Tom Mason

We will look at Ephesians chapter 6 starting with verses

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

one through 9. Tonight we will be picking up

kind of where we left off from 2 weeks ago and walk through this

passage as we see what it is that God would direct us in His

Word. So let us read Ephesians chapter

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

6 verses one through 9. Children, obey your parents in

the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your

mother, which is the first commandment with the promise, so

that it will be well with you and that you may live long upon

the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your

children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and

instruction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to those who

are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and

trembling insincerity of your heart as to Christ.

Not by way of our service as men pleasers, but as slaves of

Christ, doing the will of God from the heart with goodwill,

rendering service as to the Lord, not to men, knowing that

whatever good thing each one does, this he would receive back

from the Lord, whether slave or free And masters, do the same

thing to them and give up threatening, knowing that both

your master and, excuse me, both their master and yours is in

heaven, and there is no partiality in him.

When we was together before 2 weeks ago, we talked about this

book, this letter, Ephesians, and we explained that what it

meant as we look at review, that these were Christians who lived

in the city of Ephesus, that it is the capital of the Roman

Providence of Asia, Asia Minor or modern, modern day Turkey

would be it today. Many commentators point out that

the earlier manuscript did not include the words in Ephesus

because they believed that this was a circular letter and

therefore it was intended for everybody.

But they rushed to tell us that there is nothing lost in the

leaving out of those words. So we move on to the letter and

we asked you last weekend. We will ask you again.

Please remember that this is a letter and not a book.

Therefore, it was not written in chapters and verses as we have

it today. Now that being said, what we

have is chapters 1-2 and three. We are instructed in who we are

Isaiah 1 · chapter mention

in Christ. Chapters 4-5 and six instructs

us on how we ought to act because of who we are in Christ.

And when you think about that, that's what the Christian life

should be about, putting God on display because of what He has

done for us and in US. We started with Ephesians 515.

Therefore, be careful how you walk.

The word walk in Scripture means the manner of life.

Be careful how you live, because people are watching and you want

to put Him on display as you live.

And then he goes on and tell us, not as unwise men, but as wise.

By the way, I think if we asked anybody would you rather be wise

or unwise? I think we would all agree that

we would want to be wise. So he says to us not as unwise

men, but as wise as Paul is instructing the Saints how we

ought to live because of who we are in Christ.

He says that we are not to be unwise.

Think about the things that we do.

Think about the things that we say.

How is it that we communicate to people?

Are we communicating from a wise standpoint or from an unwise

standpoint? And then we looked at verse 16,

chapter 5. He says making the most of your

time because the days of evil. The old King James uses the term

here redeeming the time. The Greek word is used four

times in the New Testament and it means to buy back twice.

It is used of what Christ did for us.

We will read you one of those from Galatians chapter 3 verse

Galatians 3:13

13. Christ redeemed us from the

curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is

ridden. Cursed is everyone who hangs on

the tree. The other time it is used is

about us and how we are to act. In Colossians chapter 4 verses 5

Colossians 4:5

and 6, he says conduct yourselves with wisdom toward

the outsiders. Here's our word, making the most

of the opportunity. Conduct yourselves with wisdom

for those who are on the outside.

Those would be non Christians. Then he goes on to say, let your

speech always be with grace as those seasoned with salt, so

that you would know how you ought to respond to each person.

This is each person on the outside that you are responding

to. Let your speech always be

seasoned with salt. Let it always be of grace, even

when they are not gracious to you.

Yes, let your speech always be of grace so you will know how to

respond to each person. Then we went on to talk about in

verse 17. So then do not be foolish, but

understanding what the will of the Lord is.

How is it that we not be foolish?

We come to know what the will of the Lord is.

How do you know that? By reading His word, by

understanding what it is that He says that we are to do.

By the way, when you see some people who say that they are

Christians, and then you listen to what it is they have to say,

it leaves no doubt that they know nothing about Christianity.

Just because a person says that they are Christian doesn't mean

that they are. So He says to us.

So we are not to be foolish, but to understand what the will of

the Lord is. And then he goes on in verse 18

and says do not be drunk with wine, for that is dissipation.

