Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

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Eph 6:10-14

Eph

Introduction

Eph 6:

I’m going to talk to you to day for just a minute on the subject of Intercessory Prayer, but before I do, I must lay a foundation on the subject of spiritual warfare.

These two subjects go hand in hand.

They always say that if you can’t do, teach.

In other words, if you can’t win the British open that’s happening today, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have the ability to teach someone else how to do it.

That being said, I’m no stranger to intercessory prayer, but I know that it is not something that God has particularly gifted me with.

I think that God has given me a gift to teach.

I may be asked to preach from time to time, and I will do my best.

However, even when I preach I’m inclined to switch over to teaching all throughout my message.

I like to teach.

I enjoy it, and think that God does cause us to enjoy the things that he has gifted us with.

So, even though I’m a teacher by nature, it doesn’t mean that I can’t preach when called upon to do so.

It’s just not my wheel house if you will.

I do think the subject of Intercessory Prayer is so important that it needs to be taught, even if it has to come from someone that isn’t gifted with that calling.

I didn’t come unprepared, I may not be gifted in intercession, but I know how to do it, and I’ve also been watching a lot of old preaching tapes from men like T. W. Barnes, Billy Cole, and T. F. Tenny who I think were all experts on this subject.

I listened to everything I could find about their teaching on intersession, and I wouldn’t stop you from doing the same.

It certainly won’t hurt you to listen to those anointed men of God talk about such important things in the Kingdom of God.

There are places I’ve been in prayer that I didn’t understand until I heard brother Cole teach about it.

I’m going to do my best to teach you about intersession today based on my study, my experience and my research on what spiritual giants from our heritage have taught.

So, as I mentioned, I don’t believe I’m gifted in intercessory prayer.

I think God has people in every church that is called to this ministry full time, and I’m not one of them.

I can pray, I can worship, I can praise, but when it comes to intercession, my brain is wired in such a way that it makes it difficult.

I will explain that later when discuss the process of entering into intercession.

There are people, however, that are so gifted in this that you may be doing it without even knowing it every time you pray.

What takes me an hour to do, can take an intercessor minutes.

The main purpose of intercessory prayer is to engage in spiritual warfare.

Now, we are fighting spiritual battles every time we praise God.

When you lift up your hands in praise, devils are shaken off you.

Problems start to fade away.

So, don’t misunderstand me.

I’m not saying that the only people fighting are the intercessors.

We’re all in this together with different roles.

Teaching equips the saints for battle, preaching softens the hearts and convicts the sinners causing them to lay aside every weight and sin and come over to the winning side.

We all play a part.

From the greeter to the preacher.

Even the watering of the plant brother Brian.

The devil doesn’t want our church to look appealing to sinners.

Everyone plays a part in this battle.

However, that is a particularly important role an intercessor plays in spiritual warfare.

One that, left undone, will cause everyone else to just spin their tires in place.

It is difficult to gain traction in any city without the work of intercessory prayer.

Now, you are wondering why I’d teach about this subject to the whole church if there are just a few that might be gifted in this ministry.

There are two reasons.

Because even if you aren’t called to a life of intercessory prayer, you will still need to do it from time to time.

There are intercessors among us that may never fulfil their calling if they don’t even know what it is.

How can a young person know how to dance in the spirit, if the old folks don’t demonstrate it?

How can an intercessor know how to engage in spiritual battle, if it is never taught?

Spiritual Warfare

So, before we dive to deep into intercession, I mentioned that I need to explain a little bit about Spiritual Warfare.

The ministry of intercession won’t make sense if you don’t know what spiritual warfare is.

I read in the text from the Apostle Paul about this idea of Spiritual Warfare.

Let’s look back at verse 10, 11, and 12 and break this down a bit.

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

So, he starts out by saying that we need to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.

It is important to understand where the source of our strength is.

We are nothing without God.

The Holy Bible: King James Version.

(2009).

(Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., ).

Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

Paul then says in verse 11 to put on the whole armor of God, and I’m not going to break down the pieces of the armor in this lesson for the sake of time, but just know that God has given you all the things you need for any battle that you could face in this life.

He didn’t just drop us in the middle of a fight and say, “have at it”.

No, he gave us tools we could use to stand against the wiles of the devil.

That word wiles, means methods.

How many knows the devil has a method?

His main method is to distract us.

Distractions

The devil knows that he can’t kill you.

God said you can do whatever you want to Job, but you can’t kill him.

The devil can’t do anything to us unless God allows it, and he won’t let the devil kill his children.

So, don’t be afraid that the devil is trying to kill you.

The devil’s main method of warfare is distraction.

He knows that if he can get you focused on something other than the battle, then he has already won.

He knows that if can get you focused on:

The cares of life.

The entertainment industry.

The problems you are facing.

Financial issues.

Family issues.

Church issues.

Submission issues.

Sin issues.

Anything he can get you focused on besides the battle, is a win for him.

Because the devil is afraid of you.

I said the devil is afraid of you.

He likes to distract us from the fact that we have a power within us that will cause him to flee in a heartbeat.

He distracts us from the fact that greater is he that is within us than he that is in the world.

He distracts us from the fact that we can do ALL things through him that gives us strength.

This is really the devil’s best method.

It is his best weapon.

We have nukes, jets, tanks, and bombs and the devil has a decoy.

Realms of Warfare

So, we know that the devil has his methods, but he also has his realms.

We need to be aware of this concept of the realms of the enemy.