Ephesians Ch.6
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; This is the attitude that we have. Eyeservice can go both ways. It could be rolling your eyes, bad body language, other types of insubordination. There is the other side, the suck up, the brown nose, always trying to pander to the boss for the wrong motivations. We shouldn’t be this way either. We should do everything as unto the Lord. Our promotion comes from the Lord. ,; 6For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.7But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. Example B/E Pierre working on Saturday.
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
; Not working out of spite, but in goodwill. We may not always get acknowledged for our achievements, and hard work. In fact in some cases the only time we may hear something from the boss is if we messed up. That’s doesn’t feel good, everyone likes to be patted on the back, and told that they are doing a good job every now and then. But if we don’t, but are doing our best as unto the Lord, then we know that the Lord is happy with our labor, and that should be enough.
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
This takes a certain leven of maturity. I remember one time I had a really sorry attitude towards the company that I was working at. I didn’t agree with some of the things that they were doing and it really affected my mindset, I had lost some respect for the management because in my mind what they were doing wasn’t right (and these people were supposed to be Christians.) This went on for a period of time, and I was angry at work all the time. Then finally I realized that THEY have to answer to God for what they are doing, and I have to answer to God for my attitude. I let their actions affect my attitude. This was wrong, and I changed my attitude. You know what happened?, I became more productive, and I received a promotion and was commended for my work. During a performance review the Administrator commented that several months ago they had noticed a change, and as a result I was rewarded. All because I began to work as unto the Lord, and not unto men.
; Again promotion comes from God, not from man. So we should work to please God.
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
; If we are the boss then we must remember that God is watching. Just because someone is the boss doesn’t give them the right to threaten people. I knew a guy who was constantly threatening folks, you’ll do this OR ELSE. This breeds resentment with the employees. Then there was a structural change and now he has a boss over him, and he doesn’t like it. This doesn’t mean that as a Christian boss that you have to be a pushover, you can still hold people accountable, and expect good work. But you don’t have to be a slave driver. Really before God are boss and worker equal? Are servant and master equal? Of course they are. So both have an obligation to treat each other respectfully knowing that there is a heavenly Master in heaven that we are all accountable too.
9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
Eph 10-18 The Christian Armory
So as Paul puts the finishing touches on his letter he wants to bring everything home. We have been dealing with the Riches that we have. God’s storehouse of blessings. Our position in Christ, our access to the Father, our victory over sin, so with all of these blessings, with all of these riches, with all of this treasure that we have in God, wouldn’t it be foolish if he didn’t give us the weapons to protect it? He has, he has given us spiritual blessings, and equipped us with spiritual weapons that have empowered us to be victorious. These weapons are described as weapons of warfare, ones that a solider would use to defend themselves against an enemy on the battlefield. This is exactly what Christianity is, we are engaged in a warfare. As we shared on Sunday Night, people thing that Christians are weak, that Christians need a crutch to lean on. On the contrary, Christians go through life going against the grain, against the flow of the world. I gave the illustration of the salmon swimming upstream. The ones that make it are the ones that are in the strongest part of the river swimming against it. The ones that are resting in the pools are caught by fishermen and bears.
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
; Notice here Paul doesn’t say to be strong in our own might. Now we have to be strong mentally, we have to exercise our faith, and stand firm. But the strength that we stand and fight in is given to us of the Lord. It is not our own strength. On our own we are no batch for the devil, but Jesus has already defeated the devil, and we are in HIM. It is through HIS strength that we stand. It’s not in our ability.
One of the advantages to being a Christian is that we have access to God’s unlimited power. God is Omnipotent – That means all powerful. Rev Jones praying to go to Germany, God how am I going to go and do this? God told him “Go in This” and the Spirit of the Lord in mighty power washed over him and gave him the assurance that God was going to be with him. God gives us power – If God be for us? Who can be against us!
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
; God equips us to go and fight. He doesn’t send us out to battle with inefficient and ineffective equipment. God doesn’t set us up for failure. The US military is the best equipped and best trained military in the world. But training alone won’t win battles and wars. If the solider doesn’t have a weapon to shoot, or an airplane to fly then he will lose. Americas military can be successful in any conflict in any part of the world if the politicians don’t get in the way.
