Therefore Pray in Him

Eph. 6:18-24

Good morning!  We have reached the final message in the Ephesians series, “… Therefore …”  After we wrap up the final verses of the book, we’ll take a look at Ephesians in summary.  

Last week, Carl shared on the armor of God described in Ephesians 6:10-17: (1) the belt of truth, (2) the breastplate of righteousness, (3) well-fitting shoes with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, (4) the shield of faith, (5) the helmet of salvation, and (6) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

All that armor is necessary because there is a spiritual battle going on.  I think it is easy to forget this at times.  Sometimes we forget because things seem to be going well.  Sometimes we forget because even though things are tough, we attribute those circumstances to flesh and blood rather than to devil’s schemes. (6:12) Once we have the armor on, what are we to do?

We talked about how the armor and even the sword mentioned in this section were defensive weapons.  

It’s also interesting to note that in the verses above, we have 6 pieces to the armor.  Paul was Jewish.  In the Hebrew language, the number 7 represents completeness.   Today, we will add the seventh item to this kit for the believer to stand firm and be strong in the Lord.

Today, we are going to pick up with the primary offensive weapon of the faith.  With that intro, let’s pray and dig into Ephesians 6:18-24.

Father God, thank you for this series.  I pray that it would encourage all of us to be strong in You, to be fully equipped, and to glorify You in all we do.  Teach us now we pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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 Lord's people. – Eph. 6:18

In order to move forward, we need to pray.  Ephesians 6:18 is hardly the only place that the Bible mentions and encourages us to pray.

Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow who kept asking the judge to rule in her favor.  Because of her perseverance, the unrighteous judge gave her justice against her adversary.  Luke 18:1 tells us why Jesus told his disciples that parable.  It says he told that story “to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”  We should always pray and not give up!

Philippians 4:6 exhorts us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Paul tells us here to pray all kinds of prayers.  That could be group prayer, individual prayer, silent prayer, spoken prayer, prayer in song, prayer while walking, prayer while kneeling, eloquent prayer, groaning prayer, constant prayer, urgent prayer.  Different kinds of prayer.  Prayers of adoration and praise and worship of God.  Prayers of thanksgiving.  Prayers of supplication, asking God for something, asking Him to take action, prayers for other people.

In I Timothy 2:1-4, Paul writes to Timothy, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

All kinds of prayers for others.  Petitions (requests), prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for all people.  Pray for their salvation, that they may come to a knowledge of the truth.  And, as Paul tells us here, “to be alert and to keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”  Don’t forget about the prayer requests others have mentioned to you.  

How does Paul tell us to pray?  He tells us to pray in the Spirit.  How do you pray in the Spirit?  Praying in the Spirit is not praying in the flesh.  It doesn’t need to be studied or eloquent.  It doesn’t need to sound like an orator.  It shouldn’t feel like riding a bike up hill.

Romans 8:26-27 tells us that it doesn’t depend on us knowing how or what to pray.  You see, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.”

When we don’t know what or how to pray, or if we feel dull and unable to pray, that’s a starting point.  We can confess our inability to God.  He will not be surprised.  He knows us and all our weaknesses.  When we confess, we are then expecting God to work.

Praying includes resting in the Lord, being quiet, listening.  I’ve been reading in the gospel of John the last couple of weeks.  I was impressed by John 3 where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus.  Jesus says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”  I was reminded of when I came to Christ as a freshman here at Clemson.  That was 33 years ago.  We don’t know where the Spirit is coming from or where it is going, but we can experience and feel Him.  In praying in the Spirit, we are also waiting on the Spirit, to seek fellowship with God in prayer.  I would recommend A.W. Tozer’s Pursuit of God, if you want to go deeper in considering this.

When we pray in the Spirit, we pray with boldness.  We don’t make demands of God.  We don’t claim promises from God.  We come as children of God, asking with the boldness a child asks their parents.  We can pray urgently, plead with God even, but we can’t “boss Him around” in our prayers.  One more recommendation toward praying in the Spirit is to pray the Word.  Pray prayers that are in the bible.  Pray the words of Scripture.  Pray that God would fulfill His commands.  Pray for things God tells us to pray for.  “Pray to the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” (Matthew 9:38)

Let’s continue in Ephesians 6.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, 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. – Eph. 6:19-20

Way back at the beginning of the book, in Ephesians 1:16, Paul wrote, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”  Now, Paul asks the Ephesians to pray for him.  Remember, Paul is in prison in Rome a he is writing this letter.  There is no doubt that Paul could have asked for prayer for a lot of things.  How about, “pray that God would take away these chains.”  Pray that God would provide for him in other ways.

Paul did not ask for those prayers.  He asked for words to make known the mystery of the gospel and boldness to declare it.  Twice he prays that he would be able to fearlessly proclaim the gospel.  It is the same root word in each case.  That’s what was really important to Paul.  So much so that he said it twice.

No doubt, he was in intimidating circumstances, chained to a Roman soldier, awaiting an audience with Caesar, the ruler of the largest empire ever known.  His goal was to make known the mystery of the gospel whenever he spoke.  Talking about praying the words of the bible.  These are words that we could pray for one another and even ourselves.

Paul didn’t want to just be bold.  He also wanted to be clear.  He wanted his hearers to be able to understand the mystery of the gospel.  He’s asking for the ability to make the message understandable.  May we all have the ability to share the truth in a way that causes others to see and understand Jesus Christ.

Our last few verses are the closing of the letter.

Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. – Eph. 6:21-22

We don’t know all that much about Tychicus, but he certainly is an important companion and help for Paul.  We first hear of him in Acts 20 when he accompanied Paul at least on the beginning of his journey to Jerusalem.  In that passage (v.4), we learn that both Tychicus and Trophimus are from the province of Asia.  Ephesus was the “capital” of the province of Asia.  Acts 21 says Trophimus was an Ephesian.  So, Tychicus is from Ephesus or the area nearby it.

Then, the book of Colossians closes with a similar line to what we see here in Ephesians.  Tychicus is sent with the letter and will tell the Colossians all the news about Paul.  Paul describes Tychicus as “a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord.” (Colossians 4:7) It may even have been that Tychicus carried this letter to the Ephesians and the letter to the Colossians in the same trip.  Ephesus and Colosse are ~150 miles apart from each other and 1200 miles from Rome.

A few years after writing Ephesians and Colossians, Paul wrote to Titus that as soon as he sent Artemas or Tychicus to you, that Titus should come to meet Paul. (Titus 3:12) And finally, II Timothy 4:12 Paul tells Timothy that he sent Tychicus to Ephesus.  I mention all that because Tychicus is clearly an important helper to Paul.  He’s a good traveler, a messenger for Paul, willing to come and go wherever needed.

Tychicus’ name comes from the root word to hit the mark or hit the bullseye.  His name can also mean to obtain or reach or achieve something.  I spend all this time talking about Tychicus because he can be a good example for all of us.  Are we helping and serving those around us as well as we could and should?

Specifically here, Paul has sent Tychicus as one who can share face to face how Paul is and that he may be an encouragement to them.  I find it fascinating that after writing a letter which is part of the word of God, living and active, cannot return void, that Paul still sent Tychicus along as an integral part of his testimony, of how he was, of what he was doing, and for encouraging the Ephesians.  I think we can easily overlook how important it is to visit one another, to spend time face to face.  Yes, texting, email, writing, phone calls, and other means of communication are important.  But, a face-to-face visit is somehow unique and special and should not be overlooked.

Let’s wrap up Ephesians.

Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. – Eph. 6:23-24

This type of ending is often referred to as a benediction.  Benediction is a word straight from the Latin.  It does not mean the last thing or the last word.  It means to bless.  Literally, to say good or to speak well.

Peace and grace echoes Paul’s greeting in Ephesians 1:2, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”  In Ephesians 1:3, Paul wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  As he encouraged us with every spiritual blessing at the beginning, here he blesses the Ephesians (and us) to walk in those blessings.

We have the blessing of peace.  Tranquility.  Contentment.  Peace with God.

We have the blessing of love with faith.  Agape.  Unconditional love with conviction.

We have the blessing of grace.  Undeserved favor.  The merciful kindness of God.

Amen?  Amen!

Let’s go back now and review the series in conclusion.

As noted, Paul writes Ephesians while imprisoned in Rome.  This was around 60-62 AD.  At the conclusion of the book of Acts, Paul had arrived in Rome after appealing to Caesar.  Ephesians was written at that time.

