Transcript

Tom Mason · CCC West Covina

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We will look at Ephesians chapter 6 starting with verses
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one through 9. Tonight we will be picking up
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kind of where we left off from 2 weeks ago and walk through this
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passage as we see what it is that God would direct us in His
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Word. So let us read Ephesians chapter
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6 verses one through 9. Children, obey your parents in
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the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your
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mother, which is the first commandment with the promise, so
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that it will be well with you and that you may live long upon
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the earth. Fathers, do not provoke your
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children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and
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instruction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to those who
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are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and
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trembling insincerity of your heart as to Christ.
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Not by way of our service as men pleasers, but as slaves of
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Christ, doing the will of God from the heart with goodwill,
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rendering service as to the Lord, not to men, knowing that
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whatever good thing each one does, this he would receive back
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from the Lord, whether slave or free And masters, do the same
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thing to them and give up threatening, knowing that both
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your master and, excuse me, both their master and yours is in
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heaven, and there is no partiality in him.
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When we was together before 2 weeks ago, we talked about this
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book, this letter, Ephesians, and we explained that what it
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meant as we look at review, that these were Christians who lived
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in the city of Ephesus, that it is the capital of the Roman
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Providence of Asia, Asia Minor or modern, modern day Turkey
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would be it today. Many commentators point out that
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the earlier manuscript did not include the words in Ephesus
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because they believed that this was a circular letter and
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therefore it was intended for everybody.
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But they rushed to tell us that there is nothing lost in the
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leaving out of those words. So we move on to the letter and
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we asked you last weekend. We will ask you again.
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Please remember that this is a letter and not a book.
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Therefore, it was not written in chapters and verses as we have
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it today. Now that being said, what we
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have is chapters 1-2 and three. We are instructed in who we are
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in Christ. Chapters 4-5 and six instructs
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us on how we ought to act because of who we are in Christ.
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And when you think about that, that's what the Christian life
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should be about, putting God on display because of what He has
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done for us and in US. We started with Ephesians 515.
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Therefore, be careful how you walk.
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The word walk in Scripture means the manner of life.
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Be careful how you live, because people are watching and you want
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to put Him on display as you live.
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And then he goes on and tell us, not as unwise men, but as wise.
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By the way, I think if we asked anybody would you rather be wise
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or unwise? I think we would all agree that
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we would want to be wise. So he says to us not as unwise
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men, but as wise as Paul is instructing the Saints how we
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ought to live because of who we are in Christ.
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He says that we are not to be unwise.
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Think about the things that we do.
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Think about the things that we say.
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How is it that we communicate to people?
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Are we communicating from a wise standpoint or from an unwise
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standpoint? And then we looked at verse 16,
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chapter 5. He says making the most of your
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time because the days of evil. The old King James uses the term
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here redeeming the time. The Greek word is used four
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times in the New Testament and it means to buy back twice.
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It is used of what Christ did for us.
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We will read you one of those from Galatians chapter 3 verse
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13. Christ redeemed us from the
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curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is
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ridden. Cursed is everyone who hangs on
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the tree. The other time it is used is
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about us and how we are to act. In Colossians chapter 4 verses 5
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and 6, he says conduct yourselves with wisdom toward
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the outsiders. Here's our word, making the most
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of the opportunity. Conduct yourselves with wisdom
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for those who are on the outside.
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Those would be non Christians. Then he goes on to say, let your
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speech always be with grace as those seasoned with salt, so
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that you would know how you ought to respond to each person.
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This is each person on the outside that you are responding
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to. Let your speech always be
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seasoned with salt. Let it always be of grace, even
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when they are not gracious to you.
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Yes, let your speech always be of grace so you will know how to
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respond to each person. Then we went on to talk about in
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verse 17. So then do not be foolish, but
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understanding what the will of the Lord is.
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How is it that we not be foolish?
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We come to know what the will of the Lord is.
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How do you know that? By reading His word, by
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understanding what it is that He says that we are to do.
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By the way, when you see some people who say that they are
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Christians, and then you listen to what it is they have to say,
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it leaves no doubt that they know nothing about Christianity.
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Just because a person says that they are Christian doesn't mean
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that they are. So He says to us.
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So we are not to be foolish, but to understand what the will of
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the Lord is. And then he goes on in verse 18
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and says do not be drunk with wine, for that is dissipation.
