I'd have you turn in your Bibles this morning, again to the letter of Paul to the Ephesians. Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, chapter 6, where we will read from verses 10 through 20. This will be our third dip into this particular passage. Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 to 20. Hear the word of God. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground. And after you've done everything, to stand. Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Here ends the reading of God's Word. We've returned this morning to chapter 6 where Paul is summing up his letter to the Ephesians and reminding them and reminding us that we live on the front line against spiritual enemies. He encourages the saints with the truth that God has joined us all together as one new man in Christ and in His strength and in his armor, the church is able to stand firm against the devil and his schemes. As we considered our last time together, which when I think about it, it's been two months ago, a long time, we considered how we are to stand firm with earnest and vigilant prayer in the Spirit. Prayer that is to distinguish our service to our Lord, even as it manifests our unity as the body of Christ. Each one praying not only for himself or herself, but for all the saints, Paul says. Well, Paul practiced what he preached. He offered earnest and vigilant prayer for the churches. And many are recorded in his letters. He prayed for the Ephesians in particular, and he prayed for all the saints in general. And we know that he asked them to pray for him. He expected the saints to pray for him. And sometimes his request for general, as simple as brothers pray for us, But oftentimes they were specific, as our text is this morning. Our text is verses 19 and 20. And at first blush, we might wonder why we pause to reflect on it. We no longer need to pray for Paul. Paul's in glory. But that doesn't mean this text does not have meaning for us and that we cannot learn from it. It is the Word of God. It is written for our benefit. And I believe that we can find from this text encouragement this morning. Encouragement from Paul's revealing prayer request. As we consider his humble dependence, his ordained omission, and his patient submission that flows through it. Follow again with me as I read from our text chapter 6 verses 19 and 20. Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should. So what exactly is Paul's prayer request? Quite simply, he's asking the saints to pray that he would be given words to speak when he opens his mouth and he might speak it with boldness, fearlessly, as he should. And he repeats this twice in these two verses. He asks for words to speak in verse 19 when he says to pray that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me. And in verse 20, that I may declare or speak it. Now, we must not think that Paul did not know what he was supposed to be talking about. He certainly knew what he was supposed to be talking about. In fact, he sets it in the middle of our text this morning. He says, in the very middle of this text, he says that he's talking, that he should be talking about the mystery of the gospel of Christ. He explained this to the Ephesians in chapter 3, verse 6. He says, this mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus. This was Paul's ever-present and recurring theme. No matter what words he would use to express it, that was what he was talking about. But when it came to the particular words, that's what his prayer request was for. His request was that the particular words he used when he spoke would be just the right words to communicate this mystery in such a way that his hearers could understand and more importantly that the elect in Christ could believe that the mystery of the gospel was not only for other people but for them too. Paul explained this in 1 Corinthians chapter 2 beginning in verse 13. He explained that he did not want to speak in words taught by human wisdom. But in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths with spiritual words. Now such words can't be received by an unregenerate man. And he goes on to say that the man without the Spirit does not accept these words. But still, those are the words that Paul wanted to speak. He knew his topic, but he also knew that unless the Holy Spirit gave him the right words to be understood and believed, his efforts would be in vain. But Paul was dependent on God not only for the words that he would choose, he was dependent upon him for his fearlessness, the boldness to speak those words. And he asked the saints in verse 19 to pray that he would fearlessly make known. And again in verse 20, that he might declare it fearlessly. Now by this time in Paul's life, having traveled for many, many years, We can safely conclude that he had spoken thousands of times, I think, to tens of thousands of people. He was, by any measure, an accomplished speaker. And we find in Acts chapter 17 that sometimes his hearers were eager to hear him, as the Bereans, who received the message with great eagerness. At other times, they were simply tolerant. As when he spoke at the Areopagus in Athens where people spent their time doing nothing but listening and talking about the latest ideas. That's interesting, Paul. But more often than not, when Paul spoke, his audience was outright hostile. They didn't want to hear what he had to say. And perhaps one of the most extreme examples is recorded in Acts chapter 22 where we find how Paul stood up and preached the gospel to a crowd in the temple that had just beaten him, attempting to kill him. And yet he turned and faced them and preached the gospel to them. Where did he find such courage? My knees shake thinking about it. Well, as a man, Paul was not