[0:00] ...get saved, you get that notion, that feeling of what he saved you from and what's changed in your eternity, and it's overwhelming, and the words of that song say, all to him I owe, and you believe that.
[0:27] There comes a time in your life when you really kind of believe that, when you weigh the difference of what you were going to, to what he's taken you from, and I hope you still believe that, and I hope you still feel that inside, that you still owe everything to him, and that you're not just accustomed to being saved and having that peace in your heart and that eternal security, that you just didn't, it's not old hat to you, it shouldn't be.
[0:53] And be reminded of that when we sing these songs, amen. Be reminded also to read your Bible every day. Just throw that out. I'll try to remember to announce that later too during the announcements.
[1:06] Okay, we're in Ephesians chapter 6 this morning. Find in your Bibles Ephesians chapter 6. Carla is still in Pennsylvania.
[1:20] Her father is in the hospital in a nicer room now recovering, and she sent a little video clip of him this morning.
[1:31] They had a tablet there where he could watch his church online, and so early this morning he was sitting there just staring at this little screen in front of him, and they got into singing a hymn.
[1:42] I forget the psalm. Blessed be the name of the Lord they were singing. And so he's just watching it, and I could hear just this short clip. I could hear the verse of the song leading up to the chorus, and then it hit the chorus, and then he just belts out, Blessed be the name, blessed be.
[1:59] And that was good stuff to hear and to see. And then I just sent a text saying it's good to see that he has his Sunday dress on because he's wearing that hospital gown, and he got a kick out of that.
[2:14] So we're thankful that he's doing well and improving. They sent him home too early, obviously, and that did not last long at all, and now he's getting the care that he needs.
[2:24] And as of now, the plan was for the girls to fly back there to spend a week on Wednesday, and we're still just kind of on the edge of playing that by ear, whether we stick with that or not.
[2:37] That was the original plan for Carla and the girls to go this coming Wednesday to see him. So if you remember, I'll let you know, but pray for that, and I hope that they're able to go and that it works out.
[2:49] So let's pray together, and then we'll get into the Bible. Father, we are thankful this morning to be alive and to be able to experience, yet again, your mercies and your faithfulness to us.
[3:01] Thank you for health in our bodies, the ability to come to church in the morning, the liberty to do so. We are grateful for that. And God, I thank you for Jesus Christ, for the liberty that we have in him through his blood.
[3:15] Thank you that we can open up a Bible and that we can understand words in this Bible, these holy words that have been passed down from ages, and they've been given by inspiration.
[3:27] They're your very words, life in these words. And Lord, help us not just to read them and to understand a few things, but to make real application to our lives and to change.
[3:40] And God, may your truth sanctify us this morning. Please help us to put everything else out of our minds and just be free from distractions of this life and the duties that we have.
[3:53] And just bless our time now. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. All right, so we're in Ephesians 6. We just kind of spilled into this last week, got into about verse 4. I'll take it from the top and then carry on.
[4:06] Verse number 1. And we're catching this coming out of chapter 5, where he deals with wives and husbands and now children.
[4:17] And in verse 2. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth. I don't know anybody that doesn't want to live long.
[4:28] And really, I don't know anybody that doesn't want that first part of the phrase, that it may be well with thee. You could live a long life and it not be well with thee. But certainly, you'll want to take the both.
[4:38] And so the promise is to children that obey their parents and honor them. Verse number 4. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
[4:53] That last three words are pretty important to what this verse is saying. Now, you could study your Bible. You'll find examples of fathers, but you won't find commands.
[5:03] They're very slim to none. To find a command that says, Father, do this. You'll see more to mothers, maybe. But to fathers, they're slim. And actually, the sister passage of this chapter that we've referred to a few times, Colossians chapter 3, where it says, instead of wrath, it says anger.
[5:23] We looked at that last week, I believe. It doesn't say anything about that last part, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is right here in Ephesians. Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
[5:37] Fathers will definitely want to bring their children up and train them up. You're told to train them in the way they should go. And some fathers will take that to be, to train them in the worldly ways, as far as, you know, you want to be smart, good practical business sense.
