Ephesians 6

Let's read through a different version of Chapter 6 before digging into its details!

(1) CHILDREN, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.

• Colossians 3:20: Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.

(2) Honor your father and mother. This is the first commandment with a promise

• Exodus 20:12: Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

(3) If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.

(4) FATHERS, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

• Colossians 3:21: Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.
• Proverbs 22:6: Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
• In the ancient world fathers had absolute control and were sometimes harsh, even cruel. Nothing crushes a child's spirit more than a cruel word from his or her father.
  
• The Bible teaches that it is primarily the father's responsibility to train up and teach the children - not the mother's! One of the great problems with families today is that the fathers have abandoned their responsibility! Specifically, it is the father's job, not the mother's, to teach the Word of God to the children, to teach them moral values, to help them to honor not only their father but also their mother (children often imitate their father's attitude toward their mother), how to get along with others, how to succeed in life, how to treat others, how to help others - to ensure their growing up into responsible, well-educated, godly men and women. The child's first concept of who God is is their view of their father - is he loving, kind, self-sacrificing or is he a tyrannical bully primarily interested in himself? Fathers sometimes fail to praise their children resulting in adults, especially men, who strive so hard to please a father who can't be pleased, to win approval that never comes.
• Sons learn from their father how to live - not by the father's words but by the father's actions. If the father has a problem with self-control, so will the son. If the father has an anger issue, so will the son. If the father disrespects women, especially the son's mother, so will the son. Men tend to think that screaming and yelling will get their way, but all it really does is reveal their weakness and lack of self-control which will eventually lead the son or daughter to be glad for the day they've been able to grow up and get away from their father. A man can be successful in the eyes of the world in business, finance, status, education, etc., but if he is a failure as a father, he is a failure at what really matters in life.
• The Christian father is really an instrument in God's hand.
• Quotations on parenting:
  
  
  • "Love your children with all your hearts, love them enough to discipline them before it is too late. Praise them for important things, even if you have to stretch them a bit. Praise them a lot. They live on it like bread and butter, and they need it more than bread and butter." (Lavina Christensen Fugal-America's Mother of the Year in 1955)
  • "You will find that if you really try to be a father, your child will meet you halfway." ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com
  • "Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you." ~Robert Fulghum
  • "It behooves a father to be blameless if he expects his child to be." ~Homer
  • "Children have more need of models than of critics." ~Carolyn Coats, Things Your Dad Always Told You But You Didn't Want to Hear
  • "Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children." ~Charles R. Swindoll, The Strong Family
  • "You don't have to deserve your mother's love. You have to deserve your father's. He is more particular.... The father is always a Republican towards his son, and his mother's always a Democrat." ~Robert Frost
  • "Most American children suffer too much mother and too little father." ~Gloria Steinem, New York Times, 26 August 1971
  • "Treat your children's mother with respect. Your relationship with your wife is where children first learn about relationships between men and women. When your son sees how you treat your wife with respect, it sets the tone in how he will treat women in the future. Your daughters it will set the standard for future relationships with men and will settle for nothing less than respect in a relationship. ... The most important thing is to love your children. Make sure you tell your children you love them and show them through your godly character." ~Allen Bell, How to Be a Christian Father.

(5) SLAVES, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

• Colossians 3:22-25: Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.
• For the most part, these were Christian slaves owned by pagan masters - their goal should be the salvation of their masters.

(6) Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.

(7) Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

(8) Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

• Colossians 3:17,23-24: And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. ... Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

(9) MASTERS, treat your slaves in the same way. Don't threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has *no
favorites.