immune to fear. But as a son of a child of God, he was not a slave to fear. he knew he was no longer his own, but he belonged to his faithful Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus had told him, after he had a round with the Jews in Corinth and they had opposed him and abused him, Jesus appeared to him and said, Do not be afraid. Keep on speaking. Do not be silent, for I am with you. For I am with you. You see, Paul had a right knowledge of himself and his dependence upon God for all things, but especially these things. He reminded the Corinthians of his dependence when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 2, beginning in verse 1. He says to the brothers there, he says, When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom but on God's power. See, Paul needed words, spiritual words, and he needed courage. And his prayer request reveals his dependence upon God, who is almighty and can give, who is his Father in Christ and who would give. Now, when we consider this prayer request, we can see we no longer pray for Paul. He doesn't need our prayers in this regard, but there is direct application to us today for any and all who are charged to bring the Word of God to us. Every minister of the Word and every congregant in the church can apply this text. Lord's Day after Lord's Day and on special occasions in between, the ministers of the Word stands for the people of God to preach God's Word to them. If he's a faithful workman, he understands and believes the mystery of the Gospel. He knows what he is to be speaking about. But unless he would simply read aloud to you from Scripture, he must prepare a message that is faithful to Scripture. He will labor for hours to prepare a 30-minute sermon. And he needs words to speak. He needs words that he prays the Holy Spirit will use to apply God's Word to your hearts. Words that are understandable. Words that are not of human wisdom, but of God's power. And sometimes what the minister has to say from the word of God is easy to hear, and therefore relatively easy to say. But at other times what he has to say is difficult to hear, and therefore requires more courage to say. To stand in the pulpit and to speak for God is a fearful and wonderful and humbling duty that no man in his own strength is worthy of or capable for. And like Paul, the minister is dependent upon the Lord. Like Paul, he also needs and desires the prayers of the saints on his behalf. People of God, we are to be in earnest and vigilant prayer for all the saints. And that includes the ministers of the word in this place, in our federation, throughout the world. We would be obedient to Christ to pray. That they would be given words to speak and the courage to speak them as they should so that the word of God comes to us by his spirit as a means of grace and encouragement in our faith. But there's more to this text than that application. For this text reveals something much deeper and grander than the preacher Paul needing words and courage as a general truth, which is indeed true, but there's more here. The second thing we want to note about this prayer request is that it reveals Paul's ordained mission. And I believe this mission stands behind our understanding of this text. At the time that Paul wrote this letter to the Ephesians, he was in Rome. He was waiting to appear before the imperial court. And he tells us in this text that he was there for the sake of the gospel. He was an ambassador in chains. When Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, somewhere between two and four years prior, he was shackled with two chains. No sooner had he preached to the mob that the Roman guard put him in chains and took him away. But then the guard realized that Paul was a Roman citizen. He apologized and he took off the chains because a Roman citizen was not to be chained. It's very likely that during Paul's first imprisonment from that time in Jerusalem to the time he appeared before the emperor, he was rarely in chains. And yet he says he's in chains and he's using the figure of speech that's to let us know that he was restrained. He was not free. For those many years, he'd roamed the Mediterranean by ship and by foot, but now he was bound to a place, to a time. And he was under house arrest, watched 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Now, if you or I were under house arrest, we'd go to the court, they'd put a manacle on our ankle, electronic monitor, so that every time we left the house, they'd know. They'd send the police, arrest us, and bring us back. We're not supposed to leave. And that's what Paul was under. Different technology, same principle. We use electronics. They used Roman guards. And there was one with him, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Wherever he went, whatever he said, whoever he met with, whatever he wrote, he was under constant surveillance. And if the circumstance arose, they might shackle, they might put a chain on one wrist and chain them to their own wrist. But nothing like we imagine in a dungeon or heavily shackled. Paul was in a unique place in Rome. but why was he there? The officials of Rome thought that he was there because he had appealed to Caesar, and indeed that was true, but there was more to the story. Paul knew it, and we should know it, that he was there on a mission from God. This was not an unexpected hurdle in the ministry of Paul that he was sitting for four years in custody, waiting for the day he could get back out to the mission field. This was his mission. He was right where he was supposed to be. And it was ordained for him from before he was ever born. Paul was born as Saul, as you know, a Jew, a Roman citizen, trained as a Pharisee and zealous for the faith of his fathers, so