That is a terrible way to live is what he's telling us to be

drunk with wine. And the word has to do with

excessive drinking. So he said don't be controlled

by that. Don't be, don't live by that,

but be filled with the Spirit. The word to be filled means to

make fool, to fill up. He's telling us to let the

Spirit of God control us and not some other source because see,

we can look at well, I don't drink so that's not a problem

for me, but could be controlled by some other thing and that's

what he's telling us not to let happen.

What happens when we are filled with the Spirit?

He says to us that we were speaking to one another in

psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody

in our hearts. And to the Lord, notice he says

in your heart, you can't make melody in my heart.

I can't make melody in your heart.

The other thing that I think about I can't control your heart

and you can't control mine. But He says here that we are to

make melody in our hearts unto the Lord, and those are the

things that we are called to do. You cannot fulfill verse 19 out

of a heart that is controlled by something other than the Spirit

of God. And these are the things that we

want to keep in mind for us. And then he says to us, always

giving thanks to all things in the name of the Lord Jesus

Christ, to God, even the Father, always give thanks for all

things. Do we stay in that attitude of

Thanksgiving or do we like to gripe and complain about things

that come up, the weather, the people that we work with or

everything else? By the way, you know, Christians

have gotten so good with complaining.

We think it's a spiritual gift. It actually is not OK.

He tells us here that here is how we ought to live.

We're to live in a way that we're giving thanks to God for

everything. When we think about this from

chapter 4 verse one, Paul is telling the Saints how we ought

to live irregardless to our situation when it comes to

marriage. You could be in marriage, you

could be out of marriage, you could be before marriage, you

could be one of those that say I'm never going to get married.

He is telling us as Christians how we ought to live.

That should tell us something. How we live doesn't depend upon

our situation. How we live depends upon how we

respond to the Word of God in the direction that He gives to

us. In verse 21.

He would say to us that we are to do something He says in verse

21 and be subject to one another in the fear of God.

Be subject to place yourself under.

It's what it's calling us to do. That's what the word be subject

to, to arrange yourself under, to subordinate.

Do you know the president of the United States is the commander

in chief of all of our military forces, regardless to whether

he's had military experience or not?

So all the men, let's tell you, on the Joint Chiefs of Staff,

come into the room and put all of the effort together and make

a decision. And he can say no to that

because they have to rank themselves under.

And that's what he is telling us to do.

Paul says as we operate in the church, as we operate in the

family, we ought to submit to one another.

So what is this point? We covered this last time.

And why does he start with the wife?

Because he's dealing with leadership.

When it comes to leadership, the wife is to submit herself to the

husband. And I love what the Colossians

say about this. He said in everything.

Now that doesn't make me as a husband puffed up OK?

Because just a few verses later he's going to address men and

help us to understand what the husband is to do.

But he goes on and says in verse 22, Wives, be submissive to your

own husband as unto the Lord. Note that he doesn't say because

he's smarter than you, it's because of the position that

their husband has. Wives, when it comes to

leadership, rank yourself under the husband.

He goes on in verse 23 and says, for the husband is the head of

the wife, as Christ is also the head of the church, he himself

being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to

Christ, so also the wives ought to be subject to their own

husbands in everything, wives to their own husbands.

Then from chapter 5, verse 25 through verse 33, he addresses

their husbands. Husbands love your wives, just

as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Notice what words are not inserted here?

Submit yourself and they shouldn't be as they shouldn't

be in verse 22 because in verse 21 he has told us to be subject

1 to another and therefore as we read through this, we don't need

the word submit because he's already addressed that issue in

verse 21. So in verse 22 we say wives to

your own husbands. Here he says, husband, love your

wife, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up

for it. So when it comes to my love for

myself, I am to rank that under my love for my wife.

That's how I submit to her. That's how each husband is

called to submit to his right notice.

He says here, just as Christ also loved the church and gave

himself up for her, He wants us to know that we ought to be

subject in that way. Look at verse 26.