[5:55] So you don't want your kids to be bums and to just be leeches. You want to train them to work. You want to train them to be kind to others and to show respect. And there's a thousand things that men can train their children toward.
[6:08] But if they miss this one, if they miss this thought that my job in life is to train up these children in the nurture and in the admonition or the instruction of the Lord, of the word of God, that's, I mean, that's right there it is.
[6:22] You have the book. It's not something you have to go out there and seek and find. You don't have to climb the mountains and have some meditative experience with God to know what you're supposed to teach your children. You have a book.
[6:34] And there's a lot of men failing, failing miserably at bringing up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The television is not the babysitter.
[6:46] The mom and dad have a real role and a real job, and it's to teach them. I think probably all fathers fall short somewhere. You don't even have to look at the children to say it just because we're sinful men and we have our own flesh and issues to deal with and more responsibilities than just the kids.
[7:09] And there's so many things that can take you and pull you and distract you. But there's a command. And like I said, there's not a lot of commands, but there's one. And you can highlight that and put that up and remember that you have a job to train up your kids in the Lord's truth and in the Word of God.
[7:27] All right, now we're going to get into something here. I don't want to, I don't know where we're going to go here because we're going to step into something, and it's not a pet peeve with me, but the next verse says servants.
[7:39] Servants. And what you'll notice, let me look ahead here in verse 9, it says, and ye masters. And so here after wives, husbands, children, then he addresses servants.
[7:54] And so these are not husbands and wives and children, although they could be, but it's a whole other thing. Servants and masters. And how do I say this without going?
[8:09] The Bible addresses servants and masters as a viable, as a real thing in society. A servant.
[8:20] Owning a slave. Okay, that's what it's saying. That's what's happening. That's the relationship. And the Apostle Paul does not say, servants, rebel against your masters because all men are created equal.
[8:33] That's what the Constitution says. And that's what Abraham Lincoln quoted in his Gettysburg Address. And based on that notion of our Constitution and all men are created equal, we're putting an end to this.
[8:47] And so we're going to just go to war with each other. And supposedly that's what that was all about. I'm not going to get into, hopefully, not some political stand here. That's not my intentions.
[8:58] Like I said, it's not a pet peeve with me. But what I am sick of is some misinformed, half-truth notion that has gotten dug into American history and been carried on through history books and it's not a full exact truth.
[9:20] And then it comes out and then you read in your Bible, servants and masters. What? That's a sin. That's wrong. Look at 1 Peter 2. Let's be Bible believers.
[9:31] Let's stick with the Word of God and let that be true and every man a liar. How about that? If we're going to try to establish what's right and wrong and moral.
[9:42] 1 Peter 2. So the Apostle Paul writes about it. He addresses servants and how they're to behave toward their masters and masters toward their servants. And we'll get into those particulars.
[9:54] But just as we're stepping into it, I want to just paint the broad stroke here that it's a biblical thing. And just because certain politicians, I don't know if you want to call that, or presidents or so forth, deem this to be something that it isn't, doesn't make it any better.
[10:16] 1 Peter 2. Look at verse number... It's in verse 18 where he starts with the servants. But he backs up with this submission thing to everybody.
[10:28] Verse 13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king, as supreme, or unto governors. So yeah, that's just law-abiding citizens.
[10:40] But then more specifically... Actually, no. Let's look at verse 15. For so is the will of God, that with well-doing you may put the silence and the ignorance of foolish men, as free, and not using your liberty as a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
[10:56] Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. Servants. Be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
[11:10] Now, somebody along the line steps in and said, no, because if there's a froward master, then we need to step in and eliminate all of that.
[11:23] And at least that's the story you've been told. Now, I want to point out, just in a few spots, this is in the Bible, okay? It's in the Bible, all right.
[11:35] You know where it first shows up in the Bible? Where the word servant shows up in the Bible? When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his younger son had done unto him, and he said, cursed be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be.
[11:55] And then he said that, blessed be the Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. And Japheth, he's going to dwell in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant.
