Four Ways that Prayer is Nurtured, Part 3

Introduction: The Necessity of Bible Reading and the Sermon Series Context

0:04 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday evening, March 18, 2001, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:15 Now will you follow, please, in your Bibles as I read from Ephesians, chapter 6, the sixth chapter of Ephesians, verses 10 through 20. May I say, for some who may be visiting among us, if you attend the ordinary evangelical church, you've probably thought, boy, they do an awful lot of Bible reading in that church. Well, that's right. You're not going to get much knowledge of God in primetime television.

0:45 You're not going to get it in your newspapers. You're not going to get it at the office. You're not going to get it in the classroom of the average university. And if there's one place where there ought to be a lot of Bible, it's in the house of God, when God's people meet to worship in spirit and in truth.

1:02 So we make no apologies for giving you... lots of Bible.

1:06 Hear then the word of God, Ephesians 6, verses 10 to 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 wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

1:40 Wherefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, with all taking up the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be put on the breastplate of righteousness, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, with all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. And on my behalf, that utterance may be given unto me, and opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.

2:50 As I indicated this morning, God willing, next Lord's Day, I'll be ministering the word of God at the church in Demings Lake, where one of our academy graduates labors as a pastor in the work of the gospel. And in the light of the fact that I will be gone next Lord's Day, I did not want a two-week break between the things we considered this morning and the matters that we will take up this evening. And so I'm continuing our series entitled, Living Together in the Father's House. We are presently concerned with those means that God has appointed by which the church is to carry on her task in the world.

3:34 And referencing these things from our constitution, which has led us into this series, I have tried to organize what is stated there in terms of considering the primary and indispensable means that the church is to employ in fulfillment of her God-given purpose and those discretionary and dispensable means. Now among the primary and indispensable means, there is prayer and the public and private ministry of the word of God. And so for several Lord's Days, we have been focusing our attention on this matter of the place of prayer as a means by which the church is to carry out her God-given purpose. And we have surveyed the place of prayer in the apostolic churches and we have seen that those churches were marked by a pervasive atmosphere of prayer. And that atmosphere of prayer was sustained by some functions, fundamental convictions of spiritual reality. We looked at three of them last Lord's Day and now we are looking today at the fourth.

4:46 If we as a church are to continue and increase in a pervasive atmosphere of prayerfulness, we will do so as we maintain these convictions. The conviction first that the church is totally dependent upon the power of God in order to fulfill the purpose. Secondly, that there is ordinarily a discernible relationship between the power of God and the prayers of the people of God. Thirdly, that the conditions for answered prayer are real, reasonable and attainable by the grace of God.

5:27 If that conviction does not remain in the hearts of God's people, we either become careless about the conditions for answered prayer or we become careless about the conditions for answered prayer. We assume that they are unreasonable or unattainable. But as we are persuaded that those conditions are real, are by God's grace attainable, then we will continue in the spirit of prayer marked by praying according to the will of God, praying with no unresolved controversy with God and praying in faith. Now this morning we began to look at the fourth taproot of this sermon.

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare and the Weaponry Identified

6:07 It is maintenance of an atmosphere of prayer and I described it as the conviction that God has appointed prayer as a strategic weapon in the church's warfare with the unseen powers of darkness. And then we took up the first of two heads. This morning we considered the reality of the warfare demonstrated. I tried to show you from the scriptures, literally from Genesis, to Revelation, that the people of God are indeed engaged in a real spiritual warfare.

6:47 Now having considered the reality of the warfare demonstrated this morning, tonight we take up this second heading, the weaponry for the warfare identified. The weaponry for the warfare identified. In this warfare waged against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, to use the language of Ephesians chapter six, we need to ask the question, what kind of weaponry has God bequeathed to his church? Has he left his church in a battle without weapons?

7:27 If he has given her weapons, what are those weapons? Well, I will seek to answer that question by opening up several key texts, of holy scripture. And I will open up those texts under two very unglamorous, simple headings. First of all, a general description of our weaponry.

