Call To Arms!

Letter to Ephesus

A Call To Arms!

Intro: Thomas Jefferson, in editing his Bible for his own purposes removed all the mentions of prophecy, miracles, and even the resurrection. Why, because they did not fit with his moralistic and very naturalistic limits of Religion. He just wanted to get to the morals and teachings of Jesus but nothing else. He felt that the other stuff didn’t fit.

But without the supernatural aspect, without recognizing God as outside of time because he created time, then everything just becomes a historical account and a lie because there's quite a bit of prophecy in both the Old Testament and New Testament that came true. And with that in mind, we can trust the other prophecies will come true at some point as well.

Paul explains to the Ephesians that they are no longer just a par of the physical world, but they are now fully in the spiritual world as well.

Read Verses:

Main Point: With Christ, We have a new life in the Spirit and with that we are now soldiers in an unseen war between the powers of Darkness and the powers of Light, but we know that Christ has already won the war.

I. Soldiers Know The Chain of Command (Ch 1)

Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Roman Empire and it was the home of the Greek Goddess Artemis, who is also known as the Roman Goddess Diana. This goddess was the most sought after The temple drew people on pilgrimages from all over the empire. The temple and the religion became more of a business. This is Ephesus is the city where Paul was accused of turning the world upside down because Christianity was starting to affect the silversmith/idol making business. Christians no longer need a statue to worship God. Christian serve. Living God and not a hunk of powerless metal.

One thing that accompanied the city was magic and sorcery. And so Paul does two things in this letter: 1) Paul emphasizes the Supernatural work that God performed in His creation and 2) he uses the spiritual aspect of Christianity so that the people would understand

After Paul establishes the hierarchy of who is in charge at the end of chapter 1 starting in verse 15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

And we see the dominion or control that God exercises over his creation in his choosing us, an not not did he choose us, but he predestined us for adoption. And blessed us with Spiritual blessings. Not physical things necessarily ,but spiritual blessings. Especially because Paul was writing from a place of physical deprivation.

That is what our commander in Chief has done. He redeemed us through his Blood according the right of his grace, which is not something to be touched. It is spiritual.

II. Soldiers Know What Side They Are On (Ch 2-3)

Part of being in the military is knowing what side you are on. And Paul encourages those new recruits and maybe also the old crusty veterans through a tough time and to commend them.

In chapter 2:8-10. Paul says because of God’s grace that saved you with His gift, and because of that gift, Paul explains in chapter 2 verse 19, Paul says so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Listen to that. You are fellow citizens and members with all t either saints who have gone before you.

Pau is squarely telling them as a Christian, you are now on God’s side. You are in God’s Army

And we do not have to fear, because we will be strengthened with the power through His Spirit. Our commander protects us and feeds us and lives in us.

And with that hope, we can learn to Obey His orders.

III. Soldiers Obey their Orders Ch (4:1-6:10)

When you join the military, you get a different set of rules. Chapters 4-6 primarily deal with our new life in the spirit. This is because we have to act differently. We are asked to do things that most civilians do not have to do. And in this case, for the Ephesians, as we talked about in the Colossians society,that Christianity was completely different from the Greco-Roman society with regards to family dynamics, slaves, how we think, what we think, what we sing. That we pay for things and not steal.

all of these statements that Paul makes are pointing us how to be Christ like. Look at what Paul says to husbands in Chapter 5

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.[a] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body.

Paul is warning the church to act in a certain way and be aware Armies attack points of weakness, not points of strength. That is why we joke about the gold being Fort Knox being extremely fortified and never getting robbed.

IV. Soldiers Prepare to Go to War Everyday (6:11-24)

When Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall, he knew the people needed to protect themselves and the city so he had people arm up and also take turns keeping watch and working.

Paul says to put on the full armor of God. Why? So that you may stand against the schemes of the devil.

He says 12 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.

It is the same thing today.

“Not today Satan.” Has become a popular phrase.

And so Armed with this knowledge we can prepare ourselves for battle each a day

Application

1. Know Your Enemy

Recognize what Satan does. He lies. But not in big lies a lot of times. It's a small word difference. It's a word left out or put in.

So we must know God’s word inside and out.

He likes to cause strife. To Get you worked up and angry. Paul says in Eph 4:26-27. Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil

2. Recognize the signs of activity

He likes to get you busy,

He likes to see you fight with People you wouldn’t otherwise fight with.

All of these things manifest in the fleshly side of ourselves. Where we fall into u old selves.

3. Get your strength from God. (Call in an airstrike)

Pray. You had to fight spiritual warfare with spiritual weapons.

All oft he prices of armor are crafted by God and they have the His power.

Truth, Righteousness, readiness and the Gospel of peace, faith in God’s grace, the knowledge of your Salvation and thee sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

This is our arsenal.

“For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Deut. 20:4

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Rom. 8:31

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Josh. 1:9

Conclusion:

In Second Kings 6 when the King of Aram Attacked Israel and surrounded the city of Dothan with his Army it seemed like they would be captured or killed or be lost. In verse 15 we see “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

2 Kings 6:15-18 (NIV)

There are things going on around us that we do not see. But as a Christian, we have been made aware of the Spiritual realm because we have been born of the spirit. We must be prepared to fight everyday. We put on God’s Armor and we go out.

We must have our eyes opened like the young servant. And when we do, it should give us great hope that there is an unseen army working to protect us. Call to