Ephesians 6:4-17
Prison Letters • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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So goes the home, so goes the community. Imagine with me a community that has healthy homes, healthy marriages where husbands die to themselves and love their wives as Christ loved the church. Wives submitting to husbands in the same manner that the church submits to Christ.
Children obeying parents as unto the Lord.
These relationships are new because we think like Christ or think according to scripture. Our homes are centered around this new way of thinking and as our homes grow and change to be more like Christ then so goes the community.
We pick back up in verse 4 and he has some instructions for parents in the home.
4 Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Don’t stir up or provoke anger in your children
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Twelve: Living the Lordship of Christ (Ephesians 6:1–9)
In Paul’s day, the father had supreme authority over the family. When a baby was born into a Roman family, for example, it was brought out and laid before the father. If he picked it up, it meant he was accepting it into the home. But if he did not pick it up, it meant the child was rejected. It could be sold, given away, or even killed by exposure.
Fathers don’t use your authority to abuse your child but to encourage and build the child. If you grew up in an environment where this was the norm, then you change the way you think and hang around fathers who have this shared goal and learn from them.
You make stir up anger by
Saying one thing and doing something else
Sarcasm
Not speaking truth
Letting them be in control and make all the decisions
Being inconsistent and unfair discipline
Showing favoritism
Making promises and not keeping them
Making light of problems that, to the children, are very important
Rules that don’t make sense
What you are angry about then your child may get angry about
What you watch and listen to on tv and in music
The opposite of provoke is to encourage.
Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord
or nurture them
The word for bring them up is the same verb that is used in 5:29 for how the husband nourishes his own body.
Husbands you nourish your wife and children by
Loving them
Encouraging them
Encourage behaviors that you want repeated
Providing for them food, shelter, and clothing
Must also nurture them emotionally and spiritually
Discipline them in love
Discipline in a fair and consistent manor(Children shouldn’t have to guess about what is about to happen in most cases)
Strive to grow them intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially
Seek to be the parent. Some might have started life with only their child in their life. Single parent home. There will come a time in your child’s life they will become your friend but as they are growing seek to be their parent. I watch as children often meet the need of loneliness in a parents life and while it may be helpful to the parent this does not always meet the needs of the child.
A child needs training and instruction in the Lord.
5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ.
6 Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart.
Slavery
There was about 6 million slaves in the Roman Empire. Slavery was an accepted institution.
Hard for us to think through this passage here in the west. As we read these verses, I want us to remember that in some parts of the world slavery is still present.
I love the validation of Paul in this letter. I tried to put myself in the shoes of the slave and receiving this letter. God’s word speaks to the slave! It validates them as having value. Being a slave, might feel as no self worth or little to no freedom and you receive this letter and you are mentioned in the letter. This letter speaks to the slave!
Jesus validates the slave as having value.
How you conduct yourselves on this earth toward your earthly masters you do this as you would to the Lord. It is to Christ you submit to and in submitting to Christ you therefore obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling.
Don’t work while only being watched in order to please men but as slaves of Christ.
Do God’s will from your heart.
As an employee
Be faithful as an employee
Show respect for your employer
Don’t take advantage of your employer
Devote your full attention and energy to your job
You can be a strong witness to Jesus by doing a good days work
Work when people aren’t watching (Put cell phone down)
Don’t work only impress your employer but work as to the Lord
Doing a good job is to do God’s will from your heart
7 Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men,
8 knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord.
Serve with a good attitude as to the Lord and not to men
There will be a reward by the Lord
Paul is writing from prison and perhaps him doing an excellent job of serving the Lord has resulted in his imprisonment but he still through the Spirit is calling us to serve the Lord and give our best. It is the Lord Christ that we serve.
9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.
Masters treat your slaves in the same way.
Seek their welfare. Help them get to where they want to be.
Don’t threaten them
Submit to the Lord as Masters
Practice the Lordship of Jesus Christ as you lead
To Lead you must serve
Don’t show favoritism
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.
Be strong in the Lord and by His vast strength
Kratos: Power and might, strength
Power that overcomes resistance
ischys: vast Strength, might possession of the qualities required to do something or get something done
A believer is strengthened by the person of the Lord and also the resources of the Lord.
Put on the full armor of God
The form of the Greek imperative put on indicates that believers are responsible for putting on God’s full armor
As Christians we face three enemies
The world 1 John 2:15-17.
The flesh Ephesians 2:1-3.
The devil
Christ overcame the world, the flesh, and the devil.
As believers, we do not fight for victory—we fight FROM victory!
