The Christian life is a warfare, a struggle not only with common calamities and inner desires, but with opposing forces of the powers of darkness which seek to destroy the testimony of the believer. It is therefore requisite that the, Christian soldier be stout-hearted and well armed with spiritual weapons which God supplies. The sword of the Spirit and the access of prayer are weapons against which Satan is powerless.
Ephesians 6
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
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;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:
22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
¶ Written from Rome unto the Ephesians by Tychicus.
Ephesians 6 Intro – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:1 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:2-4 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:5-9 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:5-9 cont. – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:9 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6: Soldier’s Enemy – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:10-11 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:12 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:13 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:14-15 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:16-18 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:19-24 – J. Vernon McGee
Ephesians 6:1-12 – Children and Parents; Servants and Masters
Where our religion is true, it will affect every relationship in life. The love of Christ must find its manifestation in nursery and in kitchen, in workshop and in municipal chamber. But notice that its duties are reciprocal. We must give on our side, just as we expect others to give on theirs.
The first duty of children is obedience. They must be taught to obey because it is right, and their conscience bears witness to the rightness. Never plead with a child to do what is right, nor bribe it by a reward. Take your stand on that primeval sense of right and wrong, which is the foundation of morals and will be the stay of the child’s whole after-life, when once its supremacy is established. But parents should help their children by removing irritation or passion from their own speech. Slaves formed a large proportion of the early Church. Their obedience must be explicit, and they were taught to believe that Christ took their faithful service to their earthly owner as service to Himself. But masters must ever deal with their servants as liable to be called to account by the great Master of all. The center of all authority is Christ, and He will demand an account of our treatment of every servant He has sent into our homes. —Through the Bible Day by Day
WANTED! A DAVID.
The church can scarcely be said to be somnolent. It is awake and active. But its activities are too frequently spent in affairs that do not relate to its mission which is to fight the hosts of sin in a wicked world. The giants of iniquity stalk forth boldly. They find the church not in battle but in the tents, feasting and drinking, planning for dime socials and not for war against sin. Oh that some modern David would soon step forth and teach us that it is not shields nor armor nor tall steeples nor worldly expedients that are to win the day. It is faith in God. That is what gave aim and speed to the stone that slew Goliath, and it is what will give efficacy now to work and prayer.
(Ephesians 6:11)
Ephesians 6:13-24 – “Finally… Be Strong in the Lord” (v. 10)
Many would be strong, but fail because they forget that they can be effectively so only “in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Paul had a very vivid conception of the powerful forces that are arrayed against the Church. He is not dealing here especially with our personal temptations, but with those hosts of wicked spirits that lie behind the evil of the world. It is probable that the vast systems which oppose the gospel—the philosophies, temples, and priests of false religions; the trade in strong drink, impurity, and like evils; and such iniquitous institutions as the system of indentured slavery—are directly promoted and furthered by the agency of evil spirits in arms against God.
We must be pure and holy, if we are to prevail against evil; and especially must we give ourselves to prayer. To prevail in this warfare we must diligently employ the weapon of all prayer. Tychicus carried this letter. He was faithful to the end, Acts 20:4; II Timothy 4:12. The Epistle closes, as it began, with uncorrupted, that is, pure and eternal, love. Alford says, “This is the only truth worthy to be the crown and climax of this glorious Epistle.” —Through the Bible Day by Day
Ephesians 6:18—Praying always in the Spirit.
The dying Monod regretted he had not prayed more. We should pray at all seasons. Prayer is never out of place. There is no conceivable circumstance in life where it would be inappropriate to pray. At the wedding or the funeral; as we engage in work or finish it; whether the wind blow from the cold north or the balmy south—it is wise and right to pray. “Prayer and provender,” the old proverb says, “hinder no man.”
We should pray in the Spirit. It is well in prayer to wait until the scum of our own choice and desire has passed off, that the yearnings of the Holy Spirit may arise and manifest themselves. We need to be in the Spirit, not only on the Lord’s Day, but always, that He may be mightily in us, teaching us the will of God.
We should pray unselfishly. “For all saints;” said the apostle, “and for me.”
We should watch. Do not give runaway knocks. Stand at God’s door till it opens. Be on the alert. Wait on the watch-tower. Many of God’s ships pass in the night, and many of his gifts arrive at the wharf when those to whom they were consigned are asleep or gone.
We should persevere. God keeps us waiting that He may test and humble us, and know what is in our heart. Delays are his winnowing fan, discriminating between the chaff and the wheat. What we asked so vehemently we did not ask wisely. When we pray according to his heart, He graciously sustains us. Persevere; you do not know how near you are to the blessing you have sought for years. —Our Daily Homily