General Description of Our Weaponry: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

7:48 And then secondly, the specific designation of prayer as a strategic weapon. First of all then, a general description of our weaponry. Turn with me please to second Corinthians and chapter 10. I'm persuaded that there is no passage, in all of the Bible, Old or New Testaments, that gives us in shorter compass, a more explicit, clear, condensed statement of what our weaponry is in this spiritual warfare.

8:25 I read now the first five verses of second Corinthians 10. Now I, Paul, myself, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I, who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent and of a good courage toward you. Yea, I beseech you that I may not when present show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to be bold against some who count of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

9:02 Parenthesis, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Now, if we're going to understand these verses at all, we need to know a little something of what Paul is doing here in second Corinthians. In this particular section, there is a concentrated setting forth of a defense of his apostolic authority. And it's because, as we've seen in previous readings and comments of various passages in this letter, Paul was concerned to answer the criticisms being made about him to the Corinthians that were undermining his authority as an apostle who had a God-given stewardship to influence the Corinthians. They were his spiritual children. And as an apostle, he was responsible for their spiritual wellbeing. And so the apostle throughout this letter answers some of the objections, some of the slanders, some of the accusations.

10:22 And here in this particular passage, he identifies one of these accusations at the end of verse two. He said, some count of us, that is some reason concerning us, they make a judgment about us as if we walked according to the flesh. Some were saying, well, you know, this guy, Paul, he's not all he's cracked up to be. In fact, he just operates on a purely human level.

10:51 In fact, he operates according to those principles that are common to men, self-centered, self-seeking, self-propagating, he is one who walks according to the flesh. That has a moral and ethical connotation when it is used in that way. When the scripture says, they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. When the scripture says the works of the flesh are manifest, which are, these people were saying, Paul is not this spiritual servant of Christ that he's cracked up to be.

11:28 He walks according to the flesh. Why listen to him? He doesn't operate in any different realm from natural men. Now, Paul's going to end up answering that objection, and he does so in verse three.

11:42 For though we walk in the flesh, now notice he doesn't say we walk after, kata, according to the flesh, but though we walk in the flesh, and now he uses in the flesh in a different sense. In the flesh here simply means though we walk as ordinary human beings. Paul had to eat, Paul had to sleep. If he ate too quickly, he'd burp.

12:06 If he ate garlic, his breath would stink. He says, I live in a fleshly, ordinary human existence. He's very conscious of that. This epistle is full of the acknowledged weakness of this man living out his life and serving Christ in a bodily, physical existence.

12:26 So he says, verse three, for though we walk in the flesh, the same sense in which he speaks of living his life in the flesh, Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, that is, in ordinary bodily human existence with all of its limitations, all of its liabilities, Paul says, though we walk in the flesh, when you see us, no halo hangs over our head. When you shake my hand, you don't get an electric current that goes through you to prove I'm a man of God. If my palms are sweaty, you'll feel the sweat. If I've had garlic, you'll smell my breath. Yes, we walk in the flesh, but now notice, though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. And he introduces a military imagery.

13:31 He says, though we walk in ordinary human existence and experience, we do not war. In his service for Christ, his service as an apostle, his service in the church of Christ, a warfare. And he says, we do not war according to the flesh. That is, we do not war according to the materials, the standards, the resources that come out of unblessed, unsanctified, godless human nature, human ingenuity, human and personal projection of ourselves.

The Divine Potency of Spiritual Weapons Against Strongholds

14:12 No, we do not war according to the flesh. And then we have this parenthetical statement that is literally packed with the answer to the question, what is the weaponry that God has given us for this warfare? Verse 4, for the weapons of our warfare, all military language, are not of the flesh, but mighty, literally mighty to God for the pulling down, the casting down, literally the demolishing of strongholds. Now let's spend a little time rooting around in that parenthetical statement.

14:57 He says, first of all, negatively, the weapons of our warfare. We are in a war. In our gospel endeavors, there is spiritual warfare. We're in it.