[12:08] That's what the Bible says. That's where it started. The first time servant shows up in the Bible. It has to do with a curse being put on a race. Now, I know you probably can't handle talking about that too much, so we won't dive into that.
[12:22] But you go into Exodus, what were the Jews for all those years? They were servants. God put them into that and made them to deal with that. That was his judgment even throughout after their kingdom and sending them out into captivity.
[12:36] Servants. Certain other nations. In Joshua, they were drawers of water and hewers of wood, and they were servants to the Jews, the Gibeonites.
[12:47] That's just one drop in the bucket. It's all through the Scripture. It's all through history, human history, all the way through. And then you come up into the modern day that we live in and we think we've advanced so much.
[12:59] And again, you've got to understand, I'm not trying to own slaves and buy some on some black market. That's not my desire here. I have no interest.
[13:10] I don't care about any of that stuff. I'm just pointing, what I can't stand is some false narrative that has worked its way into the minds of everybody that sits in America and believes what that stuff took place thinking that it was just about freeing the slaves.
[13:27] And here we go. Show a picture of a guy with stripes on his back and then the whole world believes that every slave owner is some vicious, just, you know, beat him, beat him, beat him and don't tell the backstory of what did that guy do.
[13:42] That's not even part of the narrative, is it? And so I've got to stop with that because it just spills into some foolishness that really doesn't edify anybody. But if you want to know the truth about history, then read a little bit more than just what the history books are in the government curriculums.
[14:03] Put it that way. And then once that thing gets rooted in society, then you get the BLM destroy everything and just burn it to the ground because we have a cause. We have a right and pretend that that's founded on truth as well and when it's not.
[14:17] All right, back to Ephesians 6. We can go forward. Maybe. Okay, we'll get to that.
[14:31] Come back to Ephesians 6. This is typically what's promoted is the thought of, okay, well then, this is your employee-employer relationship.
[14:41] And I would say right away that's absolutely what you'd want to draw principles from is the thought of the one being subject to the other. And as we'll see right through this path, try to make those comments to address what you're talking about.
[14:56] But the first thing I'm starting with is for you to see this is servants. Where is that passage? One of these passages, it uses the term yoke.
[15:09] Servants that are under the yoke. and I'm not sure where that is. I read it this week. And so this is, I'm trying to just get you to see that Paul is writing about a very real part of society of people owning slaves, masters.
[15:30] He teaches the masters how to deal with them. And now as far as the way the society we live in, like I said, I'm not trying to make that, bring that back. I'm not trying to make that happen. And so then we try to make some principle or some application to us today in our relationships in the business world.
[15:47] And that's where we'll pick this up in verse 5 again. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and singleness of your heart as unto Christ.
[16:01] What's the teaching? To obey your masters as unto Christ. In Colossians he says, for ye serve the Lord Christ. He tells the servants, you're serving Jesus Christ so you do your best for your master.
[16:16] And you connect that with what Peter said when he said, even to the good or to the froward. It doesn't matter how they treat you, you have a duty and a responsibility and so you do your best. Alright, so servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling and signals of your heart as unto Christ, not with eye service as men pleasers but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men.
[16:48] Now, you know what eye service is? It's when he's looking, do your best. Whenever somebody starts a new job, there's a whole lot of eye service.
[17:00] It's just natural. You want to prove yourself. You want to show what you can do because you know they're watching. They're looking at you when you first start. I can think of two times in my life in two different companies when I worked a job during Bible school.
[17:17] I had a, I started, I had some experience and so I was given the position that I asked for and I was taken off in it and he stuck me with this guy, well the one boss stuck me with his right hand man who was just, everybody in the company thought he was just a kiss up.
[17:32] He really was. And so he stuck me with him to check me out, you know, for that first couple weeks and it was nothing to it. It was fine. But then after that he said, all right, well I'm going to find out what kind of pipe fitter you really are and so I'm going to give you this brand new job.
