Sunday Morning Worship Service September 27, 2020

Faith Baptist Church

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I trust you can look at some examples of the way that the Lord has answered prayer. He's worked in your life

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He's taught you something if you get into the scriptures every day, and I hope the

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Lord shows you something from the the pages of his word and And that you respond to those things one little practice

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I like to do is In my devotions if I'm reading something along. I have a little notebook that at the top of it

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I write the passages that I read I'm reading that morning And then as I read along if there's something in particular that that strikes in me a response

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I'll often write it out and sometimes most of the time even in the form of a prayer You know thanking the

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Lord. Thank you for this or Lord. I really need this I need you doing my life this or whatever, but just a very helpful thing and I hope that I Hope that you would find that experience even if you don't go through that same process

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On your day -to -day basis. Well a couple things. I want to share with you from your bulletin tonight in the evening service going back to the

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Psalms for The songs in the night series been looking at different Psalms and tonight's

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Psalm 46 favorite Psalm of many people the one at the end of that Psalm where the

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Lord says be still and know that I am God and Be looking at that Psalm tonight calling it the song of the peace -filled soul

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So I encourage you to be back tonight for that On the other side of your bulletin a few things to point out as I mentioned last week

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Chris and I are going to be going for a nice extended getaway.

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And so for the month of October you see the gentlemen that are going to be filling in the pulpit they're familiar to you they've been here before and I've always appreciated their ministry to us so encourage you to be to be faithful and to enjoy those messages coming from a different voice and I know there'll be a blessing to you now

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Gordon Taylor who will be here on next two Sundays. It's also Agreed to come and bring the

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Bible study message on Wednesday nights So he'll be here on Wednesday through that time and as well

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The next two Sundays and I appreciate Gordon he If I if I hope he doesn't mind my saying this he says he says

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I'll come but I don't I don't want you to Give me any money and I said well, we're at least gonna pay your travel expenses as well

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Okay, but I don't need the money. I use I just want to I just wanted I enjoy ministering. So We're so thankful for that spirit and glad for his willingness to come

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One thing to to point out regarding this I've been doing these daily devotionals every day every weekday since What end of March or April sometime and I I do those

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You know ahead of time like on Monday. I'll do the weeks things Well, there's no way I could get you know, four weeks of these done ahead of time.

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So those are gonna resume in November So actually should be November 2nd,

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I think it is as the first Monday of November So those are resumed then and then this other thing regarding the missionaries is there's a line in there

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This is during the month of November. We'll be collecting a special Thanksgiving offering for the missionaries and the reason we're doing that is

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We have for the last several years had that had the practice of using our

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Sunday school offering as You know accumulate that through the year and then whatever comes in and those

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Sunday school offerings just divide that equally among our missionaries And that's always been a great blessing.

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It's usually been, you know $1 ,800 or something like that that we divide up for them at the end of the year But then, you know when kovat came and the lockdown

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Didn't have Sunday school for what five months or something like that. So that that Sunday school offering

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Income is just kind of tanked So we still want to be a great blessing to the missionaries at Christmastime.

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So We'll work it this way in November Just give an opportunity to give a little extra that will go as a

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Christmas gift to our missionaries so just so you know that's coming and We'll of course emphasize more of that in the month of November opening in Psalm 38 the focus of our

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Message and service today is on the matter of prayer and you will understand why when we get to Ephesians chapter 6

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But Psalm 38 verse 15 Psalmist writes for in thee O Lord. Do I hope

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Thou wilt hear O Lord God and so as we've come together to worship today.

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It's a blessing to know that in our Singing and in our praying and in our preaching and in our responding our

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Lord hears So Jim, would you please come and lead us in our opening him? Thank you pastor and let him hear us together as we

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Lift up our voices and let's lift ourselves up. Let's all stand together please if we sing number one number one of your in your blue books a

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Triune prayer the supplement books all four verses together Let's stand together

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Let's sing together I Please remain standing for prayer our father again.

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We we thank you We praise you for your grace and your mercy this past week

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And father as we sing these songs of praise May we lift our voices to you?