So God gives us equipment to go to battle in this “Spiritual Warfare” BUT WE ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE TO PUT IT ON” Who has read the book, or saw the movie “Blackhawk Down” It was to be a two our mission to capture senior level officials of Warlord Muhommad Farah Aideed, and possibly Aideed himself. Because of the speed, duration, and timing the soldiers wanted to travel light so they left behind things like body armor, canteens with water, night vision goggles, etc. You can have the best battle plan in the world, but guess what? The enemy also gets a vote on the outcome! Things didn’t go as planned and the soldiers found themselves in need of the equipment that they left behind. In that battle 19 Americans died, but because they were still the best trained and best equipped military in the world they inflicted a casualty count of 1000 dead 4000 wounded on the enemy.
We need to make sure that we go to the Christian Armory that God has given us and equip ourselves for the battle for our souls! This is a spiritual battle, and much of the battle that we fight is internal. It’s a battle for our own soul, so we need to make sure that we are equipping ourselves with the arsenal of weapons that God gives us.
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.
; WE are fighting a spiritual adversary. We can’t just walk up to the devil and smack him in the face. But this battle is raging in a spiritual realm
There is a battle raging in the heavens, on earth, and under the earth. This battle has been waged by satan against the God and Creator of all things. This being, satan, also known as lucifer who held a position in God’s kingdom as the Anointed Cherub that covereth. This being that was created by God, who conceived rebellion, who had dominion of the world before Adam, was defeated and stripped of his glory and dominion. This devil, that old serpent continues to wage warfare against God using God’s most loved and cherished creation, Mankind. This battle is waged in the spirit realm, and also in our carnal realm. It is waged in the heavens, in the earth, and under the earth. Today we’re going to try to see how and where we fit in to this battle. This is information that we need to know. The enemy of our soul, that serpent the devil loves nothing more than people being ignorant to these things, and to ignore them and pretend that it doesn’t exist. To understand where we fit in we need to understand Christ’s Position, satan’s position, and our position.
There are layers to God’s creation. The way that we live, think, and reason are all built on the laws of this realm. But there are other realms that exist and coexist next to ours that are not subject to the same finite thinking and rules of nature. Angels and evil spirits operate and fight in these realms, and have a dramatic impact on our finite world. Angels can operate completely unseen and undetected to the natural world. The laws of this spiritual (supernatural) realm are different than the natural realm and bypass the laws that govern the natural realm. This spiritual realm existed before our finite world, it is from eternity past. The things in this natural world were created by those in the spiritual realm (Christ). So in reality this spiritual realm is in fact more real, and more reliable than the natural realm. In fact the laws that govern our natural realm can be overridden by those that operate in the spiritual realm. And even those that operate in this natural realm can utilize power from the this supernatural realm and override. This is where we see miracles, healings, and other supernatural occurrences. People have commanded the Sun to stand still, Angels have fought for people, and so much more.
Our Adversary – Paul identifies what we are fighting against, it’s not flesh and blood. Now it is true that spiritual forces act, move upon, and inspire men and women to fulfill their wickedness. There are evil people in this world, and they can rise to power, but they are being influenced and driven by these spiritual forces. Principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in High Places. These aren’t 4 different sets of powers, but they are manifestations of the influence of the same enemy. The phrase “High Places” isn’t talking about positions of power in government, but it means “heavenly places” remember where the devil operates? ; “….according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
So this is what we are up against, but we aren’t to fear. We have the right equipment!
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
; So in the face of this terrible enemy let’s tool up! God wants us standing tall and facing the enemy. There has to be a willingness to engage the devil, a willingness to go and fight. David rose to the occasion and faced Goliath – God was with him!
Having done all to stand. STAND!
God has always gone to battle with and for those who are walking uprightly and go to battle for him. We have to go and meet the enemy. Jesus Hold my Hand. As I onward go and daily MEET the foe. God went to battle for Israel, but Israel had to show up for the battle. Sometimes they had to fight, but God was there fighting with them. Sometimes they showed up, and the enemy fled before them. Sometimes they showed up, and God had already destroyed the enemy. But we have to be willing to STAND!
Special Forces training – Have a good one! We have to be willing to keep going!
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
; Loins girt with truth – Truth is the strength of the Christian, it is our CORE. The core of our body is our abdomen. Everything that we do starts with our abdomen, from our breathing, sitting upright, to walking. What is the first thing that a weightlifter does when they start lifting weights? They put on a belt! It allows them to better focus their abdominal strength (and also prevents them from getting a hernia). Try lifting up your leg without using your abdominal muscles. Well truth is our CORE. As Christians we walk and live in TRUTH. CHRISTIANS DON’T LIE! Our lives are guided by truth!