[17:48] It's a big multi-million dollar job, Navy Federal Credit Union, big building, two buildings and had a bunch of different elements that were kind of technical to the trade and he said, I'm going to find out what you can do and you know, that tells me, oh he's going to be watching me, he's going to be checking the hours and checking all the numbers against it to see if I make the company any money and part of me when he says that I just, I don't like, I'm like, I know what you're telling me.
[18:17] You want me to go bust my butt to show you how good I am and you're the one that makes the extra money and I'm the one that's wore out at the end of the day and I don't get any bonus out of this. You just want me to work harder for you so you're telling me I'm, so that's how I, that's what I hear when he says that and I think, eh, I'll do what I can do.
[18:37] But anyway, I got into this other job when I started, moved back and started for a previous company for a little while and he gave me a job and you know, it's just the truth.
[18:47] You just have this, you just want to prove yourself. You want to show all the guys what you can do and that you're better than them or one of them or you definitely don't want them coming in and picking up the slack for you. I think you're that way.
[18:58] I hope you're that way and so this eye service thing is a very easy thing to fall prey to but what happens when that job's done? What happens when you're just one of the guys then?
[19:10] What happens when you fit in? Do you fall back into this just, okay, nobody's looking at me now. Nobody's really on me now. I can just do what the rest of them are doing. The temptation surely is there.
[19:22] Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters is the command, not with eye service. You're going to be obedient to them whether they're watching you or not. Why? Because the Lord Jesus Christ is watching you and the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good and so you work as unto the Lord, not with eye service as men pleasers but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart doing or with good will doing service as to the Lord not to men.
[19:51] Now, I've heard this a lot and I've kind of not liked this notion although I see the value in it. I've heard from preachers to say that if you're a Christian and you have a job you ought to be the best employee that you're employed.
[20:05] You ought to be the best one there and the thought being that you're serving Christ and you have a testimony and you, and I like that but I don't like to put pressure on and pretend like you have to walk into that job thinking I have to be the best one out of everybody because I'm saved.
[20:22] I mean, just be faithful and just do your best and that's fine. That's all you're required to do. Be obedient to, do your best. Do your job. You don't have to show anybody up.
[20:33] You don't have to get attention. You don't have to make them look stupid because you're a Christian. Christians work harder than anybody. So, I'm not into that. You just do what you can do and be faithful and have those, have integrity and have all those Christian values and let it be known and have a clean tongue and be on time and don't cheat and, you know, just do what's right and all of that, it'll show up who's the Christian and who's not.
[21:00] It won't take long at all. Verse number eight, he continues the thought about doing it to the Lord. He says, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
[21:14] So, wow, this isn't just about servants anymore. This is anybody, any Christian is going to be rewarded. Look at Colossians. He uses that very word. Colossians chapter three.
[21:38] I just thought of it. It was first Timothy chapter six, verse one. Servants as are under the yoke count their masters, blah, blah, blah. Colossians chapter three and the verse, we'll start in verse 22.
[21:53] Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ.
[22:13] So there's the word reward popping in there, whereas in Ephesians it says you receive of the Lord. Now we could run a few references on that as well, but we'll just stop with that, knowing that what you do in this life and Paul ties it into your work and your work ethic will be rewarded of the Lord.
[22:33] And all that ties into you serving God and you changing this thought of, well, if the boss is looking, I'll do a good job. Well, if it needs to be done, I'll pitch in. You know, maybe I am actually getting paid for this.
[22:46] But rather, you change your mind and your mind's renewed when you're a born-again Christian that I'm living for Jesus Christ. My testimony is very important to me because I'm representing Him to all of them.
[22:58] And I want to see them trust Christ too. I'm not going to give them an excuse. And so I'm not going to live ungodly and cheat and be as wicked as they can be, but rather, I'm just going to do my best and do right.
[23:11] And when God sees, what God rewards is your faithfulness and your, you're not because you made your boss money, you get rewarded for that through a paycheck. But God's going to reward your faithfulness and the integrity and the loyalty that you display in the new man.
[23:29] And back in chapter 4, look at verse, remember this, look at verse number 28, as far as working and serving. Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may give to him that needeth.
