If you'll take your Bibles now
and turn with me to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter
6. The lesson this morning will
complete our study in the book of Ephesians. And what we're
going to be looking at is the life of faith and the fact that this life is
a battle. That's how it's compared in the
Scripture to a battle. That's what we've been looking
at. Putting on the armor of God. There's no need for armor if
there's not going to be a war. The knights of old didn't put
their armor on all the time. They just put it on when there
was a battle. It just might be, I don't know,
I've never really studied this, in its full extent, but it just
might be that the battle, this battle that everybody's looking
for in that last day, that great battle of Armageddon and all
that, it just might be that the warfare in the flesh, that spiritual
battle, is what all this prophecy in the Old Testament is about.
Because he talks about death in a great, great, just unbelievable,
shocking, extent and scope. He talks about blood up to the
horse's bridle and all of that type of stuff, and I just don't
think we're ever going to see that in the natural. I think
what he's talking about is this spiritual warfare by which all
but God's elect are going to be swept away. They're going
to be swept away. So it just might be that that
great battle that those prophets talked about so much is this
battle in the flesh. And the believer, he survives
this battle because greater is he that's in you than he that's
in the world. Greater is he that's in you than
your enemies. And when he talks about this
armor, that's what he's talking about. You can't have faith apart
from the Spirit of God. You can't have the helmet of
salvation apart from the Spirit of God. And so when he talks
about this armor, this armor is altogether owing to the Spirit
of God. That's what he's talking about.
It's for believers. So this battle is a spiritual
battle. And it's a battle within, and
the enemy is both subtle and fierce. He's so subtle that he
works in you. I see it every day. I read it
on the computer. I see it in the newspapers. I
see it every day. The subtlety of Satan working
in men who are not even aware that he's working in them. And
some of them true professors of faith. And nothing less than
the whole armor of God can preserve us from this enemy. Now, having
talked about that armor down here in Ephesians 6, verse 18,
Paul encourages those who are in this battle who know something
about it. Now, you're not going to do these
things and you're not going to be moved by these things unless
you know something about this battle, this warfare, until you've
experienced it. These things are a joke to people
in the world. They don't understand. They don't
understand. What are you talking about? What
warfare? What enemy? Satan, the god of
this world, what are you talking about? They know nothing about
it. They have not experienced these
things. And so he is talking here to those who have, who know
something about it and have experienced them in their own life. Now listen
to this, Ephesians 6.18, having put this armor on, he says, Now
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints. Now, all true prayer, I want
you to hear me because this is so important, is in the Spirit. There is no prayer apart from
the Spirit of God. The words that we muddle apart
from Him are just evidences of our own infirmities. That's all
they are. They're just idle words. You can read Isaiah chapter 1
where He talks about them, standing them with holy hands before Him
and waving their hands and doing all these things. And He said,
you make these long prayers. He said, I won't hear you. You're
not praying to Me. You are just moving your lips.
All true prayer is in the Spirit of God. There is no prayer apart
from His Spirit. Turn with me to John chapter
16. What does it mean then to pray in the Spirit? What is he
talking about? You go through the Scriptures
and you find out where Paul talks about preaching in the Spirit.
And he tells us and exhorts us to walk in the Spirit. You've
heard preachers talk about that, walking in the Spirit. And praying
in the Spirit. Well, whatever it is, it's not
some sensational feeling or experience. That's not what he's talking
about at all. And it's not being endowed with these supernatural
gifts that accomplish nothing except to glorify the flesh.
If there's anything that convinces me that these outward gifts are
nothing more than a sham, it's this. Everything God does is
to glorify Him and His name. And these outward gifts don't
do that at all. The only thing they glorify is
the person doing it. And if you go through the Scriptures,
you look in 1 Corinthians, and these were men who truly had
gifts. But they were using those gifts,
misusing those gifts, and they were using them to glorify the
flesh, and Paul called them down for it. To possess the Spirit
of God is to have the presence and power of God in you. That's
what it means. And He's in there to strengthen
you and establish you in the faith. I want to show you several
things here that will help you to understand the work of God
in the sinner. First of all, here in John 16,
verse 7, he calls the Holy Spirit of God the Comforter. The Comforter. Nevertheless, he said, I tell
you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if
I go not away, the Comforter will not come. Now Christ had
been their Comforter up to this point. He had comforted them. He had consoled them. When they
had a problem, they came to Him. When they had illness, they came
to Him. He was the comforter. He taught
them. He guided them. He led them.
