Be Strong IN THE LORD, and the POWER OF HIS MIGHT!!!
Ephesians 6:10
We have seen our enemy, the devil with his principalities and powers. We have seen our battle position, that we are to stand, to withstand in this evil day. In our text above, we see that our strength is not in our selves but in our Lord. Keep in mind that the circumcised, those that bear the mark of the Family of the Father, “worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Jesus Christ, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Phil 3:3)
Ephesians 1:19-20 I think that Paul, in 6:10 is revisiting the application of his prayer in 1:15-23, especially vs 19-20. He prays that the Ephesians (and our) understanding would be enlightened that they might know three things and #3 is our concern here. “The exceeding greatness of His Power TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE, according to the working of His Mighty Power.”
Now note, this Power, its’ source and its application have very clear definition and description. This Power and the strength we are to draw from it, reside in a clearly evident act of God–an event attested to by His chosen witnesses. “His Mighty Power which He worked IN CHRIST WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND SEATED HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.” (See Acts 1:22, Peter’s sermon in Acts22-34, 3:15, 26; 4:2, 10, 32-33, 5:29-32, 6:55-56, 10:38-43, 13:29-41, 17:2-3, 31-32).
Romans 1:3-4 “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord....and declared to be the Son of God with Power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, BY THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.” This is the “Power of the gospel” of which Paul speaks in Rom. 1:16–this is the Power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.”
I Corinthians 1:18, 24 This text emphasizes the cross of the Gospel. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the Power of God....we preach Christ crucified......to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.” We see from Acts, that the message of the cross always includes the resurrection and ascension to the Father’s Right Hand of Authority. Paul makes this plain to the Corinthians in 15:3-8! And then 12-58, his teaching on resurrection!
Philippians 3:10 What leads Paul to count every fleshly accomplishment, honor and achievement as rubbish? It is the excellent knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. And what is the “content” of that knowledge, “that I may know Him and the Power of His Resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to his death”. Apart from the intimate, Spirit application of the Power of Christ’s Resurrection, the other two elements of our walk on this earth are impossible.
Hebrews 7:15-8:1 Here is the main point of Hebrews, and in reality, the whole of Scripture. “And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest, Who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the POWER OF AND ENDLESS LIFE.” The rest of this section builds our “better hope” on the power of this endless life of our Great High Priest who EVER LIVES to make intercession for those who come to God through him. OUR ETERNAL SALVATION DEPENDS ON THIS POWER OF AN ENDLESS LIFE, witnessed to us by His chosen apostles! His resurrection is our hope of eternal life!!!
And that brings us back to a crucial phrase in Eph 1;19–“TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE”!!!
Herein lies the key. Do we believe? Remember, OT Israel could not enter the rest of God because of “an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the Living God.” This belief is not mere “opinion”. This isn’t a matter of getting our Biblical facts down. Notice:
Galatians 3:1-9 The HEARING OF FAITH! (Vs 2&5) This hearing of faith is in direct contrast to the “works of the law”. Nothing of our effort can bring about this “hearing.”
Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Nothing nebulous here, it is Word focused faith!
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD, for he who comes to God MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.”
Hebrews 4:2-3a And remember that, “Indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them (OT Israel): but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter into rest.”
And so what does this faith, this essential belief, this “hearing of faith” look like? Going back to Galatians 3, Paul lays out the example of the “father of the faithful” (Rom 4:16), Abraham. “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”
Abraham’s Faith Evidences:
#1 Hebrews 11:8-10 He obeyed the Word of God and left the security of all he knew and went out “not knowing where he was going.” Remember our Lord’s words in Matt 10:34-39? This faith is characterized, even at the outset, by a fledgling understanding that life as is currently known, is being left behind and a movement into the Divine unknown is ahead. In some measure, there is a losing of the world’s ties and a longing for an eternal dwelling place. Remember John’s words in I John 2:15-17? To have the Love of the Father in us is to be “disassociated” with the world!
#2 Hebrews 11:17-29 “By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.” Spirit birthed faith doesn’t seek circumstantial “proof” of the promise. Faith instead operates on the “fuel of faith” which is the Word of God. And notice the audacity of Abraham’s faith, “accounting that God was able to raise him up, (the promised seed) even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” Abraham believed the Gospel, even though he had never seen any evidence of resurrection!
Satan can only tempt us with things of time and sense–things that are passing away, and the root of his temptations are always the questioning of the Word of God, “Has God said.” Faith is anchored in the victory over the bondage of time and sense, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (See Hebrews 2:14-16) We now live in the Power of an Endless Life which dwells in us by the Eternal Spirit!. Notice that Hebrews 2:16 states, “for indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.”
Galatians 3:26, 29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.....having put on Christ.....and if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to promise.
Colossians 2:8-10 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ, for IN HIM dwells ALL THE FULNESS of the Godhead bodily, and you are COMPLETE IN HIM, Who is the Head of all principality and Power.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 We are exhorted to pay attention to the “cloud of witnesses”, to lay aside the things of time and sense that motivated the old man, and “look unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.”
