Revision as of 22:05, 18 October 2020

Objectives

Introduction

The Right Equipment

• What does a pilot need in order to do their job?
  • Radio
  • Charts
  • Aircraft operating handbook
• What does an ear doctor need to do their job?
  • Otoscope
  • Audiometer
• What does a mechanic need to do their job?
  • Wrenches
  • Tools
  • Manuels

If you have ever watched a professional work at their job something may stand out, they are really good at their job. Yes, they have had a lot of training and developed significant skills, but they also have the right tools. Having the right tools is critical for doing a job.

The book of Ephesians is a powerful piece of theology that help us understand both the Church and the life of an individual living on mission for the Church. Paul began Ephesians 4 with an exhortation to walk worthily and in Ephesians 5 Paul provided a description of the Spirit-filled life. Now in Ephesians 6 Paul described some ket aspects of that life. Chapter 6 begins by describing relationships in the Spirit filled life, children are to obey parents, parents are to raise their children in nurture and admonition of the Lord. Paul describes a life lived in obedience, ultimately, obedience to God. God is working to consummate all thinks in Christ and complete his perfect plan for brining people to himself but in the meantime, the Christian faces supernatural forces that aim to thwart God's purpose. Up to this point Ephesians has been about walking, now Paul moves to the job of standing firm.

The Apostle Paul wrote Ephesians as a prisoner and likely had a Roman Soldier standing with him at all times. The image of a strong, stoic soldier was the perfect image to bring Paul exhortation to walk worthily to a fitting close, Stand Firm! Here, Paul draws on this image of a soldier to describe what is looks like to stand firm. To Stand Firm in the midst of powerful opponents who want to see Christ's church fall apart.

Main Body

God’s model of Spirit-filled living involves individual fallen humans boldly standing for Christ empowered by God himself through prayer. Christians need to pray that they, and others, will boldly stand for Christ.

Christians Must be Divinely Empowered (v. 10-12)

• Have you ever attended a presentation or speaking event where the speaker speaks for a while and then tells you something like "ok, one last point" and then proceeds to talk for another half hour? When we hear the words finally, we often check out. As we look at Ephesians 6:10 Paul begins with the word "Finally" but don't check out rather realize that what Paul is about to say is important, the pinnacle, the thing that wraps up his theological argument.

Be Strong (v. 10)

• Be strong! Simple, right? Maybe not. The word we translate as be strong is actually a compound word that we might think of as being inwardly strong. The grammar actually supports a more passive idea. In other words when Paul says be strong, he is really saying something like "be strengthened from within." I have seen plenty of strong people, but there is something about the strength of a soldier that is different. Soldiers go through basic training not to just build muscle, soldiers go through basic training to develop inner strength. I imagine that as Paul looked on his Roman guard he saw a sort of controlled inner strength and he desired that the Ephesians develop this same inner strength.
• But don't overlook the source. The strength is not an inner strength of the individual, the strength is the mighty strength of the Lord.

Put On (v. 11)

• Notice in your Bible the absence of "and" joining verses 10 and 11. Why is that, because verse 11 is in place ti explain verse 10. That is, verse 11 is there to tell us how to be strong. We can be strong by putting on the armor of God. Actually, in the Greek this parallel is even stronger. Paul is using two words that sound very similar for "be strong" and "put on". A greek reader would probably recognize the similarity and it would stick in their minds.
• After the command to put on the armor we are told why Paul is so emphatic of our need to be strengthen and armed for battle. The reason is that we have a foe, a foe who is set on destroying everything in his path.

Know the Enemy (v.12)

• There are many types of combat. Some combat is ranged and other combat is close-in. If you were training in the military, you would train differently for different types of combat. Yes, an air-force pilot needs to know how to fire a gun, but they are not out on the range every day, or week, or even month for that matter. Similarly, a sniper does not go up and practice dog-fighting in an F-16. A soldier trains for and is equipped for the combat in which they will engage.
• Knowing what type of combat you will engage is also requires that you know your enemy. In this case, Paul brings the two ideas together here. He states that we wrestle against something that is not flesh and blood. Did you catch that word wrestle? The NIV uses the work "struggle" but in the greek the word carries an athletic idea, specifically the idea of an olympic wrestler. In other words, the combat we are engaging in is close-courters combat. We have to be prepared to wrestle the enemy.

As Christians we must recognize that God is the one who empowers us to stand firm.

Christians Must Put On the Armor of God (v. 13-17)

• Verse 13 is filled with battle language, Paul begins with an imperative, "take up" a Greek term that occurs frequently in military descriptions. Paul then uses a compound word that means more than just merely to but to stand firm, stand your ground. The phrase that the NIV translates as "after you have done everything" carries the idea of having fully prepared. i.e. Once you have prepared everything then you will be able to stand firm.
• So what does it look like to be prepared?
• First, we often associate the weapons discussed with the soldiers that were likely near Paul. However, the language in the passage is actually reminiscent of the Messianic warrior presented in Isaiah. That is, the weapons that Paul describes are nothing short of the weapons that Messiah uses and provides for his followers. As believers, we enter battle with the latest tech, Messiah tech!

The Belt of Truth (v. 14)

• The verb "stand" has already occurred 4 times in this passage. Here we have a participle of means, that is the means by which the believer is able to stand, the belt of truth. When Paul uses the word truth here, he probably has a dual meaning in mind. Objective truth that comes from the revelation of God, and a life of truth an integrity. In other words, the believers equips themselves to stand by both knowing truth, and practicing truthful living.