zealous that he had persecuted the church and sought to destroy it. But what Saul meant for evil, God meant for good. And as the saints fled Jerusalem, they carried with them the gospel like seed scattered in the wind. And wherever they lit, a congregation would spring up. So Paul's plans had to get bigger. He would have to leave Jerusalem. And he was going to start with Damascus and he was going to start to bring these Christians home to prison or to death. He made his plans. He headed to Damascus. But the Lord directed his steps. And you know the story. You know the story of the road to Damascus. You know the story of how Paul was suddenly blinded by a bright light from heaven. And he was overwhelmed and he fell face down to the ground. And he heard a voice say, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And he dared not look up. And with his face to the ground, he asked, who are you, Lord? And children, who was it? Who was it that Paul was bowing down before? Do you know? It was Jesus. And he said to Saul, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. Paul's blood must have run cold. How many times had Christians bowed down before him, seeking his mercy, only to receive his justice? And here was their king. He was bowing before. And in that moment, on that road to Damascus, Paul saw himself for who he really was, a zealous and self-righteous sinner who was at war with God. He knew that he deserved to die right there on that road. But by the grace of God, he repented. And he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was saved. And he threw himself at the mercy of the Lord and he said, Lord, what shall I do? He might have said, your wish is my command. You're my master. I'm your slave. I'll do whatever you say to show me mercy. Well, the Lord did show him mercy. And he did have something for him to do. He said, get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. In Galatians chapter 1, verses 15 and 16, Paul refers to his Damascus Road experience as the time when God, who had set him apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him, preach Christ to the Gentiles. See, Paul was more than converted to faith in Christ on that road to Damascus. He was appointed by Christ as his ambassador, his representative, his legal delegate to the nations. The Lord told Ananias in Acts chapter 9, He says, This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. My chosen instrument. And Paul said of himself and his assistant Timothy, who he would transfer the gospel to in later years. He said of himself in Timothy in chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians, we are Christ's ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us. Well, Paul took to the road preaching the mystery of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire to the north and to the west of Jerusalem always beginning with the Jews but always ending up with the Gentiles. He made many plans, and the Lord directed his many steps. And after about a decade, the invisible hand of God moved to bring Paul's mission into a sharper and distinct focus. In Acts chapter 20, we read how Paul was directed by unexpected circumstances to make one last visit to Ephesus. He thought he'd be back one day. But Paul directed him to Ephesus to say goodbye. Goodbye. This is the last time you will see my face, he said. And they wept. And he said to the elders in verse 22 of chapter 20, he says, And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I'm compelled by the Spirit. I'm constrained by the Spirit. I'm bound, is the word, by the Spirit. His will belonged to the will of his Lord. and to Jerusalem he would go. What awaited him was both difficult and dangerous, but the Lord used all these hardships to work circumstances so that Paul would be arrested by a Roman guard and protected as a Roman citizen from the mobs so that he could preach the gospel to the people of Israel, he could preach the gospel to their leaders in the Sanhedrin. They rejected Paul, and they rejected Christ. But on the night following his final testimony in Jerusalem, the Lord stood near Paul and he said, Take courage. As you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome. So you must, the Lord said. You are bound, is the word again. You are bound to testify in Rome. By the rejection of Christ in Jerusalem, a chain of events and choices was set in motion that would bring Paul to Rome. He was more bound by the will of his father in heaven than he was bound by any Roman chain. In the eyes of the officials in Rome, Paul was just another prisoner caught up in the legal system waiting his turn. The fact of the matter is that Paul had been dispatched there by his lord as his ambassador to proclaim the mystery of the gospel to the king, to the emperor of the most powerful and unbelieving civilization on earth. In the eyes of Rome, Paul was bound by Roman law when in reality he was bound to his Lord Jesus Christ and his mission in Rome to speak on his behalf. He was bound to speak. We may have missed that focus of this text in verse 19 because the NIV chooses to translate one word slightly different than all the rest when it says whenever. it's not a wrong word. It's a helpful word that helped us with our first point to see the general application, the general neediness of the preacher. But that emphasis to help us in that direction can lead us to miss this other direction that I believe is the core of this text. That Paul was on his mission and he knew where it was going. He knew the day was drawing near when he would be ushered into Caesar's courtroom. He knew that he would once and only once have the ear of the emperor. What would he say? Would his lips get dry and his tongue get thick? If his dependence upon the Lord and