And that leads us to our consideration of the Armor of Ephesians 6. We will consider Jesus as all the “clothing” that the Body of Christ needs in order to withstand the time and sense onslaughts of the evil one and having faced his best, to stand firm until the day in which our Lord will return for those who love His Appearing! (II Timothy 4:8, I Peter 1:3-1-9 esp vs 5 “kept by the Power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”)
Ephesians 6:10
We have seen our enemy, the devil with his principalities and powers. We have seen our battle position, that we are to stand, to withstand in this evil day. In our text above, we see that our strength is not in our selves but in our Lord. Keep in mind that the circumcised, those that bear the mark of the Family of the Father, “worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Jesus Christ, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Phil 3:3)
Ephesians 1:19-20 I think that Paul, in 6:10 is revisiting the application of his prayer in 1:15-23, especially vs 19-20. He prays that the Ephesians (and our) understanding would be enlightened that they might know three things and #3 is our concern here. “The exceeding greatness of His Power TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE, according to the working of His Mighty Power.”
Now note, this Power, its’ source and its application have very clear definition and description. This Power and the strength we are to draw from it, reside in a clearly evident act of God–an event attested to by His chosen witnesses. “His Mighty Power which He worked IN CHRIST WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND SEATED HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.” (See Acts 1:22, Peter’s sermon in Acts22-34, 3:15, 26; 4:2, 10, 32-33, 5:29-32, 6:55-56, 10:38-43, 13:29-41, 17:2-3, 31-32).
Romans 1:3-4 “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord....and declared to be the Son of God with Power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, BY THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.” This is the “Power of the gospel” of which Paul speaks in Rom. 1:16–this is the Power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes.”
I Corinthians 1:18, 24 This text emphasizes the cross of the Gospel. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the Power of God....we preach Christ crucified......to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.” We see from Acts, that the message of the cross always includes the resurrection and ascension to the Father’s Right Hand of Authority. Paul makes this plain to the Corinthians in 15:3-8! And then 12-58, his teaching on resurrection!
Philippians 3:10 What leads Paul to count every fleshly accomplishment, honor and achievement as rubbish? It is the excellent knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. And what is the “content” of that knowledge, “that I may know Him and the Power of His Resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to his death”. Apart from the intimate, Spirit application of the Power of Christ’s Resurrection, the other two elements of our walk on this earth are impossible.
Hebrews 7:15-8:1 Here is the main point of Hebrews, and in reality, the whole of Scripture. “And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest, Who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the POWER OF AND ENDLESS LIFE.” The rest of this section builds our “better hope” on the power of this endless life of our Great High Priest who EVER LIVES to make intercession for those who come to God through him. OUR ETERNAL SALVATION DEPENDS ON THIS POWER OF AN ENDLESS LIFE, witnessed to us by His chosen apostles! His resurrection is our hope of eternal life!!!
And that brings us back to a crucial phrase in Eph 1;19–“TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE”!!!
Herein lies the key. Do we believe? Remember, OT Israel could not enter the rest of God because of “an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the Living God.” This belief is not mere “opinion”. This isn’t a matter of getting our Biblical facts down. Notice:
Galatians 3:1-9 The HEARING OF FAITH! (Vs 2&5) This hearing of faith is in direct contrast to the “works of the law”. Nothing of our effort can bring about this “hearing.”
Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” Nothing nebulous here, it is Word focused faith!
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD, for he who comes to God MUST BELIEVE THAT HE IS, AND THAT HE IS A REWARDER OF THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY SEEK HIM.”
Hebrews 4:2-3a And remember that, “Indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them (OT Israel): but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter into rest.”
And so what does this faith, this essential belief, this “hearing of faith” look like? Going back to Galatians 3, Paul lays out the example of the “father of the faithful” (Rom 4:16), Abraham. “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.”
Abraham’s Faith Evidences:
#1 Hebrews 11:8-10 He obeyed the Word of God and left the security of all he knew and went out “not knowing where he was going.” Remember our Lord’s words in Matt 10:34-39? This faith is characterized, even at the outset, by a fledgling understanding that life as is currently known, is being left behind and a movement into the Divine unknown is ahead. In some measure, there is a losing of the world’s ties and a longing for an eternal dwelling place. Remember John’s words in I John 2:15-17? To have the Love of the Father in us is to be “disassociated” with the world!
#2 Hebrews 11:17-29 “By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.” Spirit birthed faith doesn’t seek circumstantial “proof” of the promise. Faith instead operates on the “fuel of faith” which is the Word of God. And notice the audacity of Abraham’s faith, “accounting that God was able to raise him up, (the promised seed) even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” Abraham believed the Gospel, even though he had never seen any evidence of resurrection!
Satan can only tempt us with things of time and sense–things that are passing away, and the root of his temptations are always the questioning of the Word of God, “Has God said.” Faith is anchored in the victory over the bondage of time and sense, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (See Hebrews 2:14-16) We now live in the Power of an Endless Life which dwells in us by the Eternal Spirit!. Notice that Hebrews 2:16 states, “for indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.”
Galatians 3:26, 29 “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.....having put on Christ.....and if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to promise.
Colossians 2:8-10 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ, for IN HIM dwells ALL THE FULNESS of the Godhead bodily, and you are COMPLETE IN HIM, Who is the Head of all principality and Power.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 We are exhorted to pay attention to the “cloud of witnesses”, to lay aside the things of time and sense that motivated the old man, and “look unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith.”
And that leads us to our consideration of the Armor of Ephesians 6. We will consider Jesus as all the “clothing” that the Body of Christ needs in order to withstand the time and sense onslaughts of the evil one and having faced his best, to stand firm until the day in which our Lord will return for those who love His Appearing! (II Timothy 4:8, I Peter 1:3-1-9 esp vs 5 “kept by the Power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”)