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That is a terrible way to live is what he's telling us to be
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drunk with wine. And the word has to do with
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excessive drinking. So he said don't be controlled
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by that. Don't be, don't live by that,
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but be filled with the Spirit. The word to be filled means to
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make fool, to fill up. He's telling us to let the
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Spirit of God control us and not some other source because see,
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we can look at well, I don't drink so that's not a problem
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for me, but could be controlled by some other thing and that's
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what he's telling us not to let happen.
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What happens when we are filled with the Spirit?
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He says to us that we were speaking to one another in
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psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
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in our hearts. And to the Lord, notice he says
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in your heart, you can't make melody in my heart.
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I can't make melody in your heart.
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The other thing that I think about I can't control your heart
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and you can't control mine. But He says here that we are to
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make melody in our hearts unto the Lord, and those are the
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things that we are called to do. You cannot fulfill verse 19 out
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of a heart that is controlled by something other than the Spirit
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of God. And these are the things that we
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want to keep in mind for us. And then he says to us, always
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giving thanks to all things in the name of the Lord Jesus
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Christ, to God, even the Father, always give thanks for all
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things. Do we stay in that attitude of
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Thanksgiving or do we like to gripe and complain about things
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that come up, the weather, the people that we work with or
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everything else? By the way, you know, Christians
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have gotten so good with complaining.
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We think it's a spiritual gift. It actually is not OK.
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He tells us here that here is how we ought to live.
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We're to live in a way that we're giving thanks to God for
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everything. When we think about this from
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chapter 4 verse one, Paul is telling the Saints how we ought
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to live irregardless to our situation when it comes to
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marriage. You could be in marriage, you
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could be out of marriage, you could be before marriage, you
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could be one of those that say I'm never going to get married.
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He is telling us as Christians how we ought to live.
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That should tell us something. How we live doesn't depend upon
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our situation. How we live depends upon how we
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respond to the Word of God in the direction that He gives to
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us. In verse 21.
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He would say to us that we are to do something He says in verse
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21 and be subject to one another in the fear of God.
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Be subject to place yourself under.
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It's what it's calling us to do. That's what the word be subject
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to, to arrange yourself under, to subordinate.
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Do you know the president of the United States is the commander
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in chief of all of our military forces, regardless to whether
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he's had military experience or not?
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So all the men, let's tell you, on the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
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come into the room and put all of the effort together and make
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a decision. And he can say no to that
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because they have to rank themselves under.
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And that's what he is telling us to do.
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Paul says as we operate in the church, as we operate in the
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family, we ought to submit to one another.
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So what is this point? We covered this last time.
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And why does he start with the wife?
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Because he's dealing with leadership.
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When it comes to leadership, the wife is to submit herself to the
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husband. And I love what the Colossians
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say about this. He said in everything.
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Now that doesn't make me as a husband puffed up OK?
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Because just a few verses later he's going to address men and
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help us to understand what the husband is to do.
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But he goes on and says in verse 22, Wives, be submissive to your
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own husband as unto the Lord. Note that he doesn't say because
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he's smarter than you, it's because of the position that
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their husband has. Wives, when it comes to
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leadership, rank yourself under the husband.
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He goes on in verse 23 and says, for the husband is the head of
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the wife, as Christ is also the head of the church, he himself
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being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to
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Christ, so also the wives ought to be subject to their own
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husbands in everything, wives to their own husbands.
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Then from chapter 5, verse 25 through verse 33, he addresses
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their husbands. Husbands love your wives, just
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as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her.
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Notice what words are not inserted here?
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Submit yourself and they shouldn't be as they shouldn't
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be in verse 22 because in verse 21 he has told us to be subject
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1 to another and therefore as we read through this, we don't need
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the word submit because he's already addressed that issue in
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verse 21. So in verse 22 we say wives to
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your own husbands. Here he says, husband, love your
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wife, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up
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for it. So when it comes to my love for
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myself, I am to rank that under my love for my wife.
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That's how I submit to her. That's how each husband is
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called to submit to his right notice.
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He says here, just as Christ also loved the church and gave
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himself up for her, He wants us to know that we ought to be
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subject in that way. Look at verse 26.