15:09 We're conscious of it. Paul is conscious of it, even with respect to these people trying to undermine his authority and influence with the Corinthians. And so he tells them, our weapons are not of the flesh. They are not carnal, self-centered, self-generated tactics of manipulation and self-serving.

15:32 But positively, he says they are mighty, literally in the original, mighty to God. And I believe that when the exegetes and the commentators differ on the significance, I'm satisfied that the position taken by Philip Hughes is probably the right one. It's an expression that points to the fact that these weapons are divinely potent. They are mighty before God, mighty because God has designated them as weapons in the war, Mighty because God himself attends the use of these weapons and makes them effectual.

16:16 And this is what is stated. They are mighty before God to the, towards, pros. You have the preposition pros. They are mighty towards this end.

16:27 And what is the end? To the actual demolishing, the casting down, the demolition of strongholds, of fortresses. And here's the picture. It goes back to something we alluded to this morning in Matthew 16.

16:43 It is a picture of the enemy of Christ and of his servants and of the people of God. And they have holed up in their fortresses. And these fortresses have thick walls and high walls and turrets. And the apostle says in this warfare where we have weaponry that has been given to us by God and are divinely given.

17:07 And they are divinely potent in this warfare on behalf of God and of his Christ. These weapons are effectual toward the demolition of those fortresses established by God's enemy. The devil, the host of darkness. Now, with these insights tied together, verses 3 and 5.

17:30 Verse 4 is the parenthesis. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. And then he describes the weaponry, where it comes from, and that it is effectual. And with that weaponry, what happens?

17:46 Verse 5. Casting down. Same word that is used in verse 4. Demolishing.

17:54 Tearing apart. Dismantling. Casting down. Now notice.

17:59 Imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into the world. To captivity. To the obedience of Christ. You see, the fortress is the fortress of the devil's lies.

18:18 People who are held captive by the devil are held captive because they've bought into the lie. And so the apostle says, God has given us these weapons, not of the flesh, but mighty, divinely potent to the casting down of strongholds, and with them, we demolish the strongholds. We don't demolish the people who are in the strongholds. We demolish the strongholds so that the captives may be released.

18:52 And the strongholds have to do with imaginations, with reasonings. They have to do with what people think about reality, about God, about sin, about Christ. And these are likened to high...

19:08 walls and parapets in these fortresses. And he says, with our spiritual weapons, we see them dismantled, cast down, demolished. Everything exalted against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought. You see the emphasis again.

19:27 Imaginations bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Warning Against Carnal Weapons and Secularization

19:36 Now there is a picture, in a general way, of the weaponry with which God has equipped His church. And at this point, I want to read the very, very helpful comments of Philip Hughes. So often, we preachers, when we're using our commentaries, we see a man of God say something so much better than we can say it, and we try to internalize it and make our own, and at the end of the day, we say, no, the best thing I can do for God's people is to read it to them. Listen to Philip Hughes' comment on these verses.

20:08 Only spiritual weapons are divinely powerful for the overthrow of the fortresses of evil. This constitutes an admonition to the church, and particularly to her leaders, for the temptation is ever present to meet the challenge of the world which is under the sway of the evil one. Now note carefully what he goes on to say. The temptation is ever present to meet the challenge of the world which is under the sway of the evil one with the carnal weapons of this world, with human wisdom and philosophy, with the attractions of secular entertainment, with the display of massive organization. Not only do such weapons fail to make an impression on the strongholds of Satan, but a secularized church is a church which, having adopted the standards of the world, has ceased to fight and is herself under control of the powers of darkness. Do you catch the insight of that man? How do we win the world?

21:24 Some say you've got to be like them. You've got to ape the world's music to tell them you're as cool as they are. You've got to ape the world's jargon. You've got to ape the world's dumbing down of everything.

21:39 You can't have solid, serious exposition of the word that makes people think. You can't have just plain old jane-poor meetings where people gather and cry to God. You can't have biblically founded, biblically shaped worship in the singing of hymns and psalms of substance. This generation doesn't want it.

