(uplifting theme music)
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(music ends)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you have
chosen to join us this week
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as we take a look at
the author's perspective
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of this quarter's
Sabbath school lesson.
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And this week we are
looking at lesson number 12,
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and it is called
"The Call to Stand,"
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a very interesting passage
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that we're going to
be looking at this week.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we thank You
for being with us today
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as we once again open Your Word
and seek a message from You.
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As Paul has been so
encouraging and inspiring to us
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this quarter, we ask
that he would continue
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to do the very same to us today.
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We ask that Your Spirit would
touch our hearts and our minds
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as we seek to understand
Your will for our lives.
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We thank you, in
Jesus' name, amen.
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Well, we're grateful to have
with us, once again, this week
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the author of this
quarter's Sabbath school lesson,
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Dr. John McVay.
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He's the president of
Walla Walla University.
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John, welcome back again.
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>>It's good to be back.
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>>So we're at
week number 12 now,
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and we're looking
at a call to stand.
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Paul has meddled with us
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a little bit. >>Mm-hmm.
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>>He's given us some
inspiration. He's challenged us.
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And now it sounds like
there's a real challenge
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as we get toward the
very end of this book.
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We're in chapter 6 now-- >>Yes.
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>>...and there's no chapter 7.
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So we're getting down
to the meat of things,
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and here in
chapter 6 in verses 10-13,
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there is indeed a call to stand.
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And he starts in
verse number 10 with,
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"Finally, my brethren"--
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so, he's built
up to this. >>Yes.
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>>And now he says,
"Finally, my brethren,
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be strong in the Lord and
in the power of His might."
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And then he starts
talking about putting on
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"the whole armor of God."
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How would we kind of
break down this passage
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that we're looking at--
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>>Sure. >>...into sections?
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>>Well, we have
two weeks of lessons
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on this magnificent passage:
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Ephesians,
chapter 6, verses 10-20.
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It would be easy,
Eric, to think that
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this is kind of a
decorative flourish
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at the end of the
letter. It uses strong language,
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a military metaphor to
describe Christian discipleship
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as we look forward
to the return of Jesus.
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It's striking
in its thoroughness
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with which Paul
works out this metaphor.
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The church is the
militia of Christ,
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equipped with God's power,
equipped with God's weaponry
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to go forth on
the fields of battle.
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And it's striking, isn't it?
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There's good reason
why it's very popular.
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People frequently turn to
it and ponder this passage.
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But I would argue that it's
not just a decorative flourish
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at the end. Paul is doing
something very important here;
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he's gathering
up a lot of themes
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that he has already
addressed in the letter,
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and he's including those
themes in his conclusion.
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And he is not talking
about a lone soldier suiting up
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to do battle, but he's
talking about the church
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under the figure of the army
of God, the militia of Christ
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going forth to
wage peace in the world.
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It is then an
appropriate conclusion
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to the epistle to the Ephesians.
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He chooses a specific genre
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in which to write this
conclusion to the letter.
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And it is the genre of
an eve-of-battle speech.
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Now, in ancient
battle literature,
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we have many examples
of eve-of-battle speeches.
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It was understood
to be a commonplace
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that on the eve of battle,
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the general would
step onto the battlefield
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and would exhort
the troops and say,
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"Stand up for your
country; be strong;
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the gods are with you"
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and all this kind
of battle language.
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And so Paul is giving
an eve-of-battle speech.
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He's using a particular genre
to communicate his conclusion
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to the epistle of the Ephesians.
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>>So we've got an
eve-of-battle speech,
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and he kinda breaks this down
into a few different sections.
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>>He does. >>What
do those look like?
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>>So, he gives
this first call to arms
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in verses 10-12. Now,
in this week's lesson,
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we're particularly
studying verses 10-13
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because in verse 13, he
reissues this battle cry.
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But the call to
arms is verses 10-12.
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It's pretty general,
but it has wonderful themes
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about depending upon the
power and the panoply of God,
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the head-to-toe
armor that God provides.