[23:47] And there's that opportunity you have in the new man to give. Instead of take, now you give. And of course, that was just a contrast back then of the old man and the new man.
[24:01] But now you're able to do something with what you earn and you're not going to give it to the bar, you're not going to give it to lasciviousness and spend your money on wickedness, you're going to start serving God with it, you're going to give to his ministries and ministers and you start getting rewarded for that.
[24:19] The thing really comes back around to help you out. In Ephesians chapter 6, verse 8, knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free, whatsoever good thing any man doeth.
[24:33] You need to be reminded perhaps that that word good is for the new man. That's where his, or created in Christ Jesus unto good works, where to be careful to maintain good works, where to be faithful toward those things.
[24:48] And whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord. And so the Lord's, you don't have to have men see you. You don't have to have me see you. And you don't have to call me and say, hey, I just did this good thing.
[25:00] Or get an opportunity to tell everybody I did something good. It'd be great just to do something good and let only God see it and just sit and rest in that, that the Lord knows what I did for him and he'll reward me.
[25:13] Now in verse 9, masters, and ye masters, do the same things unto them for bearing threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven, neither is there respect a person's with him.
[25:26] So when a master has a role and duties in this life, God doesn't look at him like, oh, you're better than the one that's serving you. He's watching how the servant obeys with singleness of heart as to the Lord.
[25:39] He's watching if the master himself is going to be fair and just and right and he's going to judge every man according to the good thing that he does. Ye masters, do the same things unto them.
[25:51] Now he's talking to save masters. Peter referenced that you may be working for a lost man who's not going to treat you well and Peter doesn't give you the room like we read already.
[26:02] He doesn't give you that room to just take off and rebel and to resist. And so ye masters do the same things unto them for bearing threatening, knowing that your master also is in heaven.
[26:14] Your master with the capital M is in heaven and he's in charge of you and you have a job to obey him. Neither is there respect of persons with him.
[26:25] While we're on the topic and just in it at all, let's look at that other passage, 1 Timothy chapter 6 before we move on. 1 Timothy 6, Paul writing to Timothy and addressing a little bit to servants and masters.
[26:44] And in this passage, the reason we'll come here is because there's some things that come out and maybe a verse or two that's taken out of context often. verse number 1, let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
[27:05] There's the testimony that they have and are holding. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren. So there's an interesting relationship that comes out of both of them being saved.
[27:18] But what does he say? Master, let your servant go because you're created equal? Not at all. Because they are brethren, but rather, do them service because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit.
[27:33] These things teach and exhort. So he's commanding him to teach this very thought. So I think I've said enough about that. You get the idea. Here's the verse I wanted to point out.
[27:44] Verse number 6 and 7 and 8 Godliness with contentment is great gain for we brought nothing into this world. It is certain we can carry nothing out and having food and raiment let us be there with content.
[28:01] Now, it's important to understand that this is in the context of a servant and his master and that relationship and then, well, having food and raiment people would say, well, what about a house and a roof to live over?
[28:17] Oh, no, God doesn't promise that. I don't want anybody to just take verse 8 out of its context and plug it up on the wall and say, food, raiment, not allowed to want anything else or desire anything else or work for anything else because that's not Bible truth.
[28:32] But if we ran back and tied this into Exodus and started studying this out, this master relationship, the master has a duty toward his servants to provide food and raiment.
[28:43] That's what, as far as the scripture. So when Paul writes that, he's kind of quoting the scripture saying, if he's providing those necessary things that God has commanded him to, then be content with that.
[28:56] And so know that that's the context, servants and masters. All right, come back to Ephesians and we'll move forward and out of this relationship section of the book.
[29:06] and he begins a new, a closing portion in verse number 10 by saying, finally.
[29:19] And that's pretty plain. He's about to close the book. He's covered a lot of ground in this book and I don't know that we've done it even justice in some of what we've studied and covered and brought out to light of what truth is even in here, probably more.
