Intro
As we approach a Presidential election, we all feel a degree of uncertainty about the future. The agendas of the two parties are very different and would take the whole nation on very different paths. What will be the outcome of the coming election? How will that affect each of us personally? How will it affect our loved ones? We wonder what is in store politically.
The Middle East is at war. Will that war be temporarily resolved, or will it escalate? It is amazing how prominent the tiny nation of Israel is in world affairs. But the Bible predicted that would be the case in the last days.
China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran are strengthening their alliance, and we know their intentions toward America are not good. Russia has moved nuclear vessels to Cuba, and the threat of war has never been this severe since the Cuban Crisis in 1962. Additionally, our adversaries have formed an economic alliance designed to counter the dollar as the international currency of exchange. BRICS is a serious challenge to the economic future of America.
There are also big changes happening in the American church, especially in some of the megachurches. What is God doing in the church? There seems to be a sifting going on. Judgment begins in the house of the Lord (1 Pet. 4:17). Is this a prelude to judgment in the nation? Perhaps it is a prelude to revival. Nobody knows for sure.
We could go on with specific issues in our personal lives and families. There is a lot about the future that we simply do not know (James 4:14). But the Bible tells us how to be prepared for whatever happens. We can be equipped to navigate the future come what may.i
In the last message, we began a series entitled “Ready for Anything.” If we will follow God's instruction in Scripture, we can be equipped for whatever happens next. In that message, we dealt with Ephesians 6:10-12: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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.” ii
I intended to begin processing the specific pieces of armor that Paul lists in the verses that follow. But the Lord directed me to slow down and deal with this one phrase: “in the heavenly places.” The Greek phrase is “en tois epouraniois.” The New International Version helps us understand what Paul is talking about. It says, “in the heavenly realms.” It is not referring to a distant place on some other planet or beyond. It is an unseen dimension. As Jack Hayford puts it, this spiritual realm is “one foot above your head and one foot to the right.”iii In other words, it is right here with us.
A key to understanding the book of Ephesians is knowing what these heavenly places are. It is referred to five times in the epistle. The Greek is exactly the same each time. I will deal with each reference because understanding these passages helps us interpret our text in Ephesians 6.
I. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that the RESOURCES we need in life are stored there for us.iv
God has provided “everything we need for a godly life” (2 Pet. 1:3 NIV), but we must learn to go to the storehouse through prayer and receive the resources we need for daily life. It is already there for us. But the benefit of these resources is experienced only when we lay hold on them by faith. Romans 5:2 says, “we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” Do you want to stand firm in the day of battle? Learn to access the grace needed.v Learn to exercise faith and lay hold of the resources need for victory. It is all there waiting for us. But we must access it by faith.
God gave the Promise Land to Israel. But he required them to exercise faith, defeat the inhabitants, and possess the land. That is what the book of Joshua is all about. The book of Joshua is a good companion text for the book of Ephesians. They were taking physical ground. We are taking spiritual ground. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). We have an assignment that must be fulfilled. And there will be some battles to fulfill it.
The armor that Paul talks about in our text is the armor “of God.”vi We do not manufacture this armor. God provides it. In the Greek, the phrase “of God” is a genitive of source or origin. God has provided all the armor we need to win every battle.
Our part is to put it on. “Without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6). When we read through the faith chapter in Hebrews 11, we find this phrase over and over: “By faith.” “By faith Noah . . . prepared an ark” (v. 7). “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac” (v. 17). “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter” (v. 24). “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days” (v. 30). Victory in battle does not happen without faith being exercised. Christianity is a life of faith. “The just shall live by faith” (Heb. 10:38). Christianity requires obedient action. God has battles for you to win. You win them by accessing the grace-strength that is available to you in Christ—through your relationship with him.
Paul’s emphasis is on what we must do by faith: “Put on the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:11). What we need to know is how to do that? What armor is it that we need and how do we put it on (endouo)? Paul states this as an imperative. It is something we are commanded to do. There are positive consequences if we do it. There are negative consequences if we don’t do it. We must take the action required.
So, in Ephesians 1:3 we are assured that all the resources we need are available to us “in the heavenly places.” We can access those grace resources—the divine enablement needed. We do that through prayer and by obedient faith action.