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Thanking you praising you for whatever's happened in our lives this past week and father as we

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Hear your word be with pastors he brings from the Word of God the truths that you set forth

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That are eternal and Forever Helpless father as we hear your word

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Apply it to our hearts and our lives We pray these things in Jesus name Amen, you may be seated

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Psalm reading this morning is on the back of your bulletin Psalm 18 first nine verses

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The Lord hears when we pray he hears when we plead He hears when we read his word he takes great delight in that so let's

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Read follow along and on your bulletin there Psalm 18 verse 9 verses

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Psalmist writes I will love thee. Oh Lord my strength The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer my

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God my strength in whom I will trust My buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower

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I Will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised So shall

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I be saved from my enemies? The sorrows of death compassed me in the floods of ungodly men made me afraid

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The sorrows of hell compassed me about the snares of death prevented me in my distress

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I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God He heard my voice out of his temple and my cry came before him even into his ears

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Then the earth shook and trembled the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken because he was wroth

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There went up a smoke out of his nostrils and fire out of his mouth devoured Coals were kindled by it

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He bowed bowed the heavens also and came down Darkness was under his feet

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Lord add his blessing to the reading of this his word take your hymnals turn to page 429 429 take time to be holy.

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Let's sing all three verses together Those who are weak or getting in nothing

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We offer to the

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Lord our songs of praise and Thanksgiving from our lips We also offer to him our prayers

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Another way we offer to him is through our financial giving to the work of the ministry and just as a reminder

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Some may not be familiar with this process, but there is on the table and the foyer right outside Right, you know right outside the main as you leave

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There's a little offering box and if you want to give that's where you would contribute

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Just as a reminder of that as we pray together today our missionary of the week this week is the hynix the hynix serve in Costa Rica and They are in the process of a church planting situation

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They're meeting with a group of people every Lord's Day somewhat limited and what they can do because continuing

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Restrictions got a kovat restriction related restrictions there in Costa Rica, but nevertheless that work is progressing and Mark is

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Providing weekly messages as well as some ongoing Online stuff to those folks.

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So pray for the work of the ministry of the hynix in Costa Rica We also want to continue to pray for Bob Klein.

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Bob has his next chemo treatment this week as Well as a

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PET scan, I believe it is all a part of the process of treating the cancer

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Continue to pray for the recovery of Kathy and Harold in their rehab and treatments

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Also, we want to pray for Kevin Hammond's dad who may have had a

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Slight heart attack yesterday and just pray that God would be gracious in his life and find any source of a problem

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That might have caused that Let's look to the Lord in prayer. Shall we so our

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Father and our God we are Mindful of the exhortation that we have just sung to one another to take time to be holy

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This world does rush on and it will rush on Whether or not we stop for a few minutes each day

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To open your word and to meditate on it to spend some time in prayer praying for the burdens the needs of people of the world of our missionaries of our nation and Praying even in response to the things that we read

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Praying and offering unto you even our groans that We can't we can't

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Articulate the burden that we're even feeling and experiencing and how best to pray regarding that burden

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We thank you for that that privilege of prayer and I pray father that we would indeed

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Accept that exhortation as we have exhorted one another in this song today to take time to be holy

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Father we do. Thank you today for your mercy and your grace that is

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Exhibited in our lives every day. We are a needy people There's not a person in this room who is free from the need of Forgiveness, we are sinful people

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We have indwelling sin within us we're so grateful those of us who know

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Christ and of following him so grateful that in His death on the cross.

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He paid the penalty for all of our sins He took the curse of sin upon himself in his body on the tree

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And father, we thank you for the salvation from that penalty of sin and for the the sanctification work of the

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Spirit as he grows us in Christ and frees us from the power of sin on a daily basis and the hope that we have of complete eradication of sin in the future

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But in the meantime father every one of us who is sensitive to your spirit is very well aware

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That on every day every day We need to pray as the Lord Instructed us to pray to forgive us our trespasses even as we forgive those who trespass against us

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And so we confess that need to you today and we are grateful for your gracious forgiveness

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We do pray for the hynix this morning from Mark and Lynette and their family Thank you for their faithfulness in Costa Rica through some difficult ministry times and experiences and yet the excitement that they have now is they're

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Beginning a new work and I pray that you would bless and prosper it. I pray that the the interest and the desire for sound gospel teaching and ministry of the word and preaching

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That that that interest that that would it would only expand that very strongly

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Roman Catholic country where There's so many in bondage and in darkness to a salvation by works

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So bless the hynix as they proclaim The glorious gospel of Christ the justification is by grace alone

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Through faith alone in Christ alone and we pray that you would prosper them we do pray for our people who are restricted in their health and in need today for Bob and for Kathy and for Harold and we pray that you would be gracious to them and Meet their physical needs in this time.