The first three chapters focus on the gospel, the message that by putting one’s faith in Christ, Gentile believers are included with believing Jews in receiving redemption through Christ’s blood and the forgiveness of sins.  Paul prays for them and us that the Spirit would help us to know Christ more deeply, more personally, more richly, and he prays that we would know the inheritance we now possess by faith and the power of God that is available to us.

Paul describes us as God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works that He has planned for us to do.  These works have nothing to do with salvation, with saving us, but we are to do these works as we allow the Spirit to lead us, out of gratitude and submission, to the glory of God.  As we live in this way, we, both Jewish and Gentile believers together, are like stones set in a single beautiful building, with Christ as the cornerstone.

Paul goes on to share of the joy he has personally experienced – a joy that makes his many severe trials not worth even mentioning in comparison – as he lives out the calling God has placed on him as a minister to the Gentiles.

And then, after a beautiful prayer for the Ephesians – and for us – that Christ would reign in our hearts through faith, and that we would grasp just how much Christ loves us, we come to Chapter 4, which starts with the word “Therefore.”  And the second half of the book, which includes today’s passage, focuses on a more practical, detail-oriented explanation of how we should live as people “in Christ”.  We are told to be completely humble and gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  We are told that, to assist in this goal, Christ gave the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

Implicit in this discussion is the directive that all believers should be joining with other believers in local assemblies, so that these gifts of Christ can benefit all believers. We are told to “put off” our old selves, corrupted by deceitful desires, and “put on” our new selves, created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. We are told to put off falsehood and put on truth-telling. We are told to put off anger. We are told to put off stealing but put on honest work. We are told to put off unwholesome talk and put on speech that builds others up. We are told to put off bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander, and put on compassion and forgiveness.

As God’s dearly loved children, we are told to walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us.

We are told to not have even a hint of immorality, impurity, greed, or unwholesome talk. We are told to seek what pleases the Lord, living as the wise, not as the foolish. We are told not to be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit, worshipping Him and being ever thankful.  And then we are told to submit to one another out of love for Christ, and specific instructions are given to wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters.

Last week’s passage and the beginning of today’s passage take us through Paul’s final point of emphasis which he begins with this imperative.  “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power!”  What are the qualities of someone who is strong in the Lord?  If you’re strong in the Lord, then you are not grumbling and complaining (Philippian 2:14).  If you’re strong in the Lord, then you are believing the best of others (I Corinthians 13:7).  If you’re strong in the Lord, you are not afraid (I Peter 3:6 ESV).  Are we choosing to not grumble, are we choosing to not complain, are we choosing to believe the best of others, are we choosing not to be afraid?  I’m not saying that we can do any of these things in our own strength.  I’m asking whether or not we are choosing to turn away from the things which are weak and turning toward being strong in the Lord.

It is God alone who makes us strong, but we are given the pattern of how to be strong.  We have these six incredible God-given tools for our defense: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, well-fitting shoes with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We are not left undefended in the spiritual battle we face. We are not meant to live a defeated Christian life. We are equipped by God so that we can stand firm. We need to put our armor on and keep it on. And by God’s grace, as we do so, we will indeed stand firm.

And, we must pray.  In every way, and at every time.  Staying alert, we must pray for one another.  Let’s not forget.  Let us pray that we each would be strong in the Lord and stand firm in the spiritual battle.

It’s so easy to forget.  The bible tells many times that the Israelites forgot God or forgot what He had done for them.  As many of you know, I had cataract surgery this week.  I’ve learned more about cataracts in the last 3-4 weeks than I ever knew before.

It turns out that there are 3 main types of age-related cataracts.  Nuclear cataracts that start in the center of your field of vision.  Cortical cataracts that start at the edges and work their way toward the center in streaks or lines.  Then, there are posterior subcapsular cataracts or PSC’s which occur in the center of your field of vision but grow on the backside of the lens.  Another characteristic of this PSC-type is that it grows much more quickly than the others.  In a matter of months, you can have life-altering changes in your vision.  So, I have that last kind.  The one that grows fast and acts like a smudge in the middle of your field of view.  The only data I could find has this type at <10% of all age-related cataracts.

This week was surgery on one eye, the worse of the two.  Before the surgery, I could see about 20/80 with my glasses on out of my left eye.  Out of my right eye, I could see 20/50 with my glasses on or off.  But that doesn’t really tell the story because cataracts mess up your vision in a way that is different than just being out of focus.  So, 20/80 was best case.  In some circumstances, my vision was a lot worse than that.  Now that I’ve had the surgery to pull out the bad lens and put a new clear one in, I can see 20/20 out of my left eye, all the time, at least when my eye is not dried out.  I haven’t seen 20/20 without glasses since I was in my early teenage years, almost 40 years ago.

Yesterday was the first day that I could really get out and see 20/20.  Even Friday night at the house, I was amazed at the colors and textures of things around the house.  Saturday was unbelievable.  In just a few months, I had forgotten what the world could look like.  I’m walking to the car and looking at the texture of the concrete and thinking, “Did I know that’s what concrete looked like?”  I looked at the tree tops and I could see the bare branches all the way to the ends.  I put my music on the stand and then I backed up about 10 feet, and I could still read it.  I told the music team on Wednesday night that if I wasn’t going to have surgery Thursday, it was probably about the last week I could play ukulele and lead worship.  I just couldn’t see enough to play and sing at the same time.  At least, not through the whole worship set.

I used to be able to see, for 50 years I could see.  Then, I couldn’t see clearly for a short time, less than a year.  And that was a gradual decline.  In that short time, I forgot what a lot of regular things that I see every day looked like.  The difference is enough that I’m walking around with a sense of wonder and awe.

Now apply that spiritually.  Certainly, there are aspects of eternal life that we cannot see clearly this side of heaven.  I Corinthians 13:12 (ESV) says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to look more deeply.  And it certainly doesn’t mean that we should forget what we have seen.  James 1:25 says, “Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Let us not forget what we have heard and seen in the book of Ephesians over the last several months.  Let us put these things into practice and trust the Lord that He is able to make us stand firm in doing them. Let’s pray.

Father God, help us to be doers of Your Word and not merely hearers only.  Help us to remember what You have done for us, and help us to live lives of boldness and clarity in You.  Thank You that You are always with us and that Your Spirit is even praying with and for us in our weaknesses.  We rejoice in You and we pray in Your Son Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

 

Therefore Be Strong in Him

Eph. 6:10-17

Good morning! Today we continue our series through the book of Ephesians, looking at the middle portion of chapter 6. As we have gone through Ephesians, we have seen that chapters 1 through 3 focus on the incredible blessings we have in Christ, on the gospel, and on the supreme value of knowing God and the love of God more personally, more deeply, and more intimately, a blessing that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and is only possible because Jesus willingly went to the cross for our sins. 

And in the start of Chapter 4 Paul says “therefore”, a pivot that splits the entire letter effectively into two halves. The rest of Ephesians focuses on how we should then live. We are to be humble and gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love. We are to join with other believers, availing ourselves of the spiritual leaders that God gives us. We are to put off our old selves and put on the new, forsaking deception, loving one another, building one another up, abounding in compassion and forgiveness, and living by the power of the Spirit with continual thankfulness. 

And then we are told to submit to one another out of love for Christ, and specific instructions are given to wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters. And this brings us to today’s passage, starting in Eph. 6:10.

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. – Eph. 6:10-11 

Now, Paul likes to use the word translated “finally” not as the last few words he says, but as the last major topic. It is interesting to look at the various letters that he uses this word, as what comes across is that what comes next is very much customized to the people he is writing to; that is, what comes after “finally” is always different. When he uses it in 2 Cor 13:11, he tells them to be of one mind and live in peace with one another.  When he uses it in Phil. 4:8, he tells them to focus their thoughts on true, honest, just, pure, good, virtuous things. In I Thess. 4:1, he tells them to abound in the works of God in accordance with what they have learned. And in 2 Thess. 3:1, he asks for prayer, that the gospel would go forth from him. 

But here in Ephesians, he tells them to be strong, to stand against the schemes of the devil. But of course, that is not exactly what Paul says. I have left some critical things out.