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And then in verses 13-17,
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he reissues the call to
arms, but he does so now
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in a more detailed way; he
imagines believers as soldiers
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putting on the armor of God.
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And he gives us examples of
various kinds of implements--
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the belt of truth, the
helmet of salvation or victory,
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and so on--and those are donned
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by the Christian
warriors, the church;
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it's donned by the church
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in sort of the same
order you would expect
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that a Roman legionnaire
might put on the armor.
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And then you come
to the call to prayer.
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So the call to
arms, verses 10-12;
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the call to arms
reissued, verses 13-17;
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and then the call to
prayer, verses 18-20,
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where Paul asks
the believers to pray
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and where Paul asks
them to pray for him.
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And that probably--as we'll
study a bit more next week,
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that's probably
not a separate weapon,
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but it probably is part of
the whole battlefield setting
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because Roman soldiers
frequently prayed to the gods,
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you understand.
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>>Sure, they would
pray to multiple gods.
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>>Correct. >>We, of course,
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are recognizing that there's
one God. When Paul does this,
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when he paints this picture
of the soldier, is this--
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you mentioned that in
history this was something
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that was
commonly done. >>Yes, yes.
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>>What about in
Old Testament times?
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Do we see any similarities
there that might lead Paul
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to paint this
word picture for us?
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>>You know, he
borrows much of his theology,
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and even the language of
this battle speech seems to echo
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with the Old
Testament battle speeches.
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And there are
quite a lot of these.
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One of my favorites is
Deuteronomy 20, verses 2-4.
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Let's have a look at that one
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because I think it
nicely illustrates the genre
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of battle speech as it
occurs in the Old Testament.
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So, Moses here is
giving instructions,
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laws about warfare.
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Here's how you're
to behave in war, okay?
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So he talks
about, in verses 2-4,
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battle speeches
that are to be given.
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"And when you draw
near to the battle"--
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so, eve-of-battle
speech, if you will--
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"the priest shall come
forward and speak to the people
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"and shall say to
them, 'Hear, O Israel,
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"'today you are
drawing near for battle
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"'against your enemies:
let not your heart faint.
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"'Do not fear or panic
or be in dread of them,
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"'for the Lord your
God is He who goes with you
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"'to fight for you
against your enemies,
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to give you the victory.'"
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You get the flavor of that?
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So then when you turn
and you read Ephesians,
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chapter 6, verses 10-13--
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"Finally, be strong in the Lord
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"and in the
strength of His might.
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"Put on the whole armor
of God, that you may be able
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"to stand against
the schemes of the devil.
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"For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood,
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"but against the
rulers, against the authorities,
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"against the cosmic powers
over this present darkness,
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"against the
spiritual forces of evil
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"in the heavenly places.
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"Therefore take up
the whole armor of God,
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"that you may be able to
withstand in the evil day,
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and having done
all, to stand firm."
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So, there it is, the battle call
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echoing these
deep spiritual concepts
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from the war cries
and the battle speeches
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of the Old Testament.
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Trust in God, even
when the army looks bigger,
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looks like it's more
numerous than your own.
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Have faith in God
and His presence with you
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and His provision for victory.
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>>You know,
speaking of the Old Testament
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and perhaps facing a
foe that outnumbers you
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and maybe has better trained
soldiers and more of them
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and better weapons and
so forth, that's one thing.
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But then we get
here to what Paul says
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in verse number 12, and he says
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we're not even wrestling
"against flesh and blood
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"but against principalities,
powers, the rulers
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of the darkness of this
world." (Dr. McVay chuckling)
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That's a whole 'nother
level. >>Yeah. That is.
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>>And there might be
a temptation to start--
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well, to continue
the illustration here--
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shaking in your boots.
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>>Absolutely, in
your hobnail boots.
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>>[Eric] In your hobnail boots.
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>>Hobnail battle
military sandals, yeah.
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>>That's right, because
you're not even fighting
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human beings here. >>Absolutely.