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I think especially of Kathy and Harold as they recover from Surgery and go through physical therapy and need and need

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Need alleviation from pain and effectiveness of that therapy granted we pray for Kevin's dad

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Richard we pray for him today and ask that this experience yesterday will not be a serious thing, but can be

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Remedied quickly and the source of it can be discovered readily Or the other requests have been mentioned in this place today and I pray for each of those and pray that you would meet those needs and Give grace and comfort to hearts that are hurting hurting and burden father, there are some here today even who are weighed down whose hearts are heavy and They need the encouragement of your word

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The comfort of the scriptures I pray that by grace your grace you would meet those needs today

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So we commit these things to you and ask your blessing upon each one and we ask it in Jesus name.

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Amen Take your hymnals once again and turn to page 576 576 and I'd be hypocrite if I didn't ask you to stand up when we're singing stand up stand up for Jesus.

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So let's all stand together Oops, I guess it's actually 575

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There's only one. No, I guess it is. Um, that's just a different one, isn't it? It's 575 all four verses together

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Stand up stand up Oh Stand up stand up for Jesus the stripe will

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We Take your

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Bibles turn to Ephesians chapter 6 I'm gonna read verses 18 through 24

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And after many many months we finally come to the end of Paul's letter to the

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Ephesians Ephesians chapter 6 Follow along in your copy of scriptures that read beginning in verse 18

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Actually, I'm sorry, I want to read beginning in verse 14 the message will be from verses 18 and following verse 14 to stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness and Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace above all taking the shield of faith wherewith you should be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked and Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the

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Spirit which is the Word of God Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the

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Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints and For me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel

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For which I'm an ambassador in bonds that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak

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But that she also may know my affairs and how I do Tychicus a beloved brother and faithful minister in the

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Lord Shall make known to you all things Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that you might know our affairs and that he might comfort your hearts

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Peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Grace be with all them that love our

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Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Amen brief prayer

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Our father impress upon our hearts the importance of the kind of air

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That we as soldiers of Christ need to breathe and this we pray in Jesus name.

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Amen So I finally finally finished Chernow's book on Ulysses Grant completed that 970 pages or whatever it was the other day and I was fascinated to Reflect on all that I read about President Grant in his growing up and then his years as the general of the

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Northern Army in the Civil War Following the Civil War of course elected to the president to two different times after he completed that second term as president he went on a

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Worldwide tour and that lasted quite a long time and when he got back from that there was actually an effort to Get him to take the nomination for a third term as the president that was before there was the term limits for president

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He did lose that bid for another term He didn't get the confirmation for the

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Republican Party But nevertheless I was struck by on the one hand how brilliant of a

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General he was in military endeavors I mean he led that Northern Army to to victory in the

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Civil War and he had this uncanny ability to see the big picture of All of the northern forces no matter where they were scattered abroad in this in the south in the battlefields of the south and he could he could get the whole picture and he could see how different of Different regiments needed to move at different times and to to be in different places at the right time and so on and so forth

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He was just very effective as a military strategist and as the president of the

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United States, of course, he was the commander -in -chief and and He was Generally a very effective commander -in -chief.

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He had some significant challenges and trying to enact Reconstruction in the south and get all of that passed and so forth.

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He was pretty effective as a commander -in -chief however, his administration in both of his terms was marked by Individuals that were less than stellar in their

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Loyalty to him and in their carrying out of their responsibilities and he just didn't see it until it was too late and they caused him some political damage and After he left the presidency and was in these years of now, what do

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I do? One of the things that ended up really almost totally devastating him.

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In fact, it did devastate him was that he he listened to a guy who really buttered him up well and Convinced him that what assets

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Grant had left Grant should invest them with this guy and this guy at the time was considered to be a

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Warren Buffett of his day if you will a whiz of Wall Street and and to go into a partnership with him and form a you know like a financial advisor and investment company and Grant did that and He basically left all the operation of that company with this other guy totally not realizing that it was just a giant

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Ponzi scheme and Eventually as those things tend to do the whole thing collapsed and Grant literally lost

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Everything he lost everything so when it comes to being a military leader fighting the physical battles against flesh and blood

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Grant was very very effective, but when when it came to the battlefield of the soul

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The battlefield of the soul when it came to spiritual warfare This famed general was found lacking and perhaps that's most evident in his dying days

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Grant was a an avid Cigar smoker just a chained cigar smoker and that caught up to him

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He eventually developed throat cancer, and he was going to he would die even of that throat cancer, but while he was dying of that cancer during that season of time the the minister of the

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Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington DC or in New York.