[29:32] But he's covered some things, some very doctrinal things that are foundational to the Christian life, to understanding and knowing your position in Christ. Maybe you recall that from early on, that in Christ, those two words that were just, they're all over the Pauline epistles, but very strong here in the beginning of this epistle.
[29:51] And he gives us that doctrinal position that you're in Christ. He gives you that eternal security in Christ that you're sealed with the Holy Spirit in chapter 1 and in chapter 4. And then as he moves through he begins to teach your Christian walk.
[30:06] And we studied through that and came through some separation from unbelievers and walk as children of light and understanding what the will of the Lord is.
[30:18] And now in closing, bringing you through some things, he brings you not just to an end, but it's like to a climax. And what he's going to talk about, we're so all familiar with, the whole armor of God.
[30:34] And he's dealing with them as soldiers now, as mature, grown, established men that can fight. And he doesn't start in chapter 1 saying, brethren, take on the whole armor of God.
[30:48] He comes to the end of chapter 6 to close it out and he says, now, by the way, you've got some fighting to do. You've got, actually, the word would be standing. It's resisting.
[30:58] It's withstanding is what he uses several times in this passage. So finally, brethren, to close is really to climax with, is bringing you through and bringing you out of some things, the old man, and bringing you out of fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness and bringing you away from the world to a place where now you're going to stand, if not all by yourself, for the Lord Jesus Christ and be a soldier.
[31:29] The Christian life is likened to a lot of things and one of the strongest from the Apostle Paul is a soldier. The Bible says in the Old Testament, the Lord is a man of war and this is a mindset of God and this is something that he draws his children to be, is to be strong, to be able to take something and to be armed.
[31:49] So in verse number 10, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, amen, and in the power of his might. Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
[32:04] So, I've heard too many fools love that word power and love the thought of, oh, we got the power of the Holy Ghost and like we're going to charge hell with a squirt gun and just dumb things like that.
[32:21] Or these guys on TV that just get so full of themselves and cry out that we bind you, devil, and we command you, Satan, in the name of Jesus, to blah, blah, blah.
[32:32] They pretend that they have some power above Satan's power and they don't have any clue what they're talking about. Just because you know Jesus Christ is your Savior and he's sealed you with his spirit inside of you which is a down payment or an earnest until the day of redemption to your new body.
[32:51] Just because that part's true and that you have the Holy Ghost dwelling in you does not mean you have power over the devil as a being to command him, to bind him.
[33:02] You're just totally ignorant, foolish men, deceived men. Talk like that. You won't see him tell you. What does he tell you in this passage here?
[33:16] He tells you that in verse 16, coming to the end of that verse, says you'll be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Okay, you'll be able to quench the darts. It doesn't mean to say you'll be able to stop them from flying.
[33:28] It doesn't mean you'll be able to bind them and put them away out of your life forever. Come on. Guys are just, they're so sensational in their Holy Ghost and what they want that to mean and be in their life and they're deceived.
[33:43] The truth is, I think we'll probably do it here after we get through Ephesians, a study on the devil, like a doctrinal study and show, from the scriptures, show some things about how he was made and his motives or what he, his actions that he does in his life and in the end, I think you'll catch pretty quickly, he's not somebody to play with.
[34:08] He's a being that is far superior to all of us, to the human race, far superior. And yeah, thank God we're saved and we don't have to fear going to hell.
[34:21] But does that mean that we don't have to fear what he could do to us? Come on. You don't want to fight him. So anyway, verse 10 says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
[34:33] Put on. Whose job is that? Yours. That's a command to you. Put on. Come back to chapter 4 and look at this in verse 24. Chapter 4, verse 24, And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
[34:55] Back in Romans 13, you're told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now in verse 11, Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
[35:07] So what we have is something we can picture with our minds and illustrate some of these spiritual truths that we have from the word of God that we have in Christ because we're putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.
[35:22] We're putting, we're going to be strong in the Lord in the power of his might. And it's not that, well, I just have this here I can take and then I'm strong. No, it's all about being in Christ and putting on Jesus Christ, the new man.