• *no favorites: One's lot in this life, whether high or low, is merely a preparation for eternity.
• Employers and bosses may not think of this, but they ought to serve their workers and underlings, not as being subject to them, but as concerned about their proper welfare and treating them kindly and fairly Threatening, simply as a tool to instill fear, would be an abuse of authority - both at home and at work. Consider the character of Boaz in Ruth 2:4. His relationship with his servants was excellent, for he first recognized his Master in heaven. Remember that if we have people "under us" whether in the chain of command or simply station in life or education, we need to remember that we work for someone higher than us who's watching and evaluating our work here on earth and we too shall receive His "performance review".
• It is so easy for us to demean people we consider to be “low on the totem pole.” We do not have slaves, but we do have “service personnel” and people who “do not count.” It is easy to dehumanize and tyrannize them. We “chew them out” when we are unsatisfied. We view them as faceless numbers when the time comes to downsize. By lack of attention, body language, or attitude we communicate to them, “We do not really care about you.” Yet such people are as important as any “star” or power-broker, and our Christian witness depends on how we treat them. We must relate to them as if we were relating to Christ.
  
• Job 31:13-15: “If I have been unfair to my male or female servants when they brought their complaints to me, how could I face God? What could I say when he questioned me? For God created both me and my servants. He created us both in the womb.
• Colossians 4:1: Masters, be just and fair to your slaves. Remember that you also have a Master in heaven.

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(10) A final word: *BE STRONG in the Lord and in his mighty **power.

• Ephesians 6:10 (Amplified Bible): In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].
• The basis of Ephesians 6:10 is Romans 8:37-39: No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• *strong: Greek endunamoo = Be energized or empowered. Our true strength to stand is in the Lord and not in ourselves. This is resurrection strength.
  
  • 2 Timothy 2:1: Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.
• **power: Greek kratos = Power put forth with effect, might. This is resurrection power:
  
  • Ephesians 1:19-20: I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.

(11) *PUT ON all of God's **armor so that you will be able to ***STAND firm against all strategies of the ****devil.

• *Put on:
  
  • Ephesians 4:24: Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy.
  • Romans 13:12-14: The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
• **armor:
  
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:8: But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
• ***Stand: Notice that all but one in the list is defensive, not offensive! Only the sword - the Word of God - can be used offensively.
• ****devil:
  
  • 2 Corinthians 4:4: Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
  • 1 Peter 5:8-9: Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
  • Revelation 12:9: This great dragon the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
    

(12) For we are not *fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

• *fighting:
  
  • Greek pallo refers to a wearing, grinding endurance such as wrestling rather than the brilliant charge.
  • 2 Timothy 4:7-8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing
• Colossians 2:14-15: He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
• 2 Corinthians 10:4: We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.

(13) Therefore, PUT ON every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

(14) STAND your ground, putting on the *belt of truth and the **body armor of God's ***righteousness.

• *belt of truth:
• John 14:6: Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
• Our primary defense is knowing the truth of God. The belt (girdle in the KJV) held the armor together. Likewise, the truth holds our defense together.
• **body armor:
  
  • =breastplate.
  • A soldier's breastplate covered his body from the neck to the waist in the front and back. We are covered in the righteousness of Christ. Satan has no grounds on which to accuse us, because our forgiveness provides us with the righteousness of Christ.
• ***righteousness:
  
  • His righteousness, not mine!
  • Philippians 3:9: and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

(15) For *shoes, PUT ON the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.

• *shoes: A Roman soldier wasn't prepared to fight without his sandals on. His sandals had spikes in the soles to give him better footing, much like our sports players today wear cleats. They allow quick movement without slipping. We should be prepared to share the gospel of peace wherever we go, in a sure-footed way. Warfare of that day was hand-to-hand combat, so a sure footing was critical.

(16) In addition to all of these, HOLD UP the *shield of faith to stop the
fiery arrows of the devil.

• *shield of faith:
• This isn't referring to saving faith, but to the faith of daily living. We must trust in the power of God and that He will keep His promises. The soldier's shield must be held in place to be effective. Likewise, we must hold our faith, never putting it down. With our shield, we will stop Satan's fiery missiles from harming us. (That doesn't mean he'll quit throwing them.) Satan's missiles (darts) are such things as lies, evil thoughts, hateful thoughts, doubts, desire for sin, blasphemous thoughts. If we allow those to take hold in our minds and hearts, they will become flames of sin.
• "Before battles in which flaming arrows might be fired, the leather would be wetted to quench any fiery darts launched against them. After Roman legionaries closed ranks, the front row holding shields forward and those behind them holding shields above them, they were virtually invulnerable to any attack from flaming arrows." (IVP Background Commentary)