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>>It's a much more powerful foe.
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But I'm getting the impression
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that Paul doesn't
expect us to be afraid in this
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but maybe to redirect
our thoughts, our attention.
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>>Yes, the passage is balanced.
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It certainly
does not hide the foes
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and sort of slough
them off into the shadows.
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They're identified here,
Paul puts them before us,
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but he puts before
us the even grander
00:10:25.72\00:10:29.49
and greater work of God
and His provision for us,
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His presence with
us, and His weaponry.
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It's a little
bit like that story
00:10:36.46\00:10:39.17
in 2 Kings, chapter 6
of, where you remember
00:10:39.17\00:10:43.74
the king of Syria
is having some trouble
00:10:43.74\00:10:45.84
because there's this guy,
this prophet named Elisha,
00:10:45.84\00:10:48.48
who seems to
know all the secrets.
00:10:48.48\00:10:50.81
He can't plan anything;
he can't plan an ambush.
00:10:50.81\00:10:54.65
One of his courtiers tells him,
00:10:55.55\00:10:57.42
"Why, hey,
Elisha tells everything
00:10:57.42\00:11:00.66
that even
happens in your bedroom."
00:11:00.66\00:11:02.09
Oops, you know.
And so he, obviously,
00:11:02.09\00:11:05.03
the king of Syria
is upset about this.
00:11:05.03\00:11:06.53
And he says,
"Well, where is this guy?"
00:11:06.53\00:11:08.46
And they say, "In Dothan."
00:11:08.46\00:11:10.47
And so he sends his
army, of course, to Dothan.
00:11:10.47\00:11:13.40
Elisha's servant
gets up the next morning,
00:11:13.40\00:11:16.00
kinda cleans the
sleepy eyes out of his face,
00:11:16.00\00:11:19.27
and washes his face a little bit
00:11:19.27\00:11:20.91
and then looks out
over the city wall,
00:11:20.91\00:11:22.71
(chuckling) and
here's this vast army.
00:11:22.71\00:11:24.81
>>"Alas, my
master, what should we do?"
00:11:24.81\00:11:26.78
>>"Alas! What in
the world are we to do?"
00:11:26.78\00:11:29.38
And we find ourselves
a little bit like that
00:11:29.38\00:11:31.12
in Ephesians 6, don't we?
00:11:31.12\00:11:32.55
But Elijah prays for him,
00:11:32.55\00:11:35.46
that God might open his eyes,
00:11:35.46\00:11:38.83
and He does open his eyes.
00:11:38.83\00:11:41.53
The servant steps
to the rampart again.
00:11:41.53\00:11:43.50
This time the veil has lifted
00:11:43.50\00:11:45.27
between time and
eternity, if you will.
00:11:45.27\00:11:48.37
"The Lord opened
the young man's eyes,
00:11:48.37\00:11:50.17
"and when he looked up,
00:11:50.17\00:11:51.37
"he saw that the
hillside around Elisha
00:11:51.37\00:11:54.44
was filled with
horses and chariots of fire."
00:11:54.44\00:11:58.51
And we need that same kind
of miracle in our own vision.
00:11:58.51\00:12:01.72
That's what Paul's
really saying here.
00:12:01.72\00:12:03.89
He's praying that
the Spirit might grant us
00:12:03.89\00:12:06.05
to see really what is happening
in the great controversy.
00:12:06.05\00:12:09.56
And yes, there's
this great, massed army
00:12:09.56\00:12:12.89
of supernatural forces,
00:12:12.89\00:12:14.60
but look a little higher
00:12:14.60\00:12:16.43
and see the
gleaming chariots of God.
00:12:16.43\00:12:19.10
>>And we as human beings
00:12:19.10\00:12:20.34
have a nasty
tendency to do a lot
00:12:20.34\00:12:24.27
of looking horizontally-- >>Yes.
00:12:24.27\00:12:26.17
>>...and not nearly as
much looking vertically
00:12:26.17\00:12:28.78
as would be healthy for us.