The Breastplate of Righteousness (v. 14)

• Here we see the breastplate, one of the most important pieces of armor but instead of bronze or iron, this breastplate is righteousness. Significantly, none of us has righteousness to put on, rather we are forced to go to God for our righteousness and he abundantly provides. The idea here is not that we go about living a life of sin and just say "oh I am protected by righteousness", no the idea here is that incapable of righteousness ourselves we go to God and draw on his righteousness which leads us to progressively live a life of dedication and holiness. The Christian who insist on sin leaves themselves susceptible to a chest injury.
• Speaking of the God, Isa. Isa. 59:17 states "He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak."

The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace (v. 15)

• Here we have a fascinating piece of armor, shoes. Certainly anyone who has served in the military understands how important good boots are. When my brother joined the air-force, he bought a pair a boots a month before leaving for Basic Training. Rather than wait for his issued boots, he bought the same pair and spent the month before training breaking the shoes in. He knew these shoes would be an integral part of his work and wanted them to fit perfectly.
• But notice here the concept of peace, what business does peace have in the amor of a warrior? First, we must see the connection again to Isaiah's descriptions. Isaiah 52:7 states "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” As we prepare for battle, we must recognize that other people are not the enemy. The message of peace is a message that we share with other people, the God of the universe seeks peace with them. Go, put your shoes on an prepare to take that message to everyone.

The Shield of Faith (v. 16)

• The Roman shield (Scutum) was a large rectangular item that was a little more than half the size of a door and provided a place for taking cover. The soldier could =kneel behind this shield and have a virtually impenetrable protection against arrows fired by the enemy.
• The defense needed in this case is against fiery darts. Paul's audience would have been familiar with the destructive potential of a flaming arrow fired from a distance. These arrows would immediately ignite and burn what they came in contact with. What's worse, this devastating destruction could be launched from a distance without ever seeing the enemy. Similar, Satan has the ability to lob his attacks from a distance. We have all faced doubts and sinful thoughts.
• What is the solution? FAITH!

The Helmet of Salvation (v. 17)

• Put on salvation? What does this mean? We need to recognize that our identity is as Christians, individuals who are following Christ with everything they have. Who are you? A follower of Christ, that is my first and foremost identity.

The Sword of the Spirit (v. 17)

• After listing a series of defensive weapons, Paul gets to the offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit. The word for sword here is the most common form of sword and represents the sword that every Roman soldier would have worn. This was the short sword, or knife. Actually, the sword is both defensive and offensive. The point is that the Word of God is our weapon.

As Christians we must put on the armor of God as his means of empowering us to stand firm.

Christians Must Not Forget the Radio (v. 18-20)

• Roman soldiers did not have radios! but I wonder if they had radios if Paul would have connected one final piece of equipment the radio of prayer. Now I want to be careful not to add to Scripture but just imagine with me. Something like "Call using the radio of prayer!" Now it should be noted that several commentators see prayer as much more than the seventh weapon but rather the foundation from which all the other weapons are used.

Pray for Other Christians (v. 18)

• At all times - The idea here is to be in a frame of mind of a praying individual
• With every type of prayer - A petition made to God
• With every type of request - An urgent request
• With all perseverance - The idea here is to be faithful in prayer. This term is used in Greek literature as relentless pursuit.
• For all the saints - This is a corporate emphasis showing that as a church we should be praying for each other.
• Clinton Arnold states "The vision for prayer that Paul projects in this passage goes far beyond a tendency for Christians to limit most of their praying to prayers for people in crisis...there is much intercessory prayer that needs to take place `for all the saints' before the crisis hit." ^[1]

Pray for our Spiritual Leaders (v. 19)

• Most of us tend to think of our pastor’s as spiritual Giants. People often apologize for using bad language around a pastor. People expect that a pastor can clearly share the gospel with anyone they come across. People will ask their pastor to talk with someone else who has questions about the gospel. We expect our pastors to be great orators, spiritual giants, unwavering in their stance. But our pastors are just humans. In fact, pastors have a hard time, research shows that long-hours, conflict, and stress has a high probability of burning a pastor out. Seventy percent of pastors battle depression, 50% of pastors say that they would leave their ministry if they could. So, consider this, our pastors, our spiritual giants have real struggles. Even Paul needed prayer that he would be bold. So, what does that mean for us? We need to pray for our pastors!

Pray that the Gospel Will be Boldly Preached (v. 20)

• In Ephesians 6:19 Paul mentions opening his mouth to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. In this context, the mystery of the gospel is probably not an actual “evangelistic sermon” but rather an overall stance for Christ and explanation of Christianity. Paul was facing a trial before Caesar and he wants to be able to clearly communicate, he wanted to appropriately represent his Lord. Such representation might bring ridicule, confusion, or further accusations. Paul wanted to boldly explain what it means to be a Christian and who his Lord was. We need to pray for boldness.

As Christians we must not forget the radio!

Conclusion

The Applications

Put on the Armor

What armor are you wearing? What armor do you need to put on?

Commit to Prayer

Commit to praying, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, more.

Summary: Christians need to pray!

Pray for the leaders that you know to have boldness. Pray for your own boldness in standing for Christ. Commit to praying, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, more.

1. ↑ Arnold, Clinton E., ed. Ephesians. Zondervan Academic, 2011, 466