(17) PUT ON salvation as your *helmet, and TAKE the **sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

• *helmet: "The helmet of salvation" is protection for the mind
• Isaiah 59:17: He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance
• 1 Thessalonians 5:8: But let us who live in
  the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and
  wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.
• The helmet protects the head. We must protect our minds and never let Satan have control over them. Satan played with Eve's mind (Genesis 3), and that resulted in Adam and Eve's sin. It is imperative that we study God's word and always be learning the truth.
• Unfortunately it is easy to fall into complacency and ignore our helmets allowing the pollution of the world attack our minds from sources such as television, magazines, the internet, or the confusion of daily life. We must always be on guard to protect our minds or we will open ourselves up to head wounds that will nominalize our walk with God. In this the enemy's spiritual strongholds are basically patterns of thought that conflict with the Lord and His ways.
• **sword:
  
  • Isaiah 49:2: He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand. I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
  • 2 Corinthians 6:7: We faithfully preach the truth. God's power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.
  • Hebrews 4:12: For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
  • "The sword of the Spirit" is the one offensive weapon mentioned here. To use it, we must first have it. It is the Word of God that cuts both ways, so to use it rightly on the enemy, we must know how to rightly use it on ourselves. How important then that we spend time in learning God's Word well, so that on any given occasion we may be prepared with the suitable scripture to meet the enemy in whatever way he attacks.
  • The Roman soldier had a short sword for hand-to-hand combat. God's Word is like that sword because it is sharp and is able to pierce a man. The physical sword pierces the physical man, while the word of God pierces his heart. When we allow God to use His word in our lives, He can affect real change in our hearts through it. God's word was what Jesus used to combat Satan's temptations, and we should do likewise.
  • When the devil attacked Jesus, Jesus defended himself with weapons available to us: The Word of God. "Christ's answers came not from scattered locations in God's Word, but from Deuteronomy 6-8. And what is Deuteronomy 6-8? It is Moses' reminder to Israel's second generation about the sins of the first generation in the wilderness. They are to learn from these failures to live by obedience to the word of God without complaining or testing God or yielding to false worship. Jesus, Matthew is telling us, achieved what Israel regularly failed to achieve because of disobedience. As Yahweh's Son and Servant he will not only bring Israel's restoration but also a light to the Gentiles" (Baylis, From Creation to the Cross, 1996, p. 116).
• "One of every 400,000 babies is born each year with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease, or SCID, a disease that leaves the child with no body-chemistry defenses to fight infection from the germs that constantly attack one’s body. For such children, life is often short and always filled with danger. In a similar manner, the Christian who is not protected by the armor of God is defenseless against the attacks of the flesh, the world, and Satan. Sin, like an infection, can eat its way into his life because he has no defense against it." (Illustrations for Biblical Preaching)
  
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones observes that there are three dangers when it comes to spiritual warfare:
  
  1. Thinking that there is no warfare,
  2. Avoiding the warfare and
  3. Fighting with the wrong weapons.

(18) PRAY in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

• Mark 14:38: Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
• Philippians 4:6: Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
• Colossians 4:2: Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17: Never stop praying.
• The six-fold armor is rendered effective by prayer.

(19) And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

• Ephesians 3:4-6: As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. And this is God's plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God's children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

(20) I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God's *ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

• *ambassador: 2 Corinthians 5:20: So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, Come back to God!

(21) To bring you up to date, *Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord's work.

• *Tychicus:
  
  • Tychicus is assigned to deliver this letter and the letter to the Colossians.
  • Acts 20:4: Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
    
  • Colossians 4:7: Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord's work.
  • Titus 3:12: I am planning to send either Artemas or Tychicus to you. As soon as one of them arrives, do your best to meet me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to stay there for the winter.
  • 2 Timothy 4:12: I sent Tychicus to Ephesus
  
  

(22) I have sent him to you for this very purpose to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.

23) Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness.

(24) May God's grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.

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NOTE: Sources and References are on line at: http://ephesians-blog.blogspot.com/2010/07/ephesians-study-references.html