Destination: Ephesians | Skip Heitzig

[Music] this is the library at ephesus empty of books now but at one time this was considered one of the world's greatest deposits of human wisdom but all the information once contained here does not compare with what can be discovered from our flight over the powerful peaks of godly wisdom that we will find in the New Testament books of Ephesians I want to hold something up because you got to see this this is a cigarette box no I don't smoke I picked this up off the street in England and in one side it says I'm gonna hold it up right here it says smoking seriously harms you and others around you okay so that's okay yeah there you go look at it that way and look on the other side smokers die younger look how big that is it's unmistakable as a warning smokers die younger and yet I look inside this box and it's empty so whoever bought this box of cigarettes went full I presume could read and I presume read that smokers die younger yet they ignored the message they could read it they heard it or they saw it but they ignored the message something that I noticed as I travel in airports that that smokers are sometimes like family they'll congregate together and though they'll like gather in rooms and and these are designated rooms for smoking but they'll get in these rooms they've seen them at airports and it's like a chimney in there it's like the worst smoggy day in Los Angeles history and they're in there puffing away talking and just having a great old time of fellowship in the smoke and yet here's the warning smokers die younger okay where am I going with this that's a good question actually the theme of Ephesians is how God builds a family a new society new values new relationships new standards new operation but it's all based on truth that must be heated we can't just read it we have to heat it we can't just see it we have to do it so the family that we congregate together the new society of everything brand new is based upon truth that must be listened to and obeyed now something about Paul in most of his letters it's a standard Pauline way of organizing his writings is he begins with doctrine and ends with application and there's six chapters in Ephesians and you can slice it right down the middle the first three chapters are doctrinal this is the truth that I want you to know and then verse or chapter four five and six the second half is now that you know that doctrine here's the duty based upon the doctrine so this is what you know now this is how you ought to live or what you ought to do in the light of it so chapters one through three our doctrinal chapters four five and six our applicational chapters so I'm gonna divide it up for I'm gonna give you an outline and I think this is the best outline of the book if evens will tell you about number one the wealth of the believer number two the walk of the believer and number three the warfare of the believer you can divide the book up with those three categories the wealth the walk and the warfare of the Christian or you might say doctrine duty and difficulty those are the three camps so we're gonna learn how to grow as Christians we're gonna learn how to walk as believers and we're gonna learn how to fight as believers those are the three main categories of this book it's God's new society the new family based on truth and he tells us about the wealth the walk and the warfare of the believer there's another way you can outline it because a few different words that are used he talks in Chapter one that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ and then in chapter four I'll talk about walk worthy of the Lord walk based upon these things and then in Chapter six stand therefore in the fight against the wiles of the devil so sit walk stand firm the same idea I prefer the wealth the walk and the warfare of the believer now just a few words about Ephesus before we dive in Ephesus was the capital city of Asia Minor at that time about a half a million people strong in the days of Paul it was on the east-west trade routes and it housed a lot of the wealth of the Roman Empire because people would travel through this area and sell their wares and so it became a very very important in prominent place Paul came to Ephesus on his first missionary journey didn't really spend a whole lot of time there he left after his first trip but he came back and their second missionary journey and he spent about three years teaching them I would say expositionally he gave them the whole counsel of God and a great church was established there then on his third missionary journey he visited Ephesus for the last time not going all the way to Ephesus but meeting on the shores of Meletis not very far away with the elders of the Church of Ephesus and that's where he warned them and he said I know that after my departure Acts chapter 20 grievious or savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock and he warned them to stand fast in the truth and give God's people the truth also Ephesus was a place and a church that Jesus had a few words to say to didn't he in Revelation chapter 2 the famous seven letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor and the first on the list in Revelation chapter 2 is to the messenger the angel at the Church of Ephesus these things says he who has the seven stars in his hand and walks through the midst of the golden lampstands I know your works I know your patience I know your labor I know that you can't bear those who say they are apostles and or not but I have something against you you've left your first love repent therefore and you know the rest of that little letter little postcard that Jesus sends warning the Church of Ephesus of their tendency towards spiritual decay and that seems to be their legacy here's a great work that was started Paul spent three years there far more than any other city he had ever visited and established a church in and yet Eusebius an early church historian tells us that during the last part of John the Apostles life he lived in Ephesus and did nothing but combat false doctrine and we're told about the 3rd century AD Ephesus