II. In Ephesians 1:20 we are also given the ASSURANCE THAT CHRIST IS SEATED “in the heavenly places.”
Having risen from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, “all authority” in heaven and on earth has been given to him (Matt. 28:18). This assures victory for his people. We do not have to worry about the enemy defeating our king/high priest. Christ has crushed the head of the serpent on the cross. Satan’s defeat is legally secure and certain. However, the implementation of that defeat will only be consummated at the Second Coming. In the meantime, we wrestle against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in the spiritual realm.
We need to understand the legal implications of the cross. It is foundational to our exercise of authority. We exercise authority of evil spirits based on the legal rights of the cross. Suppose you went on an extended vacation. When you returned you found squatters living in your house, and they refuse to leave. Removing them requires two events. First, we must go to court and establish our legal right to repossess the house. Jesus did that at the cross. Secondly, the police must come and force the trespassers to leave. When we cast out demons, we are taking that kind of action based on the legal authority obtained by Christ at the cross. The completion of that forceable eviction occurs at Christ’s Second Coming when Satan is cast into the Bottomless Pit (Rev. 20:3), and Jesus reigns as King over all the earth.vii
Jesus already has “all authority in heaven and earth.”viii He holds the legal documents of rightful ownership of it all. The execution of that legal authority is in process and will be completed when he returns. Psalm 110:1: “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’”ix Regardless of how things may look in the world, that is in the process of happening as we speak. Christ’s enemies are being subdued. In the end, every adversary will be destroyed, and Christ will rule King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Cor. 15:24-28). You’re on the winning side. That does not mean no battles. But it does mean ultimate victory. As someone has said, “I read the end of the book, and we win.” Knowing the end result of the battle enables us to see events in a much more confident light. In the midst of all the difficulties and challenges, keep this in mind: When all is said and done, we win! Not only is Christ seated in the “heavenly places,” but--
III. Ephesians 2:6 says WE ARE SEATED “in the heavenly places” with him.
This is something we must lay hold of by faith. You may or may not feel like you’re seated in the heavenlies. On the contrary, you may feel down in the dumps and flat on your face in the “earthlies.” But reality is not dictated by what you feel. Satan can attack your feelings. Circumstances can bring you down if you get your eyes on earthly things. Reality is based on what God has done and what God has declared in his word.
Victory begins here! It begins with recognizing that by grace God has seated you in the heavenlies with Christ. From that God-given position you overcome the evil one. Ephesians is a playbook for how to win the game of life. You win by operating from that vantage point.
Our generation should easily understand the possibility of being on the earth and in the heavenlies at the same time. Through the technology of Zoom, I can be in my office here in Springfield, Missouri and in a meeting with the Executive Board of Legacy Ministry College in Chicago all at the same time.x If human technology can put us in two places at the same time, God is certainly able to do it.
We must tend to earthly responsibilities on a daily basis. We get up in the morning and go to work. We speak an encouraging word to our neighbor. We mow the grass. We take out the trash. Many of these activities are so mundane. But at the same time, we are seated in the heavenlies with Christ. We are worshiping in spirit and in truth. We are confronting and defeating spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies. The responsibilities of daily life are present. But the most important activities of the day are carried on in the spiritual realm as we share in Christ’s authority, seated with him, asserting his will on earth. Ephesians 2:4-6: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
IV. Ephesians 3:10 is the fourth place we find the phrase en tois epouraniois (in the heavenly places). God’s intent according to that verse is to MAKE KNOWN HIS MANIFOLD WISDOM “by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.”
The principalities and powers here are not the fallen angels referred to in Ephesians 6:12.xi These are holy angels.
The amazing thing is this: God is using his gracious dealings toward us to teach them about his love and character. They can only know the many facets of God’s grace and wisdom by observing God’s goodness to us. They saw God’s power at work during creation. Job 38:7 says they shouted for joy when God laid the foundations of the earth. They know something about God through his kindness to them. But these angels were holy from the day they were created. They learn much more about who God is by observing his redemption of vile, fallen creatures like you and me. After talking about Christ’s redemptive suffering for our salvation, Peter adds: “things which angels desire to look into” (1 Pet. 1:12). They are intrigued by God’s grace in our lives. These holy angels are in the spiritual realm observing our lives and learning more about God in the process.xii
V. Finally, in Ephesians 6:12 Paul writes, “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.”
This is a description of the SPIRITUAL BATTLE that we are in. It takes place “in the heavenly places” (in the spiritual realm). The outcome of these battles is manifested in the natural, material realm. It might manifest as a deliverance from drug addiction in someone’s life. It might manifest as a healing or a miraculous financial breakthrough or the salvation of a loved one. The results of this warfare will manifest in political elections. Everything we see in the natural is driven by what is happening in the spiritual realm. That is why this teaching in Ephesians is so important.
