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.

Introduction: A couple of weeks ago I was watching FOX news and they were talking about how the U.S. Army had just done an extensive study on "lessons learned" from our war with Iraq. They were saying that we learned that one reason why we didn't have a lot of hard fought resistance was because we had actually overestimated the Iraqi military's strength. But another factor that helped prevent resistance was that in the early hours of the war, we took out their lines of communication. When you cut off the enemies lines of communication, it creates confusion, doubt, and fear. By cutting off the Iraqi soldiers from their commanders, the whole army was weakened and many just gave up - they were unable to stand firm in the heat of the battle. This illustration points to the importance of communications in winning the battle and ultimately the war.

     Likewise, Christians are engaged in a spiritual war fighting against spiritual forces of darkness. We have been given the best high-tech weapons of God; the belt of truth which binds all our armor together with the truth of God's Word. We have been given breastplate of God's righteousness which enables us to live a life of a right character and conduct before the world and God. We have been given a pair of gospel boots to enable us to stand firm when the attacks of doubt assail us, because we are able to stand knowing our salvation is secure. We have been given the shield of faith which helps us to walk by faith and not by sight, and extinguishes the fiery-poison tipped arrows of Satan that are meant to wound and infect us with sinful attitudes and actions. We have been given the helmet of salvation which protects our thoughts from the blows of lies, fears, doubts and temptations of the demonic forces. And we were given the sword of the Spirit, the spoken word of God, which is more powerful than the greatest weapons of man or Satan, and has the ability to change the heart of man or to resist and defeat the Devil. But even with all this weaponry, it cannot hold off the attacks of Satan's demonic forces if our lines of communication are severed because of confusion, doubt, or fear.

     During the Apostle Paul's day, the basic Roman tactical fighting unit was the cohort, composed of 6 centuries, each with its centurion, standard-bearer and horn-blower to relay commands and maintain discipline and unity. Signals were sounded either on a round horn or a long straight trumpet. When communications was needed for greater distances they would also use couriers, colored smoke or signal fires as a means of communication. This allowed the commanders to set up on the higher ground to see the whole battle and direct the troops where they were needed most. Just as communications between the commanders and their troops was important to win the battle, so it is with the Christian. This is why the apostle Paul includes prayer in this list of important equipment so that our heavenly commander can direct us for the best results, so that we may be able to carry out His orders ". . .that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (v.13).

Transition: Let's begin by looking at the equipment that we have been given so that we can communicate with our Commander. . .

I. Our Radio Of Prayer (v.18).

1. Is to be kept on at all times (v.18a).

A. Our lines of communication are to be kept open with the Captain of our salvation (Josh.5:13-15; Heb.2:10: LBC).

1) In the book of Joshua, we have the preincarnate Christ stating that He is the Commander of the army of the Lord.

- Joshua 5:13-15, "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?' So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?' Then the Commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.' And Joshua did so."

2) The writer of the book of Hebrews calls Christ the captain of our salvation.

- Hebrews 2:10, "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."

3) We need to understand who is in control of God's army, who is the Captain and who isn't.

B. Our prayers should be continual, not sporadic; a habit, and not an isolated act (Matt.17:20-21; 1Tim.2:8; 1Thes.5:17: BBC).

1) Praying always, doesn't mean "always saying prayers," but rather it means in every occasion we are to be in communication with God (JISR).

A) Examples of this would be (JISR):

(1) When something good happens to us or one of our loved ones, we should thank Him.

(2) If we see an injustice, we are to ask Him to help us make it right.

(3) If we are in the heat of a spiritual battle, we are to ask Him for strength and wisdom.

B) Praying always means that in all the events and circumstances of our daily lives we are in direct communication with God - our hotline is always to at hand.

2) In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the Apostle Paul phrases it like this, "pray without ceasing."

A) This is another example of always being in communication with the Lord.

B) We should never have to pray, "Lord, we come into your presence," because by praying without ceasing or being in prayer always, we have never left His presence (BEC).

     The next thing that we need to point out here, is that, we never know when a surprise attack may come; but when it does, we need to make sure that our radio of prayer is turned on and tuned in so we can get direction and protection from higher headquarters. Warren Wiersbe said, "a surprise attack has defeated more than one believer who forgot to "pray without ceasing'" (BEC). If we don't leave our prayer radios turned on, then we are in danger of not being able to stand firm and holding the battle line if a surprise attack should come. Worse, we put our fellow soldiers in harms way only because we made a choice to disobey our Captain. Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (NIV). Do you love the Lord? Do you love Him enough to pray always?