00:12:28.78\00:12:31.58
And that's something
that Elisha's servant
00:12:31.58\00:12:33.68
had an opportunity to do.
00:12:33.68\00:12:35.58
And it's something that
we really have an opportunity
00:12:35.58\00:12:37.85
to do as well. As
we face the challenges
00:12:37.85\00:12:40.39
and struggles in this life,
00:12:40.39\00:12:42.09
we have opportunities to
remember that God is on our side
00:12:42.09\00:12:46.86
and that He is the one who can
ultimately bring the victory.
00:12:46.86\00:12:50.97
That's something that Paul,
through the book of Ephesians,
00:12:50.97\00:12:53.77
has been endeavoring
to help us understand.
00:12:53.77\00:12:56.24
And speaking of
the book of Ephesians,
00:12:56.24\00:12:58.31
you wanna make sure
that you pick up this book
00:12:58.31\00:13:00.48
called "Ephesians."
00:13:00.48\00:13:01.78
There are not many
weeks left in this quarter.
00:13:01.78\00:13:04.41
If you have not yet
picked this book up,
00:13:04.41\00:13:06.25
I would encourage
you to do so quickly
00:13:06.25\00:13:08.95
before it disappears.
00:13:08.95\00:13:10.55
Itiswritten.shop--
00:13:10.55\00:13:11.99
look for
"Ephesians" by John McVay.
00:13:11.99\00:13:14.76
We're going to come
back in just a moment
00:13:14.76\00:13:16.56
as we continue to look
at "The Call to Stand."
00:13:16.56\00:13:20.23
We'll be right back.
00:13:20.23\00:13:21.36
(uplifting theme
music swells and ends)
00:13:21.36\00:13:23.67
>>[John Bradshaw] Two churches,
00:13:25.37\00:13:26.87
two wildly
different reputations:
00:13:26.87\00:13:30.24
One was
described as "an open door"
00:13:30.24\00:13:32.84
and "a pillar" in God's temple;
00:13:32.84\00:13:35.21
the other was
compared to Jezebel,
00:13:35.21\00:13:38.31
the famous pagan queen who
persecuted the prophet Elijah
00:13:38.31\00:13:42.32
and led Israel into idolatry.
00:13:42.32\00:13:45.29
One church was given only words
of encouragement and praise
00:13:45.29\00:13:48.82
in John's inspired letters.
00:13:48.82\00:13:51.39
The other was issued a
stern call to repentance.
00:13:51.39\00:13:55.16
So what do these two
churches have in common
00:13:56.33\00:13:58.50
with each other?
00:13:58.50\00:14:00.04
And what do they have in
common with the church today?
00:14:00.04\00:14:03.97
Don't miss the next episode
00:14:03.97\00:14:05.71
in "The Seven
Churches of Revelation" series:
00:14:05.71\00:14:09.14
"Thyatira and Philadelphia."
00:14:09.14\00:14:11.71
Learn what it
means to be a church
00:14:11.71\00:14:13.72
worthy of
receiving the morning star.
00:14:13.72\00:14:17.32
"The Seven
Churches of Revelation:
00:14:17.32\00:14:19.42
Thyatira and Philadelphia."
00:14:19.42\00:14:21.59
brought to you
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00:14:21.59\00:14:24.16
You know that at It Is Written,
00:14:26.73\00:14:28.56
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00:14:31.80\00:14:36.07
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00:14:36.07\00:14:38.17
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00:14:38.17\00:14:40.88
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00:14:40.88\00:14:42.64
itiswritten.study.
00:14:42.64\00:14:46.05
Go online to itiswritten.study,
00:14:46.05\00:14:48.55
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00:14:58.26\00:15:01.16
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00:15:01.16\00:15:04.43
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00:15:04.43\00:15:07.40
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00:15:16.38\00:15:18.55
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itiswritten.study,
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itiswritten.study.