He preached to them. He taught them. But He said,
I go away, and it's expedient for you that I do it. He said,
I know you're sad. Your hearts are sad. I know you're
troubled, but let not your hearts be troubled. I must go away if
it's expedient for you. If I don't go away, the Comforter
is not going to come. He's not going to come. He comforts wondering. Have you
ever been in a place where you wondered if you was one of God's
own? Have you ever opened this book
and wondered, is that really what that means? Have you ever wondered We attended
a funeral the other night. Have you ever wondered about
things like that? Wondered about death, life after
death, judgment? Have you ever just wondered about
things? He comforts wondering sinners,
bearing witness with our spirits that we are the sons of God. That's what he does. He comforts.
Nobody else, John, can confirm to you that you're a son of God
except the Spirit of God. He said, My Spirit will bear
witness with your spirit that ye are the sons of God. No other
way to know it. So He comforts wandering sinners,
and He does it being witness with our spirits. And He says
this over in Galatians chapter 4 and verse 6, He said, because
ye are sons. How did that come about? God
predestinated us to sonship. Isn't that what it says over
there in Ephesians chapter 1? He predestinated us to this sonship. And over here in Galatians 4,
verse 6, he said, "...because ye are sons, God hath sent forth
the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
And then he comforts us concerning our sins. He shows us how God
saves sinners. There is no other way to comfort
a sinner than to convince him that God is willing and able
to put away his sins. You're not going to comfort a
true sinner. Walking down an aisle, that's
not going to get it. You're going to have to convince
him in his heart. He's been convinced of the Holy
Spirit of God. You're not going to convince
him of anything. God is going to have to convince him. You're
going to have to show him in this book, on the foundation
of the Word of God, how God saves sinners. Will God save sinners? And through whom does God save
sinners? And He comforts us concerning our righteousness. He reveals
to us the imputed righteousness of Christ through faith. And
He comforts our ignorance. Here we are ignorant. Two men
stand up and preach. One preaches one thing and the
other preaches something else. I read on the internet this week
two men I've known for 30 years. One of them preached one thing
and the other one preached something entirely different. Totally contrary
to it. Who's going to speak to that
ignorance? Who's going to do it? The Comforter.
The Comforter. He comforts us in the darkness,
causing the light of the glorious gospel of Christ to shine in
our hearts. And He comforts us in death,
because He has given us in this life a spiritual resurrection. And that spiritual resurrection,
the first fruits of our inheritance. And He comforts us in death through
this, and He is the Comforter. And then secondly here in John,
He is the Convincer. Listen to this, John 16, verse
8. When He, that is the Comforter,
When He has come, He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness,
and judgment. Who's going to do it? He is.
He's the only one who can. And anybody here that's ever
sat down with an unbeliever and tried to argue with him over
these things knows that. You're not going to convince
him of anything. That's your opinion. That's what
he'll tell you. And he'll keep on telling you
it's your opinion. You've been deceived. You've
been this. You've been that. But his own standing isn't any
different from yours. Huh? His daddy told him those
things. His preacher told him. He can
match you word for word. All these evidences and things
that you tell him you have, he can match you word for word.
It takes the convincer. It takes the Holy Spirit of God.
Paul said he knew the election of the Thessalonians over in
1 Thessalonians 1. He said, I know your election
of God. I know that God chose you before
the foundation of the world and wrote your name in the Lamb's
Book of Life. That's a powerful statement,
isn't it? You know why he said that? Because when my gospel
came, he said it came not in word only, but it came in power
And it came in the Holy Ghost. Ain't that what he said? And
it came with much assurance. And the only way you can have
that assurance is for God to convince you in your heart. This
is the convicting, convincing work of the Holy Spirit. Our
Lord said this. Don't murmur. He told them. No
man is going to come unto Me unless the Father draw him. He
said that's why it's written, they shall all be taught of God. And then thirdly, the Holy Spirit
is our guide. Look down here in John 16, 13.
Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide
you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever
he shall hear, that shall he speak. Now back in 1 John 2,
verse 26, John said this, And he'd already made these statements. Those of you who are familiar
with the Scripture know where I'm coming from here. He made
these statements. They went out from you, but they
were not all of you. Had they been of you, they no
doubt would have continued with you, and so on. And he talks
about people who say they love God, but they don't love the
brethren. And he said, how can you love
God whom you have not seen and not love those whom you have
seen? And they're of God. Love is of God. He that loveth
not knoweth not God. And he goes on and on and on
about these false converts. And then down here in verse 26,
he says this, These things have I written unto you concerning
them that seduce you. Try to draw you away. But, he
said, the anointing which you have received of Him abideth
in you. He's talking about the Holy Spirit
here. And you need not that any man teach you, but as the same
anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is
no lie. And even as it hath taught you,
ye shall abide in him." This is not to the exclusion
of gospel preachers or pastor teachers or all that. It's not
saying that you can go out here and live on an island somewhere
and learn the gospel. That's not what this is talking
about at all. It simply means, hold it in its
context, he's talking about false professors and seducers trying
to seduce you away from the things of God. And he said, you're not
dependent on them. God has put an anointing in you. You heard the gospel. He confirmed
that gospel in your soul. And you have that anointing in
you. And you know if that man standing up there preaching is
preaching the truth. And you know it because God gave
you eyes to see and understand His book and to understand those
who preach the gospel and to understand these lies. He said,
you know. You know these things. And then
fourthly, he's the revealer of Christ. He's the revealer. I went a lifetime
and never understood what the Christ was. We used to celebrate it every
Christmas. I'd see Jesus in the manger and
they'd talk about the wise men and they'd talk about Jesus the
miracle worker and Jesus dying on the cross and all these things.
