I'm going to read for the last time verses 6 to 20, and focus on the last couple of verses 19 and 20. But I do this that we might situate our text this morning in the larger context of the spiritual warfare that we as Christians are embroiled in, that we have been enlisted into as soldiers in and for Christ. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 10. Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of His might, Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand an evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Therefore stand firm, having fastened on the belt of truth. and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. This is pray. Father, the very words we've read I lift up to you. Father, I pray that this morning you would open my mouth that I might boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel as I ought to speak. Though perhaps not in chains, Lord, I pray that the gospel would speed forth readily this morning and be glorified, would be honored in our hearts this morning. I pray that the gospel would save sinners this morning and would sanctify your saints. Father, would you send the power of your Holy Spirit in our midst? Lord, would you point us to Christ? Lord, I pray that you would help us. Would you change us? Even just a little this morning, may we not leave here the same way we entered in. Father, we pray your blessing upon the remainder of the service. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. There are too many preachers who preach only from the neck up. It's a quote I found yesterday from an African-American preacher down in the South when he was lamenting the apparent void of power in so much of the pulpit. in modern day evangelicalism in North America. He said the problem is not that the pastors have enough theology or that their sermons have been prepared enough for. It's not enough that they're not eloquent or they're not gifted. He said the problem with many preachers nowadays is that they preach only from the neck up. And basically what this pastor is saying is that so much of the preaching that comes forth from the pulpit is heartless. It hasn't really sunk in to the very preacher who's proclaiming the truth he's espousing. And I just wanted to say this morning, I'm trusting that this text will not be so. That I have thought through this text for many years, and I've prayed this text for just as many. This is a pastor's text. And so whether or not God seems fit to bless you with His Word this morning, I want to say that I'll be preaching from the heart this morning, because I covet the prayers of the people in this church. Because I actually understand with Paul, that if this church is not praying for the preaching or the proclamation of the gospel, it's all void. It's all in vain, I should say. I love Psalm 127. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stay awake in vain. And I want to encourage you, if you do fall asleep, I'm hearing my long-windedness that you would leave here understanding of the necessity of prayer in evangelism. The necessity of prayer every time the gospel is preached from this pulpit. That you have just as much a responsibility for the word that goes forth from this pulpit as I do. I want you to understand that. So many people leave the service and critiquing the message. How much have you prayed? As one old Puritan said, John Trapp I think his name is, he said, it's interesting that some of the most fruitful ministries come from men who are not gifted as it were, or with natural abilities, but are rather gifted with a praying church. So I want you to be a praying church. There are too many preachers that preach in their own power, but not in the power of the spirits. And what Paul was asking for this morning is that the church in Ephesus would pray for him. He's prayed for them, chapters 1 and 3, and now he asks that they would return the favor. Pray for me. And during the years of his decline, another preacher, this one a little more famous, and one that you are hopefully becoming a little more acquainted with, And C.H. Spurgeon was asked the same question. What is the greatest need of the hour, Charles? There are times coming when we won't have you in the pulpit. What does the Church need? Much to the surprise of the interviewer, Spurgeon said, what we need in the Church is not another prince of preachers. What we need in the Church is more prince of prayers. It's amazing that the Prince of Preachers would say he's dependent upon the Prince of Prayers. What the church desperately needs are people who pray. It's fine to have your gifted men like Paul Rosher, to have your Pipers and your MacArthurs and your Lawsons. Those guys are great, but understand, apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, those men are just gifted orators. Anyone who is acquainted with Spurgeon's ministry knows that he readily and regularly acknowledged that his successes as a preacher were the direct result of his congregation's faithful and fervent prayers. In fact, I've said this before, when visitors would come to Spurgeon's Met Tab, and they would ask him about the secret of his success, he would not take them to the pulpit. He would take them downstairs into the dungeons, he would say. He would take them into the furnace room. He would bring the people to the basement prayer room where the people were always on their knees interceding for the proclaimed word. Spurgeon understood the power of prayer. He would say, here is the powerhouse of this church. The powerhouse of the church is not the man in the pulpit. It's the people on their knees in prayer. And so I'm encouraging you to not just leave it to one man to fulfill his ministry, but to, as it were, co-labor with your preacher. To co-war, in the good sense, with your preacher. To pray, to petition, and to supplicate for him. Like the great apostle Paul, Spurgeon understood that unless people were praying for him, his preaching, though entertaining, though maybe full of truth, would ultimately be void of any spiritual power for either the conversion or the transformation of sinners. Beloved, if we as a church ever want to see multitudes saved, if you ever want to see