00:15:21.85\00:15:23.85
(uplifting theme music)
00:15:26.39\00:15:29.72
>>[Eric Flickinger] Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:31.09\00:15:32.03
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:32.03\00:15:33.83
We're looking at
Ephesians, chapter 6,
00:15:33.83\00:15:36.67
and we're spending a
little bit of time here, John,
00:15:36.67\00:15:39.20
looking at the armor of God,
00:15:39.20\00:15:40.70
or at least the
introduction to this.
00:15:40.70\00:15:43.00
We're gonna spend
some time next week
00:15:43.00\00:15:44.44
delving into it a
little bit more deeply.
00:15:44.44\00:15:45.97
>>Sure.
00:15:45.97\00:15:47.21
>>But in verse
11 and in verse 13,
00:15:47.21\00:15:49.34
Paul says, "Put on
the whole armor of God."
00:15:49.34\00:15:51.91
Verse 13: "Therefore take
up the whole armor of God."
00:15:51.91\00:15:55.38
What is this armor of God?
Why does he use this phrase?
00:15:55.38\00:15:59.59
What's encapsulated in it?
00:15:59.59\00:16:01.69
>>Well, I once made one
of those little discoveries
00:16:01.69\00:16:04.43
in Bible study that
really brightens and lightens,
00:16:04.43\00:16:07.86
and you feel
like a shaft of light
00:16:07.86\00:16:09.63
has come down from heaven.
00:16:09.63\00:16:11.53
Because I always understood
this to mean the armor of God;
00:16:11.53\00:16:14.80
I understood it to mean
the armor which God provides--
00:16:14.80\00:16:18.97
you know, 41, regular,
fits and so on and so forth--
00:16:18.97\00:16:22.44
that it's customized for you,
00:16:23.24\00:16:24.88
and it's armor that
God provides to you.
00:16:24.88\00:16:27.65
But then I was reading
about the passage and learned
00:16:27.65\00:16:32.09
that Paul seems to be
reflecting on and using
00:16:32.09\00:16:37.09
Isaiah 59, verse 17.
00:16:37.09\00:16:41.13
And if you go to
Isaiah 59, verse 17,
00:16:41.13\00:16:44.50
it's another one
of these passages--
00:16:44.50\00:16:46.74
we've looked at one or
two before--where the Lord,
00:16:46.74\00:16:50.71
Yahweh, is portrayed
as the divine warrior
00:16:50.71\00:16:54.88
stepping onto
the scene of history.
00:16:54.88\00:16:57.88
In this case, He's
upset at His own people
00:16:57.88\00:17:00.75
because He's not seeing
that they are doing justice
00:17:00.75\00:17:03.82
as He would expect.
00:17:03.82\00:17:05.75
And so, there's
no man to intervene,
00:17:05.75\00:17:09.49
and so He Himself dresses
in the armor of a warrior
00:17:09.49\00:17:14.46
and steps onto the stage of
history to right the wrongs.
00:17:14.46\00:17:18.77
You get the basic
scenario here, the basic plot.
00:17:18.77\00:17:22.70
So Isaiah 59,
verse 17 reads this way:
00:17:22.70\00:17:26.37
"He"--the Lord, Yahweh--
00:17:26.37\00:17:28.88
"put on
righteousness as a breastplate,
00:17:28.88\00:17:33.38
"and a helmet of
salvation on His head;
00:17:33.38\00:17:37.02
"He put on garments of
vengeance for clothing,
00:17:37.02\00:17:40.02
and wrapped Himself
in zeal as a cloak."
00:17:40.02\00:17:43.73
>>It almost sounds
as if he's quoting Paul.
00:17:43.73\00:17:47.50
>>It almost sounds
that way, doesn't it?
00:17:47.50\00:17:49.33
So the question is,
00:17:49.33\00:17:50.83
do any of those implements
sound familiar to see?