lost its influence and its power in the world now if you go to Ephesus today and some of you have been on our journeys of Paul about 25% of the ancient city is uncovered it's been excavated and that's quite a lot for an ancient city because it was a large city so 25% leaves you with some pretty spectacular sights as you enter Ephesus on one side you see the Odeon the great theater from the time of Paul the Apostle you walk down the street through the marketplace called the Agora and the same tile that Paul walked on the same mosaics are still there today you see them you all go all the way down the street and you are face to face with an impressive pillared library two-tiered library called the library of celsus and then you turn right and you go toward the ancient harbour and on the right hand side is this mega amphitheater that seated 25,000 people at the time of Paul the Apostle and it was in that theater still visible today where they cried out for a couple of hours great is Diana of the Ephesians great is Diana of the Ephesians diana was the principal deity in that area in fact her temple was called one of the seven wonders of the world diana is one name the other name she has given his artemis that's the greek diana is the roman name but it's the same goddess that they worshiped in that area now when paul wrote this letter he was in jail he was in a Roman Jail it's where really he would come close to the end of his career when he was arrested and taken to Caesarea remember the story in acts and he stood before Felix Festus and Agrippa spent two years there three trials he was eventually put on a boat and he ended up in Rome and he was under house arrest it says the paul lived in his own rented house for two years and while he was there chained to a guard day and night can you imagine being chained to paul the apostle you'd have to hear his conversations to local church leaders he'd have to hear as he dictates letters like Ephesians to this church I mean literally he had a captive audience no pun intended they were they were chained to him no wonder Paul when he writes another letter from this place says that many in Caesars household the elite Praetorian Guard were coming to know Christ how could you help it being chained to Paul the Apostle well one of those visitors was an Ephesian named kichaka's and he is mentioned in chapter 6 of this letter verse 21 he is the bearer of this letter as Paul would dictate that letter flanked by Roman guards the letter would be written out Paul would sign it and tesha cos took the letter from that Roman jail all the way to Ephesus in Asia Minor and that's the letter to the Ephesians now it was mentioned at the beginning that this is the crown jewel of New Testament letters I would agree with that it's been called the Grand Canyon of Scripture it gives to you the depth and the breadth and the length and the height of God's plan and love and mercy and salvation or look at it as the Alps because from Ephesians you get the best view of God's plan to redeem people that's a breathtaking view as you are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus so let's go back to our outline let's go through these chapters and just pick out a few verses and show how they all relate and then we'll get our overview done with Ephesians tonight first is chapters one through three and this is the wealth of the believer this is what we have and who we are and there's a phrase that is repeated over and over and over again in this section it's the little phrase in Christ you are in Christ you have come to Christ but once you come to Christ God sees you as in his son in Christ and that's a very pregnant phrase it comes with a lot of great theological truth so 27 times in this section it says you are in Christ and this is gonna tell us about what we have now I mentioned if you were listening and I trust that you always are that there was a lot of wealth in Ephesus because of the trade routes Ephesus was considered the Bank of Asia it was a financial center of the Roman Empire and that's interesting because Paul has chosen to use a lot of financial language in the letter in the Greek language their financial terms and they're translated in English as the word inheritance that's one term another term fullness and the other term filled and what he is doing is giving the knowledge to these believers in Ephesus just the amount of spiritual wealth they have as Christians or the wealth and their spiritual bank account I don't know if you've ever had this problem where you go to an ATM and you punch in your little code and it says we're sorry insufficient funds or funds not available or you write a check or you give a card and you get that embarrassing look of the waiter I'm sorry it's not accepting your card it must be our machine but do you have another card you know how that goes it's kind of embarrassing when you don't have the money you thought you had at that moment in the account well it's actually even worse if you have a large amount of money but you live your whole life unaware of how much you have therefore you live like a popper when actually your prints you've got the wealth but you never appropriate it and because that is so common Paul wants the Ephesian believers to know about their wealth who they are what it means to be a believer what they have in Christ so verse 3 of chapter one blessed or blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ and what are those spiritual blessings verse 4 just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love so we are rich because of our father there's an inheritance were related to our Father in heaven our heavenly father and he's he is so limitless and were part of that inheritance so we're rich because of our father he chose us verse 5 having predestinated option as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of His grace by which he has made us accepted in the beloved in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace so what is the wealth what is in our bank account first of all God chose you that bothers some people it bothers some people for them to realize that God actually