Pray and Make Supplication for All the Saints
Ephesians 6:18b-20
April 5, 2020
Abraham Hong
Sermon Script
Dear church, as we wait for the return of Christ our King, let us remember the big picture. You are in a war and the devil is attacking you with his schemes. But Jesus loves you. He gives you his winning armor. And he invites you to a life of prayer.
Jesus prayed a lot during his time on this earth. The Son prayed to the Father. The Son and the Father are one. And the Son, your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, lived and died and rose again for your salvation… so that you could also have a relationship with the Father.
One day, you will see Jesus face to face. And prayer will be obsolete. Jesus will speak new words to you. And you will speak new words to him. This will be your life when the war is over. It is going to be amazing.
But until then, you are to wait. You are to put on the armor of God. You are to stand firm.
And you are to pray.
This morning, our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to pray and make supplication for all the saints. The word “supplication” simply refers to earnest and humble requests before God. And the word “all” simply means everyone.
It’s so simple. We are to pray with intentional urgency for all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to pray with involved emotion for the church. We are to pray with insistent pleading for the sake of God’s people throughout the world. We are to pray with intercessory seriousness for every Christian man and woman, boy and girl. Pray and make supplication for all the saints.
It’s so simple, but it’s so profound. You have the privilege and the honor of helping other brothers and sisters in Christ… by praying for them. You are invited to be a part of God’s plan in the lives of others and actually impact their lives and make a difference in this world… by praying for them. You can lift up an underground persecuted church in North Korea, you can ask for someone in the hospital to be healed, you can straight up pray that a divorce will miraculously not go through, and you can intercede for all of your Christian friends… all in a matter of mere minutes… all in the comfort of your own home during this stay-at-home order. You got this. This is yours.
But even more so, you will have a chance for many people to come up to you in the new heavens and new earth and say, “I know that you don’t know who I am, and we’ve only just met, but I just want to say thank you for praying for me in the war.” How awesome would that be?
But most of all, you have the privilege and the honor of having God’s ear. When you pray, your Father in heaven hears you and listens to you. And any parent will tell you that when their kids try to do something good for others, it moves them.
Dear Highland, let us pray and make supplication for all the saints. If you don’t know where to start, then start with your church. Start with us.
Pray for Emmeline, that she would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. Pray for Abraham, that he would have spiritual wisdom and understanding. Pray for Brian and Jemimah, that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Pray for Selah, that she would have repentance and faith in Christ and be fully pleasing to God.
Pray for Chris, that he would bear fruit in every good work. Pray for our younger Grace, that she would increase in the knowledge of God. Pray for Crissy, that she would be strengthened with all power. Pray for me, that I would have endurance and patience with joy.
Pray for Andrew, that his love would abound more and more. Pray for our older Joseph, that he would have discernment. Pray for our younger Joseph, that he would approve what is excellent. Pray for Joshua, that he may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.
Pray for Patty, that she may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. Pray for Sammy, that he can be to the glory and praise of God. Pray for Jeremiah, that he would be led by the Spirit of wisdom. Pray for John, that the eyes of his heart would be enlightened.
Pray for Ken, that he may know what is the hope to which God has called him. Pray for Michael and Seungha, that they would know what are the riches of God’s glorious inheritance in the saints. Pray for Dean, that he would know what is the immeasurable greatness of God’s power toward us who believe. Pray for Fabian, that he would be joyful in hope.
Pray for Caleb, that he would be patient in affliction. Pray for Pastor James and Jamie, that they may have endurance and encouragement. Pray for Olivia and Julia, that they would have repentance and faith in Christ and have a spirit of unity as they follow God. Pray for younger Michael, that our God of hope would fill him with all joy and peace as he trusts in the Lord.
Pray for Tim and Jean, that they will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray for Noah, that he would have repentance and faith in Christ and that he would know the comfort of God and in turn comfort others. Pray for Joey and Mina, that Christ may dwell richly in their hearts. Pray for their son who is in the womb, that he would have repentance and faith in Christ and be rooted and established in God’s love.