power go forth from this church, it will come in direct correlation to how much time, yes time, we spend on our knees. It's good to be in the books. But as you read the old Puritans, they would say that the most powerful time of the week was not in the study, but in the closet. Oh, that we would be a church like that. If we want to see multitudes of souls saved, and if you're a Christian, that should be one of your greatest desires, is to see the lost saved. Spurgeon says, if you have no desire for the lost to be saved, you're probably not saved. Because what God plants inside His people is His own love for lost and perishing sinners. So when you read of Christ's heart breaking over sinners in Matthew chapter 9, if you have been recreated into the likeness and image of Christ, you too should have this aching, this churning within, and you see multitudes going to hell. You see people perishing, lost in their sins, buckled under legalism. And we too should desire to see souls saved. And our text and church history shows that before there are multitudes ushered into the kingdom, it's always, always in response to the people praying. I would encourage you to read people like Jonathan Edwards or Martin Ray Jones on revival. They always prayed. We can't force revival, but no revival has ever come apart from prayer. Zechariah 4.6 is one of my favorite passages in all the Bible. You can read it later, but basically it's the exiles who've returned back into the promise, and you remember when we preached through Ezra and through Nehemiah that they were rebuilding the altar, and then they went to rebuild the temple, and then the city gates. And God is reminding the people that as you build this house, As you build this edifice which embodies God's reign over His people, as you build this church, you might say, it is not by might, nor by power, not by human might, nor by human power, but by My Spirit says, the Lord of hosts. Jehovah sabeoth His name. Remember that. That is, we seek to see God's building, this edifice, this church built. It's not going to be through crafty or clever preaching. It's not going to be so much through organizational skills. Those things are good. It's not bad to have a building, or a good worship team, or to have nice greeters, or to have a coffee bar. Those things in and of themselves aren't bad, but in and of themselves they're not sufficient. There's only one thing that is necessary. That would be prayer. I was thinking of Solomon. There are many beautiful women. But he says to his bride, you are the fairest of them all. And as we seek to see people saved, we should say, good preaching. And all these other things, they're good and they're beautiful. But prayer, you are the fairest tool of them all. You are the prettiest and the most necessary for me of all if we want to see people saved. Things are no different in our time than they were in Zechariah's time. Zerubbabel thought maybe he would help God. Maybe we just need stronger workers, or maybe we need more abled warriors. And God says, you do need more warriors, but prayer warriors. People who supplicate, and people who, as it were, bombard the gates of heaven on their knees seeking God's blessing. Spurgeon said this, he says, every workman, if he be wise, uses a tool that is likely to accomplish the purpose he has in view. There are some artists who have never been able to play except on their own violin, or paint except with their own favorite brush and palette. He says, and certainly the great God, the mightiest of all workers, in his great artistic work of soul winning, loves to have his own special tools as well. I think God's special tool, His favorite of them all, is prayer. Because when we pray and people are saved, God gets all the glory. So I want us to see that God has special tools He uses. And if you want to see family members converted, if you want to see co-workers converted, if you want to see a revival at the college and the university, it's not going to be through reading more commentaries or having a more rocking study. It's going to be as you get on your face and cry out for God to have mercy on those people. It's as the people who are in your study pray for you as you leave, that words, the right words, gospel words, might be given to you. Not hip, entertaining words that tickle ears, but truths that challenge hearts in the gospel which changes souls. We've seen in Ephesians that God's purpose in all of history, in Ephesians 1.10, is that He might sum up, bring under the headship, under the authority, all things under the lordship of Christ. Things in heaven and things on earth. And that He's bringing all things under the lordship, under the headship, uniting all things in Christ through the church. But what Paul is saying this morning, that's not just any old church that God is seeking to unite all things under Christ. He seeks to unite all things under Christ through a praying church. I just want that to sink in a bit. You want to see Christ head of all things? You want to be a church that is used by God to reach out to the multitudes who are lost and perishing in their darkness and in their sin? And pray. And pray that we be a praying church. Pray that your pastor would be a man on his knees. Pray that when I come up in this pulpit I have a limp because my knees are black and blue from praying all week. Not that my head is just full of Greek and with commentators and with all Reformed quotes. Those are great. But they avail nothing if not attended by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our text this morning shows us that prayer is absolutely and fundamentally essential and necessary in evangelism for two reasons. So if you follow suit, here's two reasons. I'm not going to expound upon them because my time is running away from me already. But this is why we need to be people who pray. It's very simple. We are weak, they are dead. It's not even alliterated. Why should we pray as a church as we seek to see people saved? Because we are weak and they are dead. If it was just one of the two, we wouldn't need to pray. If we were strong, we wouldn't need to pray, because we could give them life, but we're weak and we can't. Or, if