But I never one time ever understood the significance of the Christ.
What this Christ was all about. The Holy Spirit of God is the
revealer of Christ. And there cannot be a revelation
of Christ in the soul apart from the work of the Spirit. He is
the firstfruits of our inheritance as He dwells in us as the Holy
Spirit of promise. So praying, this is not a message
this morning on the Holy Spirit of God, but I want you to understand
this. When we're talking about walking
in the Spirit and preaching in the Spirit and praying in the
Spirit, this incorporates everything that I just told you. It incorporates
that revelation of Christ. It incorporates the truth from
error. It incorporates a true knowledge
of your sin and of your depravity. It incorporates all these things.
And you can't pray apart from the Spirit of God. I mean, you
can. You can stand out there and utter
words. But there's no true prayer apart from Him. Listen to this
over in Romans 8. Maybe this will help you on that
verse a little bit. Romans 8 verse 26. He is talking here about all
creation groaning and prevailing, waiting on the manifestation
of the sons of God, being preserved, waiting for that last day, waiting
for what creation was born for, waiting on that great day. And
so is the believer. We do that also. And so he says,
likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know
not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself
maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
The Spirit of God creates in you the desire to pray, shows
you your need to pray, motivates you in prayer, shows you the
truth how you can enter into the very presence of God. That's
what the Lord asked Israel over there in Isaiah chapter 1. He
said, Who invited you into my courts? You read over in Hebrews
chapter 10 down toward the end of the chapter, you'll find out
that by this new and living way, we can come into the holiest
of all with our petitions. This is something that God has
established and made possible. Spirit causes us to do all these
things. He makes us to feel our infirmities. He drives us to prayer. And He
makes us long for that eternal change. These are groanings which
cannot be uttered. The Lord said to His disciples
over in John 6, verse 63, He said, It is the Spirit that quickeneth
the flesh, profiteth nothing. This flesh doesn't desire anything
except this world. It desires what it lusts for.
It desires more. Ed McMahon come by your door
next week and write you out a check for a million dollars. You'd
just be satisfied for a week or two. Then you'd want two million. You'd be over there talking to
your accountant, now where can I put this money and make some
more? Give you a good crop, you'll
tear down your barns and build bigger barns. The flesh profit is nothing.
It's the spirit that quickens it. And through God's ordained
means, He gives the spirit of wisdom and revelation of Him,
Ephesians 1.18, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened
that you may know the hope of our calling. And He maketh intercession
for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, desires, ambitions,
affections, motives, and wills. I don't and I don't know anybody
who does preach the salvation of any man, those that I know
that preach the gospel, to the exclusion of his will or his
decisions. Anybody with enough sense to
come in out of the rain knows that you have to be willing and
knows that you have to make a decision. But I do not preach those things
as the basis of salvation. God's people are all made willing
in the day of His power. And they all choose where they
worship. And God's people all surrender to Christ, repent of
their sins, and believe the gospel. But none of these things apart
from the presence and power of God's Spirit. You can be taught
words, but what about the desire? How many times as a child with
no understanding whatsoever, probably not anymore, but back
in the old days, can I say that? I ain't that old yet, am I? But
back in the old days at school, we all stood up and we prayed,
our father, which art in heaven, and we didn't have a clue what
we were praying, did we? You can be taught words, But
what of the desire? What of the affection? What of
the willingness? Where do these things come from?
