The
American
Wisdom Series
Presents
Pamphlet #5175 KCEphesians15
Once again, notice that this has
"been kept secret from the foundation of the world".
Today we complete the great Book of Ephesians, written
by that most excellent teacher and apostle, Paul, from prison in Rome.
Paul is masterful in using analogies, taking that "which
is created, seen" to illustrate that which is "from above, not seen", i.e.
spiritual.
He even draws the analogy that while he is temporarily
imprisoned by man, he is in reality a "prisoner" of the Lord Jesus Christ,
bound by Him, to do His will and His service.
What a great attitude to have in jail!
We have learned in this letter to the Ephesians about
the great "mysteries" Paul spoke of, which have been hidden from the beginning,
from before the foundation of this world age.
We learned in chapter one, verse four, that God's elect
were chosen, predestinated, in "the world that then was", at the time of
Satan's rebellion and overthrow, before the destruction of Gen 1:2, as
written of by Peter in 2 Pet. 3:6.
The "three world ages", i.e. the world that then was,
the world that is now (the flesh age), and the earth age to come, still
remain a mystery to those without eyes to see and ears to hear.
Paul also revealed the great mystery concerning the church
and the unity of His body, and how it is jointly fitted together into one.
He used the analogy of marriage to illustrate that oneness,
while at the same time giving instruction in how to be joyous and loving
and submissive one to another.
Then, while giving us admonition about our personal conduct
and outside relationships, we learned about the children of disobedience,
who are the tares of the Parable of the Tares, which Jesus Christ Himself
explained in Mat. 13.
Once again, notice that this has "been kept secret from
the foundation of the world".
Matthew
13:34-36
All these things
spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake
he not unto them: [35]
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will
open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept
secret from the foundation of the world.
Then the disciples came privately to Christ and,
since it was a mystery even to them, they asked Him to explain the parable.
[36]Then
Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples
came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the
field.
And He did explain it, simply and without parable!
Matthew
13:37-39
He answered
and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; [38]
The
field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but
the tares are the children of the wicked one; [39]
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world;
and the reapers are the angels.
So the tares are the children
of Satan himself, the offspring of our "number one" enemy.
This is extremely important, because
Paul is about to tell us how to put on the "equipment" necessary to do
battle.
Don't you think it would be a good
idea to know who the enemy is before we go to war?
Here, then, is Paul giving his final instructions:
Ephes.
6:10
Finally, my
brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Why of course!
It is He Who has ALL power both in heaven and on earth.
And through Him we have power over ALL our enemies.
Luke
10:19
Behold, I give
unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Who are the serpents and scorpions?
Now you have to possess enough common
sense to know that Christ is not talking about stomping snakes and scorpions
in the desert with your hiking boots.
Who was that old serpent in the
garden?
Jesus is talking about our enemies,
Satan and the tares, his children.
So, Paul says:
Eph.
6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Did you notice that we put
on the whole armour, not just some, and that the reason we do it is to
enable us to STAND, and fight!
We are Christian soldiers and we
KNOW that we have the power over ALL our enemies, including the head serpent.
So we win!
Why then do so many teach that we
are going to "fly" up into the air to avoid confronting the enemy?
(I speak of the rapture theory)
Why would we want to run when we
have the victory?
Beats me. I have a little story I tell about this:
Once upon a time there
was a kingdom ruled by a righteous king. But alas, as with all righteous
kings, he had an archenemy who was very powerful and possessed the forces
of a mighty army.
The righteous king knew that someday
his kingdom and its subjects would be attacked by this king of fierce countenance.
So in preparation of the inevitable, and being wiser than his serpentine
opponent, he set his most faithful and loyal subjects upon the gates of
the cities to "watch" for signs of this vile king's approach.
The righteous king then instructed
his elect corps of mighty and valiant knights and warriors, men of great
courage, to put on their suits of armor and be prepared to take a stand
and defend the kingdom against the impending onslaught of this devouring,
locust-like army. The king's elect had NO FEAR of death or personal injury
in defending their loved ones, their homeland, the kingdom that they loved
so dearly.
Then the momentous day finally came
and the sixth trumpeter sounded the alarm of the approaching desolator.
The righteous king's elect army of well prepared and well trained troops
were all set to squish some locusts, stomp on some scorpions and kick some
dragon..... BUT WAIT! WHAT'S THIS?
The righteous king is pulling all
his troops! He's telling them to retreat and run and save their own necks!
Sadly, the subjects of the kingdom
were slaughtered brutally and mercilessly and there was a great needless
loss of souls.
Do you like how this story ended?
Would you respect a king who prepared
his troops to fight, only to have them turn and run when things got HOT?
We Christians are NOT running!
Paul now makes it quite clear that
the
battle of the end time does not involve blood and guts.
[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.
If only the teachers and preachers
of Christianity realized this, they would better understand the
"battle scenes" of Revelation.
It seems they can't elevate their
thinking above the flesh level.
[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.
Here Paul repeats the reason we prepare with armour,
to stand.
And that "evil day", when Satan, the false-christ, the
little horn, etc., appears in person, is fast approaching.
[14]
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on
the breastplate of righteousness;
To "girt", according to Strong's concordance, is
to "fasten on one's belt".
This, of course, will help you to
keep your spiritual pants up.
The breastplate covers your heart which should be in the
right place, in righteousness.
[15]
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
How prepared are you with the gospel of peace? I.e.,
how familiar are you with God's Word?
[16]
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our shield, the One Who
has ALL power.
It was declared in the beginning:
Genesis
15:1
After these
things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not,
Abram: I am thy shield,
and thy exceeding great reward.
It is declared in the Psalms:
Psalm
119:114
Thou art
my hiding place and my shield:
I hope in thy word.
It is declared in the Proverbs:
Proverbs
30:5
Every word of
God is pure: He is a shield
unto them that put their trust in him.
Next we take the helmet of salvation and the sword
of the Spirit.
Eph.
6:17 And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God:
Paul further explains in 1 Thes. that our helmet is our hope
of salvation:
1 Thes.
5:8
But let us,
who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love;
and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
And finally, we take the greatest
offensive weapon in the universe, more powerful than all the nuclear bombs
ever conceived in the mind of man.
It is the Word of God!
Rev.
1:16
And he had in
his right hand seven stars: and out of
his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword:
and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Here is reason the Word of God is so powerful:
Hebrews
4:12
For the word
of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
That's right, the Word of
God, His Sword, can even "cut" the soul and spirit, while man's metal swords
can only cut your flesh.
Which would you rather have in
a spiritual battle?
Eph.
6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints;
Pray earnestly on every occasion and always remember
each other.
[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,
And Paul did "open his mouth" boldly and tell
it like it is.
That didn't always make him popular.
Remember what happened to him on Mars Hill?
[20]
For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly,
as I ought to speak.
Paul was a direct ambassador of Christ, bound by
Him, to speak boldly, as he ought to speak.
We all should speak boldly,not
as in "cocky" or as a "loud mouth", but as
to the plain truth of God's Word, whether it pleases man or not.
[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.
Paul had others that he could
rely on to speak boldly, with clarity and simplicity, the mysteries which
he taught.
He closes with this prayer, remembering the saints, as
he just stated in verse 18.
Let us all join with him.
[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.
To study the Bible is the noblest of all
pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, you accomplish both.
1 Corinthians
10:11 Now all these things happened unto them {the
ancient Israelites} for
ensamples, and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the world are come.
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