He goes on to talk about Christ and what Christ has done for the

church so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the

washing of the water with the Word, that he might present her

to Himself, the church in all of its glory, having no spot or

wrinkle or any search thing, but that he would be, excuse me, but

that she would be holy and blameless.

Is that what we are doing with our wives?

Do we really love them in a way that we want them to be holy and

blameless? We want them to be without

fault. I should never ask my wife to do

something that would put her in the spot of not being holy and

blameless. Never.

And that's what he's directing us to do here.

Treat our wives just as Christ treated the church and gave

himself up for her. He goes on in verse 28 and says,

So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own

body, For he who loves his wife loves himself.

For no one ever hated his own flesh, but narrison cherished

it, just as Christ also does the church.

It doesn't matter what a person says about how much they hate

themselves. The Bible says for no one has

ever hated himself by the way, that's the truth.

I don't we don't have to debate that.

But he says in verse 30, he says because we are members of his

body, for this reason, a man shall leave his father and his

mother and be joined to his wife, and the two of them shall

be 1 flesh. I think parents have a bigger

issue with this than the husband and wife does really.

It says for this reason a man shall leave his father and

mother and shall be joined to his wife and the two of them

shall become one flesh. That means that man and that

woman has their house and to be ran by them, not the mom and the

dad back somewhere else. That's what he's pointing out

here. Now he goes on in verse 32 and

said this is the mystery. By the way, he calls the mystery

great. He says, but I am speaking with

reference to Christ in the church.

This is how Christ in the church really should function.

But look at the next verse. Nevertheless, each individual

among you also is to love his own wife even as himself.

And the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

So he has talked to us. He has told us how the husband

and the wife is to submit to one another.

Now we're going to pick up tonight's message, starting with

the children. And he says Ephesians chapter 6

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

verse one children obey your parents in the Lord.

For this is right. Wow, what a great statement.

Now if if in the statement in the Bible wouldn't be great, but

just I want to tell you something children, he said

children obey your parents and the reason you're going to do

this is because it is right As I was reading and preparing for

this came across this comment, this commentator and he pointed

me to Hosea. And if you remember, Hosea was

the guy that was told to go out and marry a wife of holla tree

and to have children of holla tree.

And the reason God told him to do this because Israel had

turned that back on God and had brought holla tree into their

lives. Hosea chapter 14 is the last

Hosea 14 · chapter mention

chapter in Hosea verse 9 is the last verse in that chapter.

And here's what it says. Whoever is wise, let him

understand these things. Whoever is discerning, let him

know them, for the ways of the Lord are right, and the

righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in

them. Notice he uses the term right,

that those who are right will walk in them, but those who are

transgressors will stumble in them.

By the way, if a person is walking along and he stumbles,

it's kind of like noticeable to everybody.

So here he says the transgressors will stumble over

the same rights that the righteous person is walking in,

the righteous person is doing. And Hosea would say long before

Paul would write this, the ways of the Lord are right.

So when Paul comes along and said, children, obey your

parents for this is right, He is pointing out to us as children

that it's the right thing to do to obey your parents.

Now he says, that's the action I want you to take.

Then he tells us how to address the attitude that we should do

that right thing. In he says honor your father and

your mother, which is the first commandment with a promise so

that it may be well with you and that you may live long upon the

earth. So when I am obeying my parents,

I need to have a great attitude in doing so.

By the way, the word honor means to estimate or to fix the value.

There's a difference between fixing the value and fixing a

value. Because see, if I fix a value, I

put whatever price on it I want to.

But when you fix the value, you're given the proper value of

that thing. And that's what honor means when

it says honor your father and your mother, number one, know

who this person is, know their value and set that on them.

Honor them in that way. And he's given us this

understanding that the children ought to submit themselves to

their parents by obeying them and by honoring them.

And then we come to verse 4. Most of us as parents never

think about the idea that we are to submit ourselves to our kids.

But here he tells us, yes, you are, because he's told us to

submit to one another in all things.

He says, Father, do not provoke your children to anger, but

bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

How is it that parents would submit themselves to their

children by not bringing them, driving them to anger?

