Calling
A Written compostion of the Heavenly Calling Network Study Group
Chapter
26
Chapter Six of Ephesians goes on
to deal with the relationship of children with parents. What we read
here isn't very popular. Some would say that we have advanced beyond
all what this has to say. Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in
the Lord: for this is right. ... There is no argument about it. It is
just stated as the right thing to do. For this is right. But of course,
children these days are pardoned from obedience. They are allowed to
disobey. They are allowed to get away with it. And who's fault is that?
Is it the children's? No, it is the parents. Because it takes patience
and disturbance to discipline. And that is just the thing that many
parents are not willing to do. And you don't need to wonder about all
the problems when the children grow up. They are not fit to enter into
life. They are not fit to stand by themselves because they've never
learned to discipline themselves. And you can not have a community
without self discipline. It has got anarchy with out it. And we see it
all breaking down today because we see these wise instructions are just
completely ignored.
But remember, it is Christian parents who are being addressed here. It
can not be expected for unbelievers, who are parents, to take the
commands of scripture to themselves. And yet, surely of all people,
those who name the name of the Lord should remember this. The children
have to obey because it is the right thing.
And Parents have got to be honored. Ephesians 6:2 Honour thy father and
mother; ... This is so important that Paul says, I will quote this from
the Old Testament. If you look it up, it is the first commandment that
had a promise attached to it. Now, don't misunderstand this coming into
Ephesians. Paul is not saying, if children are members of the body,
Honour thy father and mother they will live along time on the earth.
That is what happened in the past dispensation. It was important in the
past dispensation when God gave it that did happen. They did live a
long time. All Paul is quoting it is to show us that it is important.
Paul is saying in effect that it is just as important now. Ephesians
6:2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with
promise;)... And Paul quotes what the promise was. 3 That it may be
well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye
fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: ... Colossians adds, less
they be discouraged. So easy to discourage these young people. ... but
bring them up in the nurture and admonition ... Discipline. ... of the
Lord. ...
For all who deal with young people it is a good idea to read Hebrews
chapter 12. We are told there about this chastening and this discipline
which the Lord gives to all whom He loves. It is a mark of His love.
And chastening is not quite the same as chastising. It doesn't mean
hitting or punishing. Its disciplining who the Lord loves. It is a mark
of His love. Because we can not develop properly and become adjusted
without it. And this is what those who are responsible, parents, should
be doing. Bringing them up in the discipline of the Lord. They learn by
that to discipline themselves and to walk wisely when they grow up.
Ephesians 6:5 Servants, ... Literally slaves. This was in Paul's day a
relationship of a slave with his master. And he might be in a position
of having an unbelieving master. A master that wasn't saved. So what
does he have to do? Well, slaves ...be obedient to them that are your
masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, ... This takes
the pain from it. ...in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; ...
How that must of have helped. Many of a believing slave who had a
unbelieving master, the Apostle said, "look, just forget for a moment
if you can your master that is according to the flesh. Just think it is
the Lord Jesus that is your master. Now do it to Him. Do it as though
He has asked you." That will take all the pain out of it. And of course
we should do all service and all work as though He has asked us.
Ephesians 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; ... Not merely doing
it to get special favoritism or commendation. ... but as the servants
of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing
service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good
thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he
be bond or free. ... Isn't that wonderful to know and understand that
we have a Saviour who is watching us. And any good thing we do is going
to get his reward at the end. Jesus on one occasions that a cup of cold
water given in my name shall in no wise lose its reward. You'd think
that it would be trivial that God would recognize such a small thing as
giving a cup of cold water. But if He was willing to stoop to recognize
anything so lowly and so simple as that, how encouraging to understand
that anything we do that He can commend as being good according to His
will, according to truth, every action is going to be rewarded by Him.
We have a just Saviour. We have a righteous judge. As the Apostle
rights in his last letter. Who is watching day by day. Who is not
forgetting. Who is taking a count. Who is keeping a record of all we
are doing. And then we stand before Him in resurrection glory and the
record, as it were, is unrolled and unfolded. It will be of all we done
for Him. Or what we haven't done as well. It cuts both ways.
Then God's word isn't one sided. Employers and to masters you do the
same thing to them. So you see, there is no favoritism. There is no
giving the masters a favored place than the slave. You must do the same
thing to them. Ephesians 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto
them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in
heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him. ... We are
dealing with a just and a righteous God. You can see how wonderful he
has canvassed the whole of Christian society. In wives, husbands,
children, parents, employers, and employees. And every believer comes
in one or more of these three categories. And all are given clear
instructions of what this worthy walk includes day by day. Now we are
only going to need grace to carry it out. We can't say that it is so
difficult that we can not understand it. The trouble is that it is to
plain. It is perfectly clear. But if we try to do it in our own
strength it will not hold us up in any ways. No confidence in the
flesh, is what Philippians is going to tell us. But every confidence in
that resurrection power that will lead us to walk worthy of this
calling.
