SCRIPTURE: EPHESIANS 6
BIBLE VERSES:
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3)
“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4)
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:5-8)
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.” (Ephesians 6″5-9)
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6″10-121)
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:13-17)_
CHILDREN AND PARENTS (vs. 1-4)
Children must obey and honor their parents. Father must bring up children in the training and instruction of the Lord.
SLAVES AND MASTERS (vs. 5-9)
Slave must obey, respect and fear with sincerity their maters like slaves of Christ. Serve heartily as if serving the Lord and the Lord will reward the good he does. Master must not threaten their slaves. Instead they must treat their slaves well and fair.
THE ARMOR OF GOD: (VS. 10-210)
- Belt of truth
- Breastplate of righteousness
- Gospel of peace
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the Spirit.
WHAT YO SHOULD DO TO FIGHT AGAINST THE DEVIL SCHEME:
- Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power (v. 10)
- Put on the full armor of God (v. 11)
- Stand firm (v. 14)
- Pray in the Spirit (v. 18)
- Be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints (v. 11)
FINAL GREETINGS;
Peace to the brothers and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
THOUGHTS:
Paul emphasized on 3 areas where Christians can manifest Christlikeness:
- At home – Children should honor and obey parents. Parents should train up their children in God’s way by treating them fairly and equally. They must not provoke them to anger. Instead, be patient and discipline them in love.
- On the job – Slaves should respect and obey their master and master should treat their slaves respectfully. Likewise, employees must work diligently and with sincerity of heart. Employers must compensate employees fairly. They must treat them kindly and consider them as people, not machines.
- At the battlefield- Take the enemy seriously by putting on the full armor of God to extinguish all the flaming arrow of the evil one. Remember to keep on praying.
The only way to fight spiritual enemies is with spiritual weapon – the Word of God and prayer. Christian must wear the full armor of God as equipment for protection. The armor of God consists of TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, PEACE, FAITH, SALVATION AND THE WORD OF GOD (SWORD OF THE SPIRIT). Christian can conquer if they understand god’s word, memorize it and obey it.