they weren't dead and they were merely just sick, then we wouldn't need to pray, because even in our weakness, we could lead them to Christ. But the problem is, Ephesians says, we are weak and they are dead. And God commands us to pray, and to pray for those on the front lines preaching the Gospel. We must, because we are weak. And they are dead. First, we are weak. You can look in Ephesians 6, 19. Paul says that we are to pray for all the saints. Keep alert. Satan doesn't want us to pray, because he understands that prayer is the only thing that overcomes our weakness and their deadness. Prayer is the only thing that unleashes the power of the Spirit as we preach the Word. So Satan wants us to get sleepy. Paul says, no, stay awake. Pray for all the saints, including me. No, not the apostle. Paul says, no, you need to pray for me. Why? Because Paul acknowledges he's weak. As you read through Paul in Romans 7 or 2 Corinthians 10 and 11, Paul readily boasts in the fact that he's weak. And because he's weak, he's not too ashamed to ask for prayer. It's not in my notes. Do you ask others to pray for you? Not everything in my notes comes out, but this is something I want to challenge you with. Do you ask others to pray for you? And if not, why? Weak people ask for prayer. If you don't ask for prayer, perhaps you don't realize your weakness. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Not self-sufficient. If Paul could do this on his own, he would have ended in verse 18. Pray for all those other saints who need God's power. As for me, I'm good. Paul says, pray also, even I would translate. And for me, it's emphatic in the Greek. I wish I could teach you all Greek. Pray for me. Not just me. For me. Underline it. Pray for me. The Apostle? Yes! The apostle who is weak, who is riddled with weakness and all kinds of infirmities. The apostle who is helpless, apart from the power of God's Spirit. In the cosmic battle against Satan and his minions, it's not enough for the believers to pray for their fellow soldiers. Plus, even the generals need prayer too, because they too are riddled with weakness. Are riddled with all kinds of fears and doubts and temptations that Paul is no different from any of us. In the words of James 5, he's a man with a nature like ours. Paul then asks for prayer. How often do we forget that even the best of men are men at best. Paul's asking for prayer. I'm asking for prayer. Sometimes people think that. Well, the pastor, he studies all week, so he's just, you know, like, he's not up to the third or the seventh heaven, but he's close. I'm a sinner. I have to guard my eyes and make covenants with my eyes all week. I have to repent of pride and anger and all kinds of sins. I'm weak. I pray to God that you realize that you're weak too. I pray to God that you'd be unashamed to stand in this pulpit and say, you know what? I need prayer. I need prayer because I'm struggling with this. I need prayer because I'm a coward to share the gospel. I'm weak. I need prayer. Paul says, pray also for me. So often we think that there's two hierarchies. There's the super-Christians, and then there's the rest of us. It's not what the Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians 10. It says that we all have these temptations that are common to all people. Paul included. Peter included. Barnabas, Silas, Timothy included. Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, C. H. Spurgeon included. Ryan Case, though I don't think any of you are putting me in that category. I'm a sinner. Do you pray for me regularly? I'm not trying to guilt you, but I'm supplicating and I'm begging you. Pray for me. You pray that God would keep me pure, morally and spiritually. You pray that God would keep me a man on my knees and humble. And if He doesn't keep me humble, that He would make me humble and then keep me humble. Anyways, I don't want to make this all about me, but I just pray that there would be that same transparency that you could come up into this pulpit and you could say, help me, I need prayer! We will pray for you, brother or sister. How strange would Paul's request be in many of our prayer meetings and community groups? Why is it that we're so scared to ask for others to pray for us? I'll let you think about that. Perhaps it's because we're afraid to reveal to others that we're weak. Perhaps we don't want others To really see that we're human after all. We don't want others to see that we don't have it all together. Perhaps we don't want others to see that we still struggle. Aren't you glad that the Apostle Paul is not too proud to ask? Be imitators of me. Yes, in preaching the Gospel, but also in asking for prayer. Philippians 3, 19, 17. Keep your eyes fixed on us. The example that you've seen in us, follow it. I think that's a real problem. And I want to encourage the community groups. Get a little more open. Open up. They'll judge me. It's fine. Paul could have been judged here. Imagine the gossip train about Paul. He doesn't care about that. I'm weak. I want to see people saved. Pray for me. I'm not too proud to ask for that. I found it quite refreshing that Paul not only reveals, but often revels in His own weakness. Because He says in 2 Corinthians, it is in our weakness that Christ reveals His strength in and through us. You want to be strong in your own power? I'll guarantee you this, you won't see much of Christ's power. We are weak. Pray also for me. Not just for the people. Pray for me, Paul says. Pray for me as a sinner. I love Paul's unashamed transparency. how different the world would see us as Christians if we were more like that. You know what the world looks at us like? They just think we're a whole bunch of self-righteous, goody-two-shoe hypocrites. Could you imagine if unbelievers saw you weeping, asking for prayer? Could you imagine that? And they'd see that you're human after all, that you're saved by grace and not by goodness? That you're saved by Christ's mercy and not your merit? Could you imagine that? They don't have to be good and get it all together before they come to Christ, but those who belong to Christ are actually weak and helpless and need prayer from others and cry out for