Where God's Kingdom Meets Man's Heart.
Eph.6:10 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 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."
Here’s where we come to the ‘nitty-gritty’ of being a disciple. It’s commonly called spiritual warfare. So before we go on a word needs to be said about spiritual reality. Everything we are involved in is spiritual by nature.
First, it was out of the Spirit that God created everything.
Second, 100% of visible behavior is driven 100% by invisible motivation.
Third, everything has spiritual consequences both good and bad.
The burden of telling this to the world was placed on Paul’s shoulders. Now Paul is revealing this mystery not only to the Ephesians but to the believers in the surrounding areas. Paul’s closing section in Ephesians illustrates his deep concern with what lies behind all he has said in the prior five chapters. This is more than advice, more than moral and ethical behavior. It is a spiritual ‘declaration of independence’ from the ‘prince of this world’ and the devastation his sin and evil have brought. The first five chapters and the first 9 verses of ch.6 have been insights into the depth of who Jesus is and what it means to be a disciple of His (1:11-14). They define human character and relationship in a new kind of context, a spiritual context, being “imitators of God (5:1)” in a new kind of family, the Body of Christ (2:19-22). This letter is written to show the extreme contrast between the eternal One God in Jesus Christ and the pagan spirituality that had gripped this major commercial hub in Asia Minor.
Paul shows humanity was created to experience God’s spiritual kingdom for eternity. It is as though those chapters were preparatory for both the Body of Christ and its individual members to be able to master the reality of being spiritual light in the midst of an angry and hostile darkness that had made the hearts of mankind blind, lost and self-destructing. This darkness and its perpetrators needed exposure and the knowledge and maturity to overcome them in order to be a witness and a testimony to the only way mankind can come out of the darkness, through a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is what discipleship is all about and what a disciple champions.
Paul declares this new reality in Ch.1:1 when he mentions the heavenly realms and their supreme ruler, “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here in Ch.6 he makes them the real reason for all he has taught and encouraged in chapters 1-6:9. Had I numbered this letter I would have made it start at vs.10 because of the intensity with which it finalizes Paul’s penetrating plea.
Let’s take this a verse at a time. As we go through them be sure and keep the spiritual context in mind.
Vs.10 Finally, ‘This is the bottom line” “There’s nothing left to say “ “Now it’s up to you.” The actual Gk. follows this way, “be ye empowered in the Lord and in the might of the strength of Him.” Look back at 1:19-21 for the meaning of power. The power of faith that allows the power of the Holy Spirit to work God’s will.
Vs.11 Armor of God, the stand, the devil’s schemes.
1.Armor of God. Rom.13.12 armor of light (insight, recognition, realization) light of Christ, seeing spiritually.
2.Take your stand, having your spiritual feet on firm ground, the foundation of Christ (1Cor.3:11 Jesus is the rock). (Is.59:17 “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.”) (Is.21:8 “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower.”)
3.The devil’s schemes, Gen.3:1-7. Gal.5:19-21 Is.14:12 Consider also temptation and the spirit of control that accompanies temptation and the way Jesus dealt with them in the wilderness (Mt.4).
Vs.12 Struggle, Gk.palei, conflict. Is not against people, social structures, institutions, governments or groups but against the evil powers that invade them, influence their behavior, cause fear and work against God. Pagan religions had their influence everywhere and were dominated by evil spirits being worshiped. In Ephesus Diana was the fertility goddess. Spirit of fear encompasses much pagan worship.
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