Now, that doesn't mean don't spank your kids because the

scripture strictly tells us that that should happen.

OK, What he's talking about here is don't play something on your

kid that they can't do that would drive them to anger.

An example, let's say you have the best B student in your kid

that that kid can be. That kid is doing all this

homework, doing everything that he can, but the very best that

he can come up with or she can come up with is AB.

And you decide it has to be an A.

So you go and you drive them to get there, and they can't make

that. That's what he's talking about.

Fathers or parents, do not provoke your children to wrath,

exasperation, or anger. Don't provoke them to that.

That they might understand, that they might know that yes, Mom or

dad really do love me. It would not provoke me to that.

By the way, this word for anger here, this Greek word is only

used twice in the New Testament, only used in 2 verses here and

in Romans 10/19. Romans 10/19 says, But I say,

surely Israel did not know, did they?

First, Moses said, I will make you jealous by that which is not

a nation, and by a nation without understanding.

I will anger you. God is driving Israel to anger

over the Gentiles because of what he's doing to bring them

in, because of how far Israel has walked away from God.

God's motives are always pure. I was a not and that's why he

would tell the children of Israel, I will provoke you to

anger because of this. But then he can direct us not to

provoke our children because our motives can be wrong.

I love the last part of that verse though.

Don't drive them to anger, but bring them up in the discipline

and instruction of the Lord. I have a picture in my mind when

I come to the word. But, and let's say this podium

here would be the word, but this is kind of the picture I have in

my mind on the left side. Whatever is on but is going to

be different from what's on the right side.

So he says over here He says, do not provoke your children to

anger, but over here he says, but bring them up in the nurture

and the admiration of the Lord. So he wants me to instruct them

in the Lord. And then I'll ask myself the

question, how would I do that? In Deuteronomy 6 verses 4 to 8,

Deuteronomy 6:4–8

he gives us a great way of doing this.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God.

The Lord is 1. You should love the Lord with

all. You should love the Lord your

God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with

all of your might. These words which I am

commanding you today shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligent to your sons and shall talk to them

when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way.

And when you lie down and when you rise up, you shall bring

them as a sign. Excuse me?

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be

frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the

doorpost of your house and on your gates.

He's given some great instructions here.

Here is how you ought to do this.

First, God addresses the adults in the room.

O Israel, what does He want them to know?

The Lord is our God, and the Lord is 1.

A parent cannot teach this to the children unless they believe

it. Now he moves on to verse 5.

You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with

all of your soul, and with all of your might.

Then in verse 6, he says these words which I am commanding you

today, They shall be in your heart.

Notice this is a command, this isn't a suggestion.

What you're going to do first, Israel, you're going to know

that the God our God is 1 and you're going to teach that to

your children. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, yes,

but one God. He says, I want you to teach

this to your children and teach it how teach it diligently to

your sons. Teach it when you're sitting in

your house. Teach it when you're walking in

the way. Teach it when you are rising up,

Teach it when you're laying down.

This is the thing he wants the Jews to do first, to understand

that these instructions ought to be taught to the kids, but

they're to be lived out in front of the kids, and the kids will

know that you believe these things because they see you

living them out. Do our kids see those things in

US? My parents taught me many things

about God in this way and those have stuck with me for a

lifetime. I am 77 years old.

So 65 years ago my mother taught me one of these lessons that I

have never forgotten. I had a dog.

The dog was named Skippy. So we're getting ready to leave.

I have no idea where we were going, but I was 12 years old

and I just said verbally to my dog, Skippy, we're leaving the

house in your hands. And my mother heard that and she

said to me, no, we're not. We're leaving the house in God's

hands. She didn't scold me.

She didn't say you are wrong. She didn't call me a name.

She just says, no, we are not. We are leaving it in God's

hands. She was teaching me we need to

depend on God, not the dog. And I tell you that have stuck

with me all of these years because how she approached it

and what she said. Just a gentle correction.

And there are many times when either one of my parents would

have talked to us about the Bible and made out a point.

