Ephesians 6 | The Upward Way | Bible Study with A. Z. Adams — Transcript

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1. 0:00Ephesians chapter 6 verse 1.
2. 0:02So Paul is now in the final stretch of
3. 0:05his
4. 0:06letter that describes the mission and
5. 0:08method of the church and he is teaching
6. 0:12in the last half of chapter 5 and now
7. 0:14through
8. 0:15>> [music]
9. 0:15>> chapter 6 he's teaching how we should
10. 0:17relate to each other, how we should
11. 0:19submit to each other.
12. 0:21He started with the most formative human
13. 0:23relationship which is the [music]
14. 0:25oneness between a man and a woman and
15. 0:27now he's going to go to children.
16. 0:29Children obey your parents in the Lord
17. 0:32for this is right.
18. 0:35Honor your father and mother which is
19. 0:38the first commandment with a promise.
20. 0:42So that it may be well with you and that
21. 0:45you may live long on the earth.
22. 0:48Every time in scripture when God gives
23. 0:50us a why behind his requirement of
24. 0:53submission
25. 0:55it is to show that it benefits the one
26. 0:57submitting
27. 0:59and not the one being submitted to.
28. 1:02Never does it say so that your parents
29. 1:04will have a better life. It always says
30. 1:06so that you
31. 1:08will live long and it will go well with
32. 1:10you.
33. 1:11And even the equation of wives submit to
34. 1:13your husbands, it's husbands love your
35. 1:16wives. She can't find the love she
36. 1:20needs, she can't fully feel and avail
37. 1:23herself of the love she needs until
38. 1:25she's in a submitted posture.
39. 1:29So he says [music] children obey your
40. 1:30parents.
41. 1:32Honor your father and mother which is
42. 1:34the first commandment with a promise.
43. 1:37Paul is giving us the instructions that
44. 1:40order the church into a house. This is
45. 1:44what turns stones into a temple.
46. 1:47It is the order by which those stones
47. 1:49are assembled. [music] A pile of stones
48. 1:51is not a temple.
49. 1:53But if you reorder those stones, same
50. 1:55elements, in an order designed by God,
51. 1:57suddenly it becomes a temple.
52. 2:00So, if children treat parents like
53. 2:02they're the kids, and the parents treat
54. 2:04the children like they're the parents,
55. 2:06then we're back to a pile of stones.
56. 2:09If wives are dishonoring toward their
57. 2:12husbands, and husbands don't love their
58. 2:14wives, we're back to a pile of stones.
59. 2:16We've destroyed the temple of God.
60. 2:18But, it is precisely when we come
61. 2:20together in this order that we start to
62. 2:22have the contours of a house. And the
63. 2:26point is not to have an empty house. The
64. 2:27point is to have something that God
65. 2:29lives in.
66. 2:30His presence is welcome in.
67. 2:33Fathers, do not provoke your children to
68. 2:35anger, but bring them up in the
69. 2:38discipline and instruction of the Lord.
70. 2:41So, he says to the kids, "I want you to
71. 2:43submit to your parents." And fathers,
72. 2:45it's not about being provocative.
73. 2:48It's not about belittling people. It's
74. 2:49not about provoking people. Don't make
75. 2:52it hard for your children to submit to
76. 2:55your authority.
77. 2:57Now, he said in the first instance,
78. 2:58"Children, obey your parents." And now
79. 3:00he says, "Fathers."
80. 3:02And all that shows is that
81. 3:04both the authority of the mother and the
82. 3:07father is derivative of fatherhood. Even
83. 3:10the mom's authority is an expression of
84. 3:12the father's.
85. 3:15Slaves, be obedient to those who are
86. 3:17your masters according to the flesh,
87. 3:19with fear and trembling in the sincerity
88. 3:21of your heart, as to Christ.
89. 3:24Now, somebody will say in this, "Oh,
90. 3:26Paul is condoning slavery."
91. 3:28That's stupid. Paul would write the same
92. 3:30thing to prisoners today. If he was
93. 3:33writing a an inmate, he would say,
94. 3:36"Be obedient to the warden." That
95. 3:38doesn't say whether the warden is uh
96. 3:42just or unjust. That doesn't say whether
97. 3:44the man was
98. 3:45tried and and and found guilty lawfully
99. 3:48or not. It just says, "Don't be fighting
100. 3:52the submission in your life. And this is
101. 3:54Paul who himself is in prison. So he's a
102. 3:57slave.
103. 3:59He is a slave of the Roman state and
104. 4:01he's writing and saying, we shouldn't we
105. 4:04shouldn't be rebelling and
106. 4:05insubordinate. It describes the attitude
107. 4:09you have in an unfortunate situation.