The Enemy
Devil means accuser
He accuses God’s people day and night before the throne of God
Satan
Means adversary. He is an enemy of God
Tempter
Murderer
Liar
Compared to a lion, a serpent and an angel of light as well as the god of this age.
Warren Wiersby
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Thirteen: You’re in the Army Now! (Ephesians 6:10–24)
Where did he come from, this spirit-creature that seeks to oppose God and defeat His work? Many students believe that in the original Creation, he was “Lucifer, son of the morning” (
Satan’s helpers
12 For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
rulers, authorities, powers, spiritual wickedness in high places
This suggest a definite army of demonic creatures that assist Satan in his attacks against believers.
A Spiritual battle is going on in this world, and in the heavenlies and you and I are a part of the battle.
You have to know you are in a battle and you can’t forget that a battle is going on.
You ever been in a battle that you didn’t know you was in?
Race you to the car. On your mark get set go.
Wake up and wife is mad because you did something in her dream
Shooting you with a nerf gun
If you have no clue you are in a battle then the fight is not fair. You are in a battle! Know you are in the battle and know the enemy wants to take you out of the battle and get you off the battle field.
The enemy is cunning and crafty and is lie in wait to deceive us. He masquerades as an angel of light and seeks to blind men’s minds to the truth of God’s Word. Don’t underestimate the power of the devil.
Be active and put on the armor of God
13 This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.
Take up the FULL armor of God
Don’t miss any parts of the armor and this armor is fit for the whole man. Satan looks for areas of weakness and tries to attack those areas but we are to put all of it on and take our stand.
14 Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest,
Again Stand Therefore
with
Belt of truth
Before a Roman soldier put on his armor, he put a belt around his waist. This held his garments together and served as a place to hang his armor.
Truth that is a believers integrity and faithfulness
Truth gives freedom with self, others and God
Satan is a liar and a believer whose life is controlled by the truth will defeat Him.
Don’t let lies get into the life of a believer for if it does then everything begins to fall apart.
Breastplate of righteousness/Justice
Piece of armor that was made of metal plates or chains and covered the body rom the neck to the waist both front and back.
A believer constantly seeks what is right or just in all areas of life.
The believer also understands they are made right and just by what Christ has done for them on the cross. The accuser can’t accuse what Christ has made right.
A believer has been made right in Christ so we then as believers live seeking to bring righteousness and justice to the world we live in.
15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.
Shoes of the Gospel of peace
Roman soldier would wear shoes with hobnails in the soles that gave them a better footing for the battle. They would have cleats on.
Wrestler in socks verses one without shoes on
As we stand, we need a firm foundation on which to stand. This is shoes of the Gospel.
The Gospel brings us to peace with God and with each other.
The Gospel is for the whole man
Christ dying impacts all areas of our lives. Because of Christ marriages are better, health is better, life is better, forgiveness is attainable, job is better, hope is present,
Christ died for us and we are called to live in Him.
16 In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
The shield was a large four feet by two feet made of wood and covered with a tough leather.
The shield would protect from spears, arrows and fiery darts.
The shields were built in a way that a row of soldiers could link up and interlocked
This is a living faith
This is trusting in the promises and the power of God in daily life. Faith is a defense that protects against the fiery darts of the enemy.
Satan shoots fiery darts at our hearts and minds: lies, hateful thoughts about others, doubts, and burning desires for sin.
Faith is to trust God that He is enough to quench the burning desires to trust God against the lies.
17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.
Take the Helmet of salvation
Use the mind to understand the safety in the present day attacks from the devil and the future deliverance for our hope.
Where does the Christian go when they die?
There is not fear for the Christian who dies. The Christian has the helmet of salvation that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
This helmet refers to a mind that is controlled by God
When God controls the mind, Satan can not lead the believer astray.
Sword of the Spirit which is God’s word
Here is the offensive weapon
12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.
The Spirit wrote the Word and the Spirit uses the Word as we take it by faith and use it.
Use the Word of God against Satan
1/3 of all teens say they have never read the Bible
Barna research 25% of Christian teens say they read their Bible weekly and 3% say they read it daily.
God’s word is the offensive weapon in order to defeat the attacks of the enemy. If we are not reading the Bible, then it will be hard for us to push forward in the battle.
In 2021 11% of US adults read the Bible every day and 50% read it less than twice a year.
The enemy likes to try and twist the word of God. We see this in the Garden with Adam and Eve. We also see this in the temptation of Jesus. Satan tries to twist the word of God.
It is important to know the Word of God when the enemy begins to attack.