Many people live their lives with little awareness of what is going on in the heavenly places. Some expend their time and energy building a reputation for themselves. Others get so caught up in the cares of this world that they fail to bear the spiritual fruit God intends for them. Still others live in pursuit of worldly goods or worldly pleasures. But God has something better for everyone of us. He has seated us in the heavenlies in Christ. He has positioned us for influence and greatness—not necessarily greatness as the world would measure it, but greatness in our relationships with him and others.
How attuned are you to your spiritual citizenship in the heavenlies? What occupies most of your attention? Various causes are often emphasized by declaring a special season of awareness for that cause. December has been declared by some as HIV/AIDS Awareness Month. In 1949, May was declared Mental Health Awareness Month. In this message, I am declaring Spiritual Awareness Month after Month from now on. May your awareness of the spiritual realm be heightened by the revelations we have in Ephesians about the dimension of our lives.
Our awareness is reflected in what we think about. Roman 8:5: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2). We do have to deal with natural needs and responsibilities. But we must not get so occupied with those things that we lose sight of the spiritual realm. We will fare much better in life if we embrace the worldview taught in Ephesians. Christians are seated in the heavenlies in Christ. Life is to be lived from that vantage point.
From that position God wants to do great things in and through you. From your position in the heavenlies you can be ready for anything. Part of that readiness is putting on the whole armor of God. We will deal with that more specifically next time.xiii
ENDNOTES:
i In his hymn “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow,” Ira F. Stanphill wrote: “Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.” Accessed at https://hymnary.org/text/i_dont_know_about_tomorrow.
ii All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
iii I heard Jack Hayford make this statement many years ago, but I cannot remember the exact time or place.
iv According to Ephesians 1:3, God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing.” The word translated blessing (eulogia) in this context means “benefit bestowed.” In 2 Cor. 9:5, it is translated “generous gift” in both the NKJV and NIV. Fredrick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University Press of Chicago, 2000) s. v. “eulogia, 3. a,” 408.
v Although grace (charis) is unmerited favor, the practical effect of that favor includes divine enablement. We must access that enablement by faith. Friberg includes in their definition: “(3) concretely; (a) of exceptional effects produced by God's favor ability, power, enabling (RO 12.6; 1C 15.10); (b) of practical proofs of goodwill from one person to another kind deed, benefit, favor (AC 24.27; 2C 1.15); collection for the poor, generous gift (1C 16.3); (4) as an experience or state resulting from God's favor state of grace, favored position (RO 5.2).” Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Greek Lexicon to the New Testament, Baker Greek New Testament Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2000, Bibleworks 6.0) s.v. “charis.”
vi The phrase tou theou is “gen. or source or origin indicating that God provides the armor (Eadie).” Cleon Rogers, Jr. and Cleon Rogers III, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), 446.
vii After 1,000 thousand years, Satan is temporarily released from the bottomless pit and used by God to test the hearts of those born during the Millennium (Rev. 20:7-10). Then Satan is cast into his eternal abode of hell (the lake of fire).
viii Matt. 28:18 NIV.
ix See Matt. 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37: Luke 20:41-44.
x Although this illustration is my own, I am indebted to Tony Evans for the basic idea of illustrating it this way.
xi Hayford understand the principalities and powers in Ephesians 3:10 to be fallen angels. However, this could at best be a secondary intent since fallen angels are not in a good state to learn the wisdom of God and are destined to destruction. As Jamison points out: “God’s power, rather than His "wisdom," is what is "known" unto evil angels, to their dismay (1 Cor 15:24; Col 2:15). Jack W. Hayford and David P. Seemuth, Ephesians & Colossians, Spirit-Filled Life New Testament Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 65. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997-2014 by Biblesoft, Inc. Criswell understands the principalities and powers in Ephesians 3:10 to be holy angels. W. A. Criswell, Ephesians: An Exposition by W. A. Criswell (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), 117-124.
xii I can image angels observing God’s work in my own life. Surely, they are amazing at the love he expressed in calling me out of my rebellious state into a relationship with him. As I stumble along and come short of God’s glory, they must be astonished at God’s patience with me. We sing, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” At the same time, they must be singing, “Amazing grace that saved a wretch like him.”
xiii Our citizenship is in heaven, let’s not let the cares of this world rob us of the privileges of that citizenship.