22:01 We've got to meet it where it is, dumb down the message, secularize the music, bring the world into the church, and fill the pews as when the church has done that. Not only is she not using the weaponry God has given, she herself has been conquered by the enemy. The strongholds which the Christian assails and overthrows with his spiritual weapons are now more precisely defined, says Mr. Hughes in verse 5, and it's noticeable that they belong to the realm of the will and of the intellect.

22:39 Hence it is that Christian warfare is aimed at casting down of the reasonings which are the strongholds whereby the unbelieving mind seeks to fortify itself against the truths of human depravity and divine grace, and at the casting down of every proud bulwark raised high against the knowledge of God. This metaphor, casting down, the demolishing of the strongholds, emphasizes the defiant and mutinous nature of sin. Sinful man does not wish to know God. He wishes himself to be the self-sufficient center of his universe.

23:24 Unless these bulwarks are cast down by the gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus, men's tower becomes their tomb. Their tower of defense becomes their tomb. What a picture! Men willfully, deliberately, hiding in the fortresses of wrong thoughts about God.

23:52 Romans chapter 1. Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain. Where? In their imaginations.

24:04 They hold down the truth in unrighteousness. And there they are, holed up, in all of their fortresses, of deliberate putting down of the knowledge of God, putting down of what their conscience tells them about sin, refusing to hear what God says about His grace. And Paul says in this warfare, we are not so stupid as to think we can find some techniques and find some methods and means that are purely human, that come out of what man is in and by himself. Apart from grace.

24:45 No, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but they are divinely potent to the casting down of strongholds. Casting down, therefore, imaginations of every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Now that's a general description of the weaponry.

Prayer as a Strategic Weapon: Mark 9

25:17 You feel something of the pregnancy of those two verses. If this church, to be as blunt as I know how, if this church is to make any significant further assaults upon the kingdom of darkness, upon those fortresses in which sinners are holed up, it will be as by God's grace and power we wield those weapons that are mightier, more mighty to God. That is divinely potent. And to ask God's blessing upon weapons that He has never put into the hands of His soldiers is gross presumption.

26:01 But to ask God's blessing upon the use and the implementation of His weaponry is to honor God and to see God smile with blessing upon His instruments of war, the presence and the power of His Spirit. Well, having looked at this text, it gives us a general description of our weaponry. Now consider, secondly, the specific designation of prayer as a strategic weapon. Not the only weapon.

26:33 I said a strategic. I didn't say the most strategic. I've left out the definite article. I'm not prepared to put these things on a scale.

26:43 But I am prepared to say that prayer is designated as a strategic weapon in this warfare. Of the weapons that God has given us that are not of the flesh, but mighty to God, divinely potent to accomplish gospel conquests, prayer is a strategic weapon. And I want us to look at three passages. The first is Mark chapter 9.

27:12 The Gospel of Mark in chapter 9.

27:18 In the opening part of the chapter, we have the account of the transfiguration of our Lord Jesus in the presence of Peter, James, and John. And then they come down from the mountain, and the Lord gives them a charge with respect to what they do with what they've seen. And then in verse 14, while they're up in the mountains seeing the glory of Christ, down the mountain, amongst the multitudes, there's a very distressful situation. Verse 14, And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great multitude about them, and scribes questioning with them.

27:54 And straightway all the multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed. And running to him, greeted him. And he asked them, What question you with them? And one of the multitude answered him, Teacher, I brought unto you my son who has a dumb spirit.

28:10 That is, he is possessed of a demon, an evil spirit that has made him unable to speak. And wheresoever it takes him, it dashes him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and pines away. Think of this father with this boy. Imagine what it would be like to get up in the morning and call your son to breakfast, and he doesn't come.

28:32 You go into his room and find him lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth and grinding his teeth. And you go to ask him, What's wrong, son? He can't speak. Do you feel something of the graphic picture that Mark is painting by the Spirit of God?