grace, knowing that God has given it to them in Christ. I'd be a great witness. I think it's a real shortcoming of our churches. Especially, I know I keep attacking reformed churches, but hey, I'm the pastor of one. I pray that we'd be a transparent church. We wouldn't put on the airs these pretenses that we got it all together and that we're so strong because we know five points it can spell a flower's name. Seriously. Paul says, also for me, that to me might be given logos, the message. So in the Greek he's saying, pray also for me and to me. that words would be given me. Paul, you know the gospel. And he said, yeah, pray that it would be given to me again. I found that very interesting. Paul says that we're to pray with all supplications for all the saints. The first supplication that comes to Paul's mind is help me to preach the gospel. Pray that I would preach the gospel. Not just vague. I pray that Paul would flourish. Pray that I would preach the gospel. This is the specific supplication, number one on Paul's list. Again, Paul would be so unique at our prayer meetings. He's not saying other things are not important. I'm not going against what I said last week. But the first thing that comes to the fore of Paul's mind is for the last, I pray that I have courage to stand before them and not just talk and flatter them in quotes version, but preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If you're in Paul's shoes or in his shackles, What would you be praying for? Remember Paul, in chapter 3, he says he's in prison. I don't want you to lose heart over the things I'm suffering for you. I'm a prisoner for Christ, chapter 3-1, chapter 4-1. Paul's in prison. He's writing to the believers who are free. Now put yourself in his shackles. It's the middle of the first century. You don't have fancy penitentiaries like this where you get three square meals and you can work out and you've got a TV and a somewhat comfy bed. If you read 2 Timothy, you realize it's cold, it's dark, it's dank, it's riddled with all kinds of sicknesses and diseases, he's lonely. Don't you want to get out? I would! Paul doesn't. Isn't that amazing? You can say that, yes, the Bible doesn't give us examples to follow. It does, yes. We need to look to Christ, but sometimes Paul says we should imitate him, as he imitates Christ. Imagine. What would you ask for? This is where you actually think. Would you ask, pray for me that I might get released. Pray for me that I might not starve to death in here. Pray for me that I might not be so lonely. Pray that the wounds on my wrists from those shackles would heal because they're getting infected. There's all kinds of things we pray for. Paul says pray. Pray that word might be given me. What word, Paul? A clever speech before Felix, or Festus, or Agrippa, or Caesar? Is that the kind of word? Something where you can be a fancy defense lawyer, and you can get yourself out of jail, so you can then go and preach the gospel? He says, no. Pray that the gospel would be given me. Paul, you're in prison for that very word. And you want the word. Paul's praying that, if it's God's will, that he would be in jail longer. that his incarceration would be lengthened. To which we would say, Paul, smarten up! Wouldn't it be better for you just to sort of compromise a bit, get out of jail and then go and preach? It just shows the different mindsets between a man whose heartbeat throbs with the gospel and us whose feet are just so firmly planted on earth. I was thinking Philippians 1. Paul says, I will be vindicated. Not just delivered. I will be vindicated. Even if I die, may Christ be honored in my body. May Christ be honored that I opened my mouth and lost my head, rather than kept my head and shut my mouth. Don't you want that? I do. In the spirit I want it. My flesh sort of says no. Paul says, pray that a logos, a word, a message might be given me. Ephesians 1.13, he uses this word. And you, when you heard the what? The word. The word of truth. The gospel of your salvation. This word that Paul is asking for is that he might preach the gospel. Fearlessly, indiscriminately. That he might preach this message of 2 Corinthians 4. This message of 1 Corinthians 2 as well. Pray that I'll preach Christ and Him crucified. Paul had been given a divine opportunity to speak before the rulers in Rome. Jesus promised him that. Paul, I'm sending you to Rome. Where's Paul in prison when he's writing this book to the Ephesians? He's in Rome. You get to speak before the big guys. Paul says, pray that I will not vacillate or compromise. Pray that I would preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That the spirit of Philippians 1 might assist him and strengthen him to preach Christ, even if it would be at the cost of his life. Paul knew he'd been given a divine opportunity by God to speak before others. And he asked that the word he spoke before those others was the gospel. God has also placed every single one of you in a specific sphere. He's given each and every one of you an opportunity to speak before others. It might not be before Caesar, it might not be between hostile Gentile rulers of Paul's time, but He's put co-workers, family members, neighbors into your life for a reason. And you speak to many of them. You speak to maybe some of your co-students. Other words aren't bad, but other words will not save them. So maybe a community group, or maybe as you fill out that piece of paper, the person you wrote on there, you would say, please pray for me, that as I talk with my dad and my brothers, a word, the Logos, the Gospel, might be given to me. I would encourage you to ask others to pray for you that way. As I go to school, pray for me, that I might preach the gospel. As I go to work, as I march with co-workers, with clients, let's pray for him, that he might preach the gospel. He might get in trouble. Paul might get in trouble. He might lose his head, which is worse than losing your job, which is maybe better than losing your job if you're saved to live as Christ and to die as Cain. Whether these people in your life, these opportunities include your children. Moms, please don't think it's only for co-workers. It's for your children. You