Hey, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions. I'm gonna jump online here. Make sure everybody's able to join us live. Let's go ahead and make sure we're going alive everywhere scheduled the text message. Make sure that that's going out. And also, make sure we're going live on Facebook here. Almost ready we are at Ephesians chapter six this morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions. This where every day you and I we get together we have a little bit of coffee. We get into God's word and we've grown our love for the Lord together. And this year 2022 will make it from the book of Acts to the book of Philemon. Lord willing, when we have some coffee, we'll pray and we'll finish up the book of Ephesians this morning. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much that your Spirit is working and we thank you so much that your son has paid the price. We thank you so much that you have poured out your love on us. Father, we plead with you now that as we read your word, Father, we're utterly dependent on you to teach us so Lord, would You remove the skills from our eyes? Father, would you give us hearts to believe? Teach us Lord. Make us walk in your ways. In Jesus's name, Amen. Here we go. We're at Ephesians chapter six. beginning of verse one. We'll do the whole book of these are the whole chapter of Ephesians six this morning. Children obey your parents and the Lord for this is right on your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. And you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. What we're going to do is we're going to ask ourselves our ABCs as we go through these, so what is this about a is about children and parents. So how is the household of God continue to be run? How are Christian homes supposed to function? And yesterday or on Friday we looked at wives and husbands and how husbands are to love their wives sacrificially caring for them and wiser to be submissive to their husbands. Well, now we find that children are to be honoring their parents. Notice. Notice that the apostle Paul goes back to what? To the 10 commandments. He goes back to the fifth commandment. He goes back to the first commandment with a promise see the gospel. Jesus Christ has freed us from condemnation in the curse of the law. Not because he made the law obsolete. Not because he took the law and threw it in the garbage can never to be thought of again. No. He might assume that we might walk in wisdom, even children. Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. And then he quotes Honor your father and your mother which is the first commandment with a promise and the knee summarizes the second half and generalizes the second half of the commandment, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth children are to be obedient to their parents. Now this is something that's not very popular today. We live in a world in which John Jacques Rousseau, in his writing on the little story about Emil has run the roost, that children should essentially be left free and open and in the wild and they should be allowed to do basically whatever they want learn whatever they want. Don't be negative with them don't hurt their feelings, where the biblical model is Children, obey your parents. Listen to them. It's not going to be easy, but you need to learn to respect the authorities who are ahead of you. But that has something to say about fathers so if children are to obey How are fathers to govern their children, how are our fathers to care for their children? Well, verse four says that and you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Fathers are not to be tyrants. Fathers just because their children are to be obedient doesn't mean that they are despots and dictators. No, instead, they are to train them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Men, husbands we have a responsibility
to emulate our Father in heaven and to show our children what it means to walk in the Spirit, to walk in wisdom to walk in the light. Were to be bringing up apprentices of holiness in our home this is one of the beautiful stories. I remember talking to a woman. A while back, she was in another state and we had stayed at their house. Our whole family stayed with their family and it was early in the morning and she had come out and she had had coffee. And she, she knew that like coffee, and so we were just talking about her dad. And she mentioned to me, you know, if I ever wanted to know what my Heavenly Father was, like, I just looked at my dad. He was always so patient and kind. I thought, Man what a beautiful statement of this Christian father, who is patient with his children. Fathers do not provoke your children under wrath, but train them up in the admonition of the Lord. Well, it moves on now you're to verses nine or five through nine bondservants be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eyes service as men pleasers, but as Bond servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service as to the Lord and not to men. Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or pFriem. And new masters do the same things to them. Give up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him. All this part is, again speaking into the real life of Christians in the first century of people who really did live in Ephesus people who Paul knew and pastored for nearly three years. See, it's estimated that between half and three quarters of the Roman people living in the Roman Empire at this time, are slaves. Born slaves captured and made slaves bought as slaves sold themselves into slavery. And so this is widespread and so God specifically speaks to them here. How are they to behave? How are they to live? Or they've been redeemed they have a new master so what should they do? Well, elsewhere, Paul is going to say if you can get your freedom, get it. But here, as long as you're a slave, do it to the glory of God. Serve not for ice service, not for pleasing others. But do it knowing that you have a master in heaven. He says that with fear and trembling insincerity of heart as to Christ. Isn't it incredible now, that even their work as a slave has eternal value. They work as to Christ. Because they know that as they are serving as they are working as they're doing these things, that is for the glory of God, that they might be a witness even to their belief, their unbelieving masters. So he says not with ice service as men pleasers, but as Bond servants of Christ. See, this is one of the paradigms we have is that as we are Christians, Jesus Christ has redeemed us. He's bought us for himself. So yes, Jesus is the head of the church. He is the groom of the church. He is the Lamb who was slain but he is also our Master. We serve Him because He has loved us and he's redeemed us from the curse of death and sin. doing the will of God. Notice where does this come from, from the heart with goodwill doing service as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord whether he is slave or free. See, they're storing up treasures for themselves in heaven. Beautiful hope. His purpose to the slaves who have found their lives and shackles have found their lives serving someone else, not building up their own capital, not building up their own wealth, not building up their own household was serving someone else and they might wonder why am I doing this?