00:17:50.83\00:17:54.00
And so then when you go
back to Ephesians, chapter 6
00:17:54.00\00:17:58.37
and you read this
phrase in verses 11 and 13--
00:17:58.37\00:18:02.68
"Put on the
whole armor of God"--
00:18:02.68\00:18:05.91
it has new meaning
because this isn't so much
00:18:05.91\00:18:10.42
the armor that God provides;
of course, He does provide it,
00:18:10.42\00:18:13.25
but it isn't so much
the armor He provides
00:18:13.25\00:18:15.36
as it is God's own armor.
00:18:15.36\00:18:17.99
We are armed in God's stuff.
00:18:17.99\00:18:21.26
He equips us
with His own weaponry.
00:18:21.26\00:18:24.63
And I find that
insight rather exciting.
00:18:24.63\00:18:26.74
And to me it adds to the
whole tenor of the passage
00:18:26.74\00:18:30.47
which is, yes, we fight against
00:18:30.47\00:18:34.58
very powerful, very dark,
00:18:34.58\00:18:37.75
very scheming foes
led by a wily devil.
00:18:37.75\00:18:41.48
Well, that's all true, but
the whole tone of the passage
00:18:41.48\00:18:44.89
is one of confidence in God,
00:18:44.89\00:18:47.12
confidence in
God's presence with us,
00:18:47.12\00:18:49.49
confidence in the armor of God,
00:18:49.49\00:18:53.33
and the fact that
it is God's own stuff
00:18:53.33\00:18:56.20
in which we're equipped
00:18:56.20\00:18:57.70
suggests the outcome of the
battle will be very positive,
00:18:57.70\00:19:00.67
and the militia of Christ
will indeed win the victory.
00:19:00.67\00:19:04.51
>>That's a very powerful picture
00:19:04.51\00:19:06.27
and a change, a shift in view of
00:19:06.27\00:19:09.11
where this armor
comes from-- >>Yes.
00:19:09.11\00:19:11.15
>>...and to whom it
actually belongs, very powerful.
00:19:11.15\00:19:15.15
Now, when we talk about
this battle that's going on
00:19:15.15\00:19:17.72
between light and darkness,
00:19:17.72\00:19:20.72
good and evil--
>>Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
00:19:20.72\00:19:22.86
>>...you'll
frequently hear people talk
00:19:22.86\00:19:25.39
about spiritual warfare. >>Yes.
00:19:25.39\00:19:28.80
>>How does that figure,
and what is spiritual warfare?
00:19:28.80\00:19:32.00
What is it not? What
misconceptions might there be?
00:19:32.00\00:19:36.54
And where do we
fit into this battle?
00:19:36.54\00:19:39.67
Where should we
fit into this battle
00:19:39.67\00:19:41.81
so that we don't end
up entering into battles
00:19:41.81\00:19:44.08
that we
shouldn't be entering into?
00:19:44.08\00:19:46.45
>>Yeah, so, many
people, when they talk
00:19:46.45\00:19:49.15
about spiritual warfare,
are talking about something
00:19:49.15\00:19:52.15
that we might call by a synonym
00:19:52.15\00:19:54.89
titled "deliverance ministry."
00:19:54.89\00:19:57.46
So it concerns
individuals who have become
00:19:57.46\00:20:01.50
so taken over
00:20:01.50\00:20:05.20
by evil powers and
spirits in a very personal way
00:20:05.20\00:20:09.30
that they have
lost their own will,
00:20:09.30\00:20:11.24
and we might describe
them as being demon-possessed.
00:20:11.24\00:20:14.88
Now, this is, of
course, a complex phenomenon
00:20:14.88\00:20:17.61
and occurs in some
other parts of the world
00:20:17.61\00:20:21.08
very, very frequently,
is perceived and seen there,
00:20:21.08\00:20:25.22
not so much in
our part of the world,
00:20:25.22\00:20:28.06
but deliverance ministry,
then, is an attempt to...
00:20:29.46\00:20:32.53
to cast out demons, to
bring freedom in Christ,
00:20:33.63\00:20:37.50
grace and freedom
into the lives of people
00:20:37.50\00:20:39.60
who are directly and habitually
00:20:39.60\00:20:44.41
repressed and overcome
by Satan and his minions.