Transition: Not only are we to keep our radios of prayer turned on, but it also. . .

2. Is to use all of its channels of communication (v.18b).

A. We are to pray with variety.

1) There is the prayer of THANKSGIVING (Phil.4:6; Psa.66:13-20; 105:1-4).

A) This is done when we express gratitude to God for what He has done or is doing (JISR).

B) Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

2) There is the prayer of PRAISE (Psa.104:1; 31:19; 1Pet.1:14-16; James 4:8a; Jer.31:3).

A) This is probably the most neglected type of prayer.

B) In the prayer of praise God is simply praised for being the kind of God He is (JISR).

- In other words, praise is thanking God for Who He is.

3) There is the prayer of CONFESSION (Psa.32:5; 66:18; Matt.6:12; John 9:31; 1 John 1:9-10).

A) Many Christians rush into God's presence asking, when they should be confessing (JISR).

B) Confession is important because if we fail to confess, God fails to hear our prayers.

- Psalm 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear."

C) Confession not only includes the confession of our personal sins, but it also includes the confession of the corporate sins of the local body of believers.

- Daniel 9:5-6, "we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land."(also see Jer.14:7; Neh.9:33; Isa.64:5-7).

D) There is no reason for a Christian not to confess their sins, because we have God's promise to totally forgive us.

- 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

4) There is the prayer of INTERCESSION (Dan.2:18; Rom.1:9; 1Pet.5:10-11).

A) Intercession is simply praying for the needs of others (JISR).

B) The Apostle Paul is an excellent example of someone who made intercessory prayer because he "without ceasing" made "mention of" others in his "prayers" (Rom.1:9)

C) These prayers can either be in general or specific.

5) There is the prayer of PETITION or SUPPLICATION (Gen.24:12; Matt.6:11; Luke 23:42).

A) This is asking God to meet certain needs in our own lives (JISR).

B) Paul here distinguishes between prayer and supplication (McGee).

- Prayer is general; supplication is specific.

B. The Scriptures also gives us numerous examples of how we are to pray in public and in private, whether deliberate or spontaneous (Neh.1:4-11; Dan.6:1-11; Matt.6:9-13; Luke 18:9-14; John 17; Rom.1:9; Col.1:9; 1Tim.5:5; 2Tim.1:3; Eph.3:14-21).

Transition: Not only are we to have our prayer radios on, and using the full range of channels available, but our radio of prayer. . .

3. Is to be powered by an external power source (v.18c).

A. Our prayers should be in accordance with the will of God (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15).

1) In other words, we pray in the Spirit when we pray for those things that are of God's will.

A) John 15:7, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."

B) 1 John 5:14-15, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

2) We pray in our flesh, when we pray for things outside of God's will.

- James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures" (NASB).

3) You might say that when we pray according to God's will, it is the starting point of praying in the Spirit.

A) If we refuse to be led by God's Word then we cannot be led by the Holy Spirit either.

B) So the first step in praying in the Spirit is to know what God's will is.

B. Our prayers should be guided by the Holy Spirit (Rom.8:26-27; Jude 1:20).

1) Praying in the Spirit means we pray in the power and sphere of the Spirit (BKC).

A) Romans 8:26-27, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."

- Notice that is the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered(it is not us who are do the groaning).

B) It is the Holy Spirit who prays in us, through us, and for us (LBC).

- In other words, He convicts us to pray about certain things, and He also intercedes in our behave when we pray for the wrong things (i.e., He corrects our prayers).

2) Praying in the Spirit helps to build up our faith and maturity in the Lord.

A) Jude 1:20, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit"

B) This is because we allow God's Word to be put into practice in our lives, and we become more responsive to the Holy Spirit's leading.

     We also fail to pray in the Spirit if we don't pray in faith; James 1:6-7, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord." If your prayer life seems to be weak or powerless, its because you have your radio of prayer plugged into the wrong source. The same is true for your church. We talk a lot about praying, but the prayer meeting is the least attended service that a church has - then we wonder why God isn't blessing us. We wonder why the love of God doesn't seem to be what it used to be. We wonder why we are not growing. We wonder why there is conflict and division, and a lack of unity. The answer is because we have plugged our prayer radios into the wrong source of power and our signals of faith are weak and insufficient enough to get an answer. If it only takes a mustard seed of faith to move mountains, then what does that say about our faith if we can't come together once a week to pray together? We need to get back in touch with our Captain and stay there if we want to be able to do all to stand firm against our enemy and win the victory.

