Lessons From Ephesians, Part 2

Father, as we come to your word, we ask that you would show us Christ, that we might walk in his steps, in Christ's name. Amen. Last week we shared with you lessons from Ephesians, and we covered the first three chapters talking about who we are in Christ.

We discovered that we are saved, we are saints, and we are seated with him in heavenly places. Today we will do lessons from Ephesians part two, and it's based on who we are in Christ. Now the author is going to tell us how we are to live, since we are seated with him in heavenly places, since we are saints of his, since we are saved. Here is how we are to live, starting our reading in chapter four, verse one. Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling in which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness and patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit.

In the bond of peace there is one body and one spirit, just as you have been called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Go down to verse 11. And he gave some apostles and some prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service, to the building up of the body in Christ until we all obtain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the statue which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

As we journey this week on this message, the Bible tells us that everything that we are in Christ Jesus ought to cause us to walk in a manner that is worthy of Christ. Now when he tells us this, that we are to walk in this manner, he tells us that yes, you're saved and yes, you are a saint and yes, you're seated with him in heavenly places, but the problem is you're still walking around down here on earth. And so as long as we are walking around down here on earth, how is it that we are to conduct ourselves?

So Paul takes chapters 5, 6, and 7, I'm sorry, chapter 4, 5, and 6 in Ephesians to help us to understand how we are to walk. So he starts by saying, therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling in which you have been called. This word, therefore, always points us back to what he has said before. Now the context will determine how far back you are to go with this. In this particular case, Paul is wanting us to think of everything that he has covered up to this point.

For us, that would be chapters 1, 2, and 3. Paul mentions that he is a prisoner of the Lord, not for sympathy, but he is trying to remind his readers that to live this life of conviction, that it is a costly thing to do, and to show them that he is already paying that price. The word, implore, means to call to one side. Whether you are wanting help, or you need help, or you're trying to give help to someone else, that's what it means, to call alongside with the idea of giving help or getting help.

It is not a suggestion. It is a plea. It is a beg. So Paul would say, I beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling in which we have been called. What is this plea? What is he pleading for us to do? He's pleading for us to walk. What that word, walk, means is our conduct of life. As you live life from day to day, as you conduct yourself in this life, do it in a manner that is worthy of the calling in which you have been called. He tells us that we are to do this. He gives us the first step.

Look at verse 2. He says, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love. Wow, he just lays it out. This is how you're going to start. You're going to start with humility and then gentleness. As believers, we must conduct ourselves in humility. These believers had come out of the Greek culture and the Roman culture, and in those two cultures, there was not a word in their language for humility. So Paul made up a word. He combined two words, which means to think, and to think lowly.

He wants us to understand that when we come to this walk of Christianity, we must think lowly of ourselves, not highly of ourselves. As a matter of fact, if you are one to claim that you have humility, you've already reached the opposite. You've reached pride. So that's what it's calling us to do, in that lowliness of mind, that we are to handle these things. Matter of fact, the King James translates it with all lowliness. He wants us to understand that. The idea is the first step to pleasing God.

Paul connects together some characteristics that is depending upon the previous one. He says we are to conduct ourselves with all humility, with gentleness, with patience, showing kindness, I'm sorry, showing tolerance for one another in love. Note, one of the other is depending upon the other. In order to show gentleness, you have to already be showing humility. In order to show patience, you have to be showing humility and gentleness. So he brings these together that we might understand how it is we are to conduct ourselves with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance to one another in love, is living completely different than the lives that we lived before.

Because beforehand, we were concerned about ourselves. We were concerned about lifting ourselves up. Now, he says, we're going to come and we're going to do this, starting with humility, that we might serve one another. Look at verses three to six.

He says, being diligent to preserve the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body, one spirit, just as you are called, then one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all, who is through all and in you all, to preserve the unity of the spirit. Notice he didn't say to establish the unity.

That's already done. The unity is already established. He says, you and I are to preserve it. Then he tells them why. He uses the word one seven times to help us to understand why this unity is so important. He says, there is one body and one spirit, just as you are called and one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in you all. The idea is one. One brings about unity. And then he tells us this God who has brought all this together, he is over all, he is through all, and he is in you all.