First, Paul tells them to be strong in the Lord. Before we explore what that might mean, let me point out that throughout the New Testament we are told to be strong in the Lord, never to be strong in our own strength. Phil. 4:13 says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. In I Tim. 1:12 Paul says that he thanks the Lord Jesus who has strengthened him. In 2 Tim. 2:1 Paul tells Timothy to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 

What does it mean to be strong in someone else? I think it means to rely on the other person for things that you yourself cannot do well, if at all. In a marriage, the husband and wife are supposed to rely on each other in this way, and together they are to rely on God for what neither of them can do. I am reminded of this passage from Ecclesiastes:

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. – Eccl. 4:9-12

This passage will always mean a lot to Mimi and I because it was one of the passages that was expounded upon at our wedding. And in the passage the picture is given of two people who are strong in each other. Although it does not specifically refer to a husband and wife, it certainly applies to marriage relationship, but it could also apply to a relationship between siblings or business partners, for example. As for the cord of three strands, I do not think this is an unconnected thought from the verses preceding it. And I also believe that the three strands refer to the two people that depend on each other plus the Lord. 

And so, coming back to the Ephesians passage:

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. – Eph. 6:10-11 

When two people are dependent on each other, there is an expectation that each one will pull their own weight, that in some situations they will rely on the strength of one person, and in other situations they will rely on the strength of the other. But it would be ludicrous to think that the same is true when it comes to a person depending on the Lord. Our strength is nothing compared to His. And not only does the Lord not take offense when we rely continuously on Him, He expects it. He wants it. If you had powerful oxen and a plow, it would be foolish to only use the team half of the time and spend the other half struggling to clear the field with your bare hands. Our desire and intent should be to 0% depend on our own strength and 100% depend on the Lord’s. 

And in the following verse, Paul begins to explain to us how we do this, and he also explains what we need to be strong against. We are to be spiritually clad in the armor of God, and Paul will give us details shortly. As for what we need to be strong against, it is the schemes, the plans, the methodeia of the devil. This Greek word is the word we get “method” from. Literally, it means something like “travel over” and the picture is that of someone lying in wait at a blind spot on a road so as to surprise the traveler and overcome him when he least expects it.  

Who is the devil? Who is diablos as it says in the Greek, from which we get the word diabolical? He was first an angel. Isaiah 14:12-15 gives his name as Lucifer, meaning bearer of light. He is described in Ezek. 28:12-14 as being created as one of the cherubim, but he became discontent with his exalted position, and wanted to sit on a throne over God Himself. God punished Satan for this sin by removing him from his position. 

Satan became the ruler or lowercase g god of this world in 2 Cor. 4:4 and John 12:31. He is also called the prince of the power of the air here in Ephesians (Eph. 2:2). He is called the tempter in Math. 4:3 and even tries to tempt Jesus to worship him. He is called the accuser in Rev. 12:10. And he is also known as the great deceiver, deceiving Adam and Eve in Gen. 3, and in 2 Cor. 4:4 he is also described as the one who has blinded the eyes of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the glory of God. Indeed, he has deceived humanity throughout its history, leading to endless idolatry, cults, and false religions. He loves what God hates, and he sows discord and conflict, leading to endless wars. His “blinding the eyes of the unbelievers” led to the persecution and murder of God’s prophets and even to the Jews murdering their own Messiah. And in the future, he will deceive countless people into believing that the anti-Christ is the true Messiah. 

Apart from the Lord’s strength, we have no ability to stand against this. So what are we supposed to do? Trust in the Lord, and in faith, wear the “armor” that we will see in the coming verses. But first, we have this:

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. – Eph. 6:12

The word translated “struggle” here is literally “wrestling.” Wrestling was practiced in Greece and Rome and was not that different than the amateur wrestling you see today. The sentence begins with “for” which means it is an explanation of what came before. The point of the passage is not that we do not wrestle against people – although there is a kernel of truth in that idea, in that people, even unbelievers, are not really our ultimate enemies; they are simply deceived by Satan and are doing his bidding. But the real point of this passage is that we do not merely wrestle against flesh and blood where we might have a chance of winning using our own strength; instead, our enemies are far more overwhelming, far more untouchable, far more numerous. Apart from the Lord, we don’t have a hope of a chance. 

There are four types of entities mentioned here. The first are rulers (arche), and the Greek word is associated with being first, so these are demonic beings in positions of authority, first. The second are authorities (exousia), and the word implies those who have been given power to do things, to judge, or to carry out judgments. The third is powers (kosmokrator), world-rulers, and the fourth is spiritual forces of evil (poneria), which means depravity, wickedness, malice, it is not so much even a being but a vague spirit-like force. I feel like these terms are not well-defined in Scripture, but I don’t think that is the point Paul is trying to make. Instead, I think he is listing them in order of increasing hopelessness of our ability to attack them in our own strength. How are we going to wrestle against a world-ruler? And even worse, how do we physically wrestle against a force? So again, the point is that we need to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, which we spiritually appropriate through the yet-to-be-explained armor. So let’s continue and look at this armor. 

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. – Eph. 6:14-17

Let’s talk about the belt of truth. Does Satan attack us by trying to get us to doubt God’s word? Absolutely. Think back all the way to the Garden of Eden, when Satan said, “Did God really say…?” 

How does Satan attack you in this area? Well, first, He tries to get you to stop getting into God’s Word. Now, your flesh also betrays you in this area, as it does in every area. Read first thing in the morning? It would be so much easier to veg out on your phone, or just sleep a little longer. Read at night? It would be so much easier to veg out on your phone, or just go to sleep. With regards to your flesh, it is no different than trying to get yourself to go exercise. But it is not only your flesh. It is also Satan. He can also attack you while you are reading the Word. You come across some passage you don’t fully understand, and he will attack you saying, “You see, it isn’t reliable. Maybe it’s not really the Word of God, but just stuff men made up.” Or if you are sensitive enough to reject that outright, he might say, “You see, you aren’t smart enough to really get much out of these times.” And if he can get you to not spend time in God’s Word, then it is much easier to attack you in this area during the day, when situations come up and the truth of God’s Word seems inconvenient, or maybe not quite squaring with reality. That’s a lie of Satan, compounded by the world. It really is the world, the flesh, and the devil. 

He also works in this area to cause division. He makes you convinced you are always right. He makes you believe that a minor issue is a major issue. He makes you believe that a major issue is a minor issue. This goes for matters of behavior as well as matters of doctrine. The truth is that there is a hierarchy of doctrines, both with regards to their importance and with regards to their degree of certainty. That Jesus is God is at the top of both lists, the list of importance and the list of certainty. How the end times will exactly play out is low on both lists, especially the list of certainty. (But all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read the book of Revelation. I’m saying that you won’t fully understand it, and it isn’t essential that you do. But reading it, along with all the rest of Scripture, will still be a huge blessing in your life.) 

And so what is the belt of truth? It is spending time with God’s Word, hopefully daily. It is memorizing Scripture. It is asking the Lord to help you apply what you read to your daily life. It is going to the Lord in prayer when applying His Word seems inconvenient or difficult. It is coming to church and hearing God’s word explained. It is going to Bible studies. It can be reading or listening to good Bible teachers online or (gasp) in books. 

Next is the breastplate of righteousness in place. How does Satan attack us in the area of righteousness? In so many ways! First, he tempts us. He chooses our moments of greatest weakness to do so, when we are tired, discouraged, or proud. Then when he gets us to give in to temptation, he takes one of two extremes. He can tell us how worthless we are and tell us that God hates us and won’t forgive us anymore. Or he can tell us that it is no big deal, that everyone does it, to forget about it, or that He loves you unconditionally so it doesn’t matter. But whichever approach he takes (and he can use both on one incident, depending on our mode in the moment!), the one thing he will try to keep us from doing is going to the Lord in prayer, confessing our sin, and repenting, telling the Lord that we turn away from this sin and towards Him. He will hide from us the fact that our unconfessed sin separates us from God, and he will try to hide the fact that when we now feel more distant from God, that it is completely unrelated to this incident. 

A breastplate is not effective if it is not in place. Dragging your breastplate behind you along the ground isn’t going to help you. To have your breastplate in place means that you are keeping short accounts with God – and with other people, another activity that Satan will try to keep you from. Instead, he will foster disunity, and separation. He will try to get you to forget that thing you did wrong against someone else. But if someone else did something wrong against you, he will do everything he can to remind you of it every day. If we keep short accounts with God and with each other, confessing our sins to God and to the people we hurt or offend, then Satan cannot gain a foothold, as we were told back in Eph. 4.