We now enter the final section of this letter. Ephesians 6:10 Finally,
my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. ...
This word "be strong" occurs eight times in the New Testament. And it
has its make up in the word "dynamite". Aluminas power. This is what we
want, dynamite. Strength. We wont find it in ourselves. We won't work
it up by effort. Or by strength of will. But you find it in your
Saviour. Chapter one of Ephesians talked about the exceeding greatness
of His power to us ward in belief which He worked in Christ when He
raised Him from the dead. That is the secret. That is the thing that
can take us right to the end. Be strong in the Lord.
Now Paul starts to speak about putting on the armor of God because we
are in the middle of a tremendous battle. And we would be, apart from
this, in a position of tremendous danger. This isn't the only context
that the Apostle Paul uses the figure of armor is it? How about
2Corinthians 6:7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the
armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ... So Paul
already used this figure. Or did he? It would seem that he did in this
passage, but the Greek word here "hoplon" which means a tool or
implement, a weapon. The word used in Ephesians chapter 6, twice, is
"panoplia", which means full or complete armor. How about Romans 13:12?
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off
the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. ... Again
this is the word "hoplon" which means a tool or implement, a weapon.
But this being true, we are in the middle of a great system that is the
opposite of this tools, righteousness and light. It is called the lie.
And God's truth is the great opponent of this awful system which is
called darkness and is called the lie.
Then in 1Thessolonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober,
putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the
hope of salvation. ... We have the breastplate and the helmet in this
section of Ephesians chapter 6. So you have three separate times that
Paul closely talked about these figures before he wrote the letter to
the Ephesians.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil. ... There are six pieces in this
armour. It might be surprising to know that in God's armour that it
doesn't have the figure seven. Well, you are not dealing with the
perfect day yet. Your dealing with the evil day. Your dealing with
man's day. Your dealing when the number six is dominant. And you have
got six pieces of armour which is all sufficient for the believer. This
covers him from the head right down to the toes. And all though you
have got satan and his wiles, and though you have got his fiery darts,
once all the armour is on nothing can pierce it. But supposing that we
have three parts of it on, then we are vulnerable. Be sure then that he
will find his way in and that fiery dart will cause us trouble and
difficulty.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, ... We are
not wrestling against humanity. We are not wrestling against our fellow
man. We need to remember that as Christians. You'd think the way they
we fight one another that is what God asked them to do. But our fight
and wrestling is not against one another. It is not with flesh and
blood. It is not with un believers or believers. So what is it with
then? It is ... but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, ... Or this age. ... against
spiritual wickedness in high places. ... The margin says, in heavenly
places. These are heavenly beings. This is the last occurrence of this
unique phrase in Ephesians. Heavenly places. The church in heavenly
places. Christ in heavenly places. Principalities and powers in
heavenly places. But here is some evil principalities and powers. These
must be the spiritual beings that fell with satan. And are under his
control.
Now, says the Apostle, I am telling you that those are your real
enemies. Not humanity. Your just wasting your time in your working
against the Lord here if you fight them. And then again, note what is
said for we must very accurate. God doesn't ask us to attack these
spiritual foes! Some Christians have campaigns to attack satan and the
powers of darkness. But they have no clue on what they are doing. They
are doing something that is intensely dangerous. Surely in a time of
war, to exceed the instructions of the Commander and Chief is just as
much disobedience as not carrying them out. A soldier that is terribly
zealous and does more than his commanding officer told him may reck the
whole battle. So lets note our instructions in this spiritual warfare.
We are told to STAND. We are told to WITHSTAND. We are not asked to
ATTACK. Sometimes it is essential that the soldier holds fast, that he
doesn't yield, that he doesn't retreat or go forward. He just holds it.
That is what God has asked us to do. He says, "you don't yield one
inch. You don't go forward and attack. And you stand in My strength
with all the armour on and hold fast . That is what I am asking you to
do." Now if we are instructed by truth, then that is what we shall do.
Any thing more, you mustn't go forward, that is exceeding instructions.
And you must not go back for that is disloyal. We must stand in His
strength with all the armour on.
Now there is another point and that is, in the Old Testament only those
that were grown up and come to adult years God allowed to become
soldiers. Numbers 1:2 Take you the sum of all the congregation of the
children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their
fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; 3
From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war
... God didn't allow anyone to fight under twenty years. Now that is a
picture. No child of God can do anything in this warfare unless they
have grown up. Spiritual babies are utterly useless. Remember the
tremendous stress in this epistle upon growing up in all things to Him.