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He goes on to talk about Christ and what Christ has done for the
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church so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the
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washing of the water with the Word, that he might present her
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to Himself, the church in all of its glory, having no spot or
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wrinkle or any search thing, but that he would be, excuse me, but
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that she would be holy and blameless.
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Is that what we are doing with our wives?
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Do we really love them in a way that we want them to be holy and
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blameless? We want them to be without
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fault. I should never ask my wife to do
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something that would put her in the spot of not being holy and
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blameless. Never.
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And that's what he's directing us to do here.
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Treat our wives just as Christ treated the church and gave
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himself up for her. He goes on in verse 28 and says,
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So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own
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body, For he who loves his wife loves himself.
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For no one ever hated his own flesh, but narrison cherished
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it, just as Christ also does the church.
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It doesn't matter what a person says about how much they hate
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themselves. The Bible says for no one has
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ever hated himself by the way, that's the truth.
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I don't we don't have to debate that.
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But he says in verse 30, he says because we are members of his
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body, for this reason, a man shall leave his father and his
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mother and be joined to his wife, and the two of them shall
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be 1 flesh. I think parents have a bigger
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issue with this than the husband and wife does really.
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It says for this reason a man shall leave his father and
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mother and shall be joined to his wife and the two of them
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shall become one flesh. That means that man and that
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woman has their house and to be ran by them, not the mom and the
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dad back somewhere else. That's what he's pointing out
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here. Now he goes on in verse 32 and
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said this is the mystery. By the way, he calls the mystery
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great. He says, but I am speaking with
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reference to Christ in the church.
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This is how Christ in the church really should function.
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But look at the next verse. Nevertheless, each individual
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among you also is to love his own wife even as himself.
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And the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
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So he has talked to us. He has told us how the husband
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and the wife is to submit to one another.
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Now we're going to pick up tonight's message, starting with
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the children. And he says Ephesians chapter 6
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verse one children obey your parents in the Lord.
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For this is right. Wow, what a great statement.
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Now if if in the statement in the Bible wouldn't be great, but
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just I want to tell you something children, he said
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children obey your parents and the reason you're going to do
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this is because it is right As I was reading and preparing for
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this came across this comment, this commentator and he pointed
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me to Hosea. And if you remember, Hosea was
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the guy that was told to go out and marry a wife of holla tree
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and to have children of holla tree.
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And the reason God told him to do this because Israel had
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turned that back on God and had brought holla tree into their
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lives. Hosea chapter 14 is the last
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chapter in Hosea verse 9 is the last verse in that chapter.
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And here's what it says. Whoever is wise, let him
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understand these things. Whoever is discerning, let him
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know them, for the ways of the Lord are right, and the
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righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in
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them. Notice he uses the term right,
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that those who are right will walk in them, but those who are
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transgressors will stumble in them.
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By the way, if a person is walking along and he stumbles,
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it's kind of like noticeable to everybody.
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So here he says the transgressors will stumble over
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the same rights that the righteous person is walking in,
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the righteous person is doing. And Hosea would say long before
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Paul would write this, the ways of the Lord are right.
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So when Paul comes along and said, children, obey your
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parents for this is right, He is pointing out to us as children
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that it's the right thing to do to obey your parents.
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Now he says, that's the action I want you to take.
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Then he tells us how to address the attitude that we should do
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that right thing. In he says honor your father and
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your mother, which is the first commandment with a promise so
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that it may be well with you and that you may live long upon the
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earth. So when I am obeying my parents,
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I need to have a great attitude in doing so.
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By the way, the word honor means to estimate or to fix the value.
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There's a difference between fixing the value and fixing a
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value. Because see, if I fix a value, I
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put whatever price on it I want to.
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But when you fix the value, you're given the proper value of
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that thing. And that's what honor means when
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it says honor your father and your mother, number one, know
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who this person is, know their value and set that on them.
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Honor them in that way. And he's given us this
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understanding that the children ought to submit themselves to
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their parents by obeying them and by honoring them.
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And then we come to verse 4. Most of us as parents never
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think about the idea that we are to submit ourselves to our kids.
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But here he tells us, yes, you are, because he's told us to
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submit to one another in all things.
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He says, Father, do not provoke your children to anger, but
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bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
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How is it that parents would submit themselves to their
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children by not bringing them, driving them to anger?
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Now, that doesn't mean don't spank your kids because the
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scripture strictly tells us that that should happen.
