Ephesians 6:5-24

October 10, 2012 The main point of what were studying shows that theres one body and bride of Jesus Christ, and as members of it were to treat each other a certain way. Marriage, fathers and children, and slaves and masters typify our relationship with Christ. We spent a good chunk of our time last week answering how Paul could be pro slavery, so were not going to get into that again except to say that his idea of it wasnt the same as ours and hes building on the command in 5:21 to submit to each other.
5Servants,

be obedient to them that are your masters

Remember, these arent culturally irrelevant verses. Theyre not telling us to be better workersslavery is a type of our relationship with God who has bought us with a price. Theres no reason for Christians to fear these verses because theyre the true and useful words of God; they were good for those who originally heard them, and theyre good for those who hear them today. These are masters, according to the flesh, Their authority only goes so far and is temporary. The listening slaves were believers whose real Master is Master of their souls. So they obey, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Obedience isnt to be feigned. When they work its to be done in a sincere way as if they were working for Christ. Its not hard to see the spiritual substance behind the shadowdoing the will of God from the heart.
8Knowing

that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Think of our lives as time out in a field. There are many different positions and levels of authority, but were all working for the same Master. The promise is that all the workers reap the benefit of whats sowed. In the big picture were working for Gods harvest or to build His house, so we do it happily knowing He wont forget us. Look again at Col. 3:22-25: Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God; 23And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 24Knowing that of

the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 25But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. 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. Imagine slaves and masters listening together in churcheveryone knows slaves are to obey their masters, but then Paul says, Masters, do the same things to them. Give up threatening. Ill wager that where we have a hard time accepting verses 58, the New Testament church had an equally hard time accepting verse 9! How is the master supposed to keep the slave in line, and how is productivity going to be kept if the master treats the slave with reverence and doesnt make any threats? Well, the slaves have to live knowing that God rewards obedience, and so the masters have to live knowing that they arent at the top of the totem-pole. They may be masters here on earth, but they are themselves slaves to the impartial Master. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven (Col. 4:1). All the harshness ever practiced in slavery in any form is rejected by the Bible. Believers are one body, and were to submit to each other the same way wives submit to husbands, children submit to parents, and slaves submit to masters. On the other hand, husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church, fathers are to train their children as our Father trains us, and masters are to serve and protect their slaves as our Master does us.
10Finally, 9And,

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

Now we come to these verses, and they seem a little out of place with the rest of the book. How do we go from union and submission to warfare? Think about how tough it is to submit to each other. Dont be lords; be servants. That just goes against everything that seems natural, but pride and selfishness are the original platforms of sin. Satan says, I will ascend (Is. 14:13-14). He tells Eve, You will be like God (Gen. 3:5). The only remedy is to be strong (empowered, receive strength) in the Lord. Compare this to II Cor. 12:9.
11Put

on the whole armour of God,

Put on is in the Aorist Imperative: put it on now and dont take it off. that ye may be able to stand

That you will have power () to stand against the wiles of the devil. Against means toward something. In Matthew 10:6 Jesus tells the disciples to go to the lost sheep. The same way they set their faces toward the lost sheep were to set ours against the wiles of the devil. The Greek word for wiles is (methodeia). Its not just lies, but a methodical trick. Its a clever plan made to deceive someone (think of Eve in the Garden). He wasnt trying to overthrow God or destroy manhe just wanted to be helpful and give man something God had left out. Hes not trying to cause problems; he just wants you to have all you can in life. But we know the wiles of the devil. Hes a sneaky thief, an outright liar, and a bloodthirsty murderer (Jn. 10:10). Hes a lion searching for prey (I Pt. 5:8).
12For

we wrestle not against flesh and blood,

Wrestle is actually a noun, so it might read something more like We are not in a wrestling match. but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. These terms seem are synonymous as they all have to do with authority and rule. The main points are that (1) these are creatures more powerful than us and (2) they rule a spiritual realm. Think of the verse which tells us that the god of this age has blinded the minds of them who believe not (II Cor. 4:4). The question should be asked, How can we succeed against such powerful rulers if they are at work against us? Well, the answer is that we stand strong in the Lord:
13Wherefore

take unto you the whole armour of God,

Why are we to take the armor? that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, This is the first reason: it enables us to withstand the evil day, or it gives us power to stand against the wiles of the devil while were here on earth.

and having done all, to stand. This is the second reason we put on the armor: having done all means to finish something or to accomplish it. Hes saying, put the armor on because then youll stand against the wiles of the devil all the way until the end. And now the armor is explained:
14Stand

therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,

Compare this to I Pet. 1:13 and I Kings 18:46. Men used to wear long robes, so they girded their loins by gathering up the loose material between their legs and tying it up. In this way they were ready for work or action. Our minds should always be ready with the truth because Satan is a liar and hes always telling lies. and having on the breastplate of righteousness; The Greek word for breastplate is cage.

(thorax). In English a thorax is the rib

I think of the verse in Acts where it says the guilty men were cut to the heart when they heard Peters preaching (Acts 2:37). The heart is the place of the conscience and ours is covered by the righteousness of God. The heart is also the place of emotion and decisionKeep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life (Prov. 4:23). The Israelites couldnt enter into the rest because of hardened hearts (Heb. 3:8). When we have on the breastplate of righteousness were clinging to Christ and obeying His word. Were under His control and bearing His fruit.
15And

your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: The context here is that were standing by the strength of the Lord (:10) against the devils schemes. We proclaim the truth about God to refute lies, and we believe the same truth despite lies. When you take it all as a whole, were protected from the attacks of Satan as we make good use of the time waiting for God to do what He promised He would do.

18Praying

always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; There is no lull in spiritual warfare. Were to be in a constant state of readiness as we pray for each other with all perseverance.
19And

for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. We also pray for boldness for utterance.
21But

that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: 22Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. 23Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Theres great peace knowing that Im safe and secure when Im in Him and in knowing that soon Ill be with Him where neither sin nor death nor Satan himself can even enter in. http://newgracebaptist.blogspot.com/