Praying Always
A Sermon on Ephesians 6:18
Scripture
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Sermon Description
What role does prayer play in spiritual warfare? In this conclusion of his sermons on spiritual depression, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones declares the prominent role prayer must have in a Christian’s life. In this sermon on Ephesians 6:18 titled “Praying Always,” he expounds upon the words of the apostle Paul, who told the church in Ephesus to pray at all times with all prayer and supplication. Dr. Lloyd-Jones tells why Christians pray and to whom they pray. He asserts that prayer is a test for all that they claim to believe. The high road of prayer is self-examination—that Christians would discover how weak and ignorant they are so as to drive them to God. Prayer is vital, essential, and necessary because Christians have a capable enemy in the devil; thus they continually need the armor and power of God to do battle. Jesus and the many saints that have come before proved that prayer is the supreme achievement of the soul. Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages to “keep your armor bright!” Prayer leads to knowledge of God, which leads to love of God, which defeats the enemy.
Sermon Breakdown
- Prayer is essential to standing against the wiles of the devil. It is not an additional thought but part of the armor of God.
- The Bible emphasizes prayer constantly. The greatest saints were the greatest pray-ers. Prayer is the supreme achievement of the soul.
- What place does prayer have in our lives? Do we pray as much as we do other things like reading the news? We must pray without ceasing.
- Why should we pray? Because of the power and subtlety of our adversary, the devil. We do not realize this enough.
- Because of our own weakness and ignorance, even at our best. We tend to be self-satisfied and compare ourselves to those obviously below us. We must measure ourselves against the saints.
- To keep in touch with our leader, Jesus Christ, the captain of our salvation. We are in an army against the forces of evil.
- We need strength to use the armor of God. The armor itself is useless without strength and vigor to wield it.
- We need wisdom and guidance to use the armor properly. We need strategy and understanding of the enemy's devices. We have the mind of Christ through prayer.
- We must keep our armor bright through constant prayer. We must keep our spirits warm and alive. Prayer enlivens us.
- Prayer keeps us from being idle and gives the devil opportunity. Pray rather than sit vacant.
- Prayer leads to knowledge of God which leads to loving God. This defeats the devil. Temptations lose power when we are filled with loving God.
- God can deliver us directly from the enemy in response to prayer. He has done so in the past. Prayer leads to deliverance.
- All the armor of God should lead us to prayer. Each piece represents our relationship to God as children. This should drive us to prayer.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers about "Praying Always" Sermon by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What is the main Bible verse Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches from in his sermon "Praying Always"?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is preaching from Ephesians 6:18, which states, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for the saints." This verse is part of the apostle Paul's exhortation about how believers should stand against spiritual attacks.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones connect prayer to spiritual depression?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that prayer is the antidote to "fainting" or spiritual depression. He quotes Jesus from Luke 18:1, where Jesus "spoke a parable to this effect, that men should always pray and not faint." Lloyd-Jones interprets this to mean that without prayer, we will inevitably experience spiritual depression, difficulty in enjoying the Christian life, and lack of victory. Prayer is presented as the essential remedy for these spiritual struggles.
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, why is prayer essential in spiritual warfare?
Prayer is essential in spiritual warfare for several reasons: 1. Because of the power, subtlety, and ingenuity of our adversary (Satan) 2. Because of our own weakness and ignorance even at our best 3. To keep in constant touch with our leader, Christ, the "captain of our salvation" 4. To have strength to use the spiritual armor God provides 5. To receive wisdom and guidance about spiritual strategy 6. To keep our spiritual armor "bright" and functioning well 7. To avoid spiritual idleness that gives the devil opportunity 8. To grow in knowledge and love of God, which defeats temptation 9. Because God can directly intervene to deliver us from evil
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean by "praying without ceasing"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "praying without ceasing" (from 1 Thessalonians 5:17) means "never give up praying" or "never quit praying." He emphasizes that prayer should be continuous, constant, and an integral part of the Christian's daily life. It's not just about saying prayers in the morning and evening, but maintaining a continuous connection with God throughout all activities and circumstances, making prayer the "vital part of one's life and living."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones relate prayer to the armor of God?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that prayer works with the armor of God in several ways: 1. Prayer provides the strength to use the armor effectively 2. Prayer brings wisdom about how to use the armor strategically 3. Prayer keeps the armor "bright" and functioning properly 4. While the armor is mostly defensive, prayer allows for offensive spiritual warfare 5. Most importantly, every piece of the spiritual armor should naturally lead us to prayer—the girdle of truth, breastplate of righteousness, gospel of peace, shield of faith, and helmet of salvation all remind us of our relationship with God and should drive us to communicate with Him
What biblical examples does Dr. Lloyd-Jones use to illustrate the power of prayer?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses several powerful biblical examples: 1. Moses holding up his hands in prayer while Joshua fought the Amalekites—when Moses prayed, Israel prevailed; when he couldn't hold his arms up, they began to lose 2. The early church praying after the apostles were released from prison (Acts 4), resulting in them being filled with the Holy Spirit and the building shaking 3. Peter's miraculous prison release (Acts 12) when the church prayed without ceasing for him, and God sent an angel to free him despite impossible circumstances with multiple guards and locked gates
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggest we should respond when we feel spiritually dull?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones acknowledges that we all face times of spiritual dullness when we can't seem to connect with Scripture or feel lethargic in our faith. His advice is not to be content with merely going through religious motions (like reading Scripture for an hour) but to "immediately turn to God in prayer." He encourages struggling through these dull periods: "fight it out upon your knees. Struggle, agonize. Don't give yourself rest nor peace until you're found." He emphasizes that we shouldn't accept spiritual lethargy but should wrestle in prayer until our spirit is enlivened.
What test does Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggest is the most revealing of our spiritual condition?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggests that our relationship to prayer is "the most thorough and acid test of our standing as Christians." While he acknowledges that orthodoxy (correct belief) and ethical living are important tests, he argues that "more subtle, more delicate, more vital than them all is this test of prayer." He states that prayer is "the supreme achievement of the soul" and "ultimately the test of all that we claim to believe." The amount and quality of our prayer life reveals the true state of our relationship with God more accurately than other measures.
Spiritual Depression
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.