They may have even given us an assignment to go look up and

come back to them. That was another way that they

taught us. My parents was intentional about

instructing us about God. And that's what Paul is asking

us to do, to be intentional when it comes to teaching our kids

that they will come to understand who God is and what

it is that he would have us to do.

So we're not to provoke them to anger, but we want to teach them

the things of God and how it is that God would direct us and

strengthen us, and how it is that He will call us to be the

things that He wants us to be. By the way, when I first learned

about Abraham from the Bible, you know who, I compared him to?

My dad. Because see, I knew my dad's

faith long before I knew about Abraham's faith, because my dad

lived out the things of God and I could see it.

So when he would teach me something about it, I didn't

have a problem understanding it because I saw it in his life

1st. And these are the things that he

is bringing to us. Paul here covers the husband and

the wife. He covered the kids and the

parents and now he's going to deal with the slaves and the

masters. Today's language would be the

employee and the employers. He says in chapter 6 verses 5

and 6, Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters

according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in sincerity

of heart as to Christ, not by way of our service as men

pleases, but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the

heart. When I'm reading through

scripture and I see the term bondservant, that word bothers

me. By the way, I I got that from

John MacArthur. By the way, while he was alive,

he called it a nun word. Why?

Because the word that is there in the Greek is do loss.

You know what do loss means? Slave.

That's all it means. It doesn't mean anything else.

It means slave. But a lot of the translators

would translate this one bond servant or servant.

By the way, this Greek word is used 127 times in the New

Testament, the King James Version and New King James

Version mostly always translated servant of bondservant.

Let me read to you from the New King James this these same 2

verses bondservant. Be obedient to those who are

your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling

and sincerity of heart. As to Christ, not with I service

as men please, but as bondservants of Christ doing the

will of God. Bondservant.

Is there a difference between bondservant and slave?

Yes there is. I know a guy at Mount Wilson

that tells us he has nine jobs. That means he's bondservant to

nine people. That's what that means.

You can be as many bond servants as you want, but slaves is one

person. You don't have many masters,

just one. Notice when Paul uses this term,

he says slaves be obedient to your masters according to the

flesh. He doesn't want them to be in

the misunderstanding between who the real master is here.

This is your master according to the flesh.

Later on he would say both of you have a master in heaven and

you know that. And so that's the thing that

he's directing here. Slaves or employees, How are you

going to submit to your employer?

By obedience, by being obedient to them.

And let me hurry and say the Scripture would tell you that if

they want you to do something that God has told you not to do,

you don't have to obey that. If they tell you not to do

something that God has told you to do, you don't have to obey

that. People have asked all the time.

Well, how do you share your faith with people at work if the

boss has told you not to see? The boss controls the time he's

paying you for. He doesn't control before work.

It doesn't control lunchtime, it doesn't control after work.

So you set up a time then to share these things with him,

with the person who you want to share with.

You can do that, but you have to bring it to that particular

level because you want to do what you want to obey him, to

put him, to put God on display. Now notice verse 7.

It says with goodwill, rendering service as to God, not as to

men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he

would receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

He said you honor God. Whether you get back from them

or not is a whole different thing, but God will bring the

thing back to you, whether you are the slave or whether you are

the slave owner. He says God will bring these

things. I know that there are those of

you who have been going through some difficulties and you simply

prayed about those and left them in God's hand and you were

amazed at what God has brought out of that.

That's why the Scripture tells us He would do more than we

could even ask or think. That's how we as employers, I'm

sorry, employees, or to submit to the employers.

Then in verse 9 he deals with the masters or the employers,

and masters do the same thing to them and give up threatening,

knowing that both their master and yours is in heaven and there

is and there is no partiality in him.

There is no partiality in God. Whether you are a slave or

whether you're the slave owner, there's no partiality.

Whether you're the child or whether you're the parent,

there's no partiality. Whether you're the husband or

the wife, there's no partiality. There's one thing for you and I

as Christian to present God as to say that God is not doesn't

have partiality. We have to present him that way

in every way. We present him that God has no

partiality in him. In Galatians chapter 6 verses 9

Galatians 6:9

and 10, he says let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due

time you will reap if we do not grow weary.