has the capacity to choose they get really angry that God has chosen certain people for some reason I you know here we are as human beings made in the image of God we have the capacity of choice but somehow we figure well God can't do that but because he is God and were made in His image and he is a person with personality he can choose and I don't look at it as a real drag or a bummer I look at it as a blessing because God chose me and God chose you now you might be an unbeliever tonight well how do I know God chose me well receive Christ and you'll discover he has chosen you oh I don't want to receive Christ well maybe he didn't choose you then well it's not fair well receive Christ and you'll discover he's chosen you I don't think I want to do that maybe he hasn't chosen you then see the fact that God can choose doesn't cancel out his also other attribute that he has foreknowledge 1st Peter chapter 1 and can predestined based upon what he knows in advance it's an attribute of God that you and I can't enter into but it makes perfect sense from a divine point of view so God chose us now I love what Charles Spurgeon said about this first he said well it's a good thing that God chose me before I was born he never would have chosen me afterwards well that's funny to think of but it's not quite true because don't you think Jesus Christ knew that Peter would do what he did and deny him don't you think jesus knew what Judas would do that he would betray him don't you think that Jesus knew that Thomas would doubt him he even predicted that Peter would do that and then the Judas would do that so he knew that in advance and yet he said to them you didn't choose me but I chose you so God chose us that's part of the wealth that's part of the wealth we have God chose us something else notice in these verses he adopted us now we think of adoption as adopting a young baby in ancient times the idea of adoption was to give somebody the right as an adult child so you and I can enjoy the inheritance right now we don't have to just wait till we get to heaven so your life's really a drag this is horrible one day I'll get to heaven yeah it'll be a lot better than it is now but there's so much in your spiritual bank account that you and I can enjoy right here right now he chose you he adopted you number three he redeemed you it says talks about the redemption through his blood now this is slave language in those days the slavery of the Roman Empire was far worse than the slavery of the United States and before and during our Civil War half of the entire Roman world were slaves and the idea of redemption was to buy and pay the price at a slave block at a slave market by somebody to yourself and then give that person his or her freedom that's the idea of redemption how did he do that he redeemed us by laying our debt our guilt our sins on the innocent one you might want to just write in the margin of your Bibles 2nd Corinthians 5:21 God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in him so we are rich because of our father Paul is saying that's our wealth we're rich because of our father number 2 we're rich because of forgiveness chapter 2 verses 1 through 10 highlight that and these verses of chapter 2 go from let's call it the graveyard to glory from death to life you were dead and now you have spiritual life verse 1 of chapter 2 and you he made alive now watch this who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the air the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and we're by nature the children of Wrath just as others you were born into this world dead spiritually alive physically granted but even as a baby you were DOA dead on arrival just like some people when they rushed them to the hospital they don't get there in time and they're pronounced dead on arrival the moment you were rushed into this world and born though you were alive physically you were dead spiritually separated from God that means that you and I are sinners not just by choice but by nature our very nature dead so notice that unbelievers aren't just sick they're dead now if you were sick you could get better dead people can't get better they need a resurrection they need life breathes into them they need some spiritual act that's why Jesus said to Nicodemus Nicodemus unless a man is born again he can't ever see the kingdom of God because Nicodemus was dead he did a brand new birth a birth from above the new birth so we were dead in trespasses and sins it's important that you know that because a lot of people believe that everybody is a spark of God within them and all you have to do is fan the flame of goodness and they get better you can't make dead people better again we're not just sick we're dead you can send a sinner to the best schools in the world and they will become nothing more than an educated sinner and you can send people to the college and make them successful and wealthy and powerful and you have wealthy powerful sinners you need something more than externals in this world to change a person's soul and destiny and that takes the new birth so I'm gonna give you a thumbnail sketch this is how it works I'm gonna interface this with something we learned in Romans chapter 5 when Adam and Eve sinned they initiated a chain of events let's call it death okay they brought death Adam acted as what theologians called the federal head of the human race what he did brought death to all people and this is how it works in Romans chapter 5 it says therefore by one man sin entered the world and death through sin so that death spread to all because all have sinned therefore he says death reigned so sin entered number one death entered death spread and then death reigned all because of what Adam did that's the chain of events that Adam inaugurated as the federal head thank you very much Adam and that's why we're born dead and that's why we need spiritual birth and put all of that together and is what it means as soon as a person is born by nature they're sinners and they're what we call depraved I know that's a bad sounding word but it happens to be very correct it's the depravity of man depravity if