108. 4:12But you can say even in that situation,
109. 4:15I'm going to find out how to please the
110. 4:17Lord. I'm going to find out how to make
111. 4:19even these actions an honor to God. Paul
112. 4:22does not like slavery.
113. 4:24He says there is neither slave nor free.
114. 4:27Paul does not like slavery. He wrote the
115. 4:29whole book of Philemon to to get this
116. 4:31guy to let go of a slave.
117. 4:34Now we can commit the fallacy of
118. 4:36presentism and look through the lens of
119. 4:39our current genius back 2,000 years and
120. 4:42say, oh, that is so
121. 4:44unwoke of the Apostle Paul.
122. 4:47And that just shows how
123. 4:50how small-minded we are, how prejudicial
124. 4:52we are if if that's how we think. Paul
125. 4:55isn't condoning slavery. There is no
126. 4:58philosophy known to man that makes
127. 5:02everybody equal until Jesus and Paul
128. 5:04come on the scene. The Romans didn't
129. 5:06think women were equal to men. Mhm. They
130. 5:09didn't think children were of equal
131. 5:11value to parents. Not at all.
132. 5:14Only Paul, only Christianity raised the
133. 5:17standard that we've all been striving to
134. 5:19get closer to that said there's neither
135. 5:20slave nor free. Only in Christ.
136. 5:24Caesar never said that.
137. 5:26Three out of every four men in Athens
138. 5:29were slaves.
139. 5:30Same in Rome. The whole system was built
140. 5:33on slavery. The only consistent
141. 5:36mechanism throughout history that has
142. 5:38ended slavery is the ethic of love from
143. 5:41Christianity.
144. 5:43So don't give me the trope about how, oh
145. 5:46no, Paul like slavery with goodwill
146. 5:49render service as to the Lord and not to
147. 5:51men knowing that whatever good thing
148. 5:54each one does this he will receive back
149. 5:57from the Lord whether slave or free.
150. 6:00He says just don't think that you're
151. 6:02serving the master serve God.
152. 6:05Whether you're in prison, whether you're
153. 6:06in chains, whether you're a slave,
154. 6:08whether you're free, don't live for
155. 6:09yourself, don't live for the man, live
156. 6:12for God.
157. 6:14And masters do the same things to them
158. 6:16and give up threatening knowing that
159. 6:18both their master and yours is in heaven
160. 6:21and there is no partiality with him. Oh
161. 6:24no, Paul is speaking to masters.
162. 6:27Paul is speaking at a time in history
163. 6:30where this was a norm and he is being
164. 6:33used by God to put restraints.
165. 6:36He's not even telling them not to beat
166. 6:38them, he's telling them not even to
167. 6:40threaten them.
168. 6:41He's putting restraints on it and he's
169. 6:43saying there's neither slave nor free.
170. 6:45He's asking a brother to free a slave.
171. 6:48But it's a reality. Maybe just like
172. 6:51there's a Christian who's a warden in a
173. 6:53prison today and someone's in there
174. 6:56unjustly. You don't just you can't just
175. 6:58erase the whole system that lives
176. 7:00outside of the individual because you
177. 7:03don't like it. These things are bigger
178. 7:05than that.
179. 7:06But when Paul addresses it his influence
180. 7:09on it is to undermine it. His influence
181. 7:12on it is to restrain the evil of it. His
182. 7:15influence on it is to beg Philemon to to
183. 7:18let the man go free. That's Paul's
184. 7:20influence. That's Christ's influence on
185. 7:22it. Now you may find yourself more
186. 7:25more loving, more moral, more righteous
187. 7:28than Paul and Jesus. Most of us haven't
188. 7:30discovered that.
189. 7:32Finally, be strong in the Lord and then
190. 7:34in the strength of his might.
191. 7:37Put on the full armor of God.
192. 7:39So he's told us you need to be in
193. 7:40submission.
194. 7:43But what a juxtaposition.
195. 7:45Submission doesn't mean
196. 7:48be subservient, obsequious, groveling.
197. 7:51Uh-uh.
198. 7:52No, no, no, no.
199. 7:55Paul's whole point is be submitted so
200. 7:56that you can be strong.
201. 7:59Finally, here's the conclusion of the
202. 8:01whole submission and the whole paper
203. 8:03section. Finally, be strong
204. 8:07in the Lord and in the strength of His
205. 8:10might.
206. 8:11He's talking to that slave.
207. 8:13He's talking to that wife, to that
208. 8:15husband. He's talking to that prisoner,
209. 8:17to that child, to that dad, that mom.
210. 8:20Put on the full armor of God
211. 8:24so that you will be able to stand firm
212. 8:26against the schemes of the devil.