00:20:44.41\00:20:48.61
That, as I've suggested, is
a complex area, difficult area,
00:20:48.61\00:20:52.88
and an area in which a lot
of us don't have a great deal
00:20:52.88\00:20:55.38
of experience, frankly.
00:20:55.38\00:20:56.92
And in the West, you
know, sometimes we just as soon
00:20:58.42\00:21:00.66
forget about all those demons
00:21:00.66\00:21:03.19
and...all the list of
authorities and powers
00:21:03.19\00:21:06.59
and supernatural forces
in heavenly places and so on.
00:21:06.59\00:21:09.86
But this passage won't
really allow us to do that.
00:21:09.86\00:21:13.64
It's not so much that
they're absent from our lives
00:21:13.64\00:21:17.31
as they're working in
more indirect and devious ways,
00:21:17.31\00:21:20.31
but they are
still decidedly at work.
00:21:20.31\00:21:23.65
But it would be
very natural, Eric,
00:21:23.65\00:21:25.58
to look to this passage and say,
00:21:25.58\00:21:27.12
"Okay, this is arguably the
greatest passage in the Bible
00:21:27.12\00:21:31.19
"on the theme of the great
controversy or cosmic conflict.
00:21:31.19\00:21:34.19
"So what does it tell us
00:21:34.19\00:21:35.49
about spiritual
warfare/deliverance ministry?"
00:21:35.49\00:21:39.36
That'd be a natural
question, wouldn't it?
00:21:39.36\00:21:40.83
>>It would, it would. >>Yeah.
00:21:40.83\00:21:42.43
So when we turn
here to look at it,
00:21:42.43\00:21:45.63
we say, well, on the one hand,
00:21:45.63\00:21:47.87
there seems to be
some acknowledgement here
00:21:47.87\00:21:52.01
that believers actually confront
00:21:52.01\00:21:55.88
supernatural evil powers.
00:21:55.88\00:21:58.35
So the term that Paul
uses here--"For we wrestle not
00:21:58.35\00:22:02.45
"against flesh and blood,
but against principalities,
00:22:02.45\00:22:05.22
[and]...powers"--"wrestle"
implies rather close combat.
00:22:05.22\00:22:10.06
And since wrestling
was used at the time
00:22:10.06\00:22:13.73
in the Greco-Roman
world as training for battle,
00:22:13.73\00:22:16.13
it's entirely
appropriate to use that term
00:22:16.13\00:22:19.23
in a battle context as
part of a battle metaphor.
00:22:19.23\00:22:23.17
But that implies, you know,
kinda shoulder-to-shoulder,
00:22:23.17\00:22:26.68
nose-to-nose conflict
with the powers of darkness.
00:22:26.68\00:22:30.65
And so in that sense,
it might be appropriate
00:22:30.65\00:22:33.85
for someone to
look to this passage.
00:22:33.85\00:22:36.25
As we look at it, though,
00:22:36.25\00:22:37.72
in terms of principles
for driving out demons
00:22:37.72\00:22:40.72
from the lives of
individuals and so on,
00:22:40.72\00:22:43.32
there's precious little
here that it really says
00:22:43.32\00:22:47.03
directly on the topic.
00:22:47.03\00:22:49.66
It portrays close
engagement of believers
00:22:49.66\00:22:51.97
against
spiritual forces of evil,
00:22:51.97\00:22:54.24
but Paul's emphasis really
is on God's generous provision
00:22:54.24\00:22:57.87
for victory through His presence
and through His weaponry.
00:22:57.87\00:23:01.28
And so, there isn't a lot
directly here; it doesn't--
00:23:01.28\00:23:05.91
Paul is not really focused on
00:23:05.91\00:23:09.08
that kind of ministry.
