Help From Prayer and People

Help From Prayer and People

Pastor Tom Mitchell

Invisible War # 8 Eph 6:18-24

We believe there is an invisible world that impacts our visible world. So for a number of weeks we have concentrated on one battlefront of spiritual warfare, the devil. But the Bible clearly teaches our warfare is on three battlefronts: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The worldly and demonic systems are external to the believer, but they entice and provide opportunities for the flesh, which is the capacity for sin within the believer. (repeat)

1. The World. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. These are the ways of the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. None of these come from the Father, but all of them come from the world.” (I Jn 2:15-16 )

The NT word “world” has a least three different meanings. It sometimes means the physical world, the earth (“God made the world…Acts 17:24). It also means the human world, mankind: (“For God so loved the world…” Jn 3:16) But the “world” named here as our enemy is an invisible spiritual system opposed to Jesus and his faithful followers. We use the word “world” in the sense of system in our daily conversation. The TV announcer says, “We bring you news from the world of sports.” The “world” of sports is not a separate planet, it is an organized system, made up ideas, people, and activities. The “world” in the Bible is Satan’s system for opposing Jesus work here on earth.

We are to stay away from the “world” because of what the “world” is – a satanic system that hates and opposes Jesus.

Gods answer to the world: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Rom 12:2 NLT)

2. The Flesh. “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:17).

The word “flesh” sometimes refers to the physical body (Gal 2:20) in this passage it refers to the “sinful nature” we are all born with.

In Victory Hugo’s story “93” the crew members of a ship were being tossed around in a violent storm, but they were more terrified by a crashing sound inside the ship than by the storm outside the ship. They knew that it was the sound of a cannon that has torn loose and was crashing into the side of the ship with each brutal wave. Two of the men risked their lives to go below and secure the cannon before it breaks through the inside the ship and sends it to the bottom of the sea. We are like that ship: our lives may be in greater danger by the inward power of the flesh than by the outer storms of the world and the devil. (repeat)

God’s answer to the flesh: “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” (Gal 5:16-17 LNT) The Holy Spirit enables us to overcome and to defeat the “flesh”.

3. The Devil.“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.. (I Peter 5:8-9a NLT)

As Jesus followers we face a constant battle against the opposing forces of the world system, fleshly desires, and the devil. For us to overcome these three we need help. First, we need the Holy Spirit. Eph 5:15-18 “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise…. understand what the Lord wants you to do…. Let yourself be continually filled (controlled) with the Holy Spirit.” Paul shares two further helps in fighting this battle: Prayer and People.

Be Strong in Prayer: Prayer helps us to battle. Eph 6:18 “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.^”Prayer declares our dependence on God the father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. Prayer is something we can all do to help our selves and each other.

Aside from the answers we receive, the act of praying itself benefits us in many ways. It keeps us engaged in what’s happening around us. It focuses our time and energy on what God is doing. It helps stabilize us when we are tempted to worry. And it moves us away from being self-centered to being God and other centered people. I like what Philip Yancey says about prayer: “Keep it honest, keep it simple and keep it up.” Strong in Prayer

Be Bold in Courage: Notice whatPaul asked his friends to pray. Eph 6:19-20 “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” He asks that they pray specifically that when he opened his mouth, God’s words would come out “fearlessly.”

I want to remind you where Paul was when he wrote these words. He was under house arrest chained to a Roman soldier 24/7. If that were you or I, we would be asking that God would send us a get out of jail free card. Not Paul, he didn’t want prayer that he would be set free, but that the story of Jesus would be freely spread without hindrance.

I tend to be a fearful person. So this is a good reminder for me and I hope for you, to prayer for Dori and I, for Jeff and Kay, for Mike and Beth, for Brian and Trudy. I want to remind you of what Moses told people he cared deeply about. He said, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deut 31:6)

Be Developing Faithful Friends: Eph 6:21-22: “Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.” Paul had close friends. He relied on his friends for strength, for help and for encouragement. Tychicus was one of Paul’s faithful friends. Paul allowed him to be a friend by including him in his life.

Paul was not a one-man show. He always had other people around him, helping him do life. Paul wrote 13 of the 27 books in the NT. And in those 13 books he often shares the name of many of his friends and co-workers.

We are to pray for others and have others pray for us, to encourage others and to be encouraged by others, to care for others and to be cared for by others, to love others and to be loved by others, to hold others accountable and to be accountable to others. We need each other!

Do you have friends you can turn to for prayer, for help, for encouragement, for accountability and for fun? A couple of weeks ago our Sunday night small group really helped us. They showed up at our house not with the next bible study, but with food and games. We had just been through difficult week and they new we needed fellowship, food, and fun more than we needed the next lesson in our study. No matter what our age we need the gift of faithful friends so that we can win the daily battles with the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Be strong in prayer. Be bold in courage. Be developing close faithful friends.