213. 8:28He's using language to people who are in
214. 8:31bad situations, tough situations, or
215. 8:34just the situation of normal life. And
216. 8:36he's making it sound like they are
217. 8:38warriors.
218. 8:39Because Paul wants to bring forth a
219. 8:41kingdom.
220. 8:43And he doesn't think the kingdom rises
221. 8:45or falls based on who's president. He
222. 8:47thinks the kingdom rises or falls based
223. 8:49on your attitude, based on your love,
224. 8:52based on your words, based on your
225. 8:54grace, your forgiveness, your
226. 8:56gentleness.
227. 8:59Put on the full armor of God so that you
228. 9:01will be able to stand firm against the
229. 9:04schemes of the devil.
230. 9:07For our struggle is not against flesh
231. 9:10and blood,
232. 9:13but against the rulers. Notice he does
233. 9:15not say my struggle, he says our
234. 9:17struggle.
235. 9:18Now, he's already told us that the
236. 9:19church exists
237. 9:21to demonstrate God's wisdom
238. 9:24to the principalities and powers. So,
239. 9:26now we're back talking about the church
240. 9:28when he says
241. 9:29our struggle, church, our struggle
242. 9:33is not against flesh and blood,
243. 9:36but against the rulers,
244. 9:38against
245. 9:39the powers,
246. 9:41against the world forces of this
247. 9:43darkness, against the spiritual forces
248. 9:47of wickedness in the heavenly places.
249. 9:51Therefore, take up the full armor of
250. 9:54God,
251. 9:56so that you will be able to resist in
252. 9:58the evil day, and having done everything
253. 10:01to stand firm.
254. 10:04A church that is not controlled by its
255. 10:06chains, a church that is not dictated by
256. 10:09its circumstances, a church that is not
257. 10:13in fighting and corrupted by immorality
258. 10:15and distracted by covetousness, a church
259. 10:19that knows how to submit to one another
260. 10:21and take up the armor of God and keep
261. 10:23their attitudes and spirits clean and
262. 10:25ready. That is the church that fulfills
263. 10:28the demonstration requirement that he
264. 10:31said was God's eternal purpose from ages
265. 10:34past.
266. 10:36Take up the full armor of God. Stand
267. 10:38firm. Stand firm, therefore,
268. 10:40having girded your loins with the truth.
269. 10:45That's a belt. That's That's
270. 10:47Put it around your waist.
271. 10:49Put truth around you. That's what holds
272. 10:51everything together. Truth is what holds
273. 10:53the outfit together.
274. 10:55And having put on the breastplate of
275. 10:58righteousness. The breastplate is what
276. 11:01you strap on. It's your flak jacket.
277. 11:04It's your bulletproof vest.
278. 11:07Says, "I'm going to protect my heart by
279. 11:11having boundaries of right living."
280. 11:14I'm going to stay in in righteousness.
281. 11:16Does that make sense? Breastplate of
282. 11:19righteousness.
283. 11:20And having shod your feet
284. 11:23That means put on your shoes, strapped
285. 11:25on your your soldier boots, your combat
286. 11:27boots. Shod your feet with the
287. 11:29preparation of the gospel of peace. I'm
288. 11:33willing to walk. I'm willing to walk it
289. 11:35out. I'm willing to go tell people. I'm
290. 11:38willing to live it out. Does that make
291. 11:40sense? The gospel is something that's
292. 11:41got to be walked. You got to walk it to
293. 11:44the person who's never heard it, and you
294. 11:46got to walk it out for the people who've
295. 11:47only heard it and need to see it lived
296. 11:50out.
297. 11:52In addition to all, take up the shield
298. 11:55of faith.
299. 11:56So, you got the breastplate protecting
300. 11:58your emotions and your heart. That's
301. 12:00strapped on. That's your flak jacket.
302. 12:02But then he wants you to pick up a
303. 12:03shield, too. Take up the shield of
304. 12:06faith.
305. 12:07With which you will be able
306. 12:10to extinguish all the flaming arrows of
307. 12:13the evil one.
308. 12:15We got two layers of protection
309. 12:18against what the devil wants to poison,
310. 12:21what the devil wants to get in your
311. 12:22heart.
312. 12:24Breastplate, shield of faith.
313. 12:27Breastplate is the righteousness. I'm
314. 12:28staying in God's ways. I'm not doing
315. 12:31things that aren't right. Shield of
316. 12:32faith, I'm stopping actively. I'm using
317. 12:35faith
318. 12:36to repel
319. 12:38the darts, the arrows, the lies of the
320. 12:41devil. Take up the shield of faith, with
321. 12:43which you will be able to extinguish all
322. 12:48the fiery, flaming arrows of the evil
323. 12:51one.
324. 12:52Faith extinguishes something.