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I guess it was he attended to Grant and and ministered to him from a spiritual standpoint and he told the sick former president that God wanted to employ him as on some great spiritual mission and Grant Cynically replied can he cure cancer?

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Gives you a little insight into his soul But even more telling is that even though Grant was a lifelong

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Methodist He found dr. Newman's the past the pastor of that church

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He found his evening prayers with a family quote a bit trying a bit trying

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Grant's son Fred said that quote his father was a good Christian But not a praying man and One of his close relatives said general

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Grant does not believe that. Dr. Newman's prayers will save him He just allows the doctor to pray

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Simply because he doesn't want to hurt his feelings so how ironic it is that this man who is so brilliant in terms of Fighting flesh and blood on the battlefields of this earth was really radically deficient in waging war against the wiles of the devil

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Now here in Ephesians chapter 6 Paul has been exhorting us to put on the whole armor of God he does it says a couple of different times in verse 11 and then in verse 13 and he tells us to put on this whole panoply the whole armor of God that we might stand against our spiritual foe and In verses 14 through 17

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He walks us through each piece that we need to put on in that spiritual armor

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But he ends this section Declaring to us that we need to pray

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Prayer Paul suggests is the Warriors very breath

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It's his very breath now notice in verse 18 how prayer is as vital to us as Breathing we can look at verse 18 as an exhortation to pray

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He says praying always with all prayer and supplication and so forth This is an exhortation to prayer

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Ian Hamilton in his commentary in his passage He says quote prayer is what makes the pieces of armor effective in our lives prayer gives them breath prayer gives them life

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Prayer is what makes the pieces of armor effective or that him that we just sang the song

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We just sang again a minute ago put on the gospel armor each piece put on with prayer now the importance of prayer in our spiritual warfare is

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Seen in the four all's that show up in verse 18. Did you notice that when you're reading them?

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There's three that are very clearly all the fourth all is Wrapped up in the word always and that's the first one.

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I want you to notice we are to pray at all times He says in our

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King James translation praying always but that could literally be translated at all times or in all circumstances focusing in zeroing in on that word all

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We need to pray at all times. We need to pray in all

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Circumstances now compare that with back in verse 16 in Verse 16 again our

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King James translates verse 16 with the beginning of the verse saying above all taking the shield of faith

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But literally that should be in all Circumstances the same idea in all circumstances

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Take the shield the helmet the sword So it's like in all Circumstances you need to take the shield the helmet and the sword and in those same circumstances that is in all of them

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You need to pray pray at all times Why do we need to be exhorted this way?

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I Think the songwriter in our hymnal number 430 don't need to turn there, but it's the it's the song

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Lord. I need you it's a song that Affirms our need for the Lord in all circumstances and the song says

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I think it begins this way sometimes sometimes when life is gentle and blessings flood my way

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What do you do? I turn my gaze away from you and soon forget to pray

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Soon forget to pray. Oh, listen, that's when we need to pray. That's why Paul says in all circumstances

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Even in those circumstances when life seems to be gentle and the blessings are just flooding your way

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It's so easy to turn my gaze away from you. So I better stop and pray instead of forgetting to pray and It is this praying at all times in all

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Circumstances that is actually following Jesus teaching when he says to us in Luke 18 1 men or people ought always to pray and not to faint or As he told as Paul told us in 1st

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Thessalonians 5 17 and here's the idea of this verse pray without ceasing

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And as you very well know just by way of common sense that cannot mean that you are constantly walking around verbalizing prayer

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Paul is talking about this same idea in in feet in 1st Thessalonians 5 17 that he's talking about here in all

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Circumstances be praying it is the very breath of your Fighting as a warrior for the

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Lord Jesus Christ So you need to pray at all times The second all is you need to pray with all kinds of prayer

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You see this in verse 18. He says praying always with all prayer and supplication with all prayer and supplication

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So that means that our praying needs to be varied it needs to be varied

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Praying with all prayer Well, how so?