…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. What does this mean? Let’s talk about shoes and feet. After years upon years of problems with my feet including repeated ankle sprains and plantar fasciitis, I made the decision to switch, gradually, to barefoot shoes. These shoes have less support than regular shoes, and one would think that makes them bad. But what they do is force your feet to become stronger, more able to support themselves. And after going through a gradual transition, so that my feet had time to adjust, I have had fewer problems than in the past. That is, until last month. I had thought I had a stress fracture, but it turned out to be a more manageable soft tissue injury. But it has taken a long time to heal – we are 6 weeks in, and although it is much better, it is still nowhere near 100%. What caused the injury? I am convinced it is because I did not wear the shoes properly. When I run with these shoes, I lace them tightly at the ankle, but keep them loose near the toes. But over time, the tightness at the ankle drifts downward and makes the toe area tight. For reasons of laziness, I guess, I didn’t spend the time to restring the shoes to get the looseness near the toes that I normally have, and I believe that this is what caused my injury. 

Now the phrase here is interesting. It is not so much about the shoes, which by the way, for Roman soldiers were called caligae, which were thick-soled sandals with hobnailed soles, soles that had nails screwed or hammered into the soles. These soles protected you against spikes placed in the ground to wound soldiers and to protect against rough terrain. But it is not so much about the shoes, but about the fitting of the shoes for the feet. For, just as happened to me, if you do not ensure your shoe is well-fitted to your foot, bad things will happen. 

So what fits these spiritual shoes? Readiness, or preparation, that comes from the gospel of peace. Now this passage does not mean that we are to go out and preach the gospel. We are to go out to preach the gospel, and I have no question that this also protects us from Satan’s attacks in some ways, as it fires us up and gets us to depend on God as we go. But that is not what the Greek is saying here. What this passage is saying is that our understanding of the gospel should go far beyond mere intellectual understanding. It should be the core of the intimacy we should have with God. Recall earlier in Ephesians, when Paul prays that the Ephesians would grasp the depth and breadth of God’s love for them. This is what we are talking about here. The gospel isn’t just “Jesus died for our sins.” It is “Jesus died for me. He loves me. He is with me, always, literally, every step I take. My understanding of His love for me, demonstrated by what He did on the cross, is like a perfectly fitting boot. This protects me from all kinds of attacks from Satan. He cannot tell me that God doesn’t love me. He cannot tell me that I am alone. He cannot tell me that my salvation depends on my works. Because of what Jesus has done, I am at peace with God. I know Him, and He knows me. I love Him, and He loves me. And Satan is powerless to intrude or split apart that relationship. When Satan tells me that I am weak, I agree. But when I am weak, I reply, Christ is strong. 

Next is the shield of faith. The Greek word here refers to a large oblong (literally, door-shaped) shield, as opposed to some smaller shields. These shields were heavy, and arrows could not go through them. In addition, soldiers would line up and make an impenetrable defense. The arrows would sometimes have something attached to them that they would light before they were sent out. If they landed on a person, they could set their clothing or hair on fire. But the shields prevented this, as they were wood covered by metal. 

Now the flaming arrows come from Satan, but the passage does not specifically tell us what they are. Presumably they include all of the things we have discussed already. But it doesn’t really matter – the idea here is that faith overcomes Satan’s attacks, whatever they happen to be. And it is important that the core of most, if not all, of Satan’s attacks is actually an attack on faith. Faith in God is about believing what God’s Word says about God. When Satan tempts you, he is trying to get you to believe something else about God – that He doesn’t see everything, or that what He said is big deal isn’t that big a deal, or that maybe you misunderstood His word, or that His promises don’t work, or any of countless additional lies. This is why faith is like a huge shield – it doesn’t really matter what lie he says – a simple childlike faith that says “I know my Father, and you are wrong about Him” causes his attacks to just bounce off of you.  

Next is the helmet of salvation. Now the Roman helmets were made either entirely of metal, or of leather with bits of metal throughout it. Some had plumes, that were for identifying officers and regiments. In any case, the Roman helmets had a different purpose from the everyday helmets we see today, helmets for bicycle riding, or motorcycle riding, or skiing, for example. These modern helmets are designed to protect your brain from rattling around too much when you hit your head in an impact. But the Roman helmets were primarily designed to protect you from a broadsword, a very large sword wielded with two hands, often while on horseback. 

So what does Paul mean by a helmet of salvation? I don’t think it means that he is telling his readers or listeners to get saved. That has already happened. This entire letter is addressing saved people, people that have already repented and trusted in Christ for salvation. Now the life of believer starts with justification, which means we no longer await the due penalty for our sin, as Jesus has paid the price for us. And it continues with sanctification, which is the process of helping us to become more like Him, and helping us to restore our relationship with Him when we continue to sin. This is the idea behind Jesus’ washing people’s feet. Recall how Peter asked for all of himself to be washed, but Jesus told him, effectively, you have a full bath once, and from then on, you only need your feet washed. And then the life of the believer moves to glorification, which occurs when Christ returns. The “problem” with the word salvation is that it is not precisely defined. It can refer to the first step, justification, but it can also refer to all three steps as a whole. 

I believe the helmet of salvation refers to this broader meaning of salvation. It means that we know from where we have come (justification), we know where we are (sanctification), and we know where we are going (glorification). All of these together are salvation, and all of these together help us to stand against Satan, who can attack each of these three aspects of salvation. 

An attack to the head with a broadsword is serious, and likewise, Satan’s attacks on our salvation could also be quite serious, if we were not protected with the helmet of salvation. This helmet protects us from believing the lie that we don’t have a relationship with God, and never had one, if we ever fall to sin, it protects us from believing the lie that our present sins separate us from God in such a way that there is nothing we can do about it, and it protects us from believing the lie that we will never change. The helmet of salvation keeps us from despair. And it helps us to echo Paul’s words that to live is Christ and to die is gain. 

And last but certainly not least is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. I have heard it said in many messages that the sword is an offensive weapon, unlike the rest of the armor. And while I agree that is true in principle, I don’t believe that this is the way that Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is describing it. Paul is describing the sword as part of the armor. And although it is true that a sword can be used offensively, it is also true that a sword can be used powerfully as a defensive tool. As the opponent swings his sword at you, you parry, you block his move with a countermove. If you did not have that sword, or did not use it, every strike of his would hit your armor, and even if your armor held, your body would feel the force of every blow. The “defensive” sword makes a huge difference. 

I can think of no better illustration of the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, than that of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. We don’t have time to read the passage, but you can read it in Matthew 4 and in Luke 4. Jesus had just gone through 40 days of fasting in the desert wilds, and he was very hungry. Jesus, as God incarnate on Earth, was continually submitting His will to the will of the Father, and each of Satan’s temptations were ultimately about tempting Jesus to break out from His Father’s will and do His own thing. Although the details of the temptations were different from the temptation of Adam and Eve which led to the fall, and also different from the temptations we face, they were similar in that the core purpose of Satan is always the same. But returning to Jesus in the wilderness, we see Satan even use Scripture incorrectly applied in an attempt to get Jesus to sin. But Jesus responds in kind with Scripture, correctly applied, sword parrying against sword.

Satan will tempt us with things that, in our own wisdom, we will not even be able to tell are sin. He may even misuse Scripture to confuse us, or to get us to self-deceive ourselves and justify actions that are clearly wrong. The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, will help us to see through Satan’s deceptions and defend his attacks with Scripture properly used. To wield the sword we need to be regularly in God’s Word, learning what is good and proper and true and correct from God through God’s love letter to us. That is a necessary first step. But a second, I believe, is why the sword is called the Sword of the Spirit – we also need to bathe our lives with prayer that God’s spirit would guide us in the midst of the battle, that He would bring scriptures to mind as we need them, that we be able to wield the sword effectively, parrying against Satan’s attacks.  

And so these are the six incredible tools God gives us for our defense: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, well-fitting shoes with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. We are not left undefended. We are not meant to live a defeated Christian life. We are equipped by God so that we can stand firm. We need to put our armor on and keep it on. And by God’s grace, as we do so, we will indeed stand firm.

I want to close with something I stumbled across while preparing this message, the story of Reuben “Uncle Bud” Robinson. He was born in a primitive log cabin in 1860 in the mountains of Tennessee. His father died when he was sixteen, and his mother moved with him to Texas. At the age of the 20, at a revival meeting, he gave his life to Christ, and from that moment he felt that the Lord had called him to preach. He had no education and a severe stutter. But he became an evangelist, and during his long ministry until he died at the age of 83, he travelled over two million miles, preached over 33,000 sermons, and was responsible (along with the Lord, of course) for more than 100,000 people coming to faith in Christ. The reason I bring him up is because of what he told people he prayed every day, a prayer that seems to embody the essence of our Ephesians 6 passage. Before we go through what he prayed, I will need to “translate” some of the “country” terms he used as they may be unfamiliar to many of us. 