moms should be saying, pray for me. When you get together at Julie's on Monday, say, pray for me. That I might preach the gospel to my kids, not moralism. that I might not be so lazy with them and just sort of, that I would spend time, I would preach the Logos to them, the Gospel, a word might be given to me with my shoulder, but you see them every day, then let's pray that you would speak the Gospel to them every day. It's hard. As a parent, we started when we had one kid, when we were disciplining Alicia, And we'd speak the gospel to her when we disciplined her. But we got four kids, one of them extremely needy of spanks. It's hard to preach the gospel to them after you spank them 25 times a day. So you pray for parents. You pray for mums. You pray that they'll take that extra two minutes. They'll turn off the Facebook or whatever mums do while they're cleaning all day and stuff. I'm just getting into trouble. Pray that words might be given me as I preach. These words are coming probably from the deep, sinful recesses of my depraved heart. But I mean it. Let's not lose direction. Pray for those moms. Pray for them. Husbands, pray for your wives. Wives, pray for your husbands, that at their water cooler, Matt might be preaching the gospel. Or at least on the coffee break, and not just the weather. Those things are okay, but ultimately, the Logos is what Paul wants. I'm not talking about Roman politics or the weather in Rome that day. If we are not praying or being prayed for, our conversations will likely be about trivial things. Things like sports, TV programs, weather. Those things aren't bad. But none of them are the power of God for salvation for those who believe. that the Spirit might give us the good news of the gospel to speak with those whom God has given our lives, to speak to them the unsearchable riches of Christ. So Paul says, I am weak. Pray also for me. Pray that words might be given to me. But he keeps going on. He says that in opening my mouth I might preach the gospel. I do want to spend a little bit of time here. This is the one thing I took away from this message. It's not enough to have the gospel in your head. It's not enough to have the gospel in your heart if you want people to be saved. The gospel must be in your mouth. That's a problem with too many of us. We're content to know the gospel, but not to preach it. People are saved by hearing the gospel, not by mind-reading you. I wish that people could just somehow download what I know and they could be saved, but that's not how God ordained it. In the previous point, Paul, confesses that so many of us, when we do open our mouths, we open our mouths with the wrong thing. We talk about all the wrong things. Well, in this point, Paul deals with the other problem, on the other side of the fence, is that when it's the right thing, it's so hard to open our mouth. Why is it so easy to open our mouth with the wrong things, but with the only important thing, we can't open our mouth? This is why Paul is praying, by the way, and asking for prayer. Do you find it hard to preach the Gospel to people? Then maybe ask for prayer. Paul, you preach the gospel to everybody. You know why? Because his church were praying that he would do so. Sometimes we give a little more credit to Paul than he would want us to give him. All glory be to the Holy Spirit. Paul says, not only that words may be given me, but words may be given me as or when or in opening my mouth. It's not enough that God just gives you a word, that you know the gospel. Yes, open your mouth and I'll fill it. But let God fill your mouth and then speak out. The point reminds us that those of us who are Christians, we may have the right content, but all too often we are too terrified to open our mouths to speak it. So Paul says, pray for me. Pray for me that I'll open my mouth. That when I get the gospel, I'll preach the gospel. Reminds me, none of you probably other than Charlie, And some of you who grew up in pagan backgrounds will know where I'm coming from. There's a movie called Saving Private Ryan. And in this movie there's this coward. His name is Corporal Timothy Upham. He's just always whining and crying and cringing. And all of his brothers, his comrades are in the heat of battle, fighting. And he's always decked out, he's always got tons of bullets, he's got the big gun, he's got all the weapons in the world, and they're useless. Because he's a coward. It's irksome. You finish the movie just with a distaste for this guy in your mouth. And I thought, that's probably a picture of many of us. So we've got all the armor in the world, we're decked out, we've got all the guns, all the knowledge, we can quote all the scholars, and it means nothing on the battlefield. Because we're cowards. Dear listener, are you like Corporal Timothy Upham? And you might say, yeah. You know what you need to do? You need to memorize Ephesians 6.19 and say, and pray also for me, that words may be given me to open my mouth. It's not enough to ask others to pray for God to open up doors of opportunity. That's what Paul prays in Colossians 4. Pray that God will open up a door of opportunity. God may open a door of opportunity, but that door is shut if you shut your mouth. An open door requires an open mouth. Otherwise, it's a lost opportunity. We're often praying that. God, give me an opportunity. Yes, open the door. But God, give me the courage to open my mouth. You all know the fight. You all know when God has swung open a door, And then you're like, well, I'll wait 20 seconds. I'll wait till the next sentence. At 3.58 I'll share the gospel. Okay, at 4.02 I'll share the gospel. And then by the time he's on the bus, or they've left home, or they're gone. We should be praying for one another. That when the opportunity is availed, that we would open our mouths. We would speak this word, this gospel. If we don't open our mouths, we will shut God's door. Can a reformed person say that? You better believe it. God may open a door, but that door means nothing if you don't open your mouth. Pray that we would open our mouths. Though the Spirit is sovereign, we must speak. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing by the Word that comes out of our mouth. That's what Paul is saying in Romans chapter 10, quoting Deuteronomy. The Word is in your mouths. The Apostle says, and this is the Word we preach to you. If we don't audibly preach the Gospel, people can't get saved. My friend Caleb says it, so if you want to throw stones, throw them at him. But I agree with him. God will not even save His elect if we don't preach the Gospel to them. I know that's a theological conundrum. But the elect can't be saved without the Word. Read Paul's chain of argument in Romans 10. We need to preach that gospel, knowing it's great. Pray that God will give you that word. Pray that God will fill your mouth with the gospel. But pray that God will also empty your mouth of that gospel and tell others about it as well. The gospel will forever remain a mystery to unbelievers if we never open our mouths to preach that mystery to them. Do people just know the gospel inherently? They don't. They don't. Your co-workers, they don't know the gospel by birth. So pray that God would open your mouth and ask others to pray that God would open your mouths. According to Ephesians 4.29, Paul says that this word, this logos, gives grace to those who hear. If we don't speak it, if we don't speak that word, that grace doesn't happen, does it? In chapter 5, verse 6, he uses the word logos again in the plural. And he says that there's empty words out there. That unbelievers are gulping down and being damned. They're sons of wrath. They're children of wrath. Why? Because they're believing false words. How long is the church going to sit here and let the world believe those false words when we have the true word? Why are we not speaking it? They're believing the false word and going to hell. We have the word of truth that saves. Oh God, open my mouth to preach the gospel to them. Others say we'll forever perish. Do you care about perishing people? Get uncomfortable and ask God to open your mouth this week. Get uncomfortable at community group and ask others to pray for you. That God will give you boldness to not just know the gospel, but to open your mouth and preach it. How do you open your mouth? Boldly. The Spirit gives us boldness in chapter 3 to pray to Christ as mediator. Okay, listen for the alliteration. The Spirit gives us boldness to pray through Christ as mediator. But here, we see in chapter 6, the Spirit also gives the believer boldness to preach Christ as Savior. To pray to Christ as a mediator, but also to preach Christ as a Savior. Okay? May the Spirit empower us. This is exactly what happened in the book of Acts, isn't it? I'd love to go through it, but I won't. But read Acts chapter 1 through 4, 1 through 5. You're going to see a pattern. People believe the promise of Christ. They pray. The Spirit comes in power. They witness. People get saved. We always want to be a church like Acts, but we never pray like the church like Acts. Christ promises, seek me. Those who seek me diligently will be found by me. I will pour out my Spirit upon you, He says. Promise. Do you believe? Pray. Power. Preaching! Conversion. Conversion. That's what happens in the book of Acts. They pray, and not only do they open their mouths, they open their mouths boldly. They open their mouths boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. I'm almost done. For you keeners, I'm just going to speed it up. You can write down these notes. The word to make known, that's what it means. ESV has here to proclaim, literally means to make known. It's used with the other Greek word mystery twice, in chapter 1 and in chapter 3. And all I want you to understand is this, is that the Spirit will never make known the mystery of the Gospel until we make known the mystery of the Gospel. Get it? We can issue the outward call, but the Spirit won't use that for an inward call unless we preach. Okay, so I preach the mystery of the gospel. I don't explain it, I just preach it. I reveal the mystery of the gospel to my neighbor. The Spirit takes that and applies it, and then converts them according to chapter 1. Converts them according to chapter 3. All I'm saying is this, and this is going to sound very non-reformed, and I really don't care, as long as it's biblical. The Spirit will not make known the mystery of the gospel until you preach that gospel. That's all Paul's saying. Oh God, would you open up the eyes of the world? But open up your mouth, because God won't open up their eyes until you open up your mouth. There's a prerequisite. William Greenaw, a Puritan, said this. God never laid it upon thee to convert those He sends thee to. No. To publish the Gospel is thy duty. You do your part and let the Spirit do His part. And Paul says, pray that I might make known this Gospel. And pray that as I make known this Gospel outwardly, the Spirit would make known this Gospel inwardly. It's a real difference. I'm preaching to you the Gospel right now. Some of you have been leaf here unconverted. Some of you have been sitting in a Gospel preaching for months. We need to pray, Spirit, make that outward call effectual inwardly. For which I am a prisoner in chains. We've already seen it, so I don't need to wax eloquent, but Paul is in prison. Not was in prison, or is going to be in prison, Paul is in prison. Paul would rather preach the gospel as a prisoner than to not preach it as a free man. Listener, what about you? I was just thinking about that. Praying, God give us more Pauls. Make me a Paul. You're like, okay, well you are a Pauling. But that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking God, make me like Paul. Make me a Paul. that I would rather preach the gospel in shackles than not preach the gospel as a free man. I was thinking about 1 Corinthians. God, give us men and women who would say, woe is me if I preach not the gospel. Paul, get out of jail and not preach the gospel. He'll be the most miserable person in the world. You want to see Paul miserable? Have the chains off his hands and have the chains on his lips. That's miserable Paul. That's happy most of us. Oh, that God would work in us, that we would be like Paul. That though we're shackled here, we can say like he does in 2 Timothy, the line in chains, the