00:23:09.08\00:23:11.79
Having said that, it
seems to me that the passage
00:23:13.82\00:23:17.16
does offer some
important principles and ideas
00:23:17.16\00:23:20.63
that should inform any
effort to release someone
00:23:20.63\00:23:25.07
from the powers of darkness.
00:23:25.07\00:23:26.70
So let me run
through those, if I might.
00:23:26.70\00:23:29.57
So, trusting in the Lord,
00:23:29.57\00:23:32.01
rather than in our
own spiritual power,
00:23:32.01\00:23:34.24
to rescue Satan's captives,
00:23:34.24\00:23:36.58
our passage breathes in
putting our faith and trust--
00:23:36.58\00:23:40.68
not in our own selves and our
own power, our own ingenuity,
00:23:40.68\00:23:44.42
our own wisdom--but
resting on God's power
00:23:44.42\00:23:47.62
and God's presence. I
think that would certainly be
00:23:47.62\00:23:51.03
a very
appropriate lead principle:
00:23:51.03\00:23:54.00
acknowledging the need for
God's provision for battle,
00:23:54.00\00:23:57.60
trusting in the
completed victory of Christ,
00:23:57.60\00:24:00.94
requesting and relying on
the presence of the Spirit.
00:24:00.94\00:24:04.71
If you're going to be
tangling with the spirits,
00:24:04.71\00:24:08.44
you want the Spirit
to be present with you,
00:24:08.44\00:24:11.08
verses 17 and 18.
00:24:11.08\00:24:13.18
Using the promises of God,
"the word of God," verse 17,
00:24:13.18\00:24:18.19
would be, I think, important.
00:24:18.19\00:24:20.29
In other words, we
would rely on the promises
00:24:20.29\00:24:22.72
of God's Word--we
might read them together--
00:24:22.72\00:24:26.29
all expressed through
prayer and supplication to God,
00:24:26.29\00:24:29.96
trusting in the power of
the Spirit to convey, interpret,
00:24:29.96\00:24:33.57
and expand on our requests,
on behalf of the oppressed,
00:24:33.57\00:24:38.04
"praying at all times
in the Spirit," verse 18,
00:24:38.04\00:24:41.61
or to reflect on that
wonderful passage in Romans,
00:24:41.61\00:24:44.75
chapter 8, verses 26 and 27.
00:24:44.75\00:24:47.58
So, while it
doesn't say a lot directly,
00:24:47.58\00:24:50.92
it does seem to me that it
has some important principles
00:24:50.92\00:24:54.36
that we would want to
take with us into any attempt
00:24:54.36\00:24:57.96
to deliver someone
from the powers of darkness.
00:24:57.96\00:25:00.23
>>Good and very nice counsel
00:25:00.23\00:25:02.76
in helping to
bring some things out.
00:25:02.76\00:25:04.90
You mentioned here
that there are some things
00:25:04.90\00:25:06.50
that are not mentioned directly.
00:25:06.50\00:25:09.30
One thing that seems to
be missing in this section
00:25:10.67\00:25:14.91
of Paul's writing,
which is surprising,
00:25:14.91\00:25:18.08
is the answer to the
question, where is Jesus?
00:25:18.08\00:25:20.55
Because all through
the book of Ephesians,
00:25:20.55\00:25:23.12
we've seen Paul
referencing Jesus
00:25:23.12\00:25:25.65
over and over and
over and over again.
00:25:25.65\00:25:28.22
And it's a book full of Jesus,
00:25:28.22\00:25:31.19
and yet here we get to
this very important section--
00:25:31.19\00:25:34.46
>>Yes. >>...and where is He?
00:25:34.46\00:25:36.53
>>Yes. >>Where is He?
00:25:36.53\00:25:38.00
>>So more than 30 times in
this letter, you know, Paul uses
00:25:38.00\00:25:41.10
"in Christ," "by
Christ," "through Christ,"
00:25:41.10\00:25:43.17
"in the beloved," and so on.
00:25:43.17\00:25:45.84
It is a Christ-saturated letter.
00:25:45.84\00:25:47.78
If