his provision was ever to be tested, it would be then, at the pinnacle of this mission to which he had been ordained. So with that picture in mind, I want to go back and read verses 19 and 20 with you again. We're going to just change one word to when. But I hope that you can feel the weight on Paul at this moment in jail as he offers this prayer request. He says, Pray also for me that when I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should, as I am bound, he says. Paul was not an ambassador in chains simply because the mystery of the gospel had been revealed to him. He was an ambassador in chains because he had been ordained and set on this mission, on this day, to this place. to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the greatest and most powerful kingdom on earth. This Jew from Tarsus. Paul was being sent to the emperor to tell him something like this. Christ came into the world to save sinners. Sinners like me. And I'm the worst. And sinners like you. Speaking to the emperor, to his delegates, to the gallery, if you will. All that would hear. You only need to know three things in order to enjoy the comfort of this salvation. You need to know that you're a sinner. And you offend the holiness of God who made you. I thought I was holy until I saw Jesus on the road to Damascus. His holiness exposed all my sins and I was undone and I fell to his feet. I knew right then and there I didn't deserve to live and that my life was in his hands. You need to know the same. Now you don't need to go to the road to Damascus. You can find him in his word, in his law where he reveals his holiness and exposes your sin. You need to know that you're a sinner, just like me. And second, you need to know how you are saved from all your sins. Lying on my face before him on the ground, I could do nothing but plead for his mercy. Instead of clinging to my sinful life, I trusted in him for my life. And he gave me. His life. Eternal life. You only need to believe that He lived the perfect life that you cannot live. That He died the death that you deserve for all your sins. That He rose from the dead on the third day to newness of life. Not only for other people. Not only for me who saw Him on the road to Damascus, but also for you. and third you need to know how you are to thank him for that salvation for me my gratitude includes serving as his ambassador to the Gentiles and that's why I'm here today he sent me here today to speak to you to tell you the good news of Jesus Christ and to call you to repentance and faith before him everyone who confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead will be saved. Even you, Caesar. Even you. And everyone that is saved will want to keep his commandments because they love him and they're grateful for their salvation. well, we don't know if that's how it went that day because God didn't leave us a record. But we do know that Paul, in his prayer request, reveals his patient submission to the will of God for that day. It's God's will that the saints be an earnest and vigilant prayer for all the saints. Prayer that perseveres until the Lord answers. Paul submitted to that will. He asked the saints to submit to that will and to pray for him. He asked the Ephesians. We know that he asked the Colossians as well. It was God's will that Paul would testify to Caesar. And in submission to God's will for him, Paul knew that he would need words to speak. There would be no other occasion like this in his life. He needed words to speak and he needed courage to speak them to the most powerful man on earth. And he told the saints that's what he needed. And he asked them to pray for him. And the timing of God's will was unknown to Paul. He couldn't make an appointment with the emperor's court. Their policy was, don't call us, we'll call you. And so Paul waited. And he waited. And he waited. But even though the timing of his appearance was out of his control, he busied himself with those things that were in his control. He wasn't anxious. He didn't worry. He didn't wonder what tomorrow would bring. He knew the day would come. So in the meantime, he busied himself with the churches. He preached to the Jewish leaders in the city. They came to him. And the Lord blessed. And so many Jews became Christians that over half the synagogues became churches. And he wrote letters to the churches and he encouraged the churches and he received visitors. The church did not stop because Paul was in Rome. In fact, most of our New Testament, from Paul anyway, comes from his imprisonments when he had time to sit down to think and to write. And the outcome of his testimony, well, that was in God's hands. It was all that Paul could do by the grace of God to be faithful to his mission. That when the time came, he would speak and by God's grace he'd do it with courage. But how that mission affected his hearers was beyond his control. How long it took for the court to pass judgment was also out of his control. He didn't know what would be on the other side of his mission. So even after he testified, he waited in prison, I mean in his house. But as he waited, he continued to write to the churches. He wrote to Philippians. He wrote to Philemon. And from these letters, we can get a glimpse of how the Lord worked through Paul in Rome. Again, we don't have a narrative. We just have glimpses. And although we may never know what happened in that courtroom that day, we can know something about the impact of Paul's work in Rome. When we look at Philippians chapter 1, verse 12, beginning in verse 12, Paul writes, Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me, speaking of his time in Rome, what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. It's headline news. It's the talk of the town. He goes