1. A sawlog is a full-sized tree log large enough to saw into lumber.
2. Sleepers under a floor are a raised sturdy construction on a dirt floor used to keep a floor lifted away from the ground. They often span out from a central piece kind of like ribs.
3. Iron shoes are a term for horseshoes, and horseshoes last a long time, since they are metal. But I don’t think he means horseshoes in his prayer. Instead, I think he simply means shoes that last forever. He may have been thinking of Deut. 33:25 in which Jacob blesses Asher and says “Your sandals shall be iron and bronze. As long as your days, so shall your strength be.”
4. Galvanized breeches are metal-studded sturdy pants worn when riding horses.
5. A gable is the triangular section on the exterior wall of a house or barn immediately below the roof. On a barn, there are often doors on the gable opening out into the air, and there is often a pulley system for pulling heavy items directly up to the upper floor.

And here is what he prayed:

 

“O Lord, give me a backbone as big as a sawlog and ribs like sleepers under the church floor, put iron shoes on me and galvanized breeches and hang a wagon-load of determination in the gable-end of my soul, and help me to sign the contract to fight the devil as long as I have a vision, and bite him as long as I have a tooth, and then gum him ‘til I die. Amen.”

 

Therefore Obey and Train

Eph. 6:1-9

Carl gave us a good overview of the book of Ephesians and where we are now in our study.  Today, I will put up a visual of the messages in the series and we can see where we are.

Part I: Ephesians 1-3

The Divine Purpose

The What:  The Good News, Salvation and Unity

Nov 12 The Chosen (Eph. 1:1-14)

Nov 19 Prayer for Power (Eph. 1:15-23)

Nov 26 Dead or Alive (Eph. 2:1-10)

Dec 3 Two Become One (Eph. 2:11-22)

Dec 10 Rooted and Established (Eph. 3:1-21) 

Part II: Ephesians 4-6

Practical Ways to Live out God’s Purpose

The How:  How We Are to Live as People “In Christ”

Jan 7 Therefore Be One (Eph. 4:1-16)

Jan 14 Therefore Be Like Him (Eph. 4:17-31)

Jan 21 Therefore Be Pure (Eph. 5:1-20)

Jan 28 Therefore Submit and Love (Eph. 5:21-33)

Feb 4 Therefore Obey and Train (Eph. 6:1-9)

Feb 11 Therefore Be Strong in Him (Eph. 6:10-17)

Feb 18 Therefore Pray in Him (Eph. 6:18-24) 

 

The messages for the second half of Ephesians all start with the word Therefore because we are to live in the light of the truth of the gospel.  As a result of what God has done for us, then this is how we should live.

As Carl explained last week, today’s passage is a continuation of a thesis which began in the previous passage.  The thesis statement is Ephesians 5:21.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. – Eph. 5:21

That flowed out of the previous 3 messages about unity, seeking to be like Him (living as children of light and not darkness), and living lives of purity, focusing on the things of God.  The thesis statement is followed by 6 applications of the statement.

1. Wives - Eph 5:22-24

2. Husbands - Eph 5:25-33

3. Children - Eph 6:1-3

4. Fathers - Eph 6:4

5. Slaves - Eph 6:5-8

6. Masters - Eph 6:9

Carl also introduced us to two Greek words:  hypotasso and hypakouo.  Hypotasso meaning to set oneself under another, choosing to submit as peers or equals.  Hypakouo meaning to hear or obey, choosing to submit as a child or a novice or a recruit.

[Evil spirits hypokouo Jesus. (Mark 1:27) They hypotasso’d the disciples in Jesus’ name. (Luke 10:17)]

We are to hypotasso to one another. (Ephesians 5:21) Wives are to hypotasso to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:24) Today, we will see a shift to hypakouo, but let’s pray and then we’ll go to Ephesians 6.

Lord God, we submit to You (Romans 6:17, 10:16) in obedience.  We hypakouo You.  Your ways are above our ways.  We need Your power in and over our lives.  As we continue in this passage about how we should relate to others.  Help us to see what we need to see and understand here.  We look and listen to you, Jesus, Amen.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. – Eph. 6:1

This is a short sentence.  The word obey is the word hypakouo.  Children, listen to your parents with a heart of obedience.  How?  In the Lord.  The parent’s authority comes from the Lord, and the child’s obedience is to be in the Lord.

This addresses the question about non-Christian parents of a child who is a believer.  The child should obey their parents in the Lord.  If the parents told the child to do something that was clearly a sin, then that wouldn’t be “in the Lord,” and such a situation would require some wisdom.  However, most times, I feel like a parent would not ask a child to do something which is wrong rather it would fall in the category of not lining up with what the child thinks is the best thing at that moment.

It does say parents in the Greek and not fathers.  Literally, the ones who made you or gave you life.  The word children is a big word that covers pretty much every use of the word children in English.  Children of God or children of Israel, for example.  As well as, younger and older children.  There is a diminutive form of this word which means little children, but Paul hasn’t used it here, nor other words which have the connotation of a younger child.  In other words, this is written to children who are “grown up,” too.

I’m thinking about teenagers and college aged children who are not yet married.  Scripturally, I think marriage is a clear line for hypakouo obedience for children to parents because in marriage, a child leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his spouse.  I’m not saying all submission ends at that point, but I think it shifts over to more of a hypotasso relationship like it says in I Peter 5:5, “Younger men submit [hypotasso] yourselves to your elders.”  We’re not done with this subject from the perspective of children, so let’s continue.

“Honor your father and mother”--which is the first commandment with a promise—"so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” – Eph. 6:2-3

Verse one said that children are to obey their parents in the Lord for this is right.  Here is the basis that “this is right.”  The quoted part comes from the Ten Commandments.

Does anyone know which commandment “Honor your father and mother” is?  Hint.  The first four have to do with our relationship to God. (1. No other gods, 2. No idols, 3. No cursing, 4. Remember the Sabbath) The last five have to do with our relationship to one another. (6. Do not murder, 7. Do not steal, 8. No adultery, 9. Do not lie, 10. Do not covet) 

This commandment is balanced in between the ones about God and the “do nots” unto others.  I think there must be something significant about this.  Further emphasizing its importance, not only is this the first commandment (of the Ten Commandments) with a promise, it is the only one with a promise.

Honoring your father and mother obviously encompasses obedience, but it also includes showing them honor or respect, valuing them.  It can also mean taking care of them when they need care.

My dad is 82 now, and I have been thankful for him pretty much my whole life.  (Can any child say they’ve always been thankful for their parents?)  At this point in life, my parents are still independent, so they don’t really need any “care” physically.  So, I honor my dad by calling him every week.  It probably doesn’t sound like much, but it’s a way I try to follow this passage.

When I was younger but saved, my attitude about honoring my parents was to not keep them waiting, and try to put aside my wants when they ask for something, even something trivial.  I can remember Melissa and I were dating or just married.  We were at my parent’s house.  I was watching a show on TV, and it was like 5 minutes from being over.  It was dinner time, and my dad calls into the den and says it’s time to eat.  I stood up and turned off the TV, and I remember Melissa being shocked that I wouldn’t ask for five more minutes to finish the show.  But my parents had already made dinner for us, it wouldn’t have been honoring to then say, “I’m not ready.  I need you to wait on me.”

Okay, let’s look at what Ephesians has to say to dads.

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. – Eph. 6:4

Why not moms?  I don’t think they need it.  God wants dads to take this role seriously.  Dads (at least this dad) are the ones more likely to exasperate their children.

Parents have a special role in the lives of their children.  And, it is a role that you sort of grow into, but it’s also a role that you are thrust into.

I remember when Taryn, our oldest child, was born.  One of the jobs that I had was to make sure her car seat was installed properly when it was time to come home from the hospital.  I took that job very seriously.  Back then, you could only put a car seat in using the seat belt.  You didn’t have the extra latches and straps like there are today.  But I put that car seat in with all the force of my body weight and all my strength.  I used towels to make sure the seat was mounted at the correct angle.  That seat wasn’t going anywhere.