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Breastplate of Righteousness- V.14.2; ….and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
This righteous breastplate is what protects the vital organs from attack. Without your vital organs you cannot survive. Your vital organs are the workhorses in your body that keep your body operating. Righteousness is our way of life. We must protect our heart (protect they heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life) As Christians we measure everything we do based on the righteousness of God. This is a weapon. We can cloth ourselves in God’s righteousness. If we walk and life uprightly (righteously) this keeps us away from most of the enemies attacks. It keeps us in a place of safety. Without righteousness the arrows of sin and worldliness will be able to pierce us and destroy the functions of the Christian body. But with Righteousness sins cancer can’t penetrate and spread.
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
; Gospel shoes-; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
The definition of Gospel is good news. God has given us gospel shoes to spread the good news. Picture in your mind in Greek mythology the god Mercury, he was the messenger of the gods, on his feet he had little wings, that enabled him to carry his message with speed. It is the same for us God has put Gospel shoes on our feet, and we have a message to deliver. This is the Christian being on the offense. The best defense is a good offense. Lehman Strauss has this to say about the sandals. “The soldier’s shoes are not the dancing slippers of this world or the lounging slippers of the slothful, but the shoes of the Christian warrior who knows Christ and makes Him known.”
This speaks to our activity in the Gospel, we need to be active in our promotion of the Gospel. Soul winning is the life blood of the church, it is our excitement. Nothing is more exciting than bringing someone new to the house of the Lord and seeing them pray at the alter!
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
; Shield of Faith- V.16; ; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Faith’s shield is what protects us from the attacks from satan. This isn’t a small round shield like Captain America, but this is an oval oblong shield that you can crouch behind and be protected from arrows. In Roman fighting the fiery darts were those that were dipped in tree sap and then set on fire. When they hit a person they would explode or splatter fire. The shield protects us. With faith the devils fiery darts can’t penetrate the heart, and the mind. We can’t stop evil, negative, or doubting thoughts from entering our mind. But with faith we can stand true on the word of God. Faith extinguishes the negative thought and keeps us firmly positioned in the Word of God!
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
; Helmet of Salvation- V.17.1; 17And take the helmet of salvation,
This is one of the most important of all of the weapons that God has given us. The helmet is what protects the brain, the center of intellect, the processing house of all of the thoughts and desires of a man or woman. A salvation helmet prevents wicked thoughts from prevailing. It is the discipline of doing what God wants you to do. Salvation is the knowledge and hope of our future glory in Christ. Salvation stirs up our minds and keeps them on Christ and off of the world. Salvation is what brings us to Bible Study on a cold night, It is what brings us to Church on Sunday morning! Salvation keeps us out of the arms of someone we aren’t married to! Salvation keeps us on track!
; Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God- V.17.2; ….and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
The sword is used both for offense and defense. It is used to block an enemy attack, and used to deliver a decisive blow. How did Jesus respond to the devil when he was temped in the wilderness? He said “It is written” He responded with the Word of God. With the word of God alive in our lives, we are able to knock down the jungles of sin. Imagine a machete carving it’s way through the jungle. This is the way a Christian carves their way through life. Using God’s Word to lead the way. In today’s day and age there is no excuse NOT to know the word of God. If you have a smartphone you carry around a bible EVERYDAY. Leave Facebook alone and sharpen your SWORD!
; Pray always-V.18; 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
This is probably the most powerful weapon in the Christian arsenal. We have heard the phrase “Prayer changes things” that is more than a phrase it is a reality. Prayer is the driving force behind our walk with God. It is through prayer that we are saved,
it is through prayer that we received the Holy Ghost,
it is through prayer that miracles are performed,
it is through prayer that battles are won,
it is prayer that has brought us this far,
it is prayer that will take us home,
prayer will keep your attitude right,
without prayer we have no strength.
With all of these weapons we have been given we can but the enemy to flight in our life,
If the devil tries to show you another way, use your truth skirt
If he tries to tempt you with sin, change weapons and use your righteous breastplate.
If he tries to tell you lies and deceive you, change weapons and use your faith shield.
If he tries to cloud your thoughts with wickedness, change weapons and use your helmet of salvation,
Doing all of this praying all the way, and using your Spirit sword to plow your way through life.