28:48 He foams, grinds his teeth, pines away, curled up in a fetal position, looking like a scared bird. I spoke to your disciples that they should cast it out, and they were not able. Why were they not able? Look back at chapter 6.

29:06 Christ had given them authority to cast out demons. Verse 12. Verse 7 of chapter 6. Gospel of Mark, chapter 6, verse 7.

29:15 He called unto him the twelve and began to send them forth two and two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. And verse 13. They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them. Christ had given them authority to cast out demons.

29:36 Please turn this cassette over to continue the message. Cast out many demons and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them. Christ had given them authority to cast out demons. Word concerning that had spread so that though this man originally wanted to get him to Jesus, when he hears that the disciples, the representatives of Jesus, to whom he has given authority to do what Jesus was doing, casting out the sick, casting out demons, healing the sick, and even raising the dead, he figures, surely they'll be able to do what he's commissioned them to do.

30:12 But I brought them to your disciples, and they said the right words, and they gave the ordinary incantations, whatever they said, but Lord, nothing happened. Nothing happened. So no wonder he's distressed. Now what happens?

30:31 Look at the passage. Verse 19, And he answered them and said, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him unto me.

30:46 This is frustration without sin. Frustration without sin. You heal it, you heal it. He answered and said, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?

31:02 How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to me. Verse 20, And they brought him unto him. And when he saw him straightway, the Spirit tore him grievously, and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming.

31:17 And he asked his father, How long time is it since this has come unto him? And he said, From a child. It was a long time. Started early.

31:25 Has been with him all his days, however old this child was. Oft times it's cast him both into the fire and the waters to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said unto him, If you can, all things are possible to him that believes.

31:43 Straightway the father of the child cried out and said, I believe. Help thou my unbelief. And when Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying unto him, You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And having cried out and torn him much, he came out, and the boy became as one dead, insomuch that the more part said, He is dead.

32:10 But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him up, and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, How is it we could not cast it out? And he said unto them, This kind can come out by nothing. Save by prayer.

32:30 The words and fasting do not have the same manuscript support. We're probably not in our Lord's original words. But now, tie this in with the same account in the Gospel of Matthew. In the Gospel of Matthew, when they asked the question, Why could we not cast this demon out?

32:50 Jesus' answer has another dimension. Matthew chapter 17, 19 to 21. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart and said, Why could we not cast it out? And he said, Because of your little faith.

33:05 For verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you should say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you. So put the two things together. Can you think with me now? Remember what we're doing?

33:21 We're trying to see from the Scriptures the specific designation of prayer as a strategic weapon in this spiritual warfare. And here is a case history. Here are apostles who have been given authority by Christ to cast out demons. That's clear.

33:41 They have been casting them out. Many of them, the text says in verse 13 of Mark chapter 6. Now this man comes with his child. No doubt the disciples figured, Alright, we've done it before, we'll do it again.

33:55 Christ has given us our master, has given us authority. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, devil, begone! Nothing happened. Did they go through that ritual a second time?

34:08 I don't know. All we know is, he comes with his demon-possessed boy and says, Your disciples could not cast him out. When Jesus gives the reason for that, it has two prongs. Matthew records the first prong.

34:24 It's because of your unbelief. You were commissioned to cast out demons. I have not withdrawn that commission. When this demon had such a hold upon this boy that he did not give up his grip, to use the imagery of 2 Corinthians chapter 10, when this particular fortress had thicker walls and the walls were not cracked by your initial attempts to cast out that demon, believe in me, believing that my commission was still upon you, my authority was still with you, you should have persisted in the expectation of faith that the demon would eventually yield to your authority in my name, that he leave. And how would that expression of stick to it, refuse to leave the field safe, be manifested? Mark tells us this kind goes not out but by prayer. Here was a situation where the evil spirit had so deeply entrenched himself in the physiology and the psyche of this boy and all the mystery of demon possession that Jesus said this will not yield to the ordinary measures

35:52 to which other demons have yielded. This kind does not go out. Say by prayer. Look at that emphasis in verse 29.