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OK, What he's talking about here is don't play something on your
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kid that they can't do that would drive them to anger.
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An example, let's say you have the best B student in your kid
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that that kid can be. That kid is doing all this
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homework, doing everything that he can, but the very best that
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he can come up with or she can come up with is AB.
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And you decide it has to be an A.
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So you go and you drive them to get there, and they can't make
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that. That's what he's talking about.
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Fathers or parents, do not provoke your children to wrath,
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exasperation, or anger. Don't provoke them to that.
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That they might understand, that they might know that yes, Mom or
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dad really do love me. It would not provoke me to that.
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By the way, this word for anger here, this Greek word is only
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used twice in the New Testament, only used in 2 verses here and
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in Romans 10/19. Romans 10/19 says, But I say,
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surely Israel did not know, did they?
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First, Moses said, I will make you jealous by that which is not
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a nation, and by a nation without understanding.
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I will anger you. God is driving Israel to anger
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over the Gentiles because of what he's doing to bring them
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in, because of how far Israel has walked away from God.
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God's motives are always pure. I was a not and that's why he
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would tell the children of Israel, I will provoke you to
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anger because of this. But then he can direct us not to
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provoke our children because our motives can be wrong.
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I love the last part of that verse though.
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Don't drive them to anger, but bring them up in the discipline
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and instruction of the Lord. I have a picture in my mind when
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I come to the word. But, and let's say this podium
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here would be the word, but this is kind of the picture I have in
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my mind on the left side. Whatever is on but is going to
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be different from what's on the right side.
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So he says over here He says, do not provoke your children to
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anger, but over here he says, but bring them up in the nurture
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and the admiration of the Lord. So he wants me to instruct them
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in the Lord. And then I'll ask myself the
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question, how would I do that? In Deuteronomy 6 verses 4 to 8,
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he gives us a great way of doing this.
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Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God.
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The Lord is 1. You should love the Lord with
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all. You should love the Lord your
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God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with
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all of your might. These words which I am
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commanding you today shall be in your heart.
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You shall teach them diligent to your sons and shall talk to them
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when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way.
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And when you lie down and when you rise up, you shall bring
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them as a sign. Excuse me?
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You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be
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frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the
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doorpost of your house and on your gates.
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He's given some great instructions here.
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Here is how you ought to do this.
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First, God addresses the adults in the room.
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O Israel, what does He want them to know?
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The Lord is our God, and the Lord is 1.
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A parent cannot teach this to the children unless they believe
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it. Now he moves on to verse 5.
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You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with
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all of your soul, and with all of your might.
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Then in verse 6, he says these words which I am commanding you
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today, They shall be in your heart.
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Notice this is a command, this isn't a suggestion.
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What you're going to do first, Israel, you're going to know
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that the God our God is 1 and you're going to teach that to
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your children. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, yes,
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but one God. He says, I want you to teach
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this to your children and teach it how teach it diligently to
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your sons. Teach it when you're sitting in
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your house. Teach it when you're walking in
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the way. Teach it when you are rising up,
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Teach it when you're laying down.
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This is the thing he wants the Jews to do first, to understand
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that these instructions ought to be taught to the kids, but
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they're to be lived out in front of the kids, and the kids will
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know that you believe these things because they see you
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living them out. Do our kids see those things in
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US? My parents taught me many things
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about God in this way and those have stuck with me for a
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lifetime. I am 77 years old.
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So 65 years ago my mother taught me one of these lessons that I
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have never forgotten. I had a dog.
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The dog was named Skippy. So we're getting ready to leave.
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I have no idea where we were going, but I was 12 years old
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and I just said verbally to my dog, Skippy, we're leaving the
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house in your hands. And my mother heard that and she
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said to me, no, we're not. We're leaving the house in God's
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hands. She didn't scold me.
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She didn't say you are wrong. She didn't call me a name.
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She just says, no, we are not. We are leaving it in God's
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hands. She was teaching me we need to
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depend on God, not the dog. And I tell you that have stuck
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with me all of these years because how she approached it
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and what she said. Just a gentle correction.
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And there are many times when either one of my parents would
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have talked to us about the Bible and made out a point.
