The earth is the Lords   

Ephesians

Updated: July 4, 2007

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In this time of decadence, many people long for and demand perfection in the church. But such a "demand" neither right or moral. To expect perfection this side of heaven is unwarranted.............Christians are required by Scripture to be forbearing one of another.

    EPHESIANS
    [C]2000-07 by Richard L Zorek

  • Eph 1:4: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him..." The time of the divine choice was before the heavens and the earth were created, and the basis of the divine choice was the work of Christ. Election was "in Him", that is, election is not based on what the elect do, but solely on what Christ would do for them as their covenant head and representative. To suggest that election is due to some kind of unforseen merit in the sinner (such as the sinners faith) is to rob Christ of the glory due unto Him by making man and his work an equal elemtn in election.

  • Eph 1:5: "Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." The phrase good pleasure refers to God's hearts desire, His hearts' delight. God's good pleasure is what God likes, what pleases Him. To speak in human terms, God's pleasure is what makes Him happy. Something deep in God's heart pleases Him and makes Him happy; this is His good pleasure.

  • Eph 1:6: "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved" One reason God chose Israel was for them to bring him glory; so central was revealing his glory that even his acts of judgment were meant to turn people to him, the real source of life.
  • Eph 1:9: Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself." He has made known to us the mystery of His will. What is His will for us? Can we say it is a mystery?
  • Eph 1:11: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will He has placed within us us a purpose. That is our identity.
  • The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. "that ye may know?" Verse 17 would imply that the prerequisite would be to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

  • Eph 2:1: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, This is the real living dead.
  • Eph 2: 8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— Your great knowledge did not save you....it was God's grace.

  • Eph 2:9: Not of works, lest any man should boast You can't earn your way to heavan. You have nothing to brag about.
  • Eph 2:19: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, And when we were outside looking in, it all seemed "foreign" and "alien." That's how it is perceived by those looking in at us.

  • Eph 3:20: "Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine." God is able because he is the God of "glory, majesty, power, and authority, before all time and now and forever." Transcendent, mighty, sovereignly free, the One who will not--who cannot--be defeated: he is the God for whom no good thing is impossible. "abundantly more than all we can ask or imagine" is something to ponder.
  • Eph 4:1-2: As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. In this time of decadence, many people long for and demand perfection in the church. But such a "demand" neither right or moral. To expect perfection this side of heaven is unwarranted. Our life is to be one of growth in grace, sanctification, and community. Christians are required by Scripture to be forbearing one of another. Paul tells us that we "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called" only if we walk "with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love."

  • Eph 4:23: to be made new in the attitude of your minds; The are of renewal: Your mind. Renewed by the word and Spirit...not by the law.

  • Eph 4:24: "...put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Our inner transformation by God's Spirit enables us to change our lives and actions so that we grieve not the Spirit but rather give expression to His directing power.

  • Eph 4:25: "speak every man truth with his neighbor" Put away lying. This could include some unsavory thoughts and feelings, however, note that "feelings" are not always truthful. Be careful of what youre speaking, and speak truth that is "objective."

  • Eph 4:26: Be angry and do not sin do not let the sun go down on your anger." Believers are to deal with anger immediately, on the very day it happens so that Satan cannot exploit the situation and tempt the Christian to sin. The devil uses anger (figuratively speaking) as a fulcrum to beatings, murder, war, adultery, gossip and all sorts of revenge.
  • Eph 4:28: He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. One of the objectives for working: to have something to share with those in need.
  • Eph 5:15: See that you walk circumspectly, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." How are you redeeming--buying back--the time God has given you? We either make progess or lose everything. You can make restitution for the wrongs you have done, you can make amends for mistakes in judgement, but one thing you can never do is go back in time and do it over.

  • Eph 5:18: And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,Two sources of comfort and joy: The Holy Spirit and the bottle. Which lasts longer?
  • Eph 5:22: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ Respect one another. It's the fruit of your respect for Christ.

  • Eph 5:24-28: This marital love and intense affection that springs from a dedication to God and his Biblical requirements is the result of the covenant bond. The covenant bond is not the result of love; love is a normal result of the covenant bond.
  • God pledges victory, but victory requires warfare. The generation of saints that covets easy victory has no place in Christs's army Eph 6:10-13). The sector of the redeemed that longs for escape to heaven and to end all of life's troubles is not merely misdirected and naive, but useless. Our calling is to faith, obedience, and dominion work.

  • Ephesians 6:11-13-14a: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ..........Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore...... While putting on the armor is important, our posture in battle is even more vital. Notice the emphasis that Paul placed on the word "stand" in this passage. We are told to "stand therefore." Why the emphasis on standing? Many people misunderstand the purpose of the Christian armor. The purpose of the armor is to stand so we dont lose the ground that Jesus won for us.
  • Ephesians 6:12: 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 the heavenly places. The useage of the phrase "we wrestle" is important. Though the idea conjours up a sport, it is used to exemplify the sharpness of a Christians encounter. Wrestling is not properly fighting against a multitude, but when one singles out another. This is more fierce than in fighting in a battle with a multitude whereas one may not be engaged for the whole battle and may have opportunity to take a breath. The enemies aim is not directly at him, but at the whole army. In wrestling, though, one cannot escape or take a break. Armies can also fight at some distance. Wrestlers fight hand to hand. Satans quarrel is with every saint so all must wrestle. And we will have war "from the hour when thou didst set thy face to heaven, till thou shalt set thy foot in heaven."

    The devil or a hole pack of them is described here by their government in this world: principalities. Christ refers to satan as the prince of this world. Few kings have the hearts of their subjects as they rule their bodies and their purses. Satan, however, has ther heart of his subjects. Princes have their homage and a peculiar honor done to them.