word of God is not chained. Paul reminds us that preaching the gospel costs. I don't know when it's happening, and I'm not getting prophetic, but it's happening soon. Maybe in this generation, maybe in our children's generation, there's a good chance that this verse will not be merely hypothetical for us. That your pastor, me, someone else, I don't know, might actually be saying, yeah, pray for me while I'm in prison, that I'll preach the gospel to the guards. We'll never get out! That's okay. I'd rather be free in this prison to preach Christ than a slave out of this prison to not preach Christ. Are you praying that God would raise up a generation? Are you praying that for your kids? I don't want my kids just to be good, smiley, moral, Christianese kids. I pray that they'll be able to say with Paul, even if I'm in prison, I pray that I would not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. that I might preach it boldly as I ought, as we move towards our conclusion, the word is very powerful, as I ought, as I must. Simply this, the gospel is so glorious we must not do a disservice by preaching it as if it's merely a way or some insipid self-help. The gospel is worthy of being declared boldly and with power and unashamedly. Don't be a coward when you're preaching the gospel. That gospel is the only thing that saves people. Preach it boldly, as you must, as you should, as you ought. How often we preach the gospel with the defeatist mentality. Oh, I sure hope you believe it. Oh, that we might understand the power of the gospel. Not only to save the lost, but also to strengthen God's people. We read in Philippians 1.12-14. Most of the brothers, when they realized Paul was preaching the gospel in chains, said they became even more bold to speak the word of the Lord. Conclusion, followed by application, followed by probably rejoicing in jubilation. Paul understood that God had sovereignly placed him in jail for the primary purpose of preaching the gospel to those in his life. The whole Praetorium Guard, he says in Philippians, has believed. Paul also understood that if he were not upheld by the prayers of others, Exodus 17, you can read it after, he would flounder and fail in this mission. And if Paul was left to himself, would likely not open his mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which he was in chains for. Paul is weak. They are dead. Pray for me, therefore, that I might open my mouth. And in opening my mouth, the Spirit might take that gospel and He might apply it to hearts and save His people. Listener, I've said it, but I'll say it again. Do you understand that God has sovereignly placed you where you are? that His desire is for you to open your mouth boldly, to make known, to declare, to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ, to make known what is the plan, the mystery of the plan, hidden in God for ages. Do you understand that? Put people in your life, because they must hear the Gospel. I hope this message has reminded you of how necessary it is for you to have others praying for you in this regard. This is not optional. One person even. A best friend. A spouse. Somebody in community group. Somebody. Do you have somebody praying for you? Are you being lifted up in prayer? That you might have a gospel boldness, an unashamedness to speak to those that God has put in your life. I'll be praying for Heather and Julie's neighbor. That they might have boldness to preach the gospel. Even if they think that neighbor might never want to see them again. Charlie nailed it on Wednesday when we were praying. He said, that's the real struggle we have is we don't want to push people away and that's a good thing. But so often, in not wanting to push them away, we become cowards and the only thing that will save them is us taking a chance and believing God and trusting Him for His grace and His Word. Are we praying for that? Or are we trying to build God's temple like Zechariah 4 in our own wisdom and power? Let me give you three applications in my class. One, We need to pray more often for each other's daily witness that we would be salt and light in the world. Okay, you can't pray for everyone in this church, but let me encourage you husbands to pray for your wives if they stay at home. Or pray for your wives if they're at work. Wives, pray for your husbands as they go to work. Pray, pray for someone. If you're single, pray for your buddy. Email them, text them, let them know you're praying for them. I know when people say, I'm praying for your boldness, you know what that does? That encourages me to share the gospel. It reminds me, yes, I need to share the gospel. If I don't have those reminders, I inadvertently, I go back to my natural state and I don't care about people. It's a means of grace. So, pray for somebody. One person. For some of you who are prayer warriors, pray for 10, pray for 20. Pray for somebody. Encourage someone this week that you're praying for their evangelism. Okay? After the service, we're going to pass out that little bag where you put your things in. Please take one of those names if you're actually going to pray, or at least if you desire to. So, one, pray for someone else. Two, pray for those with unique opportunities on the front lines. Okay, I didn't get into this, but we should be praying especially for pastors, evangelists, and missionaries. A couple of weeks ago Shane prayed for Todd Friel. We should be praying for men like him. And John MacArthur. Praying for people at Southern Baptist Seminary. We should be praying for these people who have been sovereignly put in places of prominence. Who have been given unique opportunities to advance the kingdom in ways we can't. Are you praying for those guys you listen to on the radio? Do you realize that Satan is not everywhere at once? And so he can only be attacking specific people. I remember Charles saying, you know, his friend said, oh, Satan's always attacking me. And Charles said, well, if I was Satan, I'd probably be attacking, like, missionaries planting churches and not you living in sin. Charles is a black and white guy. But understand that Satan is going to be attacking those he sees that are the greatest threat