So, it comes time to leave the hospital.  The hospital does end up giving you quite a bit of stuff, so I’m carrying things, and this elderly volunteer is pushing Melissa in a wheelchair.  She was a slender woman who looked like she might have a hard time against a stiff breeze.  Melissa, of course, is holding Taryn.  We looked like a little picture, I’m sure.

So, we get down to the car, and before we put Taryn in, the volunteer says, “Oh, let me check the car seat.”  And I’m ready.  This car seat is going to handle anything she throws at it.  So she reaches up and gently shakes the car seat with less force than it would take to wake Elijah much less a teenager.  And then, she just says, “Okay, you’re good.”  And that was it.  After that, we had to figure out how to get Taryn in the car seat.  She only weighed 6 lbs, and I can just remember the belts seeming like they were as big as she was.  The little clasp across her chest was wider than her body.

Melissa gets in the car, and I close up and come around and get in the driver’s seat.  And there we are, completely on our own as new parents.  “Good luck, have fun storming the castle!”  “Do you think it’ll work?”  “It would take a miracle.” “Bye, bye!”  It was sudden.  Suddenly, we had a baby that we had to take care of and provide for 24 hours a day.  That’s what I mean by being thrust into it.

On the other hand, that little baby doesn’t need much in the way of training or instruction in the first months.  Sure, you read them books and pray over them and sing songs to them, but there’s no discussion or correction really.  So, you have some time before that work really begins.

When our kids were younger, and I considered this verse, I would think about things like expectations and trying to set the kids up to be successful knowing their limitations.  For example, whenever we would go into a situation that they had never experienced before and I had some strong expectation, then I would take the time to explain what was going to happen.

If we were going to an event like a wedding or a concert, then I would tell them what it would be like.  If I thought it was something boring from their point of view, I would tell them that they might find it boring.  I would also explain that they were expected to behave, sit still, be quiet or whatever would be regarded as suitable behavior.

I would also tell them when they would be allowed to run around and play.  Or when they would be able to get out dress clothes.  It doesn’t sound super spiritual, but this is one of the key ways that fathers can avoid exasperating their children.

In other translations, this verse says fathers do not provoke your children to anger.  I think that is more in line with the Greek.  Don’t mock them or make fun of them or have unreasonable expectations.  All sorts of things that I’ve failed at one time or another over the years.

The focus is upon the training and instruction in the Lord.  Getting them in the Word, getting in the Word with them, praying over them, praying with them, helping them memorize verses, learn songs, modeling the disciplines of the faith for your kids.

Fred mentioned something he would do from time to time when his kids were smaller.  If he had a trying day at work, he might stop before he got home, like a block from the house and spend some time in prayer and maybe reading the Word a little so that he would be ready to serve his family when he arrived home.  I think that’s wise counsel.

Let’s continue to the part of today’s passage which is disliked by some because I expect it has also been misunderstood and misused.  Slavery, the ownership of people, is a terrible thing.  People are not property.  Each person is uniquely created in the image of God.  Every human being is an image bearer of God.  People should not be bought or sold.

And yet, as a result of the fall, slavery came into existence.  There are different reasons people came into slavery, none of them good.  

10-30% of the population in the ancient Roman Empire were slaves.  During colonial times in the US, 3% of the population of New England, 6% in the mid-Atlantic, 31% in the South were slaves.  At the time of the Civil War (census of 1860) the slave states’ population was 32% slaves.  South Carolina had the highest percentage at 57% of the state population being enslaved.

The Bible does not directly call for the end of slavery, but it certainly transformed the relationship of slave and free and even more so slave and master.  Colossians 3:11 says there is “no slave or free, but Christ is all and in all.”  Paul writes that Onesimus (the master) and Philemon (the slave) are “brothers in the Lord” according to Philemon 1:7. I Corinthians 7:21 tells new believers who happened to be slaves that they should not be troubled by it,but should gain their freedom if they could.  It is hard to communicate how radical these ideas would have been to their first century hearers, especially some masters.  Slaves are people just like you, not to be abused or mistreated.

This truth was missing from the minds and hearts of many in the antebellum south.  Slaves were not regarded as equals but rather as uncivilized savages.  That is a sad reality from that time.

Let’s go ahead and step into Ephesians 6:5.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. – Eph. 6:5

If you were an owner of slaves, I think you would want all your slaves to know at least the first part of this verse perhaps omitting the earthly part.  “Slaves, obey your masters with respect and fear.”

That one word earthly is critically important though.  These are earthly masters.  Literally, the master in the flesh.  In other words, they are master over your body, but not your mind, your heart or your soul.  There is another master, the Master over all the heavens and the earth.  There are some masters who would rather not think about a Master who is above them.

The word obey here is hypakouo.  To listen as to learn and obey with respect and fear and sincerity of heart.  The slave is to live a testimony of obedience to Christ toward their earthly master.

There are at least two other passages, Titus 2:9 and I Peter 2:18 where the word given to the slave is not hypakouo but rather hypotasso, to set oneself under another.  Paul tells Titus to teach slaves who are believers to hypotasso to their masters.  Peter writes to slaves telling them to hypotasso to their masters, even the ones who are harsh.

Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. – Eph. 6:6

Again, there is a powerful testimony and witness in this behavior.  Don’t obey selfishly for your own benefit.  Don’t do it just when they can see you.  Follow through even when they aren’t around.  Again, the picture is that of being in service to Christ.  Obedience here is doing the will of God from your heart.

I’ve seen some use these passages in describing an employer-employee relationship, and I don’t think it’s wrong.  It’s just that an employer-employee relationship is very different from a slave and master relationship.

Paul is not assuming that all the parents or all the masters are believers.  Certainly, Peter was not in I Peter 2:18.  So, there is some read across here in how we relate to those in authority over us whether it is an employer or other authority.  Follow through and do a good job even when there’s not someone watching to make sure you’re doing the right thing.

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. – Eph. 6:7-8

This takes it to even another level.  When was the last time you saw someone serving wholeheartedly?  When was the last time you were serving the Lord wholeheartedly?  What would that even look like?

Do your best to serve.  Look for opportunities to serve.  If the Lord were at your house, would you make him cook his own food or clean the bathroom?

I think it can slip by us, but this work of service that the slaves were doing is worth of reward when it is good and genuine.  And, it says serving wholeheartedly has a reward.  I think we’ve all had to do tasks where it was mind-numbing or back-breaking or in some way unpleasant.  That work has not gone unseen or unnoticed.  I hope that encourages you.  Like Galatians 6:9 says, “don’t grow weary in doing good because in due time you will reap a harvest.”  Reading on, Galatians says after that to do good to all people, especially the family of believers, literally the household of faith.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him. – Eph. 6:9

We see some similarity here to the exhortation to fathers.  Fathers were told not to provoke their children to anger.  Masters are told not to threaten their slaves.  Don’t make them afraid.  Fear in verse 5 is not fear of harm, but fear in the sense of highest honor.

However, masters are first told to treat their slaves in the same way.  What way?  Well, we see that slaves were just told to serve wholeheartedly as if serving the Lord.  Masters too should serve their slaves wholeheartedly and do good to them, taking care of their needs and providing for them.

Again, we have this equalizing truth at the end of this verse.  “There is no favoritism with Him.”  In God’s eyes, there is no distinction between slave or free.  He sees only whether or not we are His child.  And whether slave or free, we should seek to do good to and for one another.

This passage also reminds me of the parable of the unforgiving slave.  You can find it in Matthew 18:23-35.  In the parable, there is a king who wants to settle his accounts with his slaves.  Somehow, one of the slaves was found to owe ten thousand bags of gold.  Since he couldn’t pay, the master ordered that the slave, his wife, and his children and all his possessions be sold to repay at least a tiny portion of the debt.

The slave falls to his knees and begs for patience and even says he will pay back everything.  The master took pity on him and forgave his debt and lets him go.  As the slave is going out, he finds a fellow slave who owes him like $20, and he grabs him and starts to choke him, demanding to be repaid.  The fellow slave likewise falls to his knees and begs for patience and promises to pay the money back.  Does the newly forgiven slave do the same for his fellow slave?  No, he has his fellow slave thrown into debtors’ prison until he could pay which I don’t even know how that works that you can earn enough money in prison to repay.

The other slaves see this transpire, and they are outraged.  They go to the master and tell him all.  The master then calls this wicked slave back in.  The master confronts him asking, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”  The wicked slave is then handed over to the jailers and to torture until he should pay back his far greater debt.

That parable is told about forgiveness or unforgiveness.  It ends with the strong warning that this is how our heavenly Father will treat each person who is unwilling to forgive their brother or sister from their heart.