So then why we have opportunity? Let us do good to all people,

and especially to those who are the household of faith.

So you an employer or your supervisor, he says treat

everybody that's in your care. Well, that would be the all

people. And then he says especially to

those who are the household of faith.

So you're going to treat everybody good, those of the

household of faith, you're going to give them a little bit extra,

especially those who are the household of faith.

In this Ephesians chapter 4-5 and six, what have we seen?

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Chapter 4 verse 1, he says I therefore the prisoner of the

Lord emplore you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling

which you have been called. Therefore let me see that word.

Therefore, you have to look at why is it therefore and the

reason it's there in verse in chapter 4, verse one, because of

chapters 1-2 and three, here's who you are in Christ and now

he's going to say here's how you are to conduct yourself.

Chapter 5, verses 15 and 16, he says, therefore be careful how

you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your

time because the days are evil. You and I are instructed in

Scripture to be careful how we live, recognizing that the days

are evil, and we ought to do this in a way that we ought to

honor him. And then in chapter 5, verse 21,

he tells us to be submissive to one another and the fear of God.

He deals with the whole church there.

Everybody in the church was either a husband or wife, a

parent or a child or slave or free.

So he deals with everybody in the church.

You know, we have that same situation today.

You either just change it out to employee and employer.

Some of us are retired, but that means we had we use them for

heads at one time or another. But he said these are the things

that he's laid out to us. He tells us we must do this.

Now look at the Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10.

Ephesians 6:10

He says finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his

mouth, His might. How are we to do this?

We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

By what are we to do this? Verse 11 put on the full armor

of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the

schemes of the devil. Interesting, Paul mentioned the

devil twice in this letter in chapter 4.

When he's dealing with our anger, he says to us in verses

26 and 27, be angry and yet do not sin.

Do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the

devil an opportunity. Wow.

He wants us to know how to deal with thy anger.

He said do not let the sun go down on your anger.

I've had people say to me, well, that's, you know, it happened at

night time. So I have all night and he's

talking about it's a change of day.

That's all he's talking about. So if you get angry at night,

then don't let the sun come up on your route.

That's all he's saying now. Because if you do, what are you

doing? You're giving the devil an

opportunity. And by the way, the opportunity

is with you. Morning.

Is it with anybody else? But that's what he's telling us.

We need to not to give the devil an opportunity.

And then in verse 12, he says, for our struggle is not against

flesh and blood, but against rulers, against powers, against

the world forces of darkness, against spiritual witnesses in

heavenly places. Now all of this he's told us how

to submit to one another. Then he says, But you're not

wrestling against flesh and blood.

This thing is against spiritual weaknesses in the high places.

This is against the enemy that you are struggling against.

I know you think it's your boss, but it is not.

You think it's the wife, but it's not.

You think it's the husband, but it's not.

It's the enemy provoking them to do the things that they are

doing. And your battle is really

against the spiritual weaknesses in high places, he says.

For we struggle, not against flesh or blood.

The word struggle there is an athletic term, has to do with

two men wrestling and they're trying to throw each other to

the to the floor and the way they win is by one man throwing

another to the floor and then holding them there by his neck.

That's the victor, he said. This is what the enemy is trying

to do for us. You are not struggling against

flesh and blood, but you're struggling against rulers.

This word is used to describe the demons and the angels.

Then he says against powers, power of choice, literally of

doing as one pleases. That's what comes up against us

more than anything else. I really do want to do as I

please, he says. That's what you're struggling

against. That's the thing that is being

brought to you. Then he says you're struggling

against these forces of darkness.

Some would say the rulers of darkness, but it has to do with

the Prince of this age, the devil and his minions.

These are the things that we are struggling against, spiritual

forces of wickedness belonging to the Spirit or man, higher

than mankind but inferior to God.

You are dealing with something that's higher than you but

inferior to God. Therefore you can come to God

and say I'm not going to remain angry about this because I know

I'm not fighting against relations, but I am going to

trust you to deal with this thing for me to help me that I

might move forward and put you on display God.

