Ephesians Study - Week 10

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Well, hey everyone and welcome to our final chapter of our Ephesian study.

We have finally made it to Chapter 6 here on the She Collective Podcast and I'm so excited

that you are here and just that you have made it through the study with us.

This has been such a fun way to just slow down and really take in all of the goodness

that Ephesians has to offer.

So today, as you can tell, it is just me today.

Just Stephanie, if you listened last week, you heard Hayley talk about just our need to

do separate recordings due to life and spring break and all the things that we have going

on and so I always prefer getting to sit down with Hayley and chat with her and just hear

different perspectives but I'm also excited today to just dive into this chapter together

and just go through it with all of you.

So we are in Chapter 6 and of course, as I'll always say, I hope that you will take

the time to read it for yourself.

I personally had to read this chapter in multiple different translations.

As I was reading in the NIV first, there was a couple of wordings that I just didn't

really like.

It didn't really make sense.

The commas were in weird places that I thought, this isn't clicking the way that I wanted

to click.

Switched ever to the NLT, which as you, my longer listeners know, is my preferred translation

and there it was, it hit home in a different way.

But I also love the way the NIV describes certain parts of this chapter.

So we're going to be going a little bit back and forth and if you use the Bible app, there

would be very easy for you to join me in just kind of that switching of translations.

So we're going to kick it off, of course, in the first part of Ephesians, which this

one is kind of, I think, as adults who have children, we're like, yeah, do that.

But as adults that are children and maybe reflect back on our childhood, this can be hard.

So it starts out saying, children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord.

For this is the right thing to do.

Honor your mother and father.

This is the first commandment with a promise.

If you honor your father and mother, things will go well for you and you will have a long

life on earth.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I've heard stories about parents that don't always

get it right and they don't always have the best advice and they're telling kids to

do things that maybe isn't the best thing for them to do.

So it can be really hard sometimes to always be obedient to your parent and always honor

them.

I think that at the end of the day, they are placed in our life in a position of authority.

And as long as we are safe and as long as we are being taken care of, then we do have

an obligatory duty to obey our parents.

I think there is a time and a place where that becomes not the...

I don't want to say it's not the right thing to do, but it's not really what God would

call us to do to stay in an unsafe environment.

So I do think that there are times where other adults have to step in and they've become

a parental figure in our lives.

Basically, those first parents kind of lose the parental right in our lives.

That's deep, that's dark, that's not where I'm expecting this conversation to go, but

I always feel necessary to say that because I feel like, unfortunately, there are so many

people that are battling these scriptures and it hurts their heart because they think

how can I honor a parent who doesn't deserve that honor?

I think as long as we are cared for and we are safe, then it is our duty to honor a parent.

They are human beings, they are not going to get everything right.

And you know what, you have an opportunity as you become an adult, as you become a parent

to do things differently.

I do want to apologize.

It is early in the morning while I'm recording this podcast and my voice sounds like it.

So I'm so sorry.

It doesn't want to wake up.

I tried to give it a few good coughs, a few good clears and I feel like it still sounds

like it is quite early in the morning.

So I hope you guys will bear with me and maybe by the end of this podcast, it will sound

like it has woken up.

But I do love that there is a promise for us as children that if you honor your father

and mother, that in Deuteronomy 516, as things will go well for you and you have a long

life on the earth.

So when we are obedient children, when we honor and you know, our well-disciplined children,

we have a promise of a long life on earth.

I think it's really beautiful because there's a lot of opportunities with a long life to

be able to experience so much of God's goodness here before we go and are with him for

eternity in heaven.

So yeah, first little part, he's reminding them, honor your mother and father, obey them.

This is also, there's also a two part to that.

He says obey your parents because you belong to the Lord and because this is the right

thing to do.

So remembering that also our obedience to our parents and our honoring to our parents

doesn't come from a place of just earthly necessity.

It comes from a place because our belonging is heavenly and it teaches us in the process

of obeying our parents how to obey Christ, how to take that even further and obey our

heavenly Father.

So it's very important that we teach our children discipline, that we operate in discipline

and that we execute that honor that God calls us to do.

Skipping down into sometimes your Bible, not sometimes always your Bible is going to

categorize different sections as it'll give it a little title.

Of course, this is a letter from Paul.

There were no titles.

He was not that he was not breaking out his letter in different little categories.

He said he is just writing a continuous letter.

So for our, for our Bibles, it says slaves and masters.

I love this section because I feel like it's really easy to write this off as something

that only applied to back then because we don't really have slaves and masters in the United

States, the same way that they had slaves and masters in Bible times.

But what we do have is different work, you know, organizational structures.

And sometimes it can definitely feel as though we are the slave to the master.

Like we have someone who is puppeteering us, someone who is controlling us, someone who

is deciding what we do.

And I think a lot of times anyone who is not the boss, if you will, can find themselves

in a position of resentment, a position of frustration, just kind of feeling like maybe they don't

own their own life, they don't own their own steps that they're just, you know, a call

in the machine as a lot of people say.

So I want to remind you that we all have different gifts from the Lord.

We all have different strengths and talents.

And at the end of the day, the reality is, is not every person is a good boss.

And not every good person is a good leader.

And you know what, not every person is a good person at taking directions.

And so there are different roles for each of us within these different organizations.

And within our, you know, just like, just like our society, there's, there's different

roles in our society that can be played.

And I think when we read this scripture where it says, slaves obey your earthly masters

with deep respect and fear and serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.

So let's try not to please them all the time, excuse me, try to please them all the

time, not just when they are watching you says, do the will of God with all your heart,

work with enthusiasm as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are

slaves or free.

So I feel like even when we are not the, you know, top of the food chain, even when we

are not the one calling the shots, even when we are not the boss and we are not, you know,

in those positions of authority, we should still work at something within enthusiasm.

We should still work at something to the best of our ability, no matter what.

And I love that because unfortunately I have been privy to many conversations of people

who are just miserable in their job and they're, you know, upset with their boss and they're

upset with their situation.

And you know, I look at them and I remind them, this isn't about your boss, this is about

the people that you're serving through, you know, the organization that you're a part

of.

This is about the people that you are, maybe that you have the opportunity to minister

to through your organization and you have an even easier way to do it in your seat

because sometimes people in positions of authority are, people are scared of them or people

are hesitant around them or they're afraid to say things to them, you know, out of fear

of how it may affect their work or their position at their work.

And so sometimes being in a less authoritative position, people are more trusting towards

you and then you have an opportunity to speak life into them right where they are.

Get an honor, what a privilege to be able to do that.

And so I want to remind you that as you read that scripture to picture your position and

what you're experiencing and decide, you know, am I able to work at this with enthusiasm?

Can I do what the Lord is calling me to do right here?

Now, of course, people in authority, it says right here, treat your masters, treat your

slaves in the same way.

Don't threaten them.

Remember, you both have the same masters in heaven and he has no favorites.

So guess what, just because you are in a position of authority, that doesn't make you better

than anyone else in the organization.

That just means that your gifts and your talents, that the Lord gifted to you were of use

in that organization in that spot.

And when we remember that, because I've worked in positions of authority and when we remember

that we are no different than any other part of the team, that really helps to keep us humble.

It really helps to remind us who we're working for, what our purpose is and how we can serve

the Lord through those seeds.

So I love that part because I just feel like it's so easy to write that off and make it

something of old times and not applicable to today, but I think it is so applicable and

I think when you adjust the lens through which you're looking and then you can take God's

Word and you can make it evergreen, you can make it apply from beginning to end for forever.

And so one of my favorite things about the Bible is that literally everything is for us.

There's some kind of nugget in there that can be applied to our life today, even though

it was written 2,000 years ago.

Now we're going to jump into the end of Ephesians 6, which people quote this all the time.

And it is because it's so good.

It's so good.

This is, it's just like your mantra, this is how you conquer life as a Christian.

My dad growing up used to always watch, I don't know, I don't know.

I think it was him who watched it, but I feel like I would always see this, Zena, the,

like a warrior princess.

I can't really tell you what the show was about, but I definitely know that she looked awesome,

you know.

She's in this like leather tight fitting corset top and a pleated leather skirt.

She's got knives hanging out all over her legs.

She's got knives hanging out on her arm.

I mean, she's like a total, you know, just bad woman.

She's coming after you.

I can't tell you what the show is about.

I was too young.

I don't really remember, but I remember what she looked like.

And when I picture this scripture where it talks about putting on the armor of God, sometimes

as a woman, that's what I picture.

I feel a little less sexy, you know, that's definitely not the look we're going for here.

But just that like, I'm going to get you like muscle woman, that's, that's what I'm seeing

here.

Captain, what's her name?

There is not Captain America Wonder Woman, Wonder Woman.

Yeah.

They did Wonder Woman show, or movie, I cautious, probably been quite a few years ago now.

But you know, she was like that.

She was so tough and, and ready to take on the world.

And I feel like that is what this scripture can do for us.

When we, when we take it literally and, and put it on us figuratively, we're able to

go out and feel strong and courageous and conquer the world.

So it says, a final word, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put it on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies

of the devil.

Now I'm reading in the NLT, okay, because if you've heard this scripture before, it's

probably out of the NIV, which just kind of reads like more, just what you're used to.

But I feel like this NLT is just reads in a good, simple way that's easy to understand

and still packs a good punch.

To stand so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities

of the unseen world against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits

in the heavenly places.

Here's the thing.

How many times have you complained about someone and been frustrated about someone and

been hurt by someone and you blamed that someone?

Yeah, you're like, it's their fault.

They're always like this.

They always do this.

I can't stand them.

Maybe even I hate them.

The reality is, is it's not them.

And when we can realize that, you know, it says we are not fighting against flesh and blood

when we can realize that our arguments and our fights and our frustrations are really

not against other humans, but it's against the evil ruler in the unseen world and it's

against these just mighty powers of the dark world that are coming onto people that are

using people to accomplish, you know, their evil tasks that are using them to accomplish

and create division and hurt.

When we can recognize that, guys, we are so much more capable of forgiveness.

We are so much more capable of grace.

We are so much more capable of peace, actually, because we start to realize that it really

wasn't about that person, it's not about what they do.

And we're just able to kind of go, God, that is really annoying that, you know, that's

the situation.

But I'm going to pray for that person because I know that clearly they're being attacked

by the enemy, that the enemy is using them to, you know, accomplish his deeds.

And so I'm going to pray for that person and when, and I'm sorry, but it is almost impossible

to hate someone when you're praying for them.

Now you might be frustrated by them.

You might be hurt by them.

You might be, you know, annoyed and just ready for them to like, I mean, trust me.

I have someone in my life that I have prayed for for a long time and they still just, you

know, exasperate me at times.

But I don't have hate towards them.

I have sadness.

I have frustration sometimes.

But mostly I'm sad for them and I'm constantly hoping that the Lord is going to come in and

just wreck their world and just break them out of this.

It's almost like a veil that they are looking at the world through.

When we can recognize that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, we are so, it's

so much easier for us to be able to approach our enemies with love and grace and forgiveness.

But how do we fight that?

How do we, how do we get to that place?

How do we fight what the evil in the world and the frustrations in the world?

How do we do that?

It says, now I'm going to switch over to the NIV because I like the NIV's next little

part here.

I like the way it reads about just the different pieces of armor that it asks us to put

on.

It says, therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you

may be able to stand your ground.

Stand firm with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.

What is the belt of truth?

That's the Bible.

With the breastplate of righteousness in place.

So you've got your body armor on now.

You've got your breastplate picture like a, we can't picture Zena for this because the

leather corset isn't going to work, but, but picture like a soldier, you know, okay?

So they have their metal breastplate, nothing's getting through that like an old-timey soldier

not today.

Today, it would look like a, what do you call that, a bullet proof vest, okay?

That's what it would look like today.

A breastplate of righteousness in place.

And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

I love that.

I love the idea that, okay, we're putting our Bible around our belt, okay?

That feels like a tool belt, you know?

Like you're going to whip out what you need, right there.

It's right there at your hands.

You can just whip out from your tool belt what you need from the Bible.

We're going to, we're going to pull it out.

We've got the truth right there.

And how, how easy is it to combat the lives of the enemy when you know the truth?