Transition: Not only have we been given the radio of prayer by the Lord to assist us in our battle, but He also given us. . .

II. Our Operating Orders (vv.18d-20).
1. To keep alert and concentrate when communicating (v.18d).

A. We must be on guard against the enemy with our prayers (1Thes.5:1-6; Neh.4:7-9; Matt.5:44; Acts 7:59-60; 1Pet.5:8; 1Tim.3:7; 2Tim.2:26).

1) The word watchful in the Greek means to "to be sleepless" or "to keep awake."

A) This carries the idea of all of us being "attentive" or "vigilant" in our prayers, instead of being listless or inattentive.

B) Peter went to sleep when he should have been praying, and the result was victory for Satan (Mark 14:29-31, 67-72: BEC)

2) We are reminded here, in our text, that we are to be always alert to what we need to pray about in relationship to our spiritual battle so the enemy doesn't sneak-up on us and overrun our position.

B. We must be always alert to watch for what we need to pray about (1Co.16:13; 2Co.6:5;11:27; Mat.24:43; Luke 12:37-40; Act.20:31; Col.4:2-3; 1Pet.4:7; 2Tim.4:5; Rev.3:2;16:15).

2. To keep in touch with other units and to pray for them (vv.18e-20).

A. For all believers and churches (v.18e; Phil.1:3-5; Eph.1:16; Rom.16:3-4; 2Thes.1:3-4).

1) We are reminded here that other Christians, who are assigned to other churches, need our prayers too, because they are engaged in the same conflict that we are (BBC).

A) Christians should fight shoulder-to-shoulder and knee-to-knee with all believers (LBC).

B) Every believer, regardless of their church affiliation is a member of the same army, the Lord's army.

2) Not only are we to pray for our fellow soldiers, but we must do so persistently.

A) The word perseverance simply means "to stick to it and not quit" (BEC).

- We must apply the principles of Luke 11:9 and keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking at God's door with our prayers for fellow soldiers of the cross.

B) If our prayers help other believers to defeat Satan, then we share in that victory and it will help us too (BEC).

B. For those involved in ministry (vv.19-20; Col.4:3; 2Tim.1:3-6; Acts 13:3).

1) We are given some specific instructions about what to pray for those who serve in the ministry.

A) First, we are to pray for their opportunity to share the gospel.

(1) Paul had a message from God, and desired the means to deliver that message (LBC).

(2) The Mystery that Paul is speaking about here is the gospel, it was a mystery in that it wasn't fully revealed in the Old Testament but now it had been through Christ.

B) Second, we are to pray that they represent Christ well.

(1) Even as a prisoner, Paul still wanted to be a faithful witness for the Lord (NIBC).

(2) This should also be the our prayer for all believers.

- 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."

(3) As Christ's ambassador, Paul asked for prayer that he might speak boldly, as an ambassador for the King of kings ought to speak (NIBC).

(A) Ambassadors are generally granted diplomatic immunity from arrest and imprisonment (BBC).

(B) Men will tolerate almost anything better than they will tolerate the gospel (BBC).

- No other subject stirs such emotion, arouses such hostility and suspicion, and provokes such persecution and that is why we all need prayer to speak boldly as ambassadors ought to.

Invitation:
1. How is your Prayer Radio?

A. Is it working properly?

- Or has Satan been successful in jamming it.

B. Is your prayer life focused upon the full range of prayer, or has it become a one channel operation?

C. What source is your prayer life plugged into?

D. If we really believe that prayer makes a real difference, then why is our Wednesday night prayer meeting so poorly attended?

- In Luke chapter 18, Christ gives us a parable of the widow and a judge who finally gives in to her because of her persistency. And in this parable Christ is making the point about believers and their need to be persistent in their prayers to God. Then the Lord makes this statement in the last part of verse 18, ". . .when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" In other words, when Christ returns to this earth will He find believers who have faith enough to still be persistently praying or will they have given up. What will the Lord find about your prayer life when He returns? What will He find about our church's prayer life when He returns? What He finds will reveal much about our faith in Him.