on. Because of my chains, most of the brothers of the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously, more fearlessly. Now regardless of their motives, he says, I don't care what their motives. They're preaching the mystery of the gospel. And because of this, I rejoice. Paul got a glimpse of what was happening. Now, whatever happened to Paul after his appearance at court is unclear. Some believe that he left Rome, headed for Spain, had a missionary trip there and came back to Rome before he was rearrested and martyred. Others say he worked in Rome for three years, about before he was retried for crimes against the state and martyred. But what we can know is what he wrote in a letter to Philemon. He wrote to him, Philemon lived in Colossae, so one of the churches that had been praying for him, he wrote to him in verse 22, he says, one more thing, passing note, prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you. I'm looking forward to getting out in answer to your prayers. In answer to your prayers. Full circle. Paul had asked in our text today, and he could tell Philemon, the Lord has answered your prayers. I hope you can get a glimpse of the wonder of God's sovereign, redemptive mercy that played out in the life of this man. This man Paul that we read so often, his letters that we perhaps take for granted. A man that in God's good pleasure he raised up for a purpose. He prepared for a purpose. He sustained for a purpose. And through him he accomplished a purpose that we sit in this church today and we've heard the gospel. Gentiles, most of us. The direct recipients of the blessings that were accomplished through this man, Paul. A man mightily used of God and a man who yet, in dependence on his Lord, offered or asked for help from the saints. And there's application for us. Besides our encouragement from what God has done through him, the wonders of his sovereign grace, we can be instructed about our own prayer. We too are called to be patient in submitting to the will of God. Paul didn't always know what was coming around the next corner. He just knew he needed to go. We don't know what's going around the next corner. We just know we need to go. God gives us enough in His Word to be about His business. We know at least this much that it's His will that we be earnestly and vigilantly praying for all the saints. We can at least begin there. And if we're praying for all the saints, I hope that we're all asking the saints to pray for us. Paul did. A mighty man in God's economy. We know our needs better than anyone else. And unless we share those needs, how can our brothers and sisters pray with understanding? It's one thing to say, pray for me. I don't know what to do with that. It's another thing to say, pray for me. I'm trouble. I can't speak to my children anymore. I don't know how to cope with my family since the death of my sister. I don't know what to do next. I'm in such a financial bind. Now that, I can pray about. But human beings that we are, we need to be willing by God's grace to let other people know that we need and covet their prayers. And when it comes to God answering our prayers, with Paul we can know that we won't know when and we don't necessarily know exactly how he's going to answer. That's outside of our control. but God has given us plenty that's within our control by the power of His Spirit to be busy and working as we wait. He's prepared good works for us to do from before the foundation of the world, and all we need to do is be before Him in His Word, read what He has to say, and by the power of the Spirit, get to work. There was much in this prayer we don't share Paul's particular apostolic mission but we do share his faith therefore as we mature in our own faith we can hope I guess that our own prayer request would reveal something of our own humble dependence of our own sense of calling in this world of our own patience in submitting to his will for we do so for the sake of Christ who is our all and has given us his spirit that we might persevere in this life. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, For a brief sentence in Scripture so easily passed over. You have given us much to mind and to contemplate. And you have reminded us of your sovereign goodness in redeeming a people for yourself. Reminded us of the history of this world in which you have been sovereign and in control. Work in all circumstances to the good of your people, to the glory of your name for the advancement of the cause of Christ. You are the sovereign Lord who chose this man, Paul, before the foundation of the world to fulfill a particular function that would serve as the switch, if you will, the gate through which the gospel would pass from the Jews to the world. And he knew it. And yet, Lord, you kept him from being proud and he depended upon you for all things, even down to the words he would speak and the courage that he needed to speak. And Lord, we don't know what happened in that room that day, but we do know that we have heard the gospel. We know that it has been released from the land of Palestine and delivered to the world. And we thank you and we are encouraged to know that you are the one who orchestrated it all. And at the same time, Father, we are thankful that we can look at Paul as a man, a saint, a believer, a sinner like ourselves, who you worked in by your spirit to have a prayer life. And we pray, Father, that you would enable us as well to model what we see of him in this prayer, what we see of him that is the product of your work. And we pray and we covet that you would do so for us. Thank you, Father, for hearing our prayer. Forgive us for not being mindful to come more often and more particularly. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.