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They may have even given us an assignment to go look up and
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come back to them. That was another way that they
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taught us. My parents was intentional about
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instructing us about God. And that's what Paul is asking
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us to do, to be intentional when it comes to teaching our kids
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that they will come to understand who God is and what
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it is that he would have us to do.
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So we're not to provoke them to anger, but we want to teach them
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the things of God and how it is that God would direct us and
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strengthen us, and how it is that He will call us to be the
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things that He wants us to be. By the way, when I first learned
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about Abraham from the Bible, you know who, I compared him to?
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My dad. Because see, I knew my dad's
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faith long before I knew about Abraham's faith, because my dad
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lived out the things of God and I could see it.
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So when he would teach me something about it, I didn't
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have a problem understanding it because I saw it in his life
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1st. And these are the things that he
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is bringing to us. Paul here covers the husband and
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the wife. He covered the kids and the
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parents and now he's going to deal with the slaves and the
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masters. Today's language would be the
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employee and the employers. He says in chapter 6 verses 5
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and 6, Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters
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according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in sincerity
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of heart as to Christ, not by way of our service as men
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pleases, but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the
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heart. When I'm reading through
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scripture and I see the term bondservant, that word bothers
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me. By the way, I I got that from
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John MacArthur. By the way, while he was alive,
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he called it a nun word. Why?
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Because the word that is there in the Greek is do loss.
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You know what do loss means? Slave.
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That's all it means. It doesn't mean anything else.
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It means slave. But a lot of the translators
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would translate this one bond servant or servant.
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By the way, this Greek word is used 127 times in the New
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Testament, the King James Version and New King James
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Version mostly always translated servant of bondservant.
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Let me read to you from the New King James this these same 2
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verses bondservant. Be obedient to those who are
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your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling
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and sincerity of heart. As to Christ, not with I service
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as men please, but as bondservants of Christ doing the
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will of God. Bondservant.
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Is there a difference between bondservant and slave?
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Yes there is. I know a guy at Mount Wilson
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that tells us he has nine jobs. That means he's bondservant to
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nine people. That's what that means.
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You can be as many bond servants as you want, but slaves is one
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person. You don't have many masters,
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just one. Notice when Paul uses this term,
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he says slaves be obedient to your masters according to the
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flesh. He doesn't want them to be in
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the misunderstanding between who the real master is here.
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This is your master according to the flesh.
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Later on he would say both of you have a master in heaven and
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you know that. And so that's the thing that
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he's directing here. Slaves or employees, How are you
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going to submit to your employer?
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By obedience, by being obedient to them.
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And let me hurry and say the Scripture would tell you that if
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they want you to do something that God has told you not to do,
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you don't have to obey that. If they tell you not to do
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something that God has told you to do, you don't have to obey
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that. People have asked all the time.
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Well, how do you share your faith with people at work if the
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boss has told you not to see? The boss controls the time he's
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paying you for. He doesn't control before work.
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It doesn't control lunchtime, it doesn't control after work.
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So you set up a time then to share these things with him,
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with the person who you want to share with.
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You can do that, but you have to bring it to that particular
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level because you want to do what you want to obey him, to
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put him, to put God on display. Now notice verse 7.
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It says with goodwill, rendering service as to God, not as to
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men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he
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would receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.
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He said you honor God. Whether you get back from them
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or not is a whole different thing, but God will bring the
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thing back to you, whether you are the slave or whether you are
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the slave owner. He says God will bring these
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things. I know that there are those of
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you who have been going through some difficulties and you simply
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prayed about those and left them in God's hand and you were
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amazed at what God has brought out of that.
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That's why the Scripture tells us He would do more than we
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could even ask or think. That's how we as employers, I'm
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sorry, employees, or to submit to the employers.
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Then in verse 9 he deals with the masters or the employers,
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and masters do the same thing to them and give up threatening,
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knowing that both their master and yours is in heaven and there
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is and there is no partiality in him.
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There is no partiality in God. Whether you are a slave or
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whether you're the slave owner, there's no partiality.
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Whether you're the child or whether you're the parent,
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there's no partiality. Whether you're the husband or
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the wife, there's no partiality. There's one thing for you and I
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as Christian to present God as to say that God is not doesn't
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have partiality. We have to present him that way
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in every way. We present him that God has no
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partiality in him. In Galatians chapter 6 verses 9
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and 10, he says let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due
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time you will reap if we do not grow weary.