There is one who is Master over all.  Vengeance is His, and He will repay. (Romans 12:19)  Whether slave or free, worker or boss, child or parent, wife or husband, we should seek to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21).  It should be our aim to build one another up, to serve one another, to love one another, and even to obey one another.  When we do these things, we give powerful testimony of the Lordship of Jesus Christ who is sovereign over all.

Before we pray, let’s look back at the slide that I showed for this passage at the beginning.  I filled in the exhortations that were missing.

Ektrepho – bring them up, nourish, Eph 5:29 feed and care

Douleuo – Serve, be a slave

When we do these things, we are a picture, a testimony, of the work of Christ.

Let’s pray.

Father God, help us to glorify you as we live our lives.  Help us to serve wholeheartedly.  Help us to be obedient.  Help us to submit to one another.  Help us to love one another.  We ask this in Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

Therefore Submit and Love

Eph. 5:21-33

Good morning! Today we tackle a passage that some people don’t like to hear, that non-Christians sometimes mock, a passage from Ephesians about the prescribed behavior and roles of husbands and wives. I believe that the passage is misunderstood not only by unbelievers, but by many Christians as well. Before we dig into today’s passage, let me give a very brief overview of where we are in context in Ephesians. 

Paul writes Ephesians will being imprisoned in Rome. The first three chapters focus on the gospel, the message that by putting one’s faith in Christ, Gentiles become included with believing Jews in receiving redemption through Christ’s blood and the forgiveness of sins. Paul prays for them and us that the Spirit would help us to know Christ more deeply, more personally, more richly, and he prays that we would know the inheritance we now possess by faith and the power of God that is available to us.  Paul describes us as God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works that He has planned for us to do. These works have nothing to do with salvation, with saving us, but we are to do these works as we allow the Spirit to lead us, out of gratitude and submission, to the glory of God. As we live in this way, we, both Jewish and Gentile believers together, are like stones set in a single beautiful building, with Christ as the cornerstone. Paul goes on to share of the joy he has personally experienced – a joy that makes his many severe trials not worth even mentioning in comparison – as he lives out the calling God has placed on him as a minister to the Gentiles. 

And then, after a beautiful prayer for the Ephesians – and for us – that Christ would reign in our hearts through faith, and that we would grasp just how much Christ loves us, we come to Chapter 4, which starts with the word “Therefore.” And the second half of the book, which includes today’s passage, focuses on a more practical, detail-oriented explanation of how we should live as people “in Christ”. 

We are told to be completely humble and gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. We are told that, to assist in this goal, Christ gave the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Implicit in this discussion is the imperative that all believers should be joining with other believers in local assemblies, so that these gifts of Christ can benefit all believers. 

We are told to “put off” our old selves, corrupted by deceitful desires, and “put on” our new selves, created to be like God in righteousness and holiness. We are told to put off falsehood and put on truth-telling. We are told to put off anger. We are told to put off stealing but put on honest work. We are told to put of unwholesome talk and put on speech that builds others up. We are told to put off bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, and slander, and put on compassion and forgiveness. 

As God’s dearly loved children, we are told to walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us. We are told to not have even a hint of immorality, impurity, greed, or unwholesome talk. We are told to seek what pleases the Lord, living as the wise, not as the foolish. We are told not to be drunk on wine, but be filled with the Spirit, worshipping Him and being ever thankful. And that brings us to today’s passage.  

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. – Eph. 5:21

This entire section of Ephesians, from this verse to verse 6:9, is like a thesis. And the thesis statement is right here, in verse 5:21. We will find that this thesis has six “body” paragraphs, six applications of the thesis statement, focusing on (1) wives, (2) husbands, (3) children, (4) fathers, (5) slaves, and (6) masters. Today we will look focus on the first two of these six. 

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. – Eph. 5:22-24

I want to start by talking about the Greek word used here for “submit”, hypotasso. This is a compound word, from hypo, which means “by” or “under”, and tasso, which means, in the context here, to “set”. And so hypotasso means to set yourself under. 

Note that the passage does not say that women are inferior to men. Now it is certainly true that women and men are certainly inferior to the Lord. But that is not what the comparison of the Lord is there for. It says to wives, set yourselves under your husbands in a manner like how you set yourselves under the Lord. 

Although I have to jump ahead in Ephesians to do this, let me make a comparison with verse 6:1 which tells children to “obey” their parents. This is a different Greek word, hypakouo. This is also a compound word, based again on hypo, meaning, as before, “by” or “under”, but this time also on akouo, which means to “hear”, to “attend to”, to “understand.” 

These words are very different. The idea behind the command to children is that they are far less understanding, far less wise, far less skilled or equipped, than their parents, and so they should set themselves under them to learn, to understand, to hear and heed what the parents are instructing. But the command to wives has no preconceptions – at all – that the wife is in any way less spiritually mature than her husband. This is not about capability. 

One passage that illustrates these ideas very well is from Luke 2, the account when Jesus was twelve years old and slipped away from His parents to stay at Jerusalem in the temple courts, sitting among the top teachers of the Law and discussing it with them. It says that all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. The account continues in verse 48:

When His parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said to Him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for Me?” He asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand what He was saying to them. Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. – Luke 2:48-51

It is this last verse I want to highlight. Do you think the word translated as “obedient” here is hypotasso, which, again, means to “submit under”, or hypakouo, which means to learn from, and to obey like a child obeys his parents. The answer is hypotasso. Even though Mary and Joseph are responsible for Jesus and biologically speaking a generation older for Him, the word hypokouo would be entirely inappropriate, because as this very passage shows, Jesus is teaching the spiritual leaders of Jerusalem. Jesus, God’s Son and God Himself, chose to place Himself under the authority of His parents, because it was the will of God His Father. 

And thus, the word hypotasso was the only fitting word to use in this passage.

I have another very interesting example, the account of the centurion in Luke 7. This man was one of the “God-lovers,” non-Jews who worshiped the Jewish God at a distance. He had a servant who fell ill and sent some elders of the Jews to ask Jesus to come to heal his servant. Jesus agreed, but while still on his way, some friends of the centurion, who had come on his behalf, told Jesus not to trouble Himself to come to him, but instead to heal his servant at a distance. By way of explanation, the Centurion said this:

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” – Luke 7:8

There are actually two occasions in which versions of these words are used: “I myself am a man under authority” and “with soldiers under me.” So this is a double question: Is the first occurrence hypotasso (to submit under like an equal) or hypokouo (to be under like a child)? 

What about the second occurrence? The answer is that the first occurrence is hypotasso, because this is a very capable Roman officer who serves under equally capable officers, and the second instance is hypokouo, because the soldiers under him are more like mere grunts, not officers, with a small fraction of the training that he has had. And notice how he compares himself to Jesus: Jesus to him is obviously hypotasso, submitting like an equal to whoever is over Him – and whether he knew that Jesus was God or not, this is an astonishing insight at this early point in Jesus’ ministry. And the powers of Jesus’ healing, whether through angels or some other mechanism, are like hypokouo compared to Jesus. Again, an astonishing insight into the true nature of Jesus, who as the book of Hebrews says, is far above the angels.  

So with all this in mind, let us return to our Ephesians passage. Let me read the section addressed to wives once again:

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. – Eph. 5:22-24

So we know that hypotasso is the term here, for how wives are to submit to their husbands. But what about how they submit to the Lord? Certainly that should be hypokouo, shouldn’t it? It should be, but one of the implied, amazing messages of the first 3 chapters of Ephesians is that it isn’t. Yes, it is ridiculous, even blasphemous, to think of ourselves as equals in any way with Christ in terms of capability, in character, or anything else. But Christ treats us not as we deserve. He treats us as friends, as family, as co-laborers in the gospel. What an amazing privilege! What a delight to submit to Him in this way! And wives are to submit to their husbands in the same wonderful way. And hypotasso is also the word used in verse 24. 

And so what does this kind of submission look like? Submission that believes the best of her husband. Submission that is borne out of love of her husband. Submission that sees herself as a co-laborer with her husband to live totally for Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, with humility and peace-seeking and a desire to build her husband up. Hypotasso, not hypokouo.

And before I move on to husbands, let me point out some similar instructions elsewhere in the Bible.

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. – Col. 3:18

What do you think? Hypotasso or hypokouo? Hypotasso.