So there is no division here at all. That unity he wants us to preserve. Chapter four, starting at verse 11, says he gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ until we all obtain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man to the measure of the statue which belongs to the fullness of Christ. God has given gifted men to the church.

And these gifted men, some of them are pastors, some of them are teachers, some of them are evangelists, some of them are apostles, some of them prophets who speak forth the Word of God, but he says they have one purpose. That is that they might equip the saints for the work that is laid out before us. Equipping of the saints. This word equip is only used one time in the New Testament and it means to complete furnishing. So you buy a house. The house is empty. You are going to then furnish that house for living in.

That's what he's talking about. You're going to prepare this house for living in. Now it is from the root word that is used in Matthew chapter 4 verse 21 when it says Jesus saw two brothers mending their nets. What are they doing with these nets? They are fishermen. Nets have holes in them. You can't go out to work with nets with holes in them. So they mend those nets. They are preparing the nets for what it is that they ought to be used for in their business. He says that these gifted men, they're here to equip the church so that the church may do the work that God has called us to do.

And when we do that, then we bring joy to God in what it is that he has laid out for us to do. Paul tells us that these gifted men are given to the church to equip us. Equip us for service. What type of service? He's primarily talking about the service of getting the gospel out to those who have not obtained to where we are. See you and I, we are saints. We are saved. We're seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. But there's a world full of people who have not accepted that yet. And so that's what he's equipping us to do.

What would be the result of this equipping the saints? Verses 14 and 16 tells us that he says as a result, we will no longer be as children tossed here and there by every wave and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by the crafters and the deceitful schemes, but speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in every aspect into him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitted and held together by every joint that supplies accordingly to the proper working of each individual part causing the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

He says if we are equipped to do the work of ministry, then we're no longer going to act as children. We're no longer going to be following after every doctrine that's out there. We're not going to hear something new and say, but man, that is good. I haven't, I didn't know that before. No, we're going to hear something and we examine it by the scripture. If it's truth, then we'll follow it. If it's not, we're going to reject it. But he says all of this is to be done for the body of Christ. Look at verse 16.

He says, from whom the whole body being fitted and held together by every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual part. So how does this thing work? Each individual part has to work properly. Have you ever stumped your toe and then try to walk? The whole body is affected because of that. That's what he's telling us. If there's a weak link in the body, then it's not functioning in the way that it should walk. So he says to us, for it to work properly, every individual in the body of Christ must walk as God has called us to walk in this great calling that he has given unto us.

Look at verses 17 and 18. So this I say and confirm together with the Lord that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walked in the futility of their minds, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is within them, because of the hardness of their heart. Now why are they still out there and still lost? He just told us. Being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the hardness of their heart.

They are not out there because God haven't called them. They are out there because of self, where they have placed themselves. God wants us to know that he has called us to reach those that are out there. These verses direct us to something. And then he says in verse 22 that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit. Lay aside. For our lesson today, we're going to call that shedding. So we then are to shed.

We are to lay aside. It's hot up here. So I'm going to lay aside this jacket. That's what he's telling us to do. Lay aside. Take it off and walk away from it. Lay aside. Now the first time this is used in the New Testament is used of this young man called Saul.

And it's in Acts 7.58. It says when they had driven him out of the city, that's Stephens who's going to be stoned. He says they began stoning him and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. Why did they do that? Because they wanted to be able to wind up and give that thorn a real good throw. So they took off there and laid it down. That's what he's calling us to do. In Romans chapter 13 and verse 12, it says this, he says, do this knowing that the time has already for the hour for you to awake from sleep.

For now our salvation is nearer to us than when we first believe. The night is almost gone and the day is near. Therefore, rid yourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. He says, you know, you've already wasted enough time. He says, so rid yourself, lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. In Ephesians 4.25, he says, therefore laying aside falsehood, speak the truth, each one of you with his neighbor, for you are members one of another. Why are we members one of another?

Because we're in union with one another, therefore we are to speak the truth. Lay aside the lying that you used to have and speak the truth in love of one another. Colossians chapter 3 verse 8, he says, but now you also rid yourselves of all of them. What are the them? He tells us anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from the mouth. Rid yourselves. Why would he have to tell Christians to do this? Because it's possible for us to participate in it, but not if we want to demonstrate the calling that we have been called to.