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Well think of it in terms of the model prayer that Jesus modeled for us We call it the

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Lord's Prayer, right? You know that you probably know it from heart. You're by heart. Yeah, right Okay, so say it with me.

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All right Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name

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Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and Lead us not into temptation

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But deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever

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Amen now in that prayer there is a wide variety of prayers of things to pray there is praise and adoration our

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Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Praise and adoration there is a prayer of submission

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Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven That's a request that I myself and you yourselves that we ourselves are

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Submitted to the authority and the rule of our King There is a prayer a petition of dependence.

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Give us this day our daily bread Even though your cupboard may be full and your refrigerator has plenty in it

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You still pray that prayer realizing that I'm dependent upon my

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God even for my meal today a prayer of Dependence and there's the prayer of confession forgive us our trespasses as even as we forgive those who trespass

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Against us. There's the prayer of deliverance Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil or from the evil one and then the affirmation of faith

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For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Amen So in the

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Lord's prayer you see how varied it is and the scope of If we can use it the term this way material that there is to pray for and Paul is exhorting us here that we need to pray with a varied prayer life with all kinds of praying at the same time

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There needs to be in our praying some specific Passionate prayer praying with all prayer and supplication the

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Significance of that word supplication is that you are you are carrying a burden to the cross?

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You are bearing a burden and bringing that to the cross There is a there's a real concern and heaviness of heart

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There's a longing in your heart or something of that nature, but it's you're passionate about it and you you bring it

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You keep bringing it to the cross Whether it's a need in your own life or in that of someone else, but that's a specific passionate prayer

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But that prayer and supplication all prayer and supplication Notice how he says it is to be in the spirit pray in the spirit now what that does not mean is what you know some of our charismatic acquaintances might refer to as a spirit language some kind of spirit language where you're you know

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You're sitting there and you're not even really Knowing what you're praying, but you're just you know, something's going on and there's this spirit language

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No, that's not what this is talking about. What it is talking about is that in your praying?

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You're dependent upon the spirit to perfect your prayers

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What do I mean by that? Well Paul says in Romans 8 26 and 7 he says likewise the spirit helps us in our weaknesses

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For we do not know what to pray for as we ought But the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words

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The spirit intercedes for the Saints according to the will of God So for example, we prayed this morning for Bob What what would you like to see

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God do? In Bob's life as he's battling this stage for cancer

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Right, what would you what would you like to see God do how would you pray?

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Do you pray for God and his grace his mercy to heal him of that cancer? There's certainly nothing wrong with that as long as you

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Qualify it with if that is your will and purpose at this stage in Bob's life

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But here's the thing Even though you and I may not know exactly how to pray in that situation we

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Express our burden and our concern of heart to the Lord in our prayer as best

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We know how to formulate it as best We know how to express what what we would like to see or what we think that we would like God to do in this

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Situation, but the Spirit of God who knows the mind of God the will of God He also takes our imperfect prayer and he for reforms it to conform perfectly to the will of Our Heavenly Father who hears that prayer

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This is praying in the spirit where you are depending upon him to perfect your prayer

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Even if you express that dependence in the words according to your will

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But it also means that you can form your desires in praying To his desires to the desires of the

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Spirit So James for example and teaching on this idea

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He says in verse 3 of chapter 4 James 4 verse 3 He says you ask.

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Oh, you're you're praying you ask and you don't receive Because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions

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You know, what are you praying for? Why are you praying for it is your prayer in?

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Conformity to the desires that the Spirit of God would have for your life as a growing believer in Christ Praying with the

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Spirit also I think means to pray with your mind and your heart engaged with mind and heart engaged so for example what

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I mean by that is What Jesus addresses in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6?

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He addressed this particular problem that the Pharisees had they loved to pray

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They had their forms of praying You remember the parable that Jesus told about the the

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Pharisee and the publican that went to the temple to pray and There's the Pharisee standing up there and he's got his little prayer these praise all the time

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God. I thank you I'm not like all these wretched people. I thank you. I'm not like them.

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He lifts his eyes up to heaven I thank you. I'm such a good person and he's making his prayer to be known to all around him

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In contrast here's the sinful publican that the Pharisee is disdaining and That poor guy.

