Two Relationships One Battle — Ephesians 1-6

0:01 Good morning. Thank you for your patience. Who's heard of the term cash is king? Yeah, okay. So that's from Dave Ramsey.

0:18 He uses that term to talk about money and about how you use cash, you don't have any debts. You have that money already. But I want to use that catchphrase and say context is king. When we read the scriptures, we've got to put ourselves into the context of the passage, into the context of the book. So, just as a brief review, we're in the book of Ephesians.

0:48 I want to read one verse in Ephesians chapter two. Ephesians chapter two and verse 10. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus. I'm going to stop right there. Because this is a really good way to explain Ephesians one through three.

1:12 About how the Christian, about how the body as a whole is created in Christ Jesus. The second half, for good works which god prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So, as we come to Ephesians chapter six this morning, just keep in your mind the thought that we are created in Christ Jesus and we have works to do that he has has given us to do. Let's just open in a word of prayer. Lord, we're so grateful this morning for uniting us, for bringing us here around your table that we could celebrate Christ.

1:55 He truly is the king, lord. He's the reason that we're here. He came down. He lived among men, showed us a perfect life, lord, and then went cross for us. Help us to really understand all of what that means and how it can impact our daily lives.

2:15 Help us now as we divide the scriptures. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen.

2:22 Okay. So, coming to Ephesians chapter six. We're going to talk about two relationships and one battle. Two relationships and one battle and we're going to see that the key to these relationships and the key to this one battle is the lord. You may think back to Ephesians chapter one about the whole chapter talking about how we're in Christ and that theme of reflecting all of those aspect back to Christ, back to the head of the church is really reflected in this passage.

3:06 So, so he's our key. So, we're just going to go ahead and read the passage. Ephesians chapter six verses one through 17. Children, obey your parents in the lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with promise.

3:25 That it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Bond servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh. With fear and trembling in sincerity of heart as to Christ. Not with eye service as men pleasers but as bond servants of Christ doing the will of god from the heart.

3:57 With goodwill doing service as to the lord and not to men. Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the lord whether he is a slave or free and you, masters, do the same things to them. Give up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven. And there is no partiality with him. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the lord and in the power of his might.

5:20 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of god. Praying always. So, the first relationship that we have here is the parent and the child relationship and in verses one through three, we look and we see the instruction for children. It says, children, obey your parents in the lord for this is right. And there is that first the first key there in the lord.

6:00 The first recognition for children is to understand that when we obey our parents, we're actually submitting to god the father. We're submitting to Christ and we're submitting to god in our lives but what's more is that this this commandment is the first commandment with a promise. It says, honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. There's really four reasons that children should obey the Lord. Or obey their parents, excuse me.

6:40 So the first, they're obeying the Lord. The second is scriptural. There's so many different examples in the Bible of the obedience of well, specifically Jesus himself. I'm thinking of one example in Luke chapter two. So, in in Luke chapter two verses fifty one and fifty two, you might remember that this is a time where Mary and Joseph went up with Jesus to celebrate the feast and Jesus went missing.

7:18 He was about his father's business. He went into the temple to really reason with the spiritual leaders and explain the scriptures to him and they finally found him and and they they he explained exactly what he was doing but at the end, it says this, in verse fifty one and two, 52, it says, then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, Nazareth, and was subject to them. But his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. And so you see there that Jesus himself, when he came down as a human being, was subject to his parents.

8:01 He obeyed his parents and he honored their wishes. And you see also the effects of that. It says that he increased in wisdom and stature in favor with god and men. It's in our best interest as children to obey our parents and honor our parents. It promotes a full life, number four.

8:26 Now, this isn't in general or that this is in general often times you might find or sometimes you might find somebody that they may not have a long life but the general principle is there that when a child obeys and honors his parents, it promotes a full life and a long life and there's there's just so many acts applications for this concept and one of the things that I was realizing when I was studying this and really all these concepts that we're going through is how reflexive each of these structures are in our life and what do I mean by that? Meaning, I don't know what it means to obey my parents. Maybe you have that. I don't know what it means to obey god the father but when I consciously make that decision to obey my parents, I'm going to learn more what it means to obey god the father and vice versa when I recognize that god the father put this relationship in my life and I know and recognize that when I'm obeying my parents, I'm obeying him, that's really going to help me to obey my parents. Just that recognition that I'm obeying my father in heaven and so you have this reflection, reflexive nature that each of these principles god says, do this but he also gives us the the motivation and the and the help to do that.

10:07 There's a there's a difference here. It says, children obey your parents but then, when it quotes the Old Testament, it says, honor your father and mother and I think that in today's culture it's really you've got this transition. So from being a child growing up to be an adult, one of the biggest questions that you really can ponder is how do I honor my parents even though I'm no longer a child? Maybe even though I'm no longer at their house. How do I still honor them?