He says, you have to rid yourselves of that language also. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1, he says, therefore since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us rid ourselves of every obstacle and sin that so easily entangles us. He said, there are some things that's entangling us that's not even sin, we just give so much time to it. He said, let us rid ourselves of those things and the sins that entangles us, that tie us up, that we might not do these things. The last use that we go through, James chapter 1 verse 22, therefore rid yourselves of all filthiness and of all that remains of wickedness.

In humility receive the word that's implanted which is able to save your souls. He says, before you came to Christ there was filthiness in you, there were so many other things, so he said, now you're going to rid yourselves of the filthiness and all that remains of wickedness. And you're going to do what? You're going to live by this undrafted word that is in you, that you've taken in. It saved your soul and now it's going to direct your soul. That's what he wants us to do. And then after he tells us that we are to shed these things, that is to lay them aside, he says we must do something else.

Verses 23 to 24, he says, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness, holiness, and truth. Okay, you've laid the old self aside, but now put on the new self. And he says, the new self has been created in the likeness of God, therefore it is created in righteousness, holiness, and truth. Notice all those great virtues that it's now been created in.

All the negative is gone. He says, but this is how it's now been brought to us. How are we to put on this new self? Please note that it is not telling us to get the new self. The new self came with salvation. God has created in us a new man. And so with that salvation, he brings us this new self, but he tells us that we must put it on. Whenever you see a command in Scripture, it means it's not going to happen automatically. You have to do that. So he says, put it on. Let me give you a three-letter word that's going to help us to obey commands.

Now there are many different words that gives us commands in Scripture, but I want to point you to one, a three-letter word that tells us that we ought to follow the commands that's given us. That word is let, L-E-T. Let tells us that this isn't going to happen automatically, that you have to put forth an effort to do this. But see, God has strengthened us in order that we might do this. Let me give an example.

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 26 says, be angry and yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger. He gives us a couple of commands there. First of all, he says, be angry and do not sin.

Righteous indignation is okay, but he says, don't take it away with you. Don't let the sun go down on your anger. Well, what if it's already dark? Then don't let the sun come up on your anger. That's all he's telling us. Don't let the change of day happen and you still be angry. That's what he is bringing us to understand. Now, verse 29 says, let no unwholesome words proceed out of your mouth. Let no unwholesome words proceed out of your mouth. Now notice again, that's our responsibility.

Now, if you don't let them come out, what are you going to do? But only search a word that is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it may give grace to those who hear. So when I'm speaking to you in a one-on-one conversation, the words that I share with you should be something to edify you, to lift you up according to the grace of the moment he's telling us. Verse 31 says, let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice.

Again, that word let just keeps popping up. Why? Because it's our responsibility. Let this happen. Don't let that happen. Now, he's taking us through this thing about who we are in Christ and he is then telling us that we're to shed these things. And now he's going to tell us that we are to submit. We are to submit. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 21. He says, and subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. That word subject, it means to rank under. It's a military term. So he's saying you need to rank yourselves under one another.

Who is the one another? The whole church. So everybody in the church is to rank themselves under everybody else. Now that might be kind of confusion of how that is to happen and he then gives us detail by detail how it's to happen. He starts with the wives. Now in my Bible and in your Bible it says wives be subjective or subject yourselves. Notice that's in italics.

That means it was not in the original Greek. Why? Because he's already introduced the subject in verse 21, submission. He says submit yourself. Notice it didn't tell me to have you to submit to me.

It didn't even tell me to have my wife to submit to me. It says submit yourself. It says my wife is to submit to me. It says I am to submit to her. Then it says the children are to submit to the parents and then the parents are to submit to the children. Now let's walk through this and see how is that going to work. He says wives to your own husband as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church. He himself being the savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ so also wives ought to be to their own husbands in everything.

When it comes to leadership in the family, the wife is to rank herself under the leadership of a husband. Doesn't mean that she's smarter than he is or that she is not smarter than he has nothing to do with that. It simply has to do with a rank. You're the wife then you come to leadership. You're going to rank yourself under your husband under his leadership. Well what if it goes wrong? God can handle that. What if your husband make a wrong decision? God can handle that. Okay what are you going to do?

