Ephesians 6 "Your Spiritual Armor" This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/location is provided by http://www.theseason.org This is a doctrinal chapter, which teaches us how to live and react in our community; in our homes, and at our work place. This is the spiritual dress, or armor that prepares us to face any and all spiritual battles we will face. Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." Their is also the right of the child to question their parents, for this is part of the learning process that takes their minds to maturity. Though the child may question mom and dad, the final authority is the parent's decision. Take the time to listen and understand them, then they will want to obey you. "In the Lord" is important, for the motivation of response comes from within the child, and through training and teaching biblical principles at the earliest ages, the desire to obey will become part of their conscience. Then throughout their entire life that childhood instruction will give them something to stand upon. This also forms trust and love between the child and the parent. Ephesians 6:2 "Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise)," This is the "first commandment" directed to the child. When the parents are in an depraved condition, as a Christian we can be more generous and patient; for many times the parent may need help and treatment. If we cannot give the help needed to our parent, the best thing to do is to seek help for them. This chapter is directed to the Christian, and is part of a Christian's spiritual armor. As we saw in Chapter 5, our obedience to the Lord is as part of the many membered body of Christ. This position compels us to honor all of the Lord's commandments. All family members must be willing to keep the entire family focused on God's word. To honor your parents includes the desire to help them. Ephesinas 6:3 "That they may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." When the family follows the principles of our Lord, from the Bible, there is a lot less stress and problems for all family members, both physically and mentally. There should be peace in your home, for it is your refuse place away from the world. It is the place of healing, and love in the home is part of the healing process. Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." "The nurture and admonition" is teaching the child to use simple common sense, and this must be applied to the child with discipline and love for the Lord. This gives them the foundation to reason out an alternate course for when the times get hard in their lives. When the times get tough; both the child, and the family should be flexible enough to overcome the stressful times, by switching to an alternate plan. When there is a dead-lock between the child and the parent, where neither will give in; that is where the love and discipline "in the Lord", will prepare both the child and the parent to accept an alternate plan in the later years. The child's final authority must be the parents decision; However, in the child's adulthood, common sense will then allow a decision based upon Christian principles. The parameters, or boundaries for discernment of right and wrong; good or bad, and and other choices, are set by the training in God's word, and as such become the conscience of the child. Teach your children in the ways of the Lord, and explain why it is important for them to learn these principles. Ephesians 6:5 "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;" Obedience given with "fear and trembling" is given with commitment and trust to your employer. It is given in the manner that Jesus Christ gave while on earth. For through you, they see the body of Christ on earth. When you speak, your words can be trusted, and in public, your actions must reflect a good light on both the employer, and the service he gives. This is just good common sense. We are a slave to Christ, and we are also committed to our employer. This commitment requires productivity that makes us valuable to him, and not a drain to his business. Do the work you enjoy, and be committed to that work. Ephesians 6:6 "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;" When we serve our employer in the duties of our job, we should have the same singleness of mind to please him as we do in pleasing our Lord. For where ever we are, and what ever position we are in, as a member of the body of Christ, we are to reflect Jesus Christ in us. When the heart is right, our mind and attitudes will also be right. Then through our words and actions on the job, we can be a productive worker. This verse is aimed at the Christian worker in the workplace. Remember, the purpose is to please Christ; and in striving to live the principles in His word, this will please our boss also. Ephesians 6:7 "With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:" We should always take pride in what we do, and not become sloppy in our work habits. Get in the right frame of mind, and well focused on what we are doing. Strive continually for perfection. As we do our work for our Lord, God can control and change the mind of our employer, to make the workplace better for each of the workers. God will intercede for you when you but try. When the going gets tough and too hard, then it is time to reevaluate what you are doing. Is it time to make some changes in your mind and attitudes. Ephesians 6:8 "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." To God, it dosen't make any difference what position you are in; bond or free, boss or employee, but what is important is how you do what you do, and the manner you do it in. Our rewards in our eternal life do reflect our service to Christ in this life. Our purpose and duty is to serve God in the place we are in, and in the manner we are instructed to, through the word of God [the Bible]. Our wages in this life are measured in dollars, but in the next life, they are given in position and status [service] to be used by the Almighty Father himself. Ephesians 6:9 "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." God doesn't care if you are on the top or even owner of the business; for when you claim to be part of the body of Christ, a Christian, then the same principles that apply to the worker, apply to you also. To the degree you judge and treat your workers, that also is how God looks upon you. You are an equal slave to Christ, as the lowest Christian worker working for you. The commitments are the same to Christ, as is that of your workers. Your representation of Christ in your life before the world, and in the workplace, should be in the same manner. The preparation of your mind and attitudes toward others, and your position, are also in like manner as every other Christian working for you. You are all part of the same body of Christ, and each Christian is filling the particular position that God feels you can handle. However, we will all be accountable to God, and before Him for the way we represented Him, and for our actions done in this earth age. Discipline sets the line in family, and the workplace, and it governs how well each of your employees will get along with each other, and also the commitment they will have towards you and the business. Make that line open for two way conversation, yet certain parts cannot be crossed. Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." Natural instinct is the using of common sense. We must allow our own natural instincts and common sense to override that which is false. When we arm ourselves in the word of God, we should grow up to have the strength and power to set the direction or our own lives. We should be able to know truth from false teaching, false doctrine, and false information. To "be strong in the Lord", means to be sure in your mind of the Lord. Our strength in the Lord comes from the things we can do in the authority of Jesus Christ's name. God's might is where all our power comes from. God cares, and gives those who call on His name the strength needed to see us through any difficulty. Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Luke 11:22; "But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils." Jesus is telling us that before we put on our armor to go into battle against the enemy [Satan], we are to scout out the enemy to see the strength of his [Satan's] forces. How many troupes he has, what he is armed with, and what he intends to use against us. Then we can come back and take an inventory of our strength, to see how well we will be able to stand against him. When there are overwhelming odds against us, we are to send an ambassador to talk peace; for this pulling of a delay will buy time for us. We are in the end times and in a fierce spiritual battle. Have you scouted the enemy? Do you know who the enemy is, and who his forces are made up from? It is Satan, his evil spirits, and his offspring on the earth, the "Kenites". God is giving these evil forces authority to exercise, and bring about the fulfillment of His plan for these latter days. Shortly, Michael will cast Satan out of heaven [Revelation 12:7], and he will be on the earth in person ruling as the Antichrist. When the spirit of Antichrist rules, God will also give His elect the Spirit and power of the Holy Spirit; which will have power to subdue all evil spirits. In Luke 10:18, Jesus said; "We have the power over all our enemies", and Satan is our enemy. Now is the time that we had better be preparing ourselves; to know what is going to transpire, and what we must have to use against Satan, and all his forces. We must know him and all his names; the Antichrist, the serpent, the king of Tyre, the devil, and all of his other names, which will alert us to his actions. The "wiles of the devil" refers to the lies, tricks, and deceitfulness he and his offspring [the Kenites] may use to bring down Christians. The "whole armour" is all the protection necessary to stand against those lies and deception. Your entire body has to be protected against Satan, or he will out wit you, and you will not stand. The point is, that you put on the "whole armour", all of it, to stand against Satan, the Antichrist. Ephesians 6:12 "For we wrestle not against flesh ad blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This battle we are going to fight against is not "flesh and blood", it is not people you see and hear, but it is against hidden and deceitful spiritual powers. Satan is the prince of darkness, and spiritually he controls the minds and actions of not only rulers of this earth, but all evil spirits in the heavenlies. These are the angelic beings in a fallen state. Are you prepared mentally to do battle with Them? This battle is not with guns and swords, but with words and doctrines; with concepts and ideas, and these are the "fiery darts" that Satan will conduct his warfare against you with. Daniel 8:23 will give us a view of what this ruler of darkness is like. "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up." This king in the "latter time" is Satan, the Antichrist; he is the "king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences". In the Hebrew text it means that Satan is "skilled in dissimulation" of the truth of God's word. Satan knows all of God's word, and as such, he is the father of lies and deception. He will twist and turn the truth a little here and a little there, to make it an outright lie. Satan is the Antichrist on earth, and we must never forget it. Daniel 8:24 "And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy People." He will take away so much of Christianity, and cause so much deception through false doctrines [such as the rapture doctrine] that all those without their full [whole] armor on, will be deceived. He comes "in" [to this earth] with the promise of peace and prosperity; with false hopes and a promise to fulfill your every wish, if you will but follow him. Daniel 8:25 "And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." Satan's "policy" is the way he fights, which is his method of operation. The "craft to prosper in his hand", refers to his ability that God will give him to do many miracles and wonders. Revelation 13 tells us how he will use this deceit to trick the whole world, except for God's elect, those with the seal of God {knowledge} in their minds. "He shall magnify himself in his heart", is covered in II Thessalonians 2:4; "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing [calling] himself that he is God." This is the "Abomination of desolation [by the desolator]" spoken of in Daniel 9:27, and by Jesus in Matthew 24:15. "By peace" is Satan's secret weapon, for peace is the most powerful weapon used against God's people in this final generation. It is dismantling the mind of the Christian church and disarming our nation today. In the end Satan will be "broken without hand", because it will be by the tow edged sword which comes from the mouth of Jesus Christ. The same sword that spoke and worlds were formed, and the stars were put in their places. However, we must not underestimate Satan's power to deceive, and his miracles, and cries for peace, peace, peace. Europe has moved to unity, and by treaty, and the Americas are also brought together. But the binding force for the world politically is the United Nations, with it's many dominating agencies. World peace is at the door step, and with it comes the sounding of the "fifth trumpet of Revelation 9:1. At the fall of this world political system, comes the rise of a world