you've heard that term before depravity okay let me tell you what it means it doesn't mean that a person is as bad as they can be it means they're as bad off as they can be before God doesn't matter how they act how they smile how they comb their hair how they dress everybody is depraved the depravity of man is true for all human beings even that sweet cuddly little baby who looks so innocent in that pink little blanket just wait that baby will grow up and prove what I just said is true ask any parent who's the thinking person it's true and thus all needs salvation and that helps us because it answers a very deep question that people have here's a question you hear it down a daily basis in different forms why are we so bad as a human race why is it that we are the way we are why is it that after thousands of years of history it seems that we haven't really gotten any better and I listen to people blame it on the liberal media or the Republicans or the Democrats or the United Nations it goes deeper than that it's because of what Adam brought to the human race and every single person is under the death sentence dead and must be given life by Jesus Christ that's why I said what I said at the very beginning you can give a person the best political agenda and send them straight to hell without a relationship with Jesus Christ so our mandate will never change verse four is the best part but god those are two great words when you're speaking about death and no hope but God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace unmerited favor undeserved goodness you have been saved when did God love you think about this when did God love you personally when you were good did he love you only the moment you said I think I want to be a better person I think I need to get spiritual I think I need to go to church or I'm gonna live for Christ did God say okay you know what now I love you I see that little spark of hope in you now God loved us while we were sinners even verse 5 when we were dead in trespasses he made us alive together in Christ this is so fundamental it's tragic that so many Christians live in a perpetual state of turmoil as if God still holds things against them and sins against them and their past against them they live beat down lives no reason for it no reason for it you've been redeemed you were a slave he set you free he's adopted you as a son and gives you the right to enjoy your inheritance in Christ he sees you in Christ now again if you'd like to write in your Bible and you ought to have the freedom to do that right Romans on the corner on the side Romans chapter 8 or Romans 8:32 which says he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things in other words there are no believers who are second-class citizens all believers are rich and the spiritual assets given by God so we are rich because of our Father rich because of forgiveness were rich in another way we're rich because of our family our spiritual family the believers who were around us chapter 2 verses 11 through chapter 3 gives us that truth now what Paul does in the rest of chapter 2 in all of chapter 2 as chapter 3 is speak about this truth believers the household of faith the Church of Jesus Christ the new society new relationships all based upon truth that's the theme of this section and it's important because he's telling us about our wealth look in your bank account you're so rich because of the family of God that he's placed you in and I got to tell you I've learned to really enjoy my spiritual family I mean I I love the fact that I'm placed into the body of Christ and have brothers and sisters who love me and pray for me and stand with me and encourage me and show me accountability it's wonderful now the imagery that Paul uses would be from to both Jew and Gentile it was an imagery of an ancient temple chapter 2 verse 14 for he himself is our peace in Greek that's an emphatic he is our peace emphasize the peace who has made us both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation remember the Temple in Jerusalem remember that remember hearing about the Temple in Jerusalem there was an a court there were several different courts and there were even walls that would separate one group from another group especially if you were a foreigner foreigners wouldn't be able to come close because they were foreigners and not Jewish and so the wall kept them out and verse 19 now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow-citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Cornerstone in whom the whole building being joined together grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the spirit now with this imagery the Jewish audience and listening to this letter would think automatically of Herod's Temple in Jerusalem that's what they were familiar with his Jewish people while the Gentiles who lived in Ephesus would think of the Temple of Artemis or Diana but there were certain things about temples that were the same and that was how they were built see whenever you would build a temple and you can see it today in the remains of Herod's temple they would lay a cornerstone a foundation stone and the whole layout of the walls was based upon that one chief Cornerstone and they were usually large stones if you went today to the southeast portion of the temple mound in Jerusalem you will see solid single stones the size of railroad cars in some cases massive some say four hundred tons for one stone rolled into place so that all of the other stones would take their cue from that chief Cornerstone that's the foundation and everything else would be built based upon that it would decide the unity it would decide the symmetry and the layout of the walls everything had to be adjusted to that so that's the imagery he's using Jesus Christ is that massive chief Cornerstone built on top of that are the little smaller stones and the first foundation stones are the taught the doctrines in the teaching laid by the prophets of the Old Testament and New Testament and the Apostles of the New Testament and then after that all of the living stones Peter calls us in the church are added to that