That's why it's so important to be in your word.

That's why it's so important to read the Bible and, and talk with other friends and to

be able to have those deep conversations because that is going to gift us with what we

need to fight the lives, okay?

So we've got our, we've got our tool belt on.

We've got our, our belt of truth.

We've got our breastplate in place, okay?

Nothing's penetrating that.

We are righteous and nothing can take that away from us.

We can be, we can be, we know that we are in right standing with the Lord and nothing,

nothing can change that.

And now we've got peace on our feet, the gospel of peace on our feet.

And I love that because I love the idea that every step we take, we are walking in God's

peace.

And how do we get that from the gospel, which is the story of Jesus?

In addition to all of this, it says, take up the shield of faith, which, with which you

can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

I love that love picturing the shield and, and honestly, whenever an arrow hits it,

it's like it just, you know, steam is just rolling off.

It is literally just quenching the fiery darts that are coming your way.

You know what?

I've had fiery darts come my way.

I've had people speak ugly things to me and they had those words and those actions.

They had opportunity to, to sink into my skin and to take root.

But because of that shield of faith, I was able to say, I was able to quench those fiery

darts and then throw them to the side.

And before they ever had the opportunity to pierce my skin, before they ever had the

opportunity to take root in me and to try to determine, you know, my identity or anything

like that, I had that shield of faith that said, no, that's not true.

I choose to believe what God says about me.

I choose to believe who God is.

I choose to believe, you know, what God stands for.

You have that opportunity to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

And the last thing it says is to take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit,

which is the word of God.

So you've got your helmet of salvation.

So obviously now we're protected, we're protected by our salvation in Jesus.

And I love that because you know, it actually doesn't matter if we live or die on this

earth, when we have our salvation, we get to go home to Jesus.

So we have our helmet of salvation and we have the sword of the spirit.

That sword is, it can cut through anything, you know, and it says, that's the word of God.

So that's your Bible.

You get to, you get to cut through anything with that Bible.

So we're going to pray in the spirit on all occasions.

It's, Paul ends it with, and pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers

and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

I feel like this chapter does such a good job because honestly, when we read it, it's

easy at first to think, oh, this is so good for me, you know, it's a lot of direction for

me.

And we do all of these things.

Our minds tend to shift towards other people and isn't that what the gospel is all about

anyway.

Isn't that the point of the gospel that we're not focused on ourselves, but that we're

focused on other people, that we're going to honor our mother and father, other people,

that we are going to work hard for the people that are over us, other people, that we are

going to serve with a delight and enthusiasm for the Lord, other people, that when we wear

all of this full body armor and everything else, that we are going to go out and that

we are going to fight for God's kingdom, that we are going to stand firm and that we

are going to defeat the enemy with his truth and with his sword.

And who does that benefit ourselves and other people?

When he tells us pray, pray not just, you never forget to pray for other people, that's

what it was always about, it's always about being outside of yourself, giving up your

selfishness and taking on selflessness.

God is so good and I am just honored that I get the opportunity to share, you know, his

gospel with you.

And it feels so, you know, I feel so inadequate when I read things where Paul says, he says

for, pray for also for me that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly

make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, pray that

I may declare fear, fearlessly as I should.

So he's basically saying like, I am an ambassador of the Lord, but I am in chains in this world.

I am a prisoner.

I am having to be bold and brave to speak about Jesus in a place where that is beyond scary

to do.

And if he's able to do that, then how much more should we be bold and brave and be able

to share this gospel with other people?

So that's my challenge to you today.

Who can you talk to?

Who can you share this with?

Who can you have a coffee with and have a conversation with and just, you know, honor

them?

And what about your parents?

Are they in a place where maybe your faith is further along than them?

Can you encourage them in Jesus today?

What does that look like?

Paul ends his letter with peace to the brothers and sisters and love with faith from God,

the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

So I'll leave you with that today.

And I'm just so excited that we had this opportunity to go through Ephesians together.

We will be back next week, Haley and I together, and we will wrap it all up.

We love you guys.

You'll have a great week.

Be sure to join us back next week as we continue to dive into God's Word together.

See you then.