The perfect, the one who has come to maturity, grown up. So that we no
longer children, babies. Remember it. Babies are a liability in war
time. And God's children whom have never grown in grace are merely a
liability. God is calling for grown up men and women today. So that
they may take part in this tremendous battle of the ages between
Himself and satan and the power of darkness. This is something that
only those who have gone on and are grounded in truth and who are
stable and who are willing to stand can have any part or lot in. This
is one of the most important part of Christian witness in connection
with the body of Christ.
Ephesians 6:13 Why take to you the whole armor of God, that you may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ...
It doesn't say attack, it doesn't say retreat. It says to stand and
hold fast. ...14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth, ... You must start with truth. We are finished if we have got
anything of the lie. That gives satan an advantage straightaway. It
must be truth. The truth of the rightly divided word. The truth that
applies to us now. Not truth for a past dispensation or a future
dispensation. Truth for today. ... and having on the breastplate of
righteousness; ... That is only in Christ, and not in our selves. ...15
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ... And
that is something more than the gospel. Although that does bring peace
with God. This is the peace of the early chapters of Ephesians. ... 16
Above all, ... Not more important than all, but in addition. ... taking
the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench all ... Not
some, but all. ... the fiery darts of the wicked. ... If we don't put
the shield of faith up and unbelief once gets into our hearts and
minds, then we are finished in this warfare. And evil heart of unbelief
in a believer. And that is the teaching in the epistle to the Hebrews.
Israel was saved people, but there was unbelief, that lost the promised
land. And if we are going to over come for the Lord in this battle then
unbelief has to be rooted right out of us and to be absolute faith and
trust in Him and His truth.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, ... Which covers the
vital part, the head. And the one offensive weapon that we are allowed,
the only one, six parts of the armour for defense covering from head to
foot, and one offensive weapon, a sword, what is that. ... and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: ... This is the only
weapon that is allowed by God. No weapon of the flesh. No carnal
weapons. You are in a spiritual warfare. What is the good of using
fleshly weapons in a spiritual warfare. He said, use this word, this is
the thing, and the only thing that satan fears and hates. When our
Saviour was in the wilderness, three times He met the devil with "it is
written". That is the example for us. But you have got to get used to a
weapon haven't you.
It is no good for anybody to put into your hands, a sword, and expect
to use it, if you don't know how to use it. You could hurt yourself
more. You've got to get practice with it. And here is a challenge to
all of us as believers, we've got to get practice with this word of
truth. Otherwise we can never use it with effect. How many times have
you been in this situation and have been called upon in some particular
experience and we should have been able to use the word and perhaps
we've been quiet. We had to be silent because we haven't got the
scripture at our fingertips. We haven't had the sword, you see. We're
not practiced. It is one weapon the Lord has allowed us. How affective
and accomplishing in mighty things for God can it be with it without
practice.
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication ...
Notice that prayer is NOT a weapon. Its only the sword that is the
weapon, the sword. But effective prayer goes with it. ... Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching
thereunto ... Two things go together, watch and pray. Not merely
praying and forgetting.when the answers come and not recognizing them.
That is stupid to pray and not to watch. We shall patience and
perseverance for that. ... with all perseverance and supplication for
all saints; ...
Last of all, Paul prays for himself. He has remembered all the others
first. Ephesians 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given to me,
that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery ... The
secret. ... of the gospel, ... The good news. ... Ephesians 6:20 For
which I am an ambassador in bonds: ... Well, what was that secret
connected with his prison ministry? It is the secret that he has
already unfolded in the third chapter. Those two great secrets, the
mystery of Christ and the mystery concerning the church which is His
body, the Head and the body. "Now you pray for me so that I may have
boldness." You'd hardly think of this great lion for truth needing
prayer for boldness. This man seems to be fearless. And yet he says,
"you pray for me. I might, through fear, not open my mouth when I
should do." ... as I ought to speak. ... The Greek says "as I must
speak." "Or else I shall not be pleasing the Lord."
Ephesians 6:21 But that you also may know my affairs, and how I do,
Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall
make known to you all things: 22 Whom I have sent to you for the same
purpose, that you might know our affairs, and that he might comfort
your hearts. ... Notice that his last thought is not for himself.
Utterly, unselfishly for their hearts, "he might comfort your hearts."
... 23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all them that love
our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. ... But the Greek says not
"in sincerity" but "incorruption." And that very last word take us to
resurrection glory. For it is at that time that this mortal will put on
immortality and this corruptible shall put on incorruption. It is the
day of resurrection. So that is the last great word and it takes us to
the glory day in resurrection glory when our hope will be realized. We
shall be with Him. Presented to Him as a church of glory not having
spot or wrinkle. We shall pass through the evil day as overcomers, as
Romans 8 says, having overcome all.