And Lord is saying on that judgment day, when all the other things are are burned away some of the rewards you're going to have in Heaven is a heartfelt service. The sincerity and integrity of your work, because you did that work as unto me. Imagine the hope that gave those slaves as they were laboring not because they loved being in slavery. But because in his providence, that's where he redeemed them as how he found them. So until they could have their freedom. This is how their lives mattered. Because God doesn't is not a respecter of persons, whether slave or free. Their work endures and gets eternal rewards. Oh, verse nine. Now the question is how should masters treat their slaves and EU masters do the same things to them? Giving up threatening knowing that your own master also is in heaven? And there is no partiality with him? And he tells them right if you are a Christian man, and this is the first century and you have you have these slaves, guess what? You are not to use threatening. You cannot be some person who's lording over the maniacally waiting to beat them and put them in the cold or threaten to sell them away or something like that. Why? Because you have a master and heaven and he didn't treat you that way. See this is going to reform and change the whole makeup of this slave and master relationship. So much so that has masters love their slaves as masters care for their slaves. Guess what's eventually going to happen? That type of paternalism that will continue on but it would eventually dissolve Roman slavery. By the time the centuries were on and Christianity takes root, in Roman culture, slavery disappears. Because at the heart of it God's not a respecter of persons and masters realize on that last great day, they're going to be judged by their master who is in heaven. Well, let's move on verses 10 through 20. Finally, this is the last teaching part here. Finally, my brethren very strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts. of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having shard your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer in supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end, with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. And for me, the utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly, as to make the mystery of the gospel make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it, I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. What is Paul teaching here? I always talked about children, needing to obey their parents. This is how they honor them. He talked about fathers needing to love their children, and train them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Then he talks about slaves and how they have valuable service as unto the Lord he talks about masters and how they are to how to treat their servants knowing that God is no, no. What's the word I'm looking for? There's no partiality with him. He's not a respecter of persons. Finally. Finally, Aeneas standfast.
In a dark age, you stand firm, at an age full of wickedness, and you stand firm against your adversary the devil you need to put on the form of God. Put on the helmet of salvation. You need to put on the breastplate of righteousness. Notice this is not your own righteousness as as the righteousness of Jesus Christ this is not a righteousness we receive we earn or put on because of our keeping the law but it's a righteousness that's impenetrable a breastplate of Jesus Christ. We gird ourselves with a belt of truth. We shot our feet with the preparation of the gospel. And then we pick up our shield. A shield not of our own devising a shield not of our own confidence of what we can do a shield not of our own will, but the shield of faith. This gift that he has given us to pick up because as our adversary the devil shoots as fiery darts as us at us, as the temptations come in the night, as the fiery temptations come of despair despondency, depression and darkness. As he tells us, you're not good enough. As he says, You're not holy enough. As he says, You're a coward. As he says, I've seen your failings and there's no way you could be a child of God. We pick up our shield of faith. And as we look at Jesus Christ the back of that shield of faith. The arrows hit the front side of the shield and they fall to the ground. Pick up the full armor of God Christian, pick up the sword Pick up the one by which you are able to go toe to toe with a devil. And then he says pray for me. Paul, as he has written this letter, now he tells us he's in chains for the gospel. It's most likely that he's sitting in Rome and hole in the ground, awaiting judgment. And he's just waiting. And each time the Praetorian guards come around, he's telling them the Gospel says pray that my mouth would speak with courage. How often do you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ? That they pick up the full armor of God? How often do you pray that others would know the gospel? would preach the gospel? would walk in light of the gospel? Are you holding on to the shield of faith? Do you health have your helmet of salvation on? Are you always ready with the gospel of peace as his world continues to say what is good is evil and what is evil as good as as people continue to try to twist truth is your waist girded with a belt of truth? Have you stored up God's Word in your heart that you would stand for the things that are true and right and just a pure and holy, imperfect? Are you meditating on those things? Put on the full armor of God pray for those who are doing the work of the gospel of peace. Well, let's go ahead and make the last point here but that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing. Thick IOUs a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will make all things known to you, whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs and that he may comfort your hearts. Peace to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus. insincerity, amen. What's this last part about? says I'm going to send someone to you when sin, tick Yes. And he's going to let you know everything that's going on. But I want to leave you with a final blessing. I'm just going to shut my eyes here a little bit and, or partly shut my eyes and I'm going to pray this benediction for you this morning. Father, I pray for those who are listening I pray for the peace of the brethren
or they pray that they would have love with faith. Peace to the home and love with them with faith that can only come from you God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, I pray that grace would be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ, insincerity. Amen. May these words be true for you? May you know that the spirit is alive and working in you may be walking in his ways. In May you have the full armor of God upon you. And may you walk in sincerity of heart. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai