Our Praying in the Spirit

Ephesians 6:14-18a
March 22, 2020
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Dear Highland, as we continue to wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, let us remember the big picture.

We are in the middle of a war between Jesus and the devil. Jesus has already won the war. But the war is not yet over for us. Our enemy hates us and he attacks us with his schemes.

But Jesus loves us. Jesus loves you. He gives you his armor. And you are to put it on. When you put on his armor, you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. When you put on his armor, you will be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. This is his promise to you. This is his love for you.

But the big picture doesn’t end with you just standing strong in the armor of God. That is not the ultimate point of everything. Jesus did not save you so that you could have his belt of truth or his breastplate of righteousness or his shield of faith. Jesus did not save you so that you could be strong. Jesus saved you so that you could be with him. So that you could have a relationship with the Father.

And so we arrive at the true and ultimate meaning of prayer. Through his written word, God speaks to us. And through our prayer, we speak to him. That is relationship. Prayer is technically not a piece of the armor of God. We don’t see instructions to put on the compression arm sleeves of prayer or the shinguards of prayer. But prayer is right there with all of it. Why? Because reconciling you to the Father was the very reason why Jesus went to war.

And it is so worth it to note that Jesus prayed a lot during his time on this earth. Jesus often withdrew to desolate places, alone and away from the crowds, in order to pray (Matthew 14:23; 26:36-42; Luke 5:16; 6:12). Jesus often prayed to the Father. But now why would he do that? Jesus was and is the Son of God. Why did he pray to God the Father?

The answer is simple but profound and utterly mysterious and beyond human comprehension. Because there was and is and always will be a relationship between the Father and the Son. Jesus sought his Father out in prayer. One of his most famous prayers is his great high priestly prayer in John 17. Among the many things that he said in John 17, Jesus said this. “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one…. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” This is the true and ultimate meaning of prayer: relationship.

One day prayer will be obsolete. It will be replaced with face-to-face words in a consummated face-to-face relationship with Christ. Jesus will speak new words to you. And you will speak new words to him. This is the endgame. This is our life after the war is over. If you think your relationship with God and your prayer life is great right now, wait until you see what it will be like to speak with Christ face-to-face. It is going to be… words cannot explain what it is going to be like. But it is going to happen.

But until that day comes, we pray.

So if prayer is the act of speaking our words to God, then what words should we say to him? When you pray to God, you can give him praise and thanks for who he is to you and what he has done for you. When you pray to God, you can confess your sins to him and ask him for forgiveness. When you pray to God, you can ask him for help and request things from him. These are all things that you can talk to God about. And it’s wonderful. In prayer, you can be happy and joyful. You can be sad and depressed. You can be humble and dependent.

When should we pray? We should pray at all times. This means that we ought to pray in all kinds of situations and moments in life. When times are bad, pray to God for help. When times are good, pray to God with thanksgiving. And when times are just average, pray to God even then.

I knew a pastor who would pray to God for safety every single time we got into the car to go somewhere. I remember going to a noodle store that was less than five minutes away from our church, and we prayed before going there. And we prayed before coming back. At first, I thought it was overkill. But later on, I realized that it was not overkill or the deranged thinking of an old man. It was obedience. It was the dependent thoughtfulness of an old but wise man… who wanted to pray at all times.

There’s an old story from Scotland about a bunch of pastors who visited a home and were talking about prayer. There was a servant girl who was showed them hospitality, and one of the pastors asked her how she prays. She said, “As I rose from bed this morning, I prayed that the Son of righteousness would rise with healing in his wings. When I got dressed, I prayed and thanked God that I am clothed with Christ’s righteousness. As I dusted the furniture, I prayed that the Lord would wipe my heart clean through the blood of Jesus. And when I made these refreshments for you, I prayed and asked that Jesus would be my food and drink.” I think that’s pretty cool.

Praying at all times. Try it yourself!

But when you pray at all times, you are to pray in the Spirit. This means that you are to pray in dependence upon the Holy Spirit and in accordance with his sword, which is the Bible. When you pray to God, there will be times when you will not know what to say or what to pray about. But the Holy Spirit will help you to pray (Romans 8:26). He will help you in your weakness as you depend on him. And when you pray to God, your words and prayers should be shaped and informed by Scripture. It would not be strange if you started to sound more like that Scottish servant girl. It would actually be normal. And the reason why is because it is good to use the content and the vocabulary of Scripture. It is good to pray God’s words back to him.

The cool thing about the Bible is that it contains prayers, prayers for you to pray. Consider, for example, some of Paul’s prayers in the Bible. At this time, I would like to share three of them with you.

In Colossians 1:9-14, he says this. “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

In Philippians 1:9-11, Paul says this. “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

And finally, in Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul says this. “For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Brothers and sisters, this is what Paul prayed for. This is what Paul prayed about. And these prayers are meant to be examples of how we can pray today. His words are not hard. In my humble opinion, I don’t see many SAT words. But I do see many Scrabble words. Words that are deep and full of glory and meaning. So use them. Use them when you pray to your glorious and meaningful God - who gave such words to Paul, who gives such words to you. Use words like “hope.” That’s 9 points. Talk about “righteousness.” That’s 17 Scrabble points. Dear God, please help me to “approve what is excellent.” That’s 44 Scrabble points! Dear God, please help Highland to know “what are the riches of [God’s] glorious inheritance in the saints.” That’s 80 Scrabble points! And that’s not even considering all the double-letter or triple-letter score spaces that you can hit every time you pray! That’s not even considering all the other prayers in the Bible, like the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6, or all the prayers in the book of Psalms. That’s what it means to pray in the Spirit. Pray the words that he inspired. Pray the words that he uses as a sword.

Dear Highland, prayer is not easy. And if we are honest with ourselves, we would all have to agree that we do not pray as much as we should - even in the time that we are all living in right now. This can be very discouraging to believers in Christ. After all, prayer is about our relationship with Jesus.

But I would like to finish this sermon and leave you with a heartwarming encouragement. An encouragement to all of us who don’t pray. Jesus prays. And Jesus prays for you. Jesus thinks about you all the time. He loves you so much. He prayed for you back then, especially in his great high priestly prayer in John 17. And he prays for you now. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:34-35). Dear Highland, Jesus prays. May you pray as well.

Soli Deo Gloria