religious order, which will cause the world nations to bow to the coming ruler, the Antichrist. Even the Christian world will bow to this religious leader, the Antichrist, as their Messiah. One worldism is so close, that it could become fact at any time. Ephesians 6:13 "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to with stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." We will stand against Satan, and all his forces. The "evil day" is just before the Lord's return, and on that day we had better be prepared to stand and face Satan, with our full armor on. Ephesians 6:14 "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;" Your "girt" is your belt. That is what holds up your pants, and our spiritual "belt" is the truth of God's word; all of it. Like the belt, it also holds you together, and keeps you from going flying off in all directions. If you know what to expect you will not stray off into Satan's camp in ignorance. Our "breastplate of righteousness" is our justification, or authority for everything we say or do. That is the Word of God. It will protect you, but only if you are able to think for yourself, and the wisdom to direct our thinking can only come from God. Without that truth in your mind, you are spiritually naked, and defenseless against any spiritual battle. The world today is Biblically illiterate. Ephesians 6:15 "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;" This is the kind of shoes that we all must have on. There is only one true peace, and that comes from Jesus Christ. The "gospel of peace" is the "good news of God's full plan". Your feet are used to walk with and get you around, while the shoes are for the protection of your feet. So we had better have the "gospel armor" on so when we move in these final days, we know exactly where to walk, and what to expect. There are no secrets for these days, as to how Satan's forces will move; for it is all written in God's Word [our Bible]. When we see the signs of the end times that are upon us, we had better understand what Satan will do; and then know what we had better do about it. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 13 all tell us in detail what we are to do in that day. These are all part of our spiritual shoes, that will guide our feet to where they ought to take us. Ephesians 6:16 "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Paul is telling us that this is the most important armor; "above all". When we put on our "shield of faith" we can quench [or snuff out] all of Satan's fiery darts. There is absolutely nothing Satan can send against you mentally, if you are filled with the seal of the living God. God even went far beyond that when He gave to Satan the keys of authority for his tribulation rule. God said in Revelation 9:4 "And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thin, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." That seal of God is the Scriptures; all of it, and it had better be stored in your mind [that's your "forehead"]. The "shield" is our faith, or the certain knowledge that we know that when Satan comes against us, we will automatically be given the moves we are to take to shield ourselves form him. Whatever comes our way will be snuffed out today, tomorrow, and right into Christ's Millennium age. Your faith is not only your belief, but your acting on that belief; which is sustained by your confidence that God will perform that what He said He will do. All things will come to pass exactly as He said it would in His Word. Ephesians 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" The "sword of the spirit" is the "Word of God". Revelation 1:16 tells us that the sword is a two edged sword that destroys all of Satan's lies and deceptions. It is the Word of God, from the mouth of God, and written for us in the Bible. Our head is the most vulnerable part of our body; Therefore our salvation had better be secure and sure in our mind. Our "salvation" is the most sure thing we can have, for it is Christ that does the saving, and it comes through our belief in Jesus Christ, and His work on the cross: His death and resurrection. All this was done by Him to pay the price for each and every sin that we have done. However, those sins are only forgiven by Him through our repentance to God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then our sins are all blotted out from the view of the Father, and we are accepted into His family. We become the sons [daughters] of God, and joint heirs with Christ in God's kingdom. Ephesians 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints," Make sure that it is your spirit that is guiding your prayer, and not your flesh. Look out for each other, and keep other Christians warm in the Spirit. Make intercessory prayers for each other, and give support and backing to your Christian Brethren. Ask God for all the tools to fight your spiritual battles, and He will even lay on your heart and mind the burden for your Christian brethren. Ephesians 6:19 "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel," The "mystery of the gospel" was stated in Ephesians 1:4. "I chose you before the foundations of this world", that was the "overthrow of Satan" in the first earth age. If you proved yourself worthy then, you will prove yourself worthy in this earth age. Romans 8 documents this and gives us a second witness to this, as to how you were chosen, or predestined. The sword is very powerful, and can even divide the soul from the spirit. The spirit is the intellect in which the souls thinks. The word of God in our minds will allow us to speak boldly of God's word, for then we need not run from anyone. Not only will the word keep your soul body in line, but it will also straighten out your flesh body. It will show you how you are to control you flesh. Ephesians 6:20 "For which I am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak." Paul is speaking, and commanding that you and I should speak the truths of God's Word, that we be direct and forthright. That we be bold in what we say and speak with authority. We can do that when we have the whole armor on. Your faith will allow you to speak boldly, and with confidence. Ephesians 6:21 "But 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:" Paul is telling the Ephesians that "Tychicus" is coming to Ephesis, and he will explain this letter in detail to them. Ephesians 6:22 "Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts." When we understand the word of God, and prepare our minds and hearts to be servants of Christ, it is very comforting. Ephesians 6:23 "Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 6:24 "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen."
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