10:47 Think one way you can do that is just involving them in the decisions that you make later in your life. At whatever age you're at. You go to them, you value their advice. So, that's just one way that you can honor your parents and really hold their advice and and value their advice and honor them. Verse four, it says, and you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath but bring them up in the training and admonition of the lord.

11:30 I think that the way you can explain, provoke is just the the doing of things that will cause a a child to react in anger. The word provoke there is the same word that is used in the Old Testament when it refers to god and how the Israelites provoked god to jealousy by the actions that they took and the attitudes that they had in their lives. It provoked god himself to jealousy and so the admonition, the the encouragement and and command here to parents is is not to provoke children to anger but bring them in the bring them up in the admonition of the lord. The training, the the active training and the habits that you teach. It's not a a passive approach.

12:28 It's not only the correction when we as children sometimes need correcting but it's also in the the active things that parents can teach their kids such as when when to read the Bible in the morning, how to conduct a devotional time, how to remind yourself of the things of the lord, how to pray, just those really good habits to do. A question we might ask as parents is will this help my child to fear the lord? Will this help my child to obey the lord and understand who the lord is? The next section is the bond servant and the servant relationship. So you have verses five through eight and verse nine.

13:32 So five through eight talks about the worker and it talks about the worker submitting himself and obeying his boss or his manager and then verse nine talks about the master and his attitude and how he should be. Verse five says, bond servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh. So, the first thing to realize here is that it's according to the flesh. At some point in our life, we were probably or we are now or we will be in the future a worker. And we have a boss to report to.

14:12 We have a manager to report to and they manage us and have expectations and we have job assignments according to the flesh just meaning the earthly tasks that we have to do in our jobs. And they really Paul is saying here, they have charge over us in that aspect. And and the same way that we submit to Christ and the way same way I think even we were to learn to submit to our parents. It's the same way that we can submit to them in these things of the world. It says with fear and trembling, think that there is also this this natural fear and trembling that comes to the worker master relationship.

15:04 One of it is well, I have deadlines. You know, I was we when we were in school, when we're in college, he you have those deadlines to work against and there's a fear there but there's also a spiritual fear that we can that we can sense as well. The idea that well, is it just the master or the the manager or the boss that I'm reporting to? Or am I really reporting to the lord? Who's going to actually evaluate me?

15:38 Him and he he indeed is the one that is going to evaluate us. It says there with sincerity of heart as to Christ. So, whatever we're doing in our jobs, in our lives, whatever we put our mind and our actions to should be as if we were doing them to Christ himself, doing them for Christ himself. And that sincerity of heart is just this this inner genuineness, this this pure devotion to the work that we have to do, that we put all of our effort into it and do it as if we were doing it to the lord. Not as men pleasing but as god pleasing.

16:30 Says not with eye service as men pleasers but as bond servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill, doing service as to the Lord, and not to the, not to men. And here's a promise, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is slave or free. There's something about coming into the end of a project and working hard and getting the job done and receiving that from the lord that internal affirmation from the lord that he says, well done, good and faithful servant. Even if it's in the little things, A question we might ask ourselves is, when we're doing our jobs, who's actually watching me right now? Who is the one evaluating me?

17:30 Verse nine talks about the master and you masters do the same things to them. Have those same attitudes that you're working for the lord alongside of them just as they are as well. Giving up threatening, knowing that your own master also in heaven and there is no partiality with him. So, there's that key again that acknowledgement of the master himself in heaven. Stop threatening knowing that your master also and is in is in heaven and there's no partiality with him.

18:11 The idea there is that the authority that a master is granted, all authority is given by god himself and so really, there's this equal playing field that god sees with men and the only difference is that god has given that authority that to that person and so that that person, that manager, that master is to recognize that his true master is god the father in heaven. And what's more is this is reflexive as well. When when we look at this relationship, this manager and worker relationship or master, however you like to call it. We can see when we submit to our master, we can see and understand what it meant for Jesus to submit to god the father and and just the character attributes that he displayed when he did that, we can see how when we obey, it's in the same manner as Christ obeyed god the father in heaven. So you have two relationships.

19:58 Like, this is it's so important that we know this and that's we are in a battle. Verse 12 says, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. We are in a battle and the only way that we can stand in the battle and fight this battle is the power of god. It says in verse 10, finally, my brethren, be strong in the lord and in the power of his might. We can only be in the battle when we're strong in the lord, when we're in Christ, and we're doing it through his power.

