of the world will return. And because of this we are to ‘cast off the works of darkness’, or we could say we are to put off the old man who grows corrupt through deceitful lusts. And we are to ‘put on’ the armor of light, which is further described for us in v14 as putting on ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’ to make no provision for the flesh.
e). And we have already seen that to put on Christ is to put on the whole armor of God.
f). And this is expressed again, after a slightly different fashion, by Peter - 1 Pe 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

To be clothed with humility would be to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God in the expectation that He may exalt us in due time.
To humble ourselves in this way is to submit ourselves to the Scriptures, thereby putting on the whole armor of God. And this must be done to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil or, as Peter put it – 1 Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

Stand and having done all to stand.
g). The wiles of the devil, the deeds of the flesh, the corrupt old man are common to all those who are walking in the light, who are seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness. And the very real danger of the Kingdom being lost because of them is seen, not only in the Ephesians, who left their first love, but in foundation with Israel – 1 Co 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The ’temptation’ that is common to man and the sufferings experienced by your brotherhood in the world, would be one and the same, the wiles of the devil, the deeds of the flesh and the corrupt old man. And our way of escape is where it has always been, summed up succinctly in the phrases ‘put on the whole armor of God’, ‘be (continually) filled with the Spirit.’

4). And it is within this context that we have seen Paul pray for the Ephesians and the Colossians and it is because of this context that we are commanded to pray for one another. And at the end of the Book of Colossians we are given an example of praying in this fashion – 
Col 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.

The same Epaphras, the faithful minister of Christ, here described as a bondservant of Christ, who had declared to Paul the love of the Colossians in the Spirit is shown at the end of the Book to be ‘laboring fervently’ for the Colossians in prayers.
a). And not only do we see Epaphras laboring fervently in prayers for the Colossians, but he also has the same zeal for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. For all those who would be faithful in Christ Jesus.
b). And notice the intent of his prayers ‘that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God’. Prayers in complete alignment with those recorded in Ephesians Chapters 1 and 3 and that which we have seen in Colossians Chapter 1. Prayers then that have their focus on the coming Kingdom of Christ and those who will make up the many sons to be brought to glory as they stand against the wiles of the devil.
c). And in conjunction with this, let’s remember the Lord’s response to the disciples’ request ‘Lord teach us to pray’ – Lk 11:2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

The focus is the Kingdom, the daily supply of spiritual food with respect to entering the Kingdom, the dying to self, necessary in forgiving others and protection from the evil one.
d). This is what we have seen Epaphras pray for, what we have seen Paul pray for and what we must pray for also. And this is part of the pattern outlined for us in Acts Chapter 2 – Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Our continual receiving of the Word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, through the preaching of the Word and the study of the Word must be accompanied by praying always, with all prayer and supplication for all the saints in the exact way we have been studying.
e). This is not to be an afterthought or an add on but an indispensable part of our pursuit of the Kingdom as we engage in the spiritual warfare, it is a tangible expression of the self-sacrificial love we are to have one for another.
f). And this is the exhortation to that end found in Colossians – 
Col 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

And again here, as in Ephesians, we find, and [pray] for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 

Paul asked for prayer for himself with respect to the preaching of the Word. And to pray for those who speak the Word of truth must underscore the prayers and supplication to be made for all the saints in the context of the spiritual warfare, because those who speak the Word are not themselves immune from the wiles of the devil. And we will realize how important the preaching of the rightly divided Word is to each one’s spiritual growth and consequently, to each one’s spiritual protection. And how it needs to continue to be heard by all those with ears to hear both near and far.
e). The spiritual warfare is not just an individual effort and nor is it a spectator sport, rather it is full on team participation. No one is just along for the ride. There is too much at stake for it to be otherwise.

More next time – if we remain and the Lord is willing.