structure so it's an image of a building the body of Christ the temple of God same idea but where the stones built one upon another built upon the teaching of the Apostles but built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ so it's sort of like saying Jesus is the cement slab I'm using now modern building techniques and the Apostles and the prophets are the two by six kicker plates that are hammered onto that slab and then everything is built on that structure well he expands on that in Chapter three showing how we fit together as a family God gives us gifts and we share them with another and in sharing them with each other in Chapter three we build up the body of Christ and and an in dad Paul says it's a mystery it was kept secret in the Old Testament but revealed and unfolded in the New Testament so chapter three verse five which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed by the spirit to his holy apostles and prophets that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of the promise in Christ through the gospel this would be foreign especially to the Jews who thought God is only going to build his house with Jewish people forgetting that God's whole intention from the beginning was the Jewish people be a light to the Gentiles a light to the world and bring in the whole world which could only happen through the gospel so that's the wealth okay that's the first you chapters the wealth of the believer you're rich because of your father you're rich because of forgiveness you're rich because of your family in Christ second section of the book is the walk of the believer this is what we should live life like based upon the truths of the first few chapters truth should be life-changing remember this little illustration that says smokers die younger in mega letters on the box okay that's truth there's nothing false about that statement smokers do die younger well if that's truth then it must also mean that if you refrain from smoking and I'm not trying to give a smoking pitch or anti smoking and I just happens to be a good illustration if smokers die younger must also mean that you'll have a life that is better without smoking okay but you gotta heed the truth that is written on there so how is life better spiritually based upon the wealth that he reveals in the first few chapters well let's look at it verse 1 I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you are called live like you are spiritually rich live like you know about the wealth that you've been given live with the principle of being elevated in Christ Jesus in heavenly places what do you mean exactly Paul so what he tells us in the next couple chapters is how to walk before the world before other Christians and at home okay first of all before other Christians look at verse 2 of chapter 4 and verses 1 through 16 highlight walking before other Christians with all lowliness gentleness long-suffering bearing with one another in love endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and verse 7 down is a list of gifts that are given verse 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ so follow me here verses 1 through 16 of chapter 4 is how to walk within the group ok understand this you know how you hear about I have a personal relationship with Christ you know how most Christians interpret that I have my own little private walk with the Lord my own private relationship go away hands off don't give me any truth or make me change that's good for you but this is good for me now the whole emphasis here is how to walk with others who walk with Christ it's the together walk it's the walk in the church walked with the body of Christ now one thing that I learned to love when I was in Japan several years ago was Japanese culture and somebody explained it to me and there's so many people in this culture in Ulan you can understand why they have to emphasize that the group over the individual and they always do it's all about the group it's all about us together not me individually I don't individuate in that culture like I do in America it's all about the emphasis of what's best for the group it's sort of like and forgive me for going here but my mind goes back to 1982 Star Trek episode the Wrath of Khan ok some of you are laughing how many honestly show of hands remember that episode ok because if there's a great line in it okay remember Spock he's in that chamber and he's dying and he gives himself for his friend james t kirk you're my friend you've always been my friend and he says this the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one ok that is the emphasis here sorry to go there but that's really a good biblical truth the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the needs of the one that's what Paul is emphasizing here is how to walk before other Christians and if there's one place where the group ought to be considered above the individual it's in the church so rather than a person said why can't I have my baby in church because everybody in church is gonna look at your baby when your baby cries well so what in other words it's all about me not about every else and you could translate that in a number of examples I just that was an easy one so I chose that one but it's about the group not about the one that's verses 1 through 16 chapter 4 verses 17 through chapter 5 verse 17 is our walk before this evil world verse 17 chapter 4 this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk but in in the futility of their mind verse 22 that you put off concerning the former conduct the old man which grows that's not your dad by the way that's the old you which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you put on the new man that was created according to God and true righteousness and holiness very simple truth you're not taken x' anymore Ephesians live like it walk that way before the world put off the old man that means all that you were in Adam the unregenerate person before you came to Christ put that off so it's more than just leaving the crowd that you were once with leave the ways of the crowd leave the ways of the crowd the value system of