36:01 He didn't say every kind, but this kind. What is the this kind? This kind is the kind when you have gone through your ordinary ritual of exorcising the demon and the demon doesn't leave, he is entrenched to the point where you need to enter a new level of exorcising your spiritual, your spiritual weaponry, which is what? Faith suffused prayer until the demon is cast out.

36:36 Now when our Lord says in the parallel passage in Matthew that if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you'll say to this mountain, nothing should be impossible to you. We must remember the context. He's not saying you can go out and name it, claim it, think anything, want anything and believe hard enough, you'll get it. Faith must always be anchored to the word of God.

37:00 What is the first condition of answered prayer? If we ask anything according to His what? His will. We know that He hears us.

37:09 If you have a word from God that a mountain should move in the course of obedience to God, that mountain will move. Nothing shall be impossible to you in the way of the will of God. These disciples, there was no question what the will of God was. The will of God had been expressed in the word of Jesus.

37:29 I give you authority, as we read this morning, over all the powers, over scorpions and serpents and all the power of evil. Luke chapter 10. When they met this, they should not have walked away in defeat. The Lord holds them responsible and even expresses non-sinful emotional weariness in the face of their unbelief.

Application: Persistent Prayer for the Entrenched

38:01 Now what is the great lesson of this for us? As I've contemplated this passage, and as I think of circumstances in my own life and the life of our extended family, as I think of circumstances in this church, with some of you sitting here tonight, the teenage and older children who have remained in the citadels and behind the walls, of those castles kept by the Prince of Darkness. Not castles, those fortresses. They have resisted all of the ordinary means of grace, means that have proven effectual to many young people among us who sit here tonight having embraced the God of mother and father as their God, and mom and dad's Christ as their Christ. And those means of godly parental example and instruction and prayers, the preaching and teaching of the word in the church, in the Sunday school, in the home school setting, in the Christian school setting, those means have proven effectual for many. But is God saying to me as a pastor, this kind goes not out but by prayer.

39:29 I believe God is speaking to me not in voices from heaven but out of his word in passages such as these, saying, my son, there's going to be a breakthrough in some of these situations in which the devil, as it were, almost looks over the top of his embattlement, over the top of these walled cities in which he holds his captive and sticks his tongue out at you. What is all your preaching done? What is all your praying done till now? Look, I've got them.

39:58 I've got them. I believe God's saying, my son, this kind goes not out but by prayer. This kind goes not out but by prayer. There's got to be a new level of commitment, earnest, believing, persistent, not going to let God go kind of prayers.

40:25 And as we were reminded last week in the seminar with Dr. Jones, as we see our society becoming more and more pagan with prime time TV shows blatantly celebrating the occult, I know it not because I watch it but I get the TV guide and read what's being shown so that I know what I'm talking about. Several prime time, family hour programs suffused with the occult. The latest statistics, almost 70% of all the programs have some display and reference to illicit sex.

41:04 No normal family is portrayed in any of the sitcoms. No fewer than seven of them blatant homosexual relationships. The devil's thickened his walls. He's razed his towers.

41:23 And God's saying to you, listen to me. Here's your weaponry. Mighty before me to the tearing down of those very strongholds. And one of those strategic weapons is prayer.

41:43 Prayer that takes hold of God's promises and when it begins to press them before God then nothing seems to happen. It will not turn away in defeat, discouragement, but will press and press and press until God in some way makes it evident that it is not a thing He is going to do. For we see God bear His arm in answer to prayer. Am I making any sense, dear people?

42:20 I'm bearing my heart. I told my wife, I said, honey, I'm not fit to preach this stuff. I feel I'm preaching beyond my experience. But I pray God will take us all into new levels of understanding and experience.

42:37 Out there tonight is a community held, held in these strongholds of materialism, of current respectable paganism. And the devil's holding them. And we say Christ is mightier, Christ is greater, Christ is able. Why don't we see the devil giving them up?