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So then why we have opportunity? Let us do good to all people,
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and especially to those who are the household of faith.
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So you an employer or your supervisor, he says treat
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everybody that's in your care. Well, that would be the all
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people. And then he says especially to
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those who are the household of faith.
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So you're going to treat everybody good, those of the
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household of faith, you're going to give them a little bit extra,
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especially those who are the household of faith.
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In this Ephesians chapter 4-5 and six, what have we seen?
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Chapter 4 verse 1, he says I therefore the prisoner of the
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Lord emplore you to walk in a manner worthy of your calling
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which you have been called. Therefore let me see that word.
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Therefore, you have to look at why is it therefore and the
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reason it's there in verse in chapter 4, verse one, because of
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chapters 1-2 and three, here's who you are in Christ and now
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he's going to say here's how you are to conduct yourself.
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Chapter 5, verses 15 and 16, he says, therefore be careful how
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you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your
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time because the days are evil. You and I are instructed in
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Scripture to be careful how we live, recognizing that the days
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are evil, and we ought to do this in a way that we ought to
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honor him. And then in chapter 5, verse 21,
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he tells us to be submissive to one another and the fear of God.
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He deals with the whole church there.
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Everybody in the church was either a husband or wife, a
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parent or a child or slave or free.
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So he deals with everybody in the church.
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You know, we have that same situation today.
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You either just change it out to employee and employer.
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Some of us are retired, but that means we had we use them for
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heads at one time or another. But he said these are the things
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that he's laid out to us. He tells us we must do this.
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Now look at the Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10.
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He says finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
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mouth, His might. How are we to do this?
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We are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
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By what are we to do this? Verse 11 put on the full armor
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of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the
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schemes of the devil. Interesting, Paul mentioned the
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devil twice in this letter in chapter 4.
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When he's dealing with our anger, he says to us in verses
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26 and 27, be angry and yet do not sin.
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Do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the
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devil an opportunity. Wow.
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He wants us to know how to deal with thy anger.
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He said do not let the sun go down on your anger.
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I've had people say to me, well, that's, you know, it happened at
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night time. So I have all night and he's
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talking about it's a change of day.
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That's all he's talking about. So if you get angry at night,
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then don't let the sun come up on your route.
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That's all he's saying now. Because if you do, what are you
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doing? You're giving the devil an
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opportunity. And by the way, the opportunity
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is with you. Morning.
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Is it with anybody else? But that's what he's telling us.
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We need to not to give the devil an opportunity.
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And then in verse 12, he says, for our struggle is not against
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flesh and blood, but against rulers, against powers, against
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the world forces of darkness, against spiritual witnesses in
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heavenly places. Now all of this he's told us how
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to submit to one another. Then he says, But you're not
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wrestling against flesh and blood.
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This thing is against spiritual weaknesses in the high places.
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This is against the enemy that you are struggling against.
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I know you think it's your boss, but it is not.
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You think it's the wife, but it's not.
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You think it's the husband, but it's not.
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It's the enemy provoking them to do the things that they are
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doing. And your battle is really
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against the spiritual weaknesses in high places, he says.
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For we struggle, not against flesh or blood.
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The word struggle there is an athletic term, has to do with
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two men wrestling and they're trying to throw each other to
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the to the floor and the way they win is by one man throwing
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another to the floor and then holding them there by his neck.
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That's the victor, he said. This is what the enemy is trying
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to do for us. You are not struggling against
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flesh and blood, but you're struggling against rulers.
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This word is used to describe the demons and the angels.
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Then he says against powers, power of choice, literally of
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doing as one pleases. That's what comes up against us
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more than anything else. I really do want to do as I
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please, he says. That's what you're struggling
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against. That's the thing that is being
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brought to you. Then he says you're struggling
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against these forces of darkness.
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Some would say the rulers of darkness, but it has to do with
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the Prince of this age, the devil and his minions.
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These are the things that we are struggling against, spiritual
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forces of wickedness belonging to the Spirit or man, higher
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than mankind but inferior to God.
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You are dealing with something that's higher than you but
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inferior to God. Therefore you can come to God
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and say I'm not going to remain angry about this because I know
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I'm not fighting against relations, but I am going to
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trust you to deal with this thing for me to help me that I
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might move forward and put you on display God.