Okay rank yourself under your husband's leadership. Okay what's the husband to do? Verse 25. Husband love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself to her so that he may sanctify it having cleansed it by the washing of the water through the word. Okay husband when it comes to loving yourself you're going to rank your love for yourself under your love for your wife. Practical demonstration. You go to the refrigerator husband. You bring out the ice cream. You scoop up two bowls of ice cream.

When you go upstairs to give it to her or go to the room to give it to her you're not going to weigh out one to see which is heaviest so you can save that one. That's the one you're going to give to the wife. That's what he's talking about. Now yeah there's some more in-depth stuff that you're going to deal with but if it just comes down to ice cream that's all he's talking about. If you really want it give it to your wife. He says rank yourselves under your love for your wife. Then he talks to the children.

He says children obey your parents and the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and your mother which is the first commandment with promise.

He said there's a promise come to this thing about honoring your father and your mother. What was that promise? That your days may be long up on the earth. He says this is what I want you to do children but then he says to the fathers. Better word here would be parents. Do not provoke your children's to anger but bring them up in the discipline and instructions of the Lord. Do not provoke them anger. Now he's not saying don't spank them because the word discipline contains in it spanking. Okay but what is he talking about?

You have a C student in the home and they're already giving you the best they can as a C student but you want them to be an A student. You keep driving them. You have to be an A student. You have to do this. That's provoking them the anger. Why? Because that's beyond their ability. Just keep encouraging them to be that best C student that they can be. That's what he's calling us to do. So the children are to obey. The parents are not to provoke. That's what he is calling for us to do as we see that.

Then he says slaves. Now today we don't have slaves legally. So this is going to be employees. Employees obey those who are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling in the sincerity of your heart as to Christ. So when I go to work to do my work I have to do my work under Christ. Doesn't matter how my boss act. Doesn't matter. I am to conduct myself in a way that is honoring to Christ and then he talks to the supervisors and the bosses. He says and masters do the same thing to them and give up threatening knowing that both their masters and your masters is in heaven and he sees it all and there is no partiality in him.

So when he is supervising you he is to conduct. Now by the way this is only directed to Christian bosses. This is not directed to every boss out there just to the Christian bosses. But notice again he's not telling you to tell your boss how he is to submit.

But he is telling you as an employee how you ought to submit and that's through this whole thing. He's laying this out for us that we might understand. So we've been told in this that we are to shed. We are to submit. Now we're going to be told that we ought to suit up. We are to suit up. Chapter 6 verse 10. Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against rulers and against powers of darkness, against the world forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand. What is he telling us here? He says in all these relationships that I just mentioned to you up above, he says there's going to be some struggle in that. He said I want you to know something. You're not struggling against that person.

You're not struggling against flesh and blood. And when the issue is mine, you're not struggling against flesh and blood. Against me, you're struggling against all these forces of darkness that's out there that's trying to bring shame on the church. That we might understand when my wife has burnt the biscuits. It's not for me to recognize that she's trying to do something to me. It's something else has happened in her life. She got distracted by something that she left the biscuits in too long. We don't take that out.

Why? The world brings about distractions, okay, when I want to buy a second telescope or a third telescope or a fourth telescope.

That's not something I'm trying to cook up against her. That's the world over here swinging this thing here to tempt me to come over here to buy this thing. So she doesn't come to me based on the fact that you're trying to do this again. Honey, can we afford this? Is this really necessary? So you talk those things through. Why? Because you're dealing with people of the flesh. That's what he's telling us. But in order to do that, you have to put on the full armor of God. Now, sometimes we take this full armor of God the wrong way.

I'm gonna put the full armor of God on today. I'm gonna go to sleep tonight, and then when I get up in the morning, I'm gonna have to put the full armor of God on again. That's not what this is calling for. This is a once-in-a-lifetime type thing. You're putting on the full armor of God, so whether you awake or sleep, you have the full armor of God. Somebody shake you at night to wake you up, or the phone rings late at night to wake you up, he says you need that full armor of God. You need to be there with them that these things might happen, that it might bring this to us.