the crowd leave that not just add Christ to your life it's a life of repentance I turned from that those ways I put him away I put off the old man put on the new man that's all that you are in Christ okay If any man be in Christ he's a new creation old things have passed away behold all things become new you put that on and you put on the new man who you are in Jesus Christ so here's some examples verse 25 therefore putting away lying verse 26 be angry and do not sin where's 28 let him who stole steal no longer verse 29 let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth chapter 5 verse 7 therefore do not be partakers with them see this is how we walk before the world and verse 8 for you were once darkness it's interesting he didn't say you once walked in darkness or associated with dark ways says you were darkness in an interesting when we look at the evil in the world and we comment on it we're angry at it and we want to legislate against it we once were part of that problem think about that all that we say that's horrible that's evil that was you at one time right aren't you glad God cut you slack and was merciful and had someone to preach the gospel to bring you out of darkness you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord walk as children of the light so when you come to Jesus Christ you leave the world of darkness you can now see clearly you're in the light I love that song that Nick chose tonight to sing great songs from John Newton Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now I'm found was blind but now I see that's leaving darkness are coming into the light so what Paul is saying is when it comes to walking before unbelievers be different be different don't be afraid to be different than they are don't be afraid to stick out for the right reasons I love what Will Rogers used to say he said live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip verse 15 see then that you walk circumspectly verse 15 see then that you walk circumspectly not as fool's but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil now circumspectly comes from two Latin words that means to look around to as you walk look around you might say step carefully walk carefully live precisely with precision think about where you're walking think about what you do and say what it's going to mean what the ramifications of that are gonna be accurate precise living work walk circumspectly not as fool's but as wise redeeming or buying back the time ok you've lost time let's say you were saved and you were 40 years old when you save you think oh I've lived my whole life away from Christ and darkness okay now buy it back redeemed the time the time that you have make it count okay so that's the walk before other Christians before the world and now in chapter 5 verse 22 through chapter 6 verse 9 it's walking at home so he's gonna address husbands wives parents children and servants slaves Howard Hendricks once says if your Christianity doesn't work at home it doesn't work so don't export it I think that's wise if it doesn't work at home it doesn't work that's the nitty-gritty of relationship it's the nitty-gritty of forgiveness that's the nitty-gritty of solving problems so he he speaks about your Christianity at home now most people see this as beginning in verse 22 linguistically and contextually it does not begin in verse 22 okay hear me out Paul's teaching on walking at home in the family begins in verse 21 linguistically the construction of the sentence in Greek begins in verse 21 and this is very important submitting to one another in the fear of God I'll tell you why I'm sort of belaboring this most of the teachings I've ever heard on the family based on Ephesians start in verse 22 where it says wives submit to your own husband's as unto the Lord and I noticed that I met some men that's the only verse they've ever memorized in Bible they know nothing else but they know that one and I've heard him quoted this is a very interesting dynamic whenever I hear that and it says if they neglect what comes right before that submitting to one another it's mutual submission it's a it's a principle for everyone in the home not just the wives verse 21 is transitional that is the principle is stated in verse 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God that's the principle and then following is a paragraph where you have several examples of how submission works did you know that though the word submit in verse 22 is written in English it's not written in Greek it doesn't say wives submit to your own husband it says wives to your own husbands it's implied therefore many translations write it but it's not there in the Greek text and this is how it reads submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord wives to your own husbands husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church the rest of the paragraph after verse 21 are all examples of how wives are to submit how husbands are to submit I'm getting I'm getting some attention here I like that how parents are to submit how children are to submit and how servants or slaves are to submit in other words submission Paul's point here isn't just for wives but for husbands for children for parents etc now some men are going skip are you saying that I need to submit to my wife exactly now you got it say but it doesn't say that okay but but follow me look what it says in verse 25 husbands love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her can you think of a greater act of submission than dying for someone Jesus was so submitted to the Father and in love with you and me that he died on the cross the greatest asset act of submission is being willing to give your life for someone wives aren't even called to do that for their husbands husbands act of submission is shown in the willingness to love to the point of giving their lives so all of these are simply examples in their own god-given rules of how to submit to one another that's the principle in verse 21 you submit to one another wives to your husbands just like you would to the Lord that is a responsive submissive obedience as the head of the