43:05 Seeing Christ dismantle all of these fortresses of wrong thinking about who they are and what they're here for. As we heard from Dr. Tozer this morning in the adult class, what life is all about. Surely, brethren, God will never scold us if we get determined to come to new levels of intercessory prayer.

Prayer as the Capstone of Readiness: Ephesians 6

43:32 And I want us to look quickly at a second passage. Remember now what I'm trying to do is simply to demonstrate from the Scriptures that among these spirits, spiritual weapons, prayer is a strategic weapon given to us by God. We turn now to the Ephesians 6 passage. Ephesians chapter 6.

43:50 Remember we saw this morning the initial twin imperatives are given to us in verses 10 and 11 of Ephesians 6. Finally be strong in the Lord, that's the imperative, and in the strength of His might. If you're going to be strong to face your enemy, that strength and power must be in union with Jesus Christ and the might and power that comes from the exalted Christ. Second imperative, put on the whole armor of God, the whole panoply of the armor that God Himself has provided to this end, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And we need that because our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places. Wherefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. And having done all to stand, stand therefore.

45:03 And then he enumerates the various pieces of the spiritual armor and weaponry. And here is in a very real sense a description of God's armory. With these various things that are necessary both for defensive and offensive warfare in the Roman soldier. As I indicated, Pastor Byerly, with no consulting with me, had already decided to preach on two of these next Lord's Day.

45:27 I hope that wets your appetite for his ministry. But then note what the Apostle does. After giving the last piece of the armor, verse 17, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, which is the word of God, with all prayer, a better rendering when you have with the genitive, by means of. Now he drops all imagery.

45:53 This business of being strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might, putting on the whole armor of God to the end that we may be able to stand, taking up the whole armor of God over all of this, he says, by means of prayer and supplication, praying it aloud all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, and on my behalf that utterance may be given me. Notice what he says. Six things about prayers as the capstone of readiness to stand against the host of darkness and to be aggressive in attacking the host of darkness. Notice what he says. First of all, he says all kinds of prayer. All prayer, the general word for prayer and supplication, the word for specific cries for help, all kinds of prayer.

46:54 Secondly, all seasons, any occasion, all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons. Thirdly, it's to be by and of the Spirit. It is to be in the Spirit. It is to be persevering and importunate, watching thereunto with all perseverance.

47:14 It is to be for all the saints generally and for the servants of God in particular. Packed into those few words is this spectrum of what the Christian soldier is to be like in this warfare. Strong in the Lord and in the strength of His light. Equipped with God's armor for this conflict and in the midst of all of this, marked as one who is given to all kinds of prayer at all seasons and all occasions.

47:48 In and by the enablement of the Spirit, importunate, persevering, praying for His fellow soldiers as they seek to march forward against the host of darkness and to stand their ground, ground that is gained by the grace and power of the risen Christ. And then to pray for the generals and the captains of God's army, those who are called upon to take leadership among God's people that they may speak with boldness as they ought to speak. Dear people of God, if prayer is not a strategic element of our weaponry, I don't know what these verses mean. There is no imagery used here. He drops the imagery of the Roman soldier and his armor and uses this sweeping language with, by means of, all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons in the Spirit, watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Could it be, I only ask the question, could it be that we keel over and we quit the field so quickly because we are not with all prayer and supplication daily putting ourselves in the presence of the Holy Spirit in the presence of the Holy Spirit in the presence of the Holy Spirit in the presence of the Holy Spirit daily putting on every piece of the armor that we might be strong in the Lord and in the strength

49:17 of His might. Could it be that we are so timid in our aggressive warfare because we have a subtle sneaking suspicion that there are large chinks in our armor. Whatever it is, dear people, at the throne of grace pleading with God may we know new measures of being equipped for the battle and by the grace and power of Christ new success in standing and in His name conquering. Well, I was going to look for a few minutes at Matthew 6.13.

