Ephesians 6:10-13

[Shield]

Shield> Thank you for attending tonight's study:)
Shield> Lets pray
Shield> Our Father it is with expectation we come before you tonight....
Shield> We thank you Lord for you touch on our lives....
Shield> and we thank you for your Word
Shield> Lord we are mindful that the text of Scripture was inspired by You as the Holy Spirit led the human writers
Shield> as we approach this section of Ephesians may we bear in mind that you have a specific ordained purpose for the Words you inspired the Apostle Paul to write
Shield> and may we submit ourselves humbly to the task of learning
Shield> so that we may be bold in our faith and victorious in our obedience to You
Shield> in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ we pray
Shield> amen
Shield> again I welcome all of you here tonight
Shield> it is my joy to lead you in an exploration of Ephesians chapter 6 beginning in verse 10
Shield> up to this point we have covered a great deal of material
Shield> now...
Shield> before we launch into the text...
Shield> let keep something in mind...
Shield> the Apostle has brought us to a dramatic climax as we shall see
Shield> all of what he has written up to this point was preparatory
Shield> this will become clear as we proceed tonight and when we conclude next Tuesday
Shield> I will voice each of you in a moment
Shield> when I do you are welcome to parti****te as I give opportunity
Shield> if you have a question or comment please indicate this by the symble o/
Shield> Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Shield> Finally
Shield> that is a key Word
Shield> it was deliberately chosen by the author to indicate the beginning of some final instructions
Shield> instructions that have great import
Shield> this is typical of Greek writing style
Shield> particularly in the first century
Shield> and so here we are...finally
Shield> what is the text of this verse saying?
Shield> Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Shield> feel free to speak out
tiggy> o/
Shield> yes tiggy
tiggy> it says in the old testament that the joy of the Lord is our strength
Shield> yes indeed it does
Rock_busy> 0/
tiggy> so perhaps the strength we are to have is joy
Shield> Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
PC_Dude> o/
Shield> good insight tiggy ..i think that is a key part of it..as we see in Philippians
Shield> yes Rock_busy
Rock_busy> In that statement we have one of the basic teachings of Christianity....
Shield> ok Rock_busy..please do share
Rock_busy> We are to do everything with the help of the Lord.
Rock_busy> we can't do things on our own.
Shield> yes I agree
PC_Dude> what is the difference between "in the Lord" and "in the strength of his might"?
Shield> PC_Dude => I will speak to that in a moment...:) thanks for your question
Shield> yes Rock_busy good insight...
Shield> in fact we see this principle throughout the text of Ephesians
Shield> in fact I think PC_Dude's question is related
Shield> if you recall...
Shield> at least those of you who have been involved throughout this series...
Shield> a major theme of Ephesians is that of being in Christ
Shield> verse ten refers back to that concept....
Shield> also...
Shield> if we are in Christ...
Shield> then we are also in proper relationship with fellow believers
Shield> because believers are the body of Christ
Shield> now as for PC_Dude's question...
Shield> [20:23] <+PC_Dude> what is the difference between "in the Lord" and "in the strength of his might"?
Shield> I wouldnt say the writer is trying to make a distinction....
Shield> so much as he is drawing an emphasis
Shield> by that I mean...
Shield> by being in the Lord....
Shield> we have full access to the protection of his strength
PC_Dude> o/
Shield> yes PC_Dude
PC_Dude> I think being in the Lord implies to be in the strength of his might
Shield> yes I would agree
Shield> that is what I was trying to indicate in my posts:)
Shield> good comments and questions:)
Shield> lets move on...
Shield> Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Shield> again we have a directive...
Shield> next week we shall explore in detail the various components of this armor...
Shield> but for now we see the general instructions
Shield> and the reasoning behind them
Shield> lets take the first phrase...
Shield> Put on the full armor of God,
Shield> what is it saying?
tiggy> o/
Shield> yes tiggy
tiggy> its like when David was going to fight Goliath, Saul wanted him to wear his armor ...
Shield> uh huh
Shield> go on
PC_Dude> o/
tiggy> as his representative of the king
Shield> good insight tiggy
Shield> we recall that David preferred the simple sling and five stones...
Shield> but the point remains...
Shield> David was the representative...
Shield> and so are those who are believers in the Lord God
Shield> yes PC_Dude
PC_Dude> it means that our line of defense should be God's truth
Bride> o/
Shield> very good insight PC_Dude and we shall see that more next week as well
Shield> yes Bride
Bride> it is provided by God and we must take the action or appropriate it ....
Shield> yes indeed
Bride> He equips... we must utilize
Shield> that is an important insight....
Shield> the appropriation is not always what some might teach either
Shield> often there is an emphasis on technique....for example say this and the devil will leave you alone
Shield> but...
Shield> God emphasizes being In Christ
Shield> and He emphasizes character
Shield> any other comments or questions before we continue?
Shield> Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Shield> ok...
Shield> before we have questions...
Shield> let me say something here
Shield> first...
Shield> balance is key
Shield> indeed we are not fighting a physical war against a visible opponenet
Shield> we are fighting a spiritual war
Shield> and it is important to be aware of the players in this war
Shield> this text as well as many others in Scripture indicate the reality of evil spirits
Shield> having said that...
Shield> I personally do not major in trying to learn all I can about evil practices or false teachings so as to combat them
Shield> rather
Shield> I think it is important..and I think Ephesians bears this out
Shield> that I should be In Christ
Shield> and that I should be a student of the Bible His Word
Shield> if we do that
Shield> we will be quite prepared to deal with the garbage that the Destroyer will throw at us
Shield> the Devil is a Liar par excellence
Shield> and he is a student of human nature
Shield> but enough about him
Shield> we serve the Lord God Alimighty
Shield> and God is our God:)
Shield> questions or comments?
tiggy> o/
Shield> yes tiggy
tiggy> i believe we are to enforce the victory that Jesus won for us as we are in Christ
Shield> could you elaborate?
Shield> how do we do that?
tiggy> by being in Christ..walking as He walked, we enforce His victory over the enemy of our souls
Shield> and thats the key
Shield> being in Christ
Shield> no small task mind you:)
Shield> but possible
PC_Dude> o/
Shield> as we yield to the work of the Spirit of God
Shield> yes PC_Dude
PC_Dude> God's truth should be the basis for defending against all beliefs which are hostile to it
Shield> exactly PC_Dude
Shield> thats why I work to memorize Bible
Shield> and to get it into my heart
Shield> ok:)
Shield> final verse for tonight....
Shield> Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Shield> we see a bit of repetition here...
Shield> let me post the two verses together...
Shield> Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Shield> Ephesians 6:13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Shield> and earlier we saw.... Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Shield> there is an emphasis on full armor....
Shield> standing firm....
Shield> and an acknowledgment of the nature of warfare
Shield> by that I mean there is something that is being resisted
Shield> next week we will explore in detail the components of the full armor
Shield> and we shall see how the components are foreshadowed in the full text of Ephesians
Shield> Let us pray
Shield> Lord God again we come to you...
Shield> thanking You for the privilege of studying Your Word
Shield> touch each person here tonight Lord
Shield> by the power of your Holy Spirit
Shield> comfort those who are lonely
Shield> heal those who are sick
Shield> if any of them have not yet accepted the free gift of salvation may they be convicted of their need to do so
Shield> we pray these things in Jesus name
Shield> amen
Shield> God Bless all
Shield> thanks for coming:)