Therefore, take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand and to resist in the eve of day. And having done everything to stand, stand firm therefore, having belted your ways with truth. Wow. Having belted your way with truth, with the truth of God's Word. What drew me to the people of this church when they were at another church, it was the pastor's constant reminder of what does the Scripture say? And then when you find out what does the Scripture say, then that's what you are to do.

And ever since day one of Christ Community Church, that's what our motto has been. What does the Scripture say? So we get up and we belt ourselves with the belt of truth that we might do the things that God has called us to do. He said just stand firm anyhow with this belt of truth. And having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Now he's going to describe the Roman soldier to us. He says you're going to arm yourself with the belt of truth. You're going to put on the breastplate of righteousness.

Put that body armor on. It has to be in righteousness. And then having scrapped onto your feet for the preparation of the gospel of peace. Why? Because all we're going to be doing is giving out the gospel. Giving out the gospel as we go and as we live this life. In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith. Which you will be able to extinguish the fiery flames of the arrows of the evil one. Now this was a shield that necessarily wasn't, you didn't walk with the shield every time, but in battle you did.

And it was made so you could actually squat behind it and protect as the enemy is shooting these arrows in. He says you want to take that with you. That we might have that because the enemy is going to keep shooting these arrows at you. Why? Because he's the evil one. That's why. He said then taking the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. By the way, notice that everything he described, this is for the front of the body.

There's nothing described here for the back. Why? There's no retreat. So you don't have to be protected because there's no retreat. You're going forward with this. And this is what he is calling us to do. Then in verse 18 he says, with every prayer and request pray at all times in the spirit and with this view be alert with all perseverance every request for all of the saints. For how many of the saints? All of the saints. Not just Christ's community church, but we are praying for all of the saints.

Why? Because it's one body. We are in unity with one another. So in one body we are praying for all of the saints. And then he says, and pray in my behalf that speech may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. It is believed that as Paul is writing this he has a Roman soldier chained to him. He doesn't ask pray that these chains be dropped.

He says pray that this mouth would be open that I might proclaim the mysteries of this gospel because this guy chained to me doesn't know it. And I need to be faithful in presenting this gospel to others. What about the person who's sitting on the bus next to you? What about the person who's at the doctor's office? What about the person you work with? That's what he's saying. So when the people of God are praying for the people of God to have the boldness to speak the Word of God, then the Word of God should be going out.

Should be going out to those who are around about us, who are near to us. And we have to take every opportunity to do that. And sometimes guys you only get to say a short word but then leave that word there. Donna and I was up at Tahoe. Came down to Richardson's Landing I think it's called. There was a general store. In the general store was a deli. You walk in the deli and you walk up to this line and you place your order after you've stood behind six or eight people. They give you a piece of paper.

You take it and get in this line behind six or eight people and when you get up here you pay for it. She rips off the number and say hold this number until we call it this is your food. So we're going through this process. First day we were there I step up here to pay and just as I step up she turns to say to her friends back over here hey I want to be a Buddhist.

I thought that's interesting. So I step up and I ask a question. I said oh so you guys are choosing religions today huh? She said oh it's just a game that we play. By that time she had given me my number so I had walk away. There's other people in line. Donna and I come back the next day for lunch. I noticed the same cashier is there. So I walk up I said by the way remember you you guys were choosing religions yesterday. Have you ever considered Christianity? She said well I'm gonna have to do a whole lot of reading before I can make a decision about Christ.

Oh by the way would you like something to read? Gave her a track. She took it and said thank you put in her pocket. Now that's all we had time to do. But you do what you have time to do. How could I give her a track? I was prepared for it. I had it. That's what he's calling us to do. Guys we don't know where we're going to be, who's going to show up or what's going to happen but be ready to give an answer of the hope that is within us. Now if you're here today and you're still wondering about this and how do I get this and how does it work.

Jesus says in John chapter 6 and verse 45. It is written in the prophets and they all shall be taught of God. Everyone who hears and learns from the father comes to me. So you were here. You heard the message. It's God's teaching you through us. He says now if you have learned and if you have heard then you can come to the father. Someone would meet you right over here at the end of the service that they might share more with you. Let's pray. Father we thank you for your great grace toward us. Thank you for your word.

Thank you for how you have kept it down through the years that we today can hear from heaven. Direct us is our prayer in Jesus name. Amen.