Pray for Aaron and Christine, that they would be able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. Pray for Isaac and Glory, that they would have repentance and faith in Christ and be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Pray for older Grace, that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard her heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Pray for Pastor Peter, that he will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which he is an ambassador in chains.
Pray for Kathy, that she would grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Pray for Samuel and Christine, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in them. Pray for John and Evelyn, that the Lord would encourage their hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word. Pray for folks like Isabel, Jae, Jessica, and Danny, that that would have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
Pray for our KM members, that God would direct their hearts into his love and his perseverance. Pray for our Sunday School children, that they would fan into flame the gift of God.
Pray for brothers and sisters like Randy and Daniel at Bethel, and Jennifer and Irina at Trinity, and Bryan the veterinarian, and Kevin and Sarah, and Arthur and Connie. Pray for Tim’s nephew Levi. Pray for Seungha’s family.
Pray for our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America. Pray for churches that are being persecuted and pray for missionaries who are struggling. Pray for fellow believers who are in your schools or in your workplaces.
In other words, pray for all the saints. All the saints.
In the eyes of the world, I just wasted the last several minutes of your time. But in the eyes of the new heavens and new earth, I did not. Because each name and each person is a soul. And each soul is worth praying for. In times of war, they say, “Leave no man behind.” When our Lord commands us to pray and make supplication for all the saints, he does not want us to leave anyone behind.
Therefore, dear Highland, please change the way that you pray. And please change who you pray for. Your brothers and sisters need your prayers. We need you to pray for us. Please do not just pray for yourself. Please do not just pray for your family. Please do not show favoritism or neglect in your prayers. If you only pray for yourself, for your family, and for those closest to you, then you are not praying in accordance with Scripture. You are disobeying God’s command. You are falling short of the heart and mind and will of Christ. It’s time to change your prayers. Pray for all the saints.
Might I recommend that you get to know people more here at church. Connect, share, and pray for one another. Do a lot of pushing - ask people to pray for you. And do a lot of pulling - ask people how you can pray for them. Let us pray for all the saints.
Might I recommend that we have online prayer meetings. Perhaps some of you can help our church come up with a good system and a solid plan for us to connect, share, and pray for one another - not just for this unique coronavirus moment, but for the long-term future. Let us pray for all the saints.
Might I also recommend that you keep a log of your prayers and people’s prayer requests. You’ll be surprised at how much you forget. You’ll be amazed at how much God doesn’t.
On Friday, January 10, 2020, we prayed that Chris would get a good new job and do well in his interviews. On Sunday, January 5, 2020, we prayed for Jemimah’s colonoscopy, for Joey and Mina’s continued pregnancy, and for Glory’s health.
On Sunday, June 16, 2019, we prayed for the marriages of Samuel and Christine and Michael and Seungha. On Sunday, April 7, 2019, we prayed for Pastor James and Pastor Peter as they begin their seminary education.
On Friday, March 22, 2019, we prayed for a successful kidney transplant for younger Joseph’s mother. On Sunday, March 17, 2019, we pray that Lambs Farm would allow us to have a small group there.
On Sunday, January 20, 2019, we prayed for Brian and Jemimah as they prepared for the birth of Selah. On Sunday, September 16, 2018, we prayed for Joey’s job interviews and Aaron’s transition into his new job.
And the list goes on and on. Amazing. Let us pray for all the saints.
This might feel overwhelming to you. Praying for all the saints. But remember, this is war. War is overwhelming. But you have the armor of God. And Jesus is the chief prayer warrior. He prays for you. And he prays that you will pray… in the Spirit. Yes, there is a lot to pray about. Yes, there are so many people to pray for. But it will all be worth it. They will all be worth it. 200 years from now, 1000 years from now, 1 trillion years from now, assuming that we will even keep count then, you will look back on this life, you will look back on this light and momentary affliction, this… war, and you will remember all the times when you prayed, when you prayed for all the saints, and you will say to yourself, “It was all worth it. They were all worth it.” So, dear Highland, do not lose heart. Pray. Pray and make supplication for all the saints.
Soli Deo Gloria