325. 12:56The devil's lies
326. 12:58are not only sharp, they're burning.
327. 13:00They're on fire, and they want to light
328. 13:02you on fire.
329. 13:04But faith
330. 13:06is like those arrows flying into a wet
331. 13:09sponge
332. 13:11backed by steel.
333. 13:13Shh.
334. 13:14That's what happens to the lies when
335. 13:16they connect with your faith. That is a
336. 13:19defiant faith. That is a determined
337. 13:21faith. That is a proactive faith. Pick
338. 13:24it up. Get your shield out of the mud
339. 13:26and put it in front of your heart.
340. 13:30And take the helmet
341. 13:32of salvation
342. 13:34and the sword of the Spirit, which is
343. 13:36the word of God.
344. 13:39With all prayer and petition, pray at
345. 13:42all times in the Spirit.
346. 13:45And with this in view,
347. 13:47be on the alert with all perseverance
348. 13:49and petition for all the saints.
349. 13:52Not for yourself.
350. 13:54Not for your needs, not for your wants,
351. 13:56not for your demands, not for how life
352. 13:58hasn't gone your way.
353. 14:00Pray.
354. 14:01Fight. With this in view,
355. 14:04fight for the body.
356. 14:05Fight for the people. Fight for the
357. 14:07community. Care about the nation of
358. 14:10Christ.
359. 14:12Not just the problems of self.
360. 14:16And pray on my behalf.
361. 14:18What does he want them to pray?
362. 14:21That I'll be set free immediately.
363. 14:23That I'll get better food.
364. 14:25That my clothing here in prison will be
365. 14:28warmer. No. Pray on my behalf
366. 14:31that utterance may be given me
367. 14:34in the opening of my mouth
368. 14:36to make known with boldness the mystery
369. 14:40of the gospel
370. 14:42for which I am an ambassador in chains.
371. 14:47That in proclaiming it, I may speak
372. 14:49boldly
373. 14:51as I ought to speak.
374. 14:53Here's the man who wrote 2/3 of the New
375. 14:55Testament, but he still feels like he
376. 14:58needs more boldness.
377. 14:59And he's praying. He's asking the
378. 15:01church, "Which of you will pray for me?"
379. 15:04Not that I'll get out of these chains,
380. 15:07but that I'll speak boldly.
381. 15:09That I'll open my mouth.
382. 15:11That I'll stand in my place
383. 15:14with the masters that think they've
384. 15:15controlled me and show [music] that I
385. 15:18live with the full armor of God.
386. 15:21That I can
387. 15:22wield the sword [music] of the Spirit,
388. 15:23which is the word of God.
389. 15:26But that you also may know about my
390. 15:28circumstances, how I am doing.
391. 15:32Tychicus, the beloved brother and
392. 15:33faithful [music] minister in the Lord,
393. 15:35will make everything known to you.
394. 15:38I have sent him to you for this very
395. 15:40purpose, so that you may know about
396. 15:41[music] us and that he may comfort your
397. 15:44hearts.
398. 15:46Not so that you may know about us and
399. 15:47>> [music]
400. 15:48>> comfort us,
401. 15:49but so that you may know about us,
402. 15:52why we're not giving you more, and so
403. 15:53that he'll comfort you.
404. 15:56Peace
405. 15:56>> [music]
406. 15:57>> be to the brethren
407. 15:59and love with faith
408. 16:01from God the Father and the Lord Jesus
409. 16:04Christ.
410. 16:05Peace
411. 16:06with love with faith.
412. 16:10Grace be with all those who love our
413. 16:14Lord Jesus Christ
414. 16:16with incorruptible
415. 16:18love.
416. 16:20There's a love that's corrupted. It's a
417. 16:23love that's circumstantial.
418. 16:25It's a love that's self-centered, but
419. 16:27there's a love that the world cannot
420. 16:29corrupt, an incorruptible love.
421. 16:32And that's what Paul wants. If we get to
422. 16:35that incorruptible love, if we
423. 16:38if we take up the whole armor of God, if
424. 16:40we submit,
425. 16:42if we see the vision of what he's doing
426. 16:45and keep it about the saints and not
427. 16:47about us,
428. 16:49we're going to fulfill his prayer.
429. 16:52We're going to comprehend together with
430. 16:54all the saints what is the hope of our
431. 16:57calling and what is the breadth and
432. 17:00length and height and depth of the love
433. 17:03of God in the three-dimensional temple
434. 17:06and body that is the church of the
435. 17:08living God. And we're going to become
436. 17:11that place where God can dwell by his
437. 17:13Spirit. That is Paul's whole burden.
438. 17:16That is Paul's whole prayer.
439. 17:18And I think it's still God's desire
440. 17:19[music] for us today.