Ephesians 6:18-20: The Nature of Prayer
Outline What is prayer? Must we pray? How is prayer possible? The mysteries of prayer Introduction What is prayer? 17th century Anglican minister George Herbert has written a famous poem that multiplies the images of of the nature of prayer: ‘Prayer the church’s banquet, angel’s age, God’s breath in man returning to his birth, The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage, The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth Engine against th’ Almighty, sinner’s tow’r, Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear, The six-days world transposing in an hour, A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear; Softness, and peace, and...
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Ephesians 6:18: Praying and temptation
Outline Christ’s praying in Gethsemane Christ’s teaching in Gethsemane Introduction The greatest spiritual warrior to have walked the earth is Christ. He never gave in to one temptation; He faced greater temptations than anyone will ever face, and He is our teacher as we turn from the spiritual armour to the importance of prayer in spiritual warfare. As we read through the gospels we come across a life saturated in prayer. He would get up early and pray, Mk. 1:35; He would pray in private, Lk. 9:18; He prayed at His baptism, Lk. 3:21-22; and before He ate, Matt....
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Revelation 8:1-5: The 7th Seal
Outline The 7th seal The power of prayer Introduction In most communication of important information we leave the instructions and applications until the end so that it is clear in the minds of the hearers. God has given the vision of the 7 seals, a picture of birth pains ravaging the world, the church suffering, yet being sealed and victorious, and the enemies of God’s people being judged. The visions have been structured in such a way so as to emphasise things by taking them out of their normal expected place in chronology and placed them in the place...
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