20:54 We're doing it through his might and we're using his armor that he has given us. It says, put on the whole armor of god that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Verse 13, take up the whole armor of god that you may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, four times it says right there to stand. We should be ready.

21:29 We should be active. When we're standing, we're facing our target. We're facing the battle in front of us. We're established in Ephesians chapters one through three. We know that we're in Christ.

21:45 We're ready and we're standing in him. We've got enemies. The believers three main enemies, the world, the devil, and the flesh. Ephesians chapter two verse two and three, in which he once walked, walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among whom all we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind and were by nature, children of wrath like the rest of mankind.

22:29 So, again, you see this reflexivity where Paul talks again backed and references back to Ephesians talking about how we're in this battle. We've got enemies against us. And the enemy's goal, specifically the devil's goal, is death. That's his goal. His goal is death.

22:52 His goal is separation. That is the ultimate definition. If you really look into that section we studied in Ephesians chapter two about how it takes a dead person and makes him alive together with Christ. How we're no longer separate from god. We're together with Christ.

23:17 It's the enemy's goal that we wouldn't be separate. Now, We know the eternal security of a believer. We're in his hands and he cannot take us out of his hands. So, what is what is the devil's agenda? What's his idea?

23:40 What's he want to kill? Who does he want to separate? Well, he wants to separate all of us and we're going to get into a little bit later and and look and see about how we see the battle. One side, you have the devil and he wants to kill and separate people. On the other side, you have Christ himself, the head, and he wants the unity of the body.

24:09 But in first Peter five eight, it talks about how the devil is like a roaring lion. He's walking in this world and he's fierce and he's looking and seeing whom he might devour. I jumped on Route 10 earlier this month and coming across 10 where it merges into 480. And I was coasting along and I looked over onto the lamp post and right there you had, it was either a falcon or or an osprey or some sort of raptor bird, maybe even a bald eagle and he was sitting there and what was he doing? He was sitting there so that when he saw any kind of animal, anything weak when it came by or maybe even dead, he could come down and swoop and get it and attack it and grab it and that analogy, the devil is the same way.

25:12 He's looking at each and everyone of us to see where our weakness is and so that's why the passage says, it says, put on the whole armor of god, every single piece. Let's get into the armor of god. Verse 14, it says, stand therefore having girded your waist with truth. So, we're in the context of Ephesians and we remember that Paul wrote this in prison. So, he has a Roman guard standing right next to him and he takes full opportunity of the Roman guard and says, I'm going to use this as an analogy for the believer to say this, number one, gird your waist with truth.

26:39 And I think specifically, all of those truths in Ephesians chapter one through three, all of those truths of the fact that we're in Christ, that he did the work, that it's by grace that we're saved. That's the truth that we rest on and we gotta put that belt on because that's the belt that holds all things together. It says, having put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is a righteousness that we wear that protects us and it's not our own righteousness. It's Christ.

27:20 We remember that Christ is the head of the body and it's his work on the cross that accomplished our salvation and when when god sees us after we have trusted in Christ for salvation, he sees us as having the righteousness of Christ and so when we walk in this world and we get these attacks from the evil one, from the world, from the flesh, we can look to our, look at our breastplate and wear it and say, I have the righteousness of Christ. It's not my own, not not by anything that I did. It's the righteousness of Christ. Verse 15 says, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. It says, to be prepared Be prepared that wherever we might go, we've gotta be able to share the gospel.

28:25 We've gotta be ready It's a gospel of peace. First, it brings peace with god and then it it brings peace with men but everywhere we go, imagine a soldier, he might get into his camp for the day and I think maybe his shoes are the only things that he would take around the camp with him. He might take some of the other pieces of armor and when he's not in battle but he always has those shoes with him. He's wearing them wherever he goes and so we're to take the gospel with us wherever we go every single day we take the gospel of peace with us. Next is, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

29:26 It's so much more active this taking up the field shield of faith. Like, you, so, I have, I'm a Roman soldier. I'm probably most likely using my sword in my right hand. I've gotta take down, take up, and take my shield of faith. It takes effort.

29:42 I've gotta stand up, take my shield of faith, and be active. What am I active about? Well, when I go through this life and this this one's so precious to me. We've got questions, don't we? We come up with with, I don't know, whatever kind of question you've got.

30:05 What does the Bible say about racism? What does the Bible say about how do I get along with other people? And the shield of faith is this, the shield of faith is knowing that even though I don't have the answer right now, I'm going to dive into god's word. I'm going to dive into his truth and I'm going to find the answer and he's going to show us the answer. Everything, every question of life, it's right in there and if if we take up that shield of faith and believe and put our trust in god himself saying, he's got the answer for me.

30:47 I just gotta go find it. I gotta be active and take that shield. Go to the scriptures and look at it and and combat these these questions, these doubts that I have in in everyday life. Can quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. Wow.