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He just stands there with his head bowed beating on his chest and says God be merciful to me a sinner

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No pretense. No rhetoric no vain repetition but just expressing

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The prayer the burden of his heart coming from his heart his mind and his heart is engaged

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His mind knows what he needs and his heart is burdened down with a passionate plea for God to be merciful to him a sinner and Jesus addresses the former guy the

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Pharisee in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 When he says in verse 7, but when you pray use not vain repetitions as the heathen do

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For they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking Having the same repeated

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Prayer over and over and over again just coming from rote where your mind is somewhere else while you're saying the words now

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Having said that by the way, there's nothing wrong with praying the same prayer multiple times even in the same words

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There are a couple of different prayers that I pray just about every day one of them is father, please

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Teach me to number my days That I may get a heart of wisdom that this day would count for something worthwhile

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Now that could descend into vain repetition. It could just be something I say every day but I Try to gear my heart

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To be praying in the spirit so that that prayer doesn't come just from a mindless repetition of words

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But is actually is actually actually has my heart and my mind engaged in it

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This is what Paul is talking about when he says that these prayers and supplications need to be made in the spirit

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So you need to pray at all times you need to pray all kinds of prayer and then back in our text in Ephesians 6 verse 18 you need to pray with all vigilance says praying with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance

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With all perseverance praying with vigilance because here's the thing There's never a time never a time when you're not in danger so watch

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Never a time when you're not in danger Jesus told his disciples and what what seemed to them like You know a peace relatively peaceful evening

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Jesus goes with his disciples out to the garden of Gethsemane and He's gonna go into the garden a little ways to pray, but he tells them watch and pray

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That you enter not into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak now

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They had no idea what was coming to them. They just had a good meal together

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They had the Passover meal together and they enjoyed this rather strange Emblematic time when

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Jesus took a loaf of bread in the cup and so forth But this was a time and a lot of teaching there was a lot of good teaching that got

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Jesus gave them that night What a great evening that they had together and they could just be basking in the warmth of the fellowship

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Jesus says watch and pray at this particular time Spirit is still is willing but the flesh is weak.

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There's never a time when you're not in danger So pray there's never a time when you can neglect prayer so persevere

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Watch unto with all Perseverance so you need to pray at all times.

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You need to pray with all kinds of prayer you need to pray with all diligence and then the fourth all at The end of verse 18 is that you need to pray with all believers in mind with all believers in mind

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Admittedly, it's easy to become very selfish in prayer We're all we're doing is thinking about ourselves and our problems and our needs and so on and so forth

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But Ian Hamilton reminds us on this phrase He says that the battle

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Christians are in is not a private war In prayer, we pray with all the church to our father and for all the church the devil fiercely and Unceasingly opposes all

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God's children and we are in the same battle Fighting under the colors of our captain

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Jesus Christ Now we also have to acknowledge That under that banner of our

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Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and under his colors there are believers that we need to pray for who may not who may not be the same kind of believers that we are

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I had a wonderful I I Normally don't have my phone with me when

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I come to the pulpit But some reason I stuck in my pocket and forgot about it this morning. I Got a wonderful text from a friend of mine.

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Who's a pastor in, Ohio in Southeast of Cleveland and He's he's a

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Presbyterian pastor Godly guy. He's a guy that was in the youth first youth group

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I ever served in and he went on to get his doctorate from Bob Jones and then went on to Into the ministry and he's now pastoring a

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Presbyterian Church a good fundamental Presbyterian Church in Hudson, Ohio And he sent me a text this morning at 730 and here's what he said.

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He said I'm praying for you this morning. I Hope you have a great Lord's Day preach the word

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Be faithful. That's all the Lord requires. I Hadn't heard from him.

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I haven't communicated with him in a few weeks and He he did send me a text with a link of you know a week or so ago

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I I didn't even I didn't read it because I didn't have time at the time But I mean, it's not like we talk every day.

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I haven't talked to him and I haven't talked to him in months Occasionally, he'll send me a text and just out of the blue this morning 730.

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He sends me that that prayer that's That's the idea that Hamilton's getting at that's the idea.