And one more, from I Peter:

Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. – I Peter 3:1-2

What do you think? Hypotasso or hypokouo? Hypotasso. This passage I feel provides an additional insight into the question, what if my husband isn’t acting like someone I want to hypotasso to right now? This gets to the very heart of hypotasso. In this case the situation is certainly not ideal, and I Peter gives the even more extreme situation of a husband who is not even a Christian. I Peter makes it clear that hypotasso of the wife is not conditional on the behavior of the husband. 

Now there are exceptions – certainly if a wife is in danger, or her children are in danger, she should get help and, in many cases, leave the husband, at a minimum for a temporary basis, and very possibly permanently. Every situation is different, so absolute statements cannot be made here. In a situation like this, we would encourage a woman to tell someone in the church, someone she is most comfortable going to. That might be a pastor, and we would do anything to help a woman in such a situation, but we would also understand if perhaps the person would be more comfortable telling another woman.    

OK – wives are off the hook. It’s time to address the husbands. Continuing with the passage:  

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. – Eph. 5:25-28a

Now with regards to the Greek words, there is less to say here. The word for love is agape, which is the highest form of love, love that, just as the start of this passage says, is eminently self-sacrificial. Christ gave up His very life for those He loved, so that they would have forgiveness and eternal life. But the picture here in Ephesians goes even further than that, much further. I think of the picture of preparing a bride for marriage – I picture a top-of-the-line spa session: a scented bath, doing her nails, hands and feet, making her hair absolutely perfect, professional level putting on of make up, and then the dress – an unbelievably beautiful dress, ironed over and over at the last hour so that it has not even a hint of a wrinkle, a beautiful just-picked bouquet of flowers, a beautiful veil… ladies, you can tell me if I’m leaving anything out.  

This is really the picture Jesus promotes in this passage. What does it mean? How are husbands to love their wives like that?

It means, first, to pay close attention to their needs and desires. It means, as much as it is up to you, to help them to be happy and satisfied. There is also the idea of holiness and being without blame. This means that you have a spiritual responsibility for your wife. Is she getting fed in the Word? How are you helping her to do this? It could be having devotions with her. It could be making it so that she can attend a women’s Bible study. But this too is only one aspect of what this entails.

It can mean defending your wife against family members or others who don’t treat her right. It can mean helping your wife with household chores if she is tired. It can mean, if you have children, giving her breaks, and it can mean taking care of discipline of the children when needed and making sure that her children always treat her with respect. These are just a tiny number of examples of what this can mean.

I think the big picture here is that life is challenging, and husbands have a responsibility before the Lord to help her to be continually growing in love, growing in all the character qualities that Christ would have for us, doing whatever it takes to protect her, to encourage her, to restore her, to help her rest, to gently challenge her, in short to make her like that picture of the beautiful bride I described a few minutes ago. Getting a future wife ready on wedding day takes hours. Getting your wife “ready” in this sense for eternity takes a lifetime. 

I want to say that it is Christ that grows us. But our role of husbands is important as helpers in this process. We can be ever attentive to remove the roadblocks that keep her from growing in Him, or we can unfortunately be part of the problem. 

And we don’t get to ask, “have I done enough yet?” Our comparison is the Lord Himself. He gave His life for the body. And we are to love our wives as we love our own bodies. If you are taking care of your body, working out or watching your diet, or anything else, great! But have the same mindset about your wife. 

I want to point out one more thing before going on here. Remember that the wife is to submit (hypotasso) to her husband, as I Peter says, even if the husband isn’t doing his job laying down his life in agape love for his wife. But I want you (the husbands) to see how broken this is. In a marriage, Ephesians makes it clear that a husband has a spiritual responsibility for his wife, but as with all things, this is impossible without the help of the Lord – this is not something we do in our own effort alone. We do it bathed in prayer for the power of the Spirit to help us. But when we don’t do this, you are letting your wife down. She is depending on you to lead her as she submits. She will continue to submit even as you mislead, as you don’t do your God-given responsibility. And this is tragic. Not only are you sinning before the Lord; you are tragically also impacting your wife. Let it not be so. 

Let’s consider the parallel passages as we did with the wives:

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. – Col. 3:19

Yes, it is still agape, the self-sacrificial laying down of one’s life for your wife. And the opposite of harsh is gentle. We are to be gentle, caring, and tender towards our wives, building them up. Again, I think the picture of all of the preparations of a bride for her wedding is helpful here. 

And from I Peter 3:

Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. – I Peter 3:7

First note that the “in the same way” at the beginning of this verse means, if you go back to the previous chapter, like how Christ has treated you – He has given up His life for you. And so once again we see the charge to husbands to lay down their lives for their wives.

The word translated “partner” here in Greek has a much more specific meaning. It means vessel, a word often used metaphorically to represent the physical body. The word translated “treat them with respect” means honor. And so you are to honor them as you would honor, for example, a wise elder, even though he has become frail. You are to honor them despite their relative physical weakness compared to you. And this is a generalization – there are certainly women who are stronger than their husbands. But the point is to honor your wife even if she is weaker than you. 

And men, this passage also comes with a warning – so that nothing will hinder your prayers. Can treating your wife poorly block your prayers? Yes. I think it is like the parable of the unmerciful servant, or the servant who received mercy but refused to show mercy to those who were in a similar situation to what he had been in. I think this is similar, because, men, God treats you with honor even though you are the weaker partner compared to Him. He treats you kindly, graciously, gently. And so if you turn around and treat your wife in an opposite way, God becomes opposed to you. This is a very serious thing.  

Now let’s come back to the Ephesians passage. It says “He who loves his wife loves himself.” What does this mean? Well, we immediately get the following explanation:

After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.  – Eph. 5:28b-33

Now in this modern day and age, unfortunately, many people in one sense do hate their bodies. That is, when they look in a mirror, they find faults with their weight or some other aspect of their appearance. But hating how you look in a mirror is not really what is being talked about here. The Greek word is strong, used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe hating a mortal enemy, or as behavior people do as unbelievers. If you really hated yourself like that, you wouldn’t eat, you wouldn’t do anything to take care of yourself. The truth is we all love ourselves even if we don’t like all aspects of ourselves, perhaps with the exception of the severely depressed. If we are sick, we want to get better, and we go to the doctor or the emergency room if it serious enough. If we are hungry, we want to be filled, and so on. 

And as we see Genesis quoted here, we know that husband and wife in the eyes of God are treated as a unit. The passage talks about Christ and the church as a profound mystery – and we will come back to that in a moment – but I find it a big enough mystery just talking about husband and wife. 

What is the point here? That we need to see our marriages as God sees them. Husband and wife are one flesh. And so, a husband who does not love his wife and take care of her like he takes care of his own body is the definition of foolishness. When we don’t follow God’s command to agape our wives, we are hurting our wives, and that means we are hurting ourselves. It’s like a bunch of the old sci-fi shows where a person and an alien creature become somehow linked, and when you shoot at the alien you also hurt the human. That is how it is for husbands and their wives. (I’m not saying that wives are alien creatures, although they can think quite differently from us at times.) 

Now Paul throws a tantalizing thought at us but doesn’t develop it. We, the church, the ekklesia, the called-out ones, are the bride of Christ. And so the deeper ministry is that Christ and the church are also in some way one flesh. And I think this is a good thing for us to reflect on as we prepare are hearts for communion. Can we really grasp what this means? No – Paul calls it a great mystery. But there are other verses that speak of it.

Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus prayed with His disciples the following prayer:

I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one—I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. – John 17:20-23

Jesus gave His life once for all, on the cross, as payment for all sin. Jesus gave us the practice of the bread and the cup to help us to remember not only that He died for us but that He continues to love us, to agape us, to prepare us just like the perfect bride I described earlier. 

I encourage you to spend some time now drawing near to Him in prayer, thanking Him for who He is and what He has done, and for the beautiful picture He has given husbands and wives to live out, a small picture of the great mystery of the oneness and unity we will have with Christ Himself. 

Father, I pray for the husbands and wives here that you would help us to rededicate ourselves to the roles you have set out for us. Help the wives to hypotasso submit to their husbands, and help the husbands to agape love their wives. And help those who are single to find contentment in their singlehood, whether it is for a season or for the rest of their lives here on earth. And help us all to remember that this life is fleeting. It is short. And in heaven there will not be marriage as there is on earth, so even marriage and family itself are only shadows of something greater to come, the great mystery as Paul describes it – the culmination of marriage between Christ and the church, of which we are a part. Help us to know you more, to love you more, and to serve you more as we lay down our lives and submit to one another in You.