home but husbands your role of submission is to love like Jesus loved point that's a lot harder to love people like Jesus loved them sacrificially unconditionally and then parents etc so why is your own husband's verse 22 husbands love your wives chapter 6 verse 1 children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right verse 4 and you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath verse 5 bond servants be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh so that's the wealth and that's the walk we're wealthy because we're rich we're rich because of our Father we're rich because of forgiveness were rich because of the family of God then we're to walk we're to walk before believers were to walk before the world and were to walk at home by mutual submission and this is what I've discovered whether it's a husband or wife or children or parent employ your employer if each approaches with a humility a humility of willing to fulfill their god-given role in that relationship in the home that submission becomes the oil that oils the gears that make the family run smoothly if you don't have the oil of submission you know how the family sounds in the gears don't really turn easily they grind and life becomes a grind at home instead of a joy so submission is the oil that makes the gears the family run smoothly so that's the wealth that's the walk and finally the last few verses are the warfare of the believer and this takes us to the end of the book what Paul does is take us to the battlefield and these verses we smell the smoke of war he wants to tell us that Christianity is not a playground it is a battleground and let me just tell you whether you're a pacifist or an activist or what you believe politically makes no difference but you cannot be a spiritual pacifist because if you are you will die you will fall you have to fight as a believer and Paul tells you how to do that you've got some weaponry here verse 10 chapter 6 finally my brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil that's your enemy identified for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but principalities against powers rulers of the darkness of this age can spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places now wouldn't you agree that in warfare the first most important truth and rule is to know who you're fighting to know who your enemy is and the commanding officer will identify for his troops who they're up against who the enemy is how they're armed and what the strategy is and so here our commanding officer God through his general Paul identifies who our enemy is it's it's the devil and a bunch of his buddies the word devil means accuser the devil is your enemy that should make you happy you know why Charles Spurgeon put it this way there's something comforting in the thought of Satan as my adversary I'd much sooner happen from my adversary than for my friend see at one time you were on his team it's not good now that you're not on his team that's where you get hassled so much by him so when you get hassled by the devil get happy it means you're as enemy wouldn't you rather be his enemy than his friend you were on his side you defected that's why he's at you that's why he's in your face that's why the battles come and the temptation comes so there's a list of our spiritual weapons or Arsenal is listed in verses 14 through 18 stand therefore having girded your waist with truth having put on the breastplate of righteousness having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace please please look at that and let that verse settle in during these times be able to walk get prepared with the gospel that's what we want to get out above all taking the shield of faith with which you are able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints now here's the bad news a third of heavens angels at one time fell with Satan the devil the accuser and are against you a third of all of heaven is now against you that's the bad news the good news is 2/3 didn't fall so two thirds are for you please get that math okay because we'd love to camp on the 1/3 the devil and the demons and yeah but you got 2/3 for you they're outnumbered they're outgunned a 2/3 to 1/3 so that's the good news besides the fact that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world you have God living in unity of all his holy angels who are at your disposal the Bible says to watch after you to protect you to help those who are inherit salvation Hebrews chapter 1 they're outnumbered I'd love that text in 2nd Kings when Elijah goes to the city of Dauphin remember that and gazai his servant sees the enemies surrounding the city they're outnumbered on a human level and so Elijah says Lord opened his eyes and he tells gay hey zai there's more that are with us then are with them God opens the eyes of the serving and he sees the angel of the Lord and the armies of the Lord camped around the physical army that was against them see in the physical realm he saw that he was outnumbered and he's thought poor me poor we poor us but then saw into the spiritual realm all of God's angels around the physical army and now he thinks oh that poor army my poor enemy they're gonna get really wiped out and they were they were outnumbered I want to close with this this is a letter to a pastor it's written from a man who is struggling dealing with spiritual warfare and temptation and he was simply writing the pastor for further help resources to help him grow as a Christian but listen to how he writes this letter please send me some ammunition the battle lines are drawn the trenches are being dug and I'm not one of those to be caught shamefaced when our commanding officer returns when the record is being reviewed and when it written that the soldier in question namely me after repeatedly disobeying orders and going AWOL during wartime alert finally donned his armor reported back to his commanding officer fought courageously and fearlessly without retreating or batting an eye hitting the enemy with everything he could get his hands on and inflicted heavy damage in strategic areas to the credit of his patient and forgiving commanding officer and that beautiful there's a key phrase in that little letter with everything he could get his hands on he donned his armor and fought with everything he could get his hands on well if you have a bank account filled with spiritual resources and wealth if you don't know what's in your bank account you don't have your hands on much but if you realize what is yours and who you are and where you are seated and with what power is at your disposal you're not gonna walk around like this very long gonna walk around like this I'm a Christian let's go for it let's fight the good fight with everything you can get your hands on let's pray Heavenly Father you've shown us our bankbook that we as believers aren't just in church or in Albuquerque or in America we are in Christ Jesus we are citizens of heaven and we are wealthy because of what our Father has done in choosing us in adopting us in redeeming us were rich because of our forgiveness we were dead helpless powerless you made us alive you were merciful we're saved by grace and we're rich because of our spiritual family which encourages us and helps us by giving us further resources in this world I pray that would we realize that that that doctrine would translate then into duty and we would sit but then walk walking in love and humility before brothers and sisters walking in integrity before the world not being like them but being different and walking submissively at home husbands and wives and parents and children and even employers and employees and then father we would realize it doesn't end there but we're in a constant spiritual battle we have defected we have left the kingdom of darkness we're now in the kingdom of light and makes our enemy really mad and that's why there's so many attacks against us and so many battles that are leveled toward us and I pray Lord that we would realize that Satan though angry is outnumbered and we don't really fight for victory we fight from victory we are victorious because we are in Christ I pray Lord that we would go from glory to glory in Jesus name Amen let's all stand now officially we're done with Ephesians but there's a thought that keeps going around my mind I just want to throw it out to you I don't know that everybody here tonight is in Christ most people on Wednesday nights to come our believers most of them that come are but I find that not everybody who comes and is in church is necessarily in Christ I'm glad that you've come to church don't get me wrong but I really want you to come to Christ if you haven't come to him yet and it could be that in church you realize you're still feeling empty and sort of purposeless and you you want more than you've already experienced and you wonder if there is and some of you have that sneaking suspicion that you're not right with God and some of you know outright that you're not right with God some of you want to come back to God because you haven't been following him or obeying him well I just want to throw out the net before we close and give you that opportunity and as we sing this final song that Nick is going to share if you want to rededicate your life to Christ or if you want to come to him for the first time and ask him to be your Savior I encourage you to do it in fact we're gonna give you that opportunity as we sing this song you get up right now and just just come forward let me pray with you really quickly before we leave tonight you're saying yes to Christ you're saying yes forgive me I want to come home to you or back to you just come right up here and let me lead you in a prayer to receive Christ or to come back to him in obedience don't wait any longer don't put this off another moment don't wait for another week come now to Christ as we sing this song get up and stand right here and we'll meet you right down here some of our counselors Oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] be willing to leave darkness and step out into the light watch what happens when you say yes to him and give Jesus Christ your all don't be afraid don't wait for another person to do it just do it just get right out in the aisle and walk straight forward and let's do it give your life to Jesus Christ surrender to Him become his [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yes we're about to close this service but I don't want to pass up anybody that the Lord is really touching now it could be come right on up here it could be that you have questions you think well there's still a lot of questions I have that aren't answer great come up pray receive Christ ask all the questions you want but he has the answer and the answer that you need more than any other question being answered is that deep cries it's in your heart you're crying for forgiveness you are and you know it and I I encourage you I shall enjoy your life to Christ and see if you won't meet you here and change you anybody else we're about to close this service this is an opportunity where God is giving you that chance don't pass it up well alright god bless you [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] those of you who have come forward I'm so stoked I'm so excited that you have made all the steps to come up here and pray to give your life to play and you're gonna discover that you were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world but I want you at this point to cooperate with God's grace and just pray for Jesus to come in and be your personal Savior and Lord so I'm gonna pray out loud I'd like you to pray out loud after me okay lord I give you my life I admit I'm a sinner please forgive me be my Savior I turn from my sin and I turn to you I believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead for me fill me with your spirit and help me to live for you in Jesus name Amen [Applause] amen

Channel: Skip Heitzig

Views: 10,448

Rating: 4.8125 out of 5

Keywords: How to study the Bible, How to read the Bible, Jesus, Skip, Skip Heitzig, How to know God, Ephesians, Paul, Ephesus, bride of Christ, temple, soldier, gospel, unity, body

Id: 7wh_kc1g7tE

Length: 65min 15sec (3915 seconds)

Published: Mon May 13 2019