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Listen. That's the idea that Paul is getting at praying for all

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Saints why because we're all in this battle together all who are true followers of Christ Who are under the banner of the

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Lord Jesus Christ? We're all in this battle together Calvin takes up the same idea and he says and applies in a different way

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Listen to this he says if at any time we are colder or more indifferent about prayer than we ought to be because we do not feel the pressure of immediate necessity

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Let us instantly reflect how many of our brethren are worn out by varied and heavy afflictions are weighed down by sore perplexity or are reduced to the lowest distress if Reflect now listen if reflections like these do not rouse us from our lethargy

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We must have hearts of stone indeed and That's why

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Paul says we need to pray with all perseverance and supplication for all

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Saints So prayer is as vital as breathing but then

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I want us to notice in verses 19 through 22 an application of prayer and realize that prayer is personal and specific so in verse 18

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Paul gives a general exhortation to pray and Communicates the idea that we really need to do this that this is as vital to us as breathing

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But then in verses 19 to 22 he applies this and makes it very personal and specific he says at the beginning of verse 19 and for me

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So when you're praying for all the Saints Pray for me don't pray just broadly for the church

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Paul says pray For me not for the not only for the Saints as a group but for me as an individual and then

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Paul gives some specific things to pray about and in verses 21 and 22, you notice how

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Paul sends this Associate of his Tychicus. He sends the him to Ephesus and he says but so that you may know my affairs and how

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I do I want you to know specifically how things are going and what I'm doing I'm sending Tychicus a beloved brother and faithful minister

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And he shall make known to you all things Whom I've sent for you for the same per sent to you for the same purpose

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That you might know our affairs and that he might comfort or encourage your hearts. So Paul sends

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Tychicus along with the giving of this letter as well as Specifying some things in in verses in verse 20 19 and 20 to be praying for Look at what he says he makes some specific requests

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He says pray that God would give me an appropriate message He says and for me that utterance may be given unto me that word utterance by the way is our

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Greek word logos I mentioned that word last week. You remember maybe you don't that's fine. It's okay

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I don't blame you if you don't but but there are two different words for word back in verse 17

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Take the sword of the Spirit which is the Hrema of God the word the statement of God The word logos is is a message

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It's a message so he says pray for me that God would give me an appropriate message to Declare and then pray that God would give me an appropriate manner of communicating that message

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He said that he says in verse 19 that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth

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Boldly in fact a couple of times again in verse 20. He uses that same word that I may speak boldly

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And Paul recognizes that where he is and remember he is Writing this letter to the church at Ephesus from prison.

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He's in he's in chains and In that kind of a setting and that kind of a context what would be the temptation?

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Wouldn't it be to just Kind of be quiet not to not to cause a stir and not to make things any more difficult for yourself than they already are

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Paul doesn't do that He he knows he must he must know

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That there is that temptation He he says please pray for me that God would give me a message and that I would declare that message boldly

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And then he says also That God would give me and that God would fulfill an appropriate purpose in the communication of that message

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So he says pray that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel

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This is the purpose That God would give me a message to declare boldly and make known the mystery of the gospel

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What does he mean by the mystery of the gospel by the way? He's not talking about he's not talking about some hidden knowledge that only a few a few that have been initiated can acquire

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The mystery of the gospel is simply the fact that for the Old Testament period a lot of the details of the gospel were obscure They were there

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But they weren't seen clearly. They weren't understood clearly That's why the disciples had such a hard time really grasping the full

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Concept of who Jesus as Messiah was didn't even understand his need for this for his death and that he was gonna die

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They didn't get that a lot of that mystery was cleared up in the resurrection and the

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Ascension and the teaching of the Holy Spirit that came from it all and now Paul says

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Pray that God would give me a message to proclaim boldly so that I may make known the mystery of the gospel of Jesus Christ and He says pray for me that there would be an appropriate full full of an appropriate fulfillment

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Appropriate fulfillment what I mean by that is what we see in verse 20 He says that I may

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I may make known the mystery of the gospel verse 20 for which I am an ambassador in bonds

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I'm an ambassador now what's an ambassador supposed to do an

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Ambassador is supposed to communicate to the foreign dignitaries or the foreign nation the message that his

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Commander -in -chief has sent him to communicate So what Paul is saying is my calling in life is to be an ambassador of The Lord Jesus Christ.

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I am an ambassador, but I'm an ambassador in a foreign country that has shackled me and The temptation the tendency would be to decry the injustice of such a thing.

