Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Today we can see the finish line...
We come today to the end of this Book of Ephesians.
For the past several weeks - we have seen Paul call the Ephesians - and by extension (US)...
To adorn ourselves with the Full Armor of God...
Why?
In order to keep us from - SUFFERING?
In order to keep us from - PERSECUTION?
NO - in order to help us - STAND - IN THE MIDST of such things.
See Paul didn’t just SPEAK these words - he lived them out...
Paul TASTED - persecution...
He knew what was coming for the Ephesians!
And so he calls them to - PREPARE for Battle!
He calls them to ARMOR UP...
Let’s revisit this call from Paul...
The belt of Truth
The breastplate of Righteousness
The shoes of Readiness
The shield of Faith
The helmet of Salvation
The sword of the Spirit
ALL of these things - WORKING together - on our behalf...
Helping us - NOT TO escape suffering and persecution...
But to HELP US STAND - thru it!
And so we might think - WOW…OK...
I’ve HEARD THE CALL....Now I have to get to work!!
Let’s go!!
Paul would say - Whoa....whoa...
SLOW DOWN -
Paul would say - STOP...
And then he would say...
We had just come out of this CALL for us to PREPARE for BATTLE...
TO ARMOR UP
But Paul then says...
Before you take ONE STEP -
Before you REACH for that PIECE of ARMOR...
You need FUEL for this FIGHT!
And the FUEL - is PRAYER...
There are many types of prayers in the Bible...
We see...
Prayers of gratitude (praising God for Who He is and what He has done)
Prayers of dedication (Solomon dedicates the Temple)
Prayers of Adoration
Prayers of Thanksgiving
Prayers of Petition (praying on behalf of others)
And we see Prayers of Supplication...
Where supplication means - to HUMBLY plead…to make a request!
v18 said...
And so - what we see from Paul is...
SLIDE: Put on the Whole Armor of God: Praying for Strength at All Times
Put on the Whole Armor of God
Prayer is the FUEL - for this FIGHT…!
And so - even now - I’d like to have SEAN BACON come up and PRAY for us...
That we would be - a PRAYING PEOPLE… praying at all times
(SEAN PRAYER)
Now - was that just a formality?
**It has happened many times - that I’ll be talking something up with the kids...
Like - Oh, we can go do this or that...
It’s gonna be awesome!
And THEN - we get in the car to go do that - and I realize - I have no gas.
I need to FIRST stop - and get gas
I can talk ALL I WANT about how cool this thing is gonna be…
…how cool this place is gonna be...
BUT - if we don’t have gas - WE AIN’T goin anywhere!
I think VERY OFTEN - prayer - even in these circles...
Can be - misused in a couple of ways...
SLIDE:
A Formality
A Means to Our Own Earthly Ends
I think that it can either be viewed as ...
a formality: something that has to be done but has no real importance
a means to OUR OWN ends
Now - As a Formality...
I think we can get caught up in this idea - that since we believe God is SOVEREIGN...
Prayer - doesn’t really - MATTER...
That if this is all just - God’s PLAN playing itself out - does Prayer even DO ANYTHING??
Well - what was the command?
Read the slide - PRAY at ALL times!!
The SAME people who are called to ADORN themselves with the ARMOR of God - CALLED to CONSTANTLY - PRAY!!
PRAYER - literally - powers the FIGHT in us...
Let’s see if Jesus Himself provided an example of this FOR US...
Let’s go to John 17… KNOWN as - The High Priestly Prayer...
What is coming for Jesus - as He prays this prayer?
The crucifixion is coming!
Jesus HERE - about to SECURE in HIMSELF - the CONQUERING of Death...
the GIFT of Eternal Life
His WORK on the cross - the VINDICATION of God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS...
He’s ABOUT to walk toward - SUFFERING unto DEATH...
And He...
PRAYS!
Prayer is the FUEL for the FIGHT...
STILLLLLL - some ask - what’s the point?
Why should we become a - PRAYING people??
Let’s go to the NT to see an example of why… but first...
Let’s set the stage:
Sennacherib was the terrifying king of the great nation of Assyria.
And Isaiah 36:1 tells us this..
So this Sennacherib King of Assyria, was a bad dude...
And so - from a human perspective - Jerusalem didn’t stand a chance!!
So Sennacherib sends one of his GENERALS to warn Jerusalem - to surrender!
And this GENERAL mocks God and says to Jerusalem - that NO ONE can deliver them from WHAT’s GOING TO HAPPEN!...
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