Deliverance from the Evil One: Matthew 6:13

49:50 I'll just point in that direction. The last petition in what we call the Lord's Prayer. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from and your New King James Version renders it the evil one. Some translations don't put the evil one but from evil.

50:08 Why do they do that? Well, because the word for evil in this particular form paneru is both masculine and neuter. Same form. So when you read it in the original text is this neuter?

50:23 Deliver us from the evil generically? Or is it a masculine? Deliver us from the evil one for the devil is called the evil one in Matthew 13.19 and right here in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 16.

50:38 That very phrase is used. Quench the thirst of here's the phrase to paneru from the evil one and everyone translates it from the evil one here. Could it be? I only say could it be?

50:54 And that's why I bring it at the end. You are learning logic. You know sometimes you stack up your arguments your weakest first your middle weight in the middle and your clincher at the end. Sometimes you start with your strongest argument and work downward in descending order of time that mirroring his own experience.

51:13 Remember we saw this morning no sooner is Jesus empowered by the spirit than the scripture says the spirit drove him into the wilderness. Another gospel writer says he was led of the spirit into the wilderness. Now Jesus says when you pray say as your final petitions lead us not into temptation. Oh Lord we acknowledge our vulnerability and weakness.

51:42 Do not lead us into temptation. He was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. But should you oh God sovereignly dispose circumstances that temptation comes deliver us from the evil one. Even as he was delivered as he resisted and overcame in the wilderness could it be that our Lord is embedding in this model prayer the awareness in his people that you are in a warfare.

52:17 The evil one is a real spiritual enemy and there is no day as surely as you need bread for the day and forgiveness of the sins of the day. You need deliverance from the evil one and all of his machinations what is called in several passages his wiles his plottings and his schemes. May God grant us a renewed sense that God has given to us this weapon of prayer that we might be overcomers in the strength and in the power of Christ. So I come around full circle to where we began.

Conclusion: Renewed Conviction and Call to the Unbeliever

53:00 If this church is to be marked by a sustained and growing atmosphere pervasively prayerful atmosphere we must maintain the conviction that God himself has assigned to prayer a strategic place in the weaponry of spiritual warfare. And if I speak to some who sit here tonight and say for the life of me I cannot figure out what in the world that crazy old man was talking about. The devil and powers of darkness are pointing with my own true and true faith to the truth of Christ. I must destroy the untruth that carry me to such a state of death of the future of this time. Now I and irreversibly if God stopped your heart in the next moment.

54:22 May God help you if you do nothing else but to say there's a whole realm of reality that the preacher was preaching about and extracting from the Bible. Oh God, have mercy on me. Don't let me stumble on, ignorant of that reality until I confront it in the moment of my death. Then to go to judgment loaded down with my sins, unforgiven and unclad.

54:45 Give yourself no rest. Do you know Christ, the great liberator, the Savior who died to pardon sinners, who lives to break their chains? You go to Him and have dealings with Him. Let's pray.

Pastoral Prayer

55:05 Our Father, we are so thankful for Your Word. We thank You that You have given it to us as a lamp unto our feet and a light to our pathway. And You have heard the confessions of Your servant, the amen of Your people, and Lord, we would tonight give ourselves afresh to You and ask You to take us, take us deeper into the school of prayer. Lord Jesus, we are grieved that You are grieved with our unbelief and our prayerlessness.

55:42 Lord, it grieves us to think You would say to us, how long shall I bear with You?

55:49 Lord Jesus, we want You to see the fruit of Your sufferings in us and be satisfied. Not grieved for our unbelief. Grieved for our lack of muscle and determination in prayer. Lord, help us, help us.

56:08 Come to us in grace. Come to us in mercy. And we pray that in days to come, we will witness Your mighty power attending Your weaponry as those bastions of wrong thoughts about You and Your Son are torn down. And men and women, boys and girls are released to become the happy bond slaves of Jesus.

56:35 Oh, Father, hear our prayer. Seal Your word. Have mercy upon those who know You not. Receive our thanks for Your mercies to us this day.

56:48 We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.