These are all groanings which cannot be uttered. Groanings
of the Holy Spirit of God. And this is how the true Jew
is distinguished in the world. He said, we are the circumcision
which worship God in the Spirit. Now what does he say? in the
Spirit with spiritual understanding. And we rejoice in Christ Jesus
because that's all the Spirit of God teaches. That's all He
teaches is Christ. Paul said, I've determined no
nothing among you said Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And he said, we have no confidence
in the flesh. Zero. None. All of the work of the Holy Ghost
is incorporated in worship and prayer. Prayer is not a shopping
spree or a wish list. Prayer is the expression of an
understanding heart. It's thankful. Thankful. Thank God He told me the truth. Thank God. He said, blessed are
your eyes for they see. It's not given to them to understand
the things of the kingdom of heaven. But it's given to you. It's a gift. Be thankful for
it. It's a prayer of an understanding
heart. An understanding heart is a heart
touched. It feels. It's a heart that groans
and a heart that praises and a heart that's thankful. And
many there at Corinth were gifted to speak in other languages.
And they did these things to impress their hearers. and to
show off their gifts. And over in 1 Corinthians 14,
he points out the ignorance and the problems with that. And then
he says this to encourage them, down in 1 Corinthians 14, verse
15. He said, I will pray with the
Spirit. Well, you don't, Paul. I will
pray with the understanding. You see that? Watch this. I will sing with the Spirit.
I will sing with the understanding. And then Ephesians 6 verse 18,
praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
Let me see if I can kind of pull all this together. We're engaged
in a spiritual warfare. Our enemies desire to destroy
us. That's what they're after, John.
And they're equipped with spiritual weapons against which natural
man has no defense. None whatsoever. But the spiritual
man is given an armor to wear. And with this armor on, he can
resist the enemy. He's girded about with the truth. Where did he get that? The Spirit
of God taught him the truth. He has on a breastplate of righteousness. You can't have that apart from
believing. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for
righteousness. His feet shod with the preparation of the gospel.
Who teaches the gospel? The Spirit of Christ. He carries
the shield of faith. He wears the helmet of salvation.
And he holds in his hand the sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God. And he prays. Any man who wears
this armor prays. He prays. Because he knows what
he's up against. And he knows who has equipped
him. And he knows apart from it, he's not going to stand.
And he prays. Verse 19, Ephesians chapter 6.
And he said, praying for all these saints and giving thanks
to God, and then pray for me that utterance may be given unto
me that I might open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery
of the gospel. Those whose hearts are established
in faith, whose hearts know by experience the necessity of hearing
the gospel, are thankful for it. And they pray for those who
preach it. All of them, without exception,
pray for those who preach it, knowing that what these men say
and to whom they say it are of the Lord. He said, pray that
utterance be given, because that's the only way you're going to
get it. That's right. It has to be given of God. How
shall they preach except they be sinned? And we do it because this is
the will of God, it's revealed in the Word of God, it's example
manifest in the history of the church, and it's the experience
of all true believers. My friend, your relatives and
friends are not going to hear until God sends them a preacher
and gives him utterance. And believe you me, this is not
the place to be when God don't give it. Over in Acts 2, verse 4, the
Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church, and as they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost, they began to speak with other
tongues, foreign languages, all of them hearing these things
in their own language as the Spirit gave them utterance. Ain't that what it says? And
then in Colossians 4, verse 2, he says this, he said, Continue
in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving, with all praying
also for us that God would open unto us a door of utterance." He's the only one who can open
that door, Russell. I can't kick it down. I can't open it up.
Only God can do it. Now, if only God can open this
door, hadn't we ought to pray that He open it? Don't you want your children
to be saved? Don't you want your friends and neighbors to hear
the Gospel? Don't that make you want to go
home right now and get in the closet and ask God to do it?
Because He's the only one that can. That's what Paul said. Pray that God would open unto
us a door of utterance. You remember, he wanted to go
to the little town where Lydia lived. Paul did. But God forbade
him. He wouldn't give him utterance
in that land. But he sent him somewhere else,
and when he got there, who was there? Lydia. That's right. God knows where
to send, and when to send, and what to give you to say. He knows. I'll tell you this, preaching
is not the same as teaching something in math class. Preaching is a
demonstration of the Spirit. It's a declaration of the Gospel
to men who by nature despise it. And we preach it, and we
watch for God to work in the heart. It's the only way they're
ever going to hear it. But John, he has a way, and it's
a wondrous way. I can't begin to explain how
he does it, but he turns, he puts in you a new heart, and
that new heart hears. And when he hears, everything
begins to make sense, don't it? You could have sat there from
now to doomsday. You would have never understood
the gospel. None of it would have ever made
any sense to you. And he gives you a new heart,
and all of a sudden, it's reasonable. Oh, I get it now. God's God.
He sits on the throne. He's God. He's the Creator. I'm
the pot. He's the potter. I get it. I get it. I see that. He has
the rights. I don't have any rights. He has
all rights. He's God. Isn't that something
how he makes that? All of a sudden you see it. You
see it. May God be pleased to call some
of us this morning to see it and to hear it for Christ's sake.