In verse 13, he says, therefore take the full armor of God.

Notice He told us earlier to put on the full armor of God.

Now he tells us again, therefore take up the full armor of God so

that you will be able to resist it in the evil day.

And having done all to stand, stand firm.

Having done your best to stand, stand firm in their way.

By the way, when he describes the armor, he talks about the

what you put on your feet. The old Roman soldiers used to

wear boots and they would drive nails through the soles of the

boots so they could stand firm in battle.

They wouldn't be slipping and sliding.

That's what he's telling us. Stand firm verse 15, he picks up

on that he says having shod your feet with the preparation of the

gospel of peace, know the Scriptures, know what's there in

addition to all take the shield of faith to which you will be

able to quench the fiery arrows of the evil one.

Now this word for shield there is talking about this shield

that's about two foot and a half across, 4 feet high.

The soldier could actually get down behind it because notice

what he's dodging here. He's dodging fiery arrows.

Can you imagine being shot by an arrow?

Now think of that arrow having tar tar on it and it's a fire

and it comes in. He says this is what the enemy

is shooting at you, so you want to be able to get away from

those things. And then he says, take the

helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is

the word of the Lord. He's not talking about getting

saved, He's already talking to saved people.

But you and I must know salvation, and we can only know

that through the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of the

Lord. Let me encourage you to stop

running and pulling the shades down.

When you see the coach coming to your door, go meet them at the

door with the sword of the Spirit in your hand, so you can

share with them the truth, because that's what God has us

here for. How are you going to submit to

one another? By putting on the full armor of

God that you might do this, that you might say this, that you

might live this out. And then He tells us at the end

of all this, verse 18, with all prayer and petition, pray at all

times in the Spirit. And with this in view, be on the

alert with all perseverance and petition for all the Saints.

Do we pray for one another? That's what He's instructing us

to do here. Pray for all the Saints.

Look at verse 19 and pray on my behalf that utterance may be

given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with

boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an

ambassador in chains. He's not asking that the chains

be taken off. He's acting that his mouth would

be open, that he would speak the Word of God to people with

boldness. Do we do that?

Do we talk to people about God and who it?

It doesn't matter whether they listen or not, whether they pay

attention or not, whether they agree with you or not.

What matters is whether you're sharing or not.

Paul says Pray for me also that I might open my mouth with

boldness to speak the mighty word of God.

I was at Costco yesterday having my glasses renewed or whatever

they do. The guy said, do you bet the

computer a lot? I said, yeah, I am.

He says, I'm doing the study. What are you studying?

I told him studying the Scripture.

He said, yeah. He said that's interested.

He says, I'm, I'm a Catholic and I just believe that, you know,

you do the best you can and God just, you know, counts that and

you know, you're, you're all right.

He said, what do you think about that?

That's what the Bible says, that there's no one who does good, so

doing the best you can isn't going to even show up.

He said, no, I agree 100% with you.

That's not what he had just said a minute ago.

OK, But that's what he was saying now.

And in our conversation, he kept telling me, I agree with that.

He did not agree with it because he told me what he believed

upfront. All we have to do people, is be

faithful in getting the word out and that is the thing that he is

calling us to do. Now, let me just tell you this

in the last few minutes that I have, this isn't written to

everyone. This is written to the believer.

You are not a believer because you come to church.

Matter of fact, you're not a believer because you're in this

church. Believer is one who has come to

Christ based on what Christ has done on the cross on our behalf,

and based on that belief we have repented and turned from our

sinful ways and turned to Him. That's what makes the

difference, and that's who He's instructing us to.

And you and I ought to put these things into practice and to live

the life that God has called us to live, that we might put him

on display in all that we do Let's pray.

Father, we thank You for this time that You've given us

tonight. We ask now that You would direct

our hearts to follow Your directions for us in Scripture.

We who know who we are in You, help us to live a life that

would reflect You. If there are anyone here tonight

who do not know you, we pray that they would come to know

You. We pray this in Christ's name,

and for His sake we ask it. Amen.