A. "We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is Godfearing, and does His will, He hears him." (John 9:31, NASB)

B. Sin is what separates man from God, and it is also what separates our prayers from His ears.

1) God gave us His perfect standards in the 10 Commandments (Ex.20:1-17), so whenever we break one of them, we have sinned against God.

2) Therefore, you will be found guilty on the Day of Judgment by God, and sentenced to Hell.

C. However, that's not God's will or desire for you.

1) God provided a way for you to be forgiven by sending His Son to take your punishment: "God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

2) When you make Jesus Christ the Captain of your life, your prayers will be turned on and tuned in to God's frequency.

- You can do this by simply following God's instructions found in Romans 10:9-11, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.'"

BBC - William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary.
BEC - Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary.
BKC - John Walvoord & Roy Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (New Testament ed).
JISR - Tommy Higle, Journey Into Spiritual Riches.
LBC - Liberty Bible Commentary on the New Testament.
McGee - J. Vernon McGee, Thru The Bible Commentary
Robertson - Word Pictures in the New Testament, by Archibald Thomas Robertson
Wuest - Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, by Kenneth S. Wuest.

V.18.
- "pray," ("proseuchomai" {pros-yoo'-khom-ahee: v, part (imper), pres, mid or pass, dep, nom,
    masc, 2per, pl}): pray, make prayer.
- "always," ("kairos" {kahee-ros': n, dat, masc, sg}); as time, season, opportunity, on every
    occasion.

-- Wuest: "Always" is en panti kairōi, "on every occasion"; the Revision gives, "at all seasons," praying at all seasons.

-- Wuest: praying at all seasons with every proseuchē (prayer in general).

-- Wuest: deēseōs (special supplication).

-- Wuest: in the sphere of the Spirit (that is, directed and empowered by the Spirit).

-- Wuest: Expositors says: "This great requirement of standing ready for the combat can be made good only when prayer, constant, earnest, spiritual prayer is added to the careful equipment with all the parts of the panoply." "Watching" is agrupneo, "to be sleepless, keep awake." It means "to be attentive, vigilant." It is the opposite of listlessness, expressing alertness.

-- Wuest: "Perseverance" is proskartereo, "to give constant attention to a thing, to give unremitting care to a thing."

V.19.
- "and," ("kai" {kahee: conj, coord}); and, also, indeed, even.
- "for," ("huper" {hoop-er': prep, gen}); for, in behalf of, for the sake of.
- "me," ("emou" {em-oo': n, pron, gen, 1per, sg}); me, my, mine.
- "that," ("hina" {hin'-ah: conj coord OR conj subord); that, in order that, so that.
- "utterance," ("logos" {log'-os: n, nom, masc, sg}); of speech, speaking, used here in the
    context of prayer.

-- Wuest: "Utterance" is logos, "a word." Paul asks that the Ephesian saints pray that God would give him a gift of utterance "in the opening of his mouth," that is, when he opens his mouth to speak.

  -- Robertson: Paul wishes their prayer for courage for himself.

V.20.
- "for," ("huper" {hoop-er': prep, gen}); for, in behalf of, for the sake of.
- "which" ("hos" {hos: adj, pron, rel, gen, neut, sg}); who, which, what, that.
- "I am an ambassador," ("presbeuo" {pres-byoo'-o: v, indic, pres, act, 1per, sg}); to be an
    ambassador or envoy, a representative sent by Christ.
- "in," ("en" {en: prep, dat}); in, by with.
- "bonds," ("halusis" {hal'-oo-sis: n, dat, fem, sg}); a chain, bond by which the body or any part
    of it is bound, imprisonment.
- "that," ("hina" {hin'-ah: conj coord OR conj subord}); that, in order that, so that.
- "in it," ("en autos" {en ow-tos': prep dat and n, pron, dat, neut, 3per, sg}); in, by, with
    AND itself, it. (KJV = therein)
- "I may speak boldly," ("parrhesiazomai" {par-hray-see-ad'-zom-ahee: v, subj, aor, mid, dep,
    1per, sg}); of openness in speech, speak freely, openly, boldly, to grow confidence.

-- Wuest: This utterance, this speech, Paul desires, should be in boldness. "Boldness" is parrēsia, literally, "all speech." The word means "fearless, confident freedom in speaking."