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In verse 13, he says, therefore take the full armor of God.
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Notice He told us earlier to put on the full armor of God.
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Now he tells us again, therefore take up the full armor of God so
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that you will be able to resist it in the evil day.
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And having done all to stand, stand firm.
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Having done your best to stand, stand firm in their way.
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By the way, when he describes the armor, he talks about the
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what you put on your feet. The old Roman soldiers used to
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wear boots and they would drive nails through the soles of the
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boots so they could stand firm in battle.
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They wouldn't be slipping and sliding.
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That's what he's telling us. Stand firm verse 15, he picks up
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on that he says having shod your feet with the preparation of the
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gospel of peace, know the Scriptures, know what's there in
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addition to all take the shield of faith to which you will be
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able to quench the fiery arrows of the evil one.
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Now this word for shield there is talking about this shield
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that's about two foot and a half across, 4 feet high.
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The soldier could actually get down behind it because notice
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what he's dodging here. He's dodging fiery arrows.
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Can you imagine being shot by an arrow?
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Now think of that arrow having tar tar on it and it's a fire
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and it comes in. He says this is what the enemy
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is shooting at you, so you want to be able to get away from
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those things. And then he says, take the
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helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is
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the word of the Lord. He's not talking about getting
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saved, He's already talking to saved people.
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But you and I must know salvation, and we can only know
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that through the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of the
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Lord. Let me encourage you to stop
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running and pulling the shades down.
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When you see the coach coming to your door, go meet them at the
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door with the sword of the Spirit in your hand, so you can
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share with them the truth, because that's what God has us
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here for. How are you going to submit to
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one another? By putting on the full armor of
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God that you might do this, that you might say this, that you
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might live this out. And then He tells us at the end
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of all this, verse 18, with all prayer and petition, pray at all
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times in the Spirit. And with this in view, be on the
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alert with all perseverance and petition for all the Saints.
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Do we pray for one another? That's what He's instructing us
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to do here. Pray for all the Saints.
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Look at verse 19 and pray on my behalf that utterance may be
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given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with
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boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an
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ambassador in chains. He's not asking that the chains
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be taken off. He's acting that his mouth would
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be open, that he would speak the Word of God to people with
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boldness. Do we do that?
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Do we talk to people about God and who it?
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It doesn't matter whether they listen or not, whether they pay
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attention or not, whether they agree with you or not.
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What matters is whether you're sharing or not.
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Paul says Pray for me also that I might open my mouth with
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boldness to speak the mighty word of God.
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I was at Costco yesterday having my glasses renewed or whatever
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they do. The guy said, do you bet the
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computer a lot? I said, yeah, I am.
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He says, I'm doing the study. What are you studying?
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I told him studying the Scripture.
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He said, yeah. He said that's interested.
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He says, I'm, I'm a Catholic and I just believe that, you know,
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you do the best you can and God just, you know, counts that and
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you know, you're, you're all right.
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He said, what do you think about that?
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That's what the Bible says, that there's no one who does good, so
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doing the best you can isn't going to even show up.
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He said, no, I agree 100% with you.
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That's not what he had just said a minute ago.
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OK, But that's what he was saying now.
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And in our conversation, he kept telling me, I agree with that.
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He did not agree with it because he told me what he believed
56:15
upfront. All we have to do people, is be
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faithful in getting the word out and that is the thing that he is
56:25
calling us to do. Now, let me just tell you this
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in the last few minutes that I have, this isn't written to
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everyone. This is written to the believer.
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You are not a believer because you come to church.
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Matter of fact, you're not a believer because you're in this
56:51
church. Believer is one who has come to
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Christ based on what Christ has done on the cross on our behalf,
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and based on that belief we have repented and turned from our
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sinful ways and turned to Him. That's what makes the
57:14
difference, and that's who He's instructing us to.
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And you and I ought to put these things into practice and to live
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the life that God has called us to live, that we might put him
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on display in all that we do Let's pray.
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Father, we thank You for this time that You've given us
57:44
tonight. We ask now that You would direct
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our hearts to follow Your directions for us in Scripture.
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We who know who we are in You, help us to live a life that
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would reflect You. If there are anyone here tonight
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who do not know you, we pray that they would come to know
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You. We pray this in Christ's name,
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and for His sake we ask it. Amen.