Ministering To The Lord Series

Ephesians 6:10

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

1. Walking in the Spirit.

Six verses in Ephesians 1-6 speaks with reference to walking: 2:10 -- Walk in the steps of Jesus Christ; 4:1 -- Walk worthy; 4:17 -- Do not walk as the world does (with vanity of mind); 5:2 -- Walk in love; 5:8 -- Walk as children of the light; 5:15 -- Walk circumspectly (wisely).

2. The Practice of the Christian in His Personal Lifestyle.

There is an emphasis on the standards of Christian living. Paul deals with the Christian in the home, in the church, and in the world.

3. The Tools given by the Spirit.

Primarily these tools are for warfare (6:10-18). Paul mentions the actual weapons but also there are a number of allusions to prayer and spiritual assistance.

The theme of Ephesians is the relationship between the heavenly Lord Jesus Christ and His earthly body, the church. Christ now reigns "far above all principality and power and might and dominion" (1:21) and has "put all things under His feet" (1:22). Exalted though He is, He has not drifted off into the heavens and forgotten His people. Rather, so fully does He identify with the church that He considers it His body, which He fills with His presence (1:23; 3:19; 4:10).

ll. THE BELIEVER’S WARFARE

Paul uses the word “warfare” to best describe the Christian’s lifestyle. The walk that the Christian enters into is not one of walking through green pastures and picking four leaf clovers along the way.

We are to be looking for ways to bring light and reverse and destroy satans affect on humanity.

I John 3:7-8 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

Throughout the NT epistles Paul made reference to the walk of the believer to be filled with a struggle. In the closing epistle to Timothy, he wrote, “I have fought a good fight” (ll Timothy 4:7). To Timothy again he spoke like one who was in constant battle as he exhorted Timothy to endure “hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (ll Timothy 2:3-4). The third time that Paul is noted to have mentioned a battle to Timothy is found in l Timothy 1:18 where the charge is given to “war a good warfare.”

For a man to successfully serve God, the walk must be seen as warfare. It is a life and death matter, a heaven or hell issue. Jesus began His earthly ministry in a war with Satan after a forty day fast. He faced Satan with the Word of God. Yet, when the end came, Jesus Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane struggling with Satan again. In the Garden, he was described as having sweat as great drops of blood.

the Christian must fight with all of his might understanding that his weapons are not “carnal” (ll Corinthians 10:4). Our weapons are not of the flesh but of the Spirit.

Paul gives particular insight to the spiritual struggle when he was ending his first address to the church at Corinth. He stated that he must tarry at Ephesus (l Corinthians 16:8-9). Why? Because there were many adversaries that had to be properly dealt with properly before he could leave the area. This mind set is totally against the popular theories of today. Many people began to experience problems and immediately want to “leave” the problem, whether the problem be of spiritual or physical nature. “STAND THEREFORE. . . “