to his kingdom. One of you falls into sin, it's atrocious. Your pastor falls into sin, it's way more atrocious. Just look at the news. So pray for me. Pray for Marvin. Pray for Chris. Pray for your leaders. Pray for Vijay. Pray for those men planting churches. Pray for those people around the world who are being bombarded. Pray for them. Daily pray for them. Remember their chains and pray for them. Spurgeon said this, the sinew of the minister's strength under God is the supplication of his church. I can't lift without these sinews, we'll say. What enables the pastors to give strength to endure? Spurgeon is right, he says it's the prayer of the church. Let us not pray, or forget to pray, sorry. who are engulfed in the fiercest positions on the battlefield. Pray for the Uriahs, as it were. David said, send them to the front, where the fighting is the most fierce. Those are the people who are going to be attacked with the most ferocity. Satan attacks all of God's people, but understand this, he will attack certain people more than others. Maybe I'll just get a magnet for all of you, so you pray for your weak and helpless pastor who's prone to sin and to wander. I'm not too ashamed to ask for prayer. If you don't pray for me, I'm going to fall. Dear Church, a final point. Never forget that the Kingdom of God advances on our knees. Quote I'll close, and of course it's virgin. When a poor man was breaking granite by the roadside, he was down on his knees while he was giving his blows. And a minister passed by and he said to him, your work is just like mine. You have to break stones and so do I. Yes, said the man. And if you manage to break stony hearts, you will have to do it as I do, down on your knees. The man was right. The gospel hammer soon splits flinty hearts when a man or a woman knows how to pray. Do you know how to pray that way? There's only one way we will ever see stony hearts broken, and that's on our knees. God answering those prayers, giving us all the boldness to preach Christ crucified and the power of the Spirit to save His elect. I just really, really want us to just take a moment before we pass out those pieces of paper and then take the Lord's Table. But I want you to do business with God right now. Some of you might not even be saved. That breaks my heart. And you can sit and listen to God's Word opened. Listen to people singing God's songs. Oh, that God would open your heart. I know that God would send someone into your life to open their mouth, to declare to you this glorious mystery of Christ in us, the hope of glory. Someone might be able to share to you the hope that is within them. Let's just spend a moment just and say, God help me. Help me to pray for myself, but help me to open up and ask for prayer in this. Pray that we as a church but advance God's kingdom on our knees. I hope you see that. I'm not trying to get passionate. This is in the very deepest recesses of my heart. I want our church to be doctrinally sound, yes. There's a lot of doctrinally sound dead churches. Okay, just take a moment. Do business with God. If He's convicting you of something, confess, repent, and ask God to restore you. To give you a steadfast and a willing spirit. And then I'll close in prayer. In your word, that we have not because we ask not, Lord, I know that's not a pleasant thing for us to think about when it comes to our prayerlessness, but I pray in your mercy you would rebuke us. Not the pastor guilting, but the spirit convicting. Not the pastor condemning, but the spirit convicting. Lord, show us. Yes, we have fallen short, but oh Lord, help us to cast Our sin and our cares on Jesus afresh this morning God I pray make this church a praying church or shut us down That's not a nice thing to say but God if if we're not going to be serious about prayer Then shut our doors and work through another church that prays and gives you all the glory Father help us to resolve and to be people who are on our knees more. Not just praying for ourselves, but praying for all the saints, and especially for those in positions of authority and prominence. Especially those in the places where the fighting is the most fierce. Help us, Lord. Give us a real burden for the lost. But replace our selfishness with selflessness. Help us to esteem others more important than ourselves. The salvation of this world is more important than the accumulation of our accoutrements. Father, remind us that we are weak and they are dead. Father, be pleased to save even this morning. Save in other churches. But your ear is not deaf. The problem is our lips are mute. Father, the problem is that your arm is not too short to save. The problem is that ours is that we don't ask for it. Father, would you revive this church? Would you give us a real yearning, Lord, to see lost sinners saved in our midst, at our jobs, in our families, in the city. Help us not to be content with ourselves merely escape the flames of hell. Oh God, give us Christ's love for the lost. Help us to say with Paul, woe is me if I preach not the gospel. If I lose my job, that's fine, I want to preach Christ. If I go to prison, that's fine, I must preach Christ. If I die, may Christ be glorified in my death. God, we need you. Father, we just ask your blessing on the remainder of the service, even as we remind ourselves of the gospel, as we partake of the table. But help us, Lord, not to separate your gospel promises, Lord, from the gospel fruit and the gospel demands, that we as your people are forgiven, that we as your people are called to be salt and light, to remind us that we are a chosen generation. Yes, but we're also a kingdom of priests. Thank you for freely forgiving us of all of our sins, even the sin of prayerlessness. But Father, not only forgive us, but restore us. Father, help us to walk in the way that is right. Open up our hearts and our eyes to see the Gospel in all of its breadth and length and depth and height. Help us to know this love of Christ. And may it not only work in our hearts, but may this love of Christ constrain us to be ambassadors as you reconcile this world to yourself in Christ through us. Lord, I pray. Make us a praying people, we ask. In Jesus' name, Amen.