  • Eph 6:14a: Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,....... The girdle of truth speaks of integrity--of a soldier who is completely dedicated to winning the battle. The finest armor is wasted on the soldier who has no will to fight. If we do not have the integrity to see the battle through to its completion, then the rest of our armor will do us no good. Ous whole life must be pulled together by truth.
  • Eph 6:14b:............. having put on the breastplate of righteousness, Satan is also the accuser. He loves to stand before the throne of God and accuse His Children. He also likes to work in our conscience, constantly reminding of us of our past mistakes and sins. We need the breastplate of righteousness to ward off these accusations. If we do not remember that we have been justified and made righteous in Christ, we will not have an answer to satans accusation. We will begin to dwell on out past mistakes instead of living for Christ today, and satan will have us living defeated.
  • Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; If we are going to stand, we must have the right shoes. Interestingly enough, these are shoes of peace. A soldier wearing shoes of peace? However, Satan is the destroyer. He wants to move in and bring war. As Christian soldiers we are not armored for battle against bad or good people. We are armored for battle against Satan and evil. The only way to combat evil is by doing good. Likewise, the only antedote for war is peace. Because we are standing in peace and resting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, satan cannot destroy us.
  • Eph 6:16: above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. What can we do when we are attacked by doubts? We need to use the shield of faith to ward off these fiery darts. While we can't stop the fiery darts (doubt, accusations, guilt, etc) from being thrown at us, we can protect ourselves with the shield of faith. Faith in what? faith in the Word of God. The Lord said to Abraham, "Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield!"
  • Eph 6:17a: And take the helmet of salvation,.... What can we do to fight the feelings of discouragement and hopelessness? We need to take the helmet of salvation. The word "salvation" means "victory." God is handing us His helmet of salvation. All we need to do is use it. When we have experienced God's salvation, we have hope to keep us going in the midst of discouragement. The battle against Satan is in the mind. I Thess 5: 8 says "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." There is a difference in simply owning a helmet and using one. The helmet worn by Roman soldiers was made of metal and designed to protect the head, face and neck without blocking vision. Centurions and other officers wore crests on their helmets, so that their men could see them and follow them into battle. A soldier may get injured. The injuries may be severe. But, a soldier might survive a broken arm or a fractured rib, but an injured head can debilitate his movements. A particularly hard blow to the head can immobilize him. The head covers our minds and our minds is what the enemy attacks most ferociously. The Helmet of Salvation is the hope of salvation; the hope of salvation from Hell, and more importantly, salvation from sin. The Greek word elpis, from which the word hope derives, literally translates as "confident expectation" and is a far more descriptive and accurate definition of the helmet that safeguards our minds. It is the hope of this eternal life that can protect our mind from the relentless assaults upon it by the enemy. Hope develops the same way faith develops, and like the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation grows stronger with use. The clearer the understanding we have of God's word, the more we believe in God's promises, and consequently, the greater our hope in his ability to fulfill those promises. And when the helment of salvation becomes very strong, we can anchor our very soul to it. (Hebrews 6:19: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain)

    The helmet of hope sets our minds on things from above (Col 3:2).

    Since man's beginning, Satan has focused his attacks on people's minds. Satan cannot force us to sin, but rather, he must persuade us to commit sin. The mind is the control center which decides if we will sin or not. If we sin, we place ourselves under the power of sin and become slaves to it (the degree will vary). Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin" (John 8:34 NIV). If we choose to live as slaves to sin, we are mastered not only by our evil desires (Titus 3:3), but also the devil, who temporarily rules the world (1 John 5:19). The devil seeks to persuade us to sin because it will increase his own power and influence in the world. Satan uses a variety of tactics against our minds. These are designed to weaken our faith, ruin our discernment and corrupt our thoughts. If successful, these "spiritual headwounds" will make it easier for Satan to captivate our minds to do his will (2 Timothy 2:26). Here are some examples of typical tactics Satan uses against our minds: (1. Deceive with false doctrine: False doctrine leads people astray from their devotion to Christ. (2. Distract with carnal interests: Satan tempted Eve by appealing to her carnal interests (Genesis 3:4-6) and he continues to tempt people today through combinations of pride, lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh (1 John 2:15-17). The more we yield to the temptations, the more our minds become set on earthly things instead of godly things. An earthly mindset weakens our devotion to God and causes us to be unfruitful for God's kingdom. It could even cause us to become hostile toward God. Paul wrote, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so" (Romans 8:5-7). (3. Poison the mind/ Blind to the truth: Well-timed or well-placed lies can quickly find a home in our minds if we are not firmly rooted in the truth. We are especially vulnerable when we have issues like unforgiveness and roots of rejection. The long term effects of these untreated "spiritual head wounds" can be devastating. Paul described a group of people in Romans 1:18-32 who turned completely away from God. They followed a path of increasing rebellion resulting in total abandonment to evil. Key changes occurred in their minds along the way. Their thinking became "futile" and their "foolish hearts were darkened" (21). They exchanged the truth of God for a lie (25) and committed sexual sin. Eventually God gave them over to a "depraved mind" (28) and they were filled with every form of evil (29-31).

    God has given us the helmet of salvation to protect us from the enemy. This helmet functions by the peace of God, which is engaged when our minds are focused on God and trusting in him.

  • Eph 6:17b: ............ and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; Denila is another of Satan's tactics that he successfully uses against the Christian. He denies the faith. He denies the resurrection. He denies everything the word of God teaches us. How can we combat Satans denials? By using the sword of the Spirit--the word of God.
  • Eph 6:18: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— It is not a mistake that this verse caps off the subject of the armor of God. I believe it to be a part of it. God calls us strongly to support each other in prayer. Everyones lives are richer when we join together in prayer for our brothers and sisters. The next best thing to going to the field is the sense of participation we receive by enabling another servant to do so.