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I mean we don't We have foreign dignity we have foreign ambassadors that have what we call diplomatic immunity, right they come into our country

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They can break our laws and nobody will do anything to him Nobody will put him in prison

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They can park illegally or whatever, you know, you get that we understand that diplomatic immunity and our diplomats in foreign countries

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They have the same kind of you know, reciprocating Notion, so here he is. I'm an ambassador and I am in chains

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So Pray that I will fulfill I will be able to fulfill my calling my mission in life as an ambassador

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Now the point here is that These is not so much that these specific prayer requests that Paul prays asks the believers in Ephesus to pray that we would lift those and And particularly apply them and try to figure out well, how do

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I apply that for you know? my husband who you know goes to work at the office or you know, my wife who's a stay -at -home mom or the

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My my kids teacher and the Christians or whatever, you know, how do I apply this to them?

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The application of this to them is God Enable my husband to fulfill his mission and his calling in life and then you itemize

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What isn't what is involved in that calling and what is involved in his mission? specific prayer

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So prayer is vital as breathing prayer is also personal and specific. But then as Paul closes his letter

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He closes with a kind of prayer and we discover in verses 23 and 24 that prayer is

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Immensely practical it's immensely practical Here is Paul's expression of prayer

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Peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Grace be with all them that love our

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Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. What's he praying for? What's he praying for?

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He's praying that God he's praying for God's people to live in peace peace be to the brothers

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This idea of the brethren living in peace is a common theme in Ephesians We saw it first we saw it back in the chapter 2 verses 13 and 14

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He says but now in Christ Jesus you who were sometimes afar off or made near by the blood of Christ who for he is

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Our peace we have peace in the bond that we have with the Lord Jesus Christ And in chapter 4 verse 1 he says

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I as the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called and one aspect of that walking worthy of the

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Vocation wherewith we are called is seen in verse 3 where he says endeavoring to keep the unity of the

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Spirit in the bond of peace So as he closes this letter, he prays that God would keep his people in peace that they would live in peace

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And then he prays that God's people would love each other Which is indeed the basis of peace

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Again Paul has said the same kind of thing earlier in his letter For example in chapter 4 verse 2 after he says walk worthy of the calling wherewith you're called

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He says with all lowliness and meekness with long -suffering forbearing one another in love and In verses 15 and 16 he says but speaking the truth in love you may grow up unto him in all things the end of verse 16 he says

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That the working of the measure of ever making increase of the body unto the edifying itself in love

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He closes his letter praying that God's people would actually truly love each other

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Which is of course the basis of peace But then the foundation of that love and peace is the is the common faith

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So he says in verse 23 peace be to the brethren in love with faith with faith

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This is that gift of God given to the brethren By grace, are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves even that faith is the gift of God So it's that gift of God given to the brethren that is centered in Christ and that faith is the foundation

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For mutual love and peace One of the commentators

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William Hendrickson put these three together in this way He says the peace that passes understanding

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The love that is the greatest of the three greatest and a faith that overcomes the world

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These three precious treasures are given away to anyone who?

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Sincerely who sincerely requests them of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ So he prays

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God's people would live in peace that God's people would love each other that God's people would grow in faith And then he ends with this appeal this plea for God to be gracious that God's people would experience abundant abundant grace

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Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity

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Amen I was talking recently about with a couple

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Who had gone to a shooting range? to do some practice target shooting, you know with some handguns and so forth and in the in the process also received some instructions from the the expert there in this in this particular endeavor

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So the instructor he'll show you you know how to how to handle the the firearm how to handle the handgun

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How to handle it properly how to aim the weapon how how to you know?

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Pull the trigger and all that kind of stuff, but then he'll tell you Don't forget to breathe don't forget to breathe and So it is in your spiritual battles in our spiritual battles, yes

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Put on the gospel armor Each piece is vitally important, but don't forget to breathe in all circumstances pray

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It's the Christian soldiers our father and our

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God. I pray that you would renew within us and earnestness about prayer

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Realizing it is vitally important. It is to be personal and specific and it is so very practical

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Teach us Lord to pray We ask this in Jesus name.

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Amen Take your hymnals and turn to number 592 592

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Close with this hymn soldiers of Christ Arise and put your armor on 592 let's stand together as we sing.

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Shall we? Soldiers of Christ Strength which

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God Is mighty power

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Who in the strength of Jesus Trust is more than stand that in his great his strength and And take to and stand and tire

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No weakness of the soul From strength to strength

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Finally brothers rejoice aim for restoration encourage one another

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Agree with one another Live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you

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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the

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Holy Spirit Be with you all this we pray in Jesus name. Amen.