31:27 For by grace, we are saved. He is our savior. I think there's also some something to be said. So, you you you have this helmet. Back then, they would put it on and often times, you might see this crest on the top of the helmet and whatever kind of crest whether it was crimson, I think it was probably crimson back then.

31:55 You have these soldiers. They have their crests but the leader of their of their group of soldiers had more of a a flamboyant crest and so we put the helmet of salvation to remind ourselves who's our head? Who's the one that we submit to? Who is the savior? Well, it's it's Jesus.

32:20 He's there. He's he's our ultimate head. He's the one that is the captain of our salvation and so that when we put that helmet of salvation on, we're just reminded of the work that Christ did for us. When we when we come up against these attacks. The final one, second to final one, it says, and the sword of the spirit which is the word of god.

32:50 We already heard from Hebrews chapter four about how the word of god is living and active and it's sharper than any two edged sword. Piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and joints and marrow and it is is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. We have our sword, the word of god. That's why we commit it to memory so that we're ready. We can take up the sword and take it out there and take when we when we face these battles, when we're tempted, we can use the sword of the spirit, the word of god to combat the devil and and combat the world and combat our flesh and say no to temptation.

33:41 Reminded of Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness. What did he do every single time when the devil tempted him? He quoted scripture. And it's just so wonderful that we can have the scriptures today. We can memorize them and just commit them to our hearts and know that that's how we combat the devil.

34:05 That's how we combat the temptations of this world. The word of god. Always, always praying. I'm going to let Ray get into that one but it says, pray in the spirit. There's so many different prayers in the book of Ephesians that are really good to pray and the lord used the spirit of god and then inspired people to write those prayers and so when we can pray in in the spirit, we can use those prayers to our advantage.

35:09 And every single one of these practical structures and practical relationships that the lord has given us, we can experience the unity of the body of Christ and I want to make this argument. In Ephesians chapter three, it talks about how Christ unified the body and it talks about how there's no longer Jew and Gentile. There's this division between Jew and Gentile and Paul was saying, no. We are united with Christ. We are united with Christ in all aspects in our life.

35:53 We can be united with him in our marriages, in our parent child relationships, in our worker relationships. We can be united to Christ and have unity in the body. So, I just want trace this theme here in Ephesians. Ephesians one and verse 10 says, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ. Both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him.

36:28 Verse 22 says, and he put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the church. Ephesians two and verse 16, that he might reconcile them both, Jew and Gentile. He might reconcile them both to god in one body through the cross. Therefore, putting to death the enmity. Verse 20, having been built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.

37:08 So you can see how God himself has given us Jesus Christ as our head to unify the body. So that not only do we not have a division between Jew or Gentile, but we don't have a division between spouses. We can have no division between spouses. We can have the unity. We can have the unity in a family relationship, in a work relationship, and in a body life.

37:40 Chapter three verses four through six. By which one we read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men. At is as it is 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 his promise in Christ through the gospel. Verse three of chapter four, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

38:18 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. And then right at the end of chapter five verse thirty and thirty two, for we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones. Verse 32, this is a great mystery but I am speaking concerning Christ and the church. The fact that Christ is the head. The fact that it's he him that unifies the body.

39:03 And finally, in verse 19, Paul says, and for me that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. What is the mystery of the gospel? That Christ came down to unite things. And so when we look at Ephesians, we can see the unity that Christ wants us to have. Every relationship, every practical structure, every relationship that we have with one another in the body of Christ, the lord is looking or the devil is looking at it and he's looking at it and he doesn't want us to be together.

39:53 He doesn't want us to be united. So, that's why we should put on the armor of god. That's why we should look to our head Christ as the one who is the one that is going to unify us. Let's just close in a word of prayer. Lord, we're so grateful this morning.

40:13 We pray that you would commit these thoughts to our hearts. We're we're grateful for our parents. We're so grateful for our bosses, our our managers. We're so grateful that we have the armor of god. We can put it on.

40:30 We can stand in the truth, lord. We can put it on and know that it's only through you. You are the key. It's only through you that we can fight this battle, that we can be active. Lord, we do recognize that we're in a battle that the world, the devil, and the flesh, The the agenda they have is to separate us from one another.

41:02 Separate us in our relationships. Lord, we just, we, we don't want that, lord. We want what you want. We want to be united with you. We want to be united with one another, lord.

41:12 Help us as we walk in this world to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. To be unified with one another in our families, and in our marriage relationships, Lord. In every in every relationship that we have, Lord, our our friends, help us to be united in the body of Christ as Christ is our head. We're just so grateful for all these things. We pray in his name, amen.