[35:38] And it's just illustrated through these facets here. Put on the whole armor of God. It's a word that's in the verse, whole, the entire, the complete armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
[35:53] So just in the onset of this passage, you're attempting, you're putting it on for the purpose of standing against, not destroying, not eliminating, not conquering, but resisting.
[36:07] Because he's going to come at you with some wiles, which is trickery and deceit and subtlety. And you're just going to hold your ground. Verse number 12 says, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of, notice, this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
[36:35] Now, there's a whole study we could do from verse 12 with these words and with these spiritual, look at Colossians chapter 1, I'll just point this out, with these spiritual created beings that have rebelled and are alive and are working against God.
[36:57] Notice, in the spiritual realm, these are called invisible things, invisible to us, verse 16, Colossians 1, who by him were all, for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him.
[37:24] So we're connecting, Paul's talking about some invisible things in heaven or in the heavenly places, he references that earlier, that we're fighting or wrestling against, not against flesh and blood.
[37:37] So when you see somebody on TV that's promoting something that's ungodly, your fight is not against the man. Your fight or that you're standing against is against a spirit in the man, a spirit behind what the man is doing or promoting.
[37:55] If you get clued into spiritual warfare, and I don't mean spooky stuff and sitting around in the dark with candles on and acting like, I'm talking about just being, knowing your Bible and believing your Bible and staying in your Bible and walking with the Lord, you pretty quickly see that this world and the way it shifts and the way it moves is not just men coming together with ideas.
[38:23] There's a spirit, an absolute strong spirit behind all of it, all the way down to the children's cartoons, all the way down. It's not just some cute little, there's a spirit behind it.
[38:37] And amen. I mean, big picture, you'll see it pretty clearly. If you try to look into it, now I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Okay. Okay. But exercise discernment and understand that if it's of the world and, what's that verse in Luke?
[38:54] that whatsoever is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Whatever gets propped up in this world and promoted, you can count on, there's something behind it and there's a purpose behind it.
[39:12] Whatever it is, don't be so deceived to think, oh, God's in this one. If it's up there in the world, you can understand that somebody is the God of this world, he's got the kingdoms of this world that he tried to offer to the Lord Jesus Christ and you can say God's on a throne all you want.
[39:29] Yeah, there's truth to God being on a throne but he's allowed somebody else to be the prince of this world. That means he's in charge of it and I'm telling you, you can't match what he got unless you have a Bible.
[39:44] We've got to shut this down here shortly here. We wrestle not against flesh and blood. One more verse here on that. Come to 2nd, 2nd Corinthians 10. 2nd Corinthians 10.
[40:00] And verse number 3, I'm kind of picking it in the middle of this statement, but in verse 3, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh in the parentheses for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.
[40:32] So they're not swords and spears, they're not guns, but mighty. The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
[40:44] Verse 5, casting down imaginations and every high thing. There's something spiritual in there. And every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
[41:03] And as you open this up a little bit, there's something spiritual in the thoughts, in the high things that exalt itself against the knowledge of God. It's mental.
[41:16] You're not fighting a physical being in front of you that if you could knock him down, you could win. And if you could stand on him, you're victorious. But no, it's always attacking the mind.
[41:27] And that's why the Word of God says you need to be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And the new man is renewing the mind. We'll have to stop with that.
[41:40] But this thing, I think you understand this. I don't think this is new to anybody here that you're not fighting against a man. But maybe what's hard to really understand and can perceive clearly is what that spiritual wickedness is.
[41:54] And I surely am not going to pretend to be able to put it into words that we can all see and acknowledge. But we'll take what we can from the Bible and understand this, that your enemy is fighting a battle that you can't win on your own.
[42:10] You can't do it unless you're exercising yourself in the new man, the spirit. spirit. And unless you're alive in the spirit and putting on Christ, if you're walking around as a carnal man in this life, you're toast.
[42:24] You're just blind. You're walking in the flesh and he's got you. So anyway, we'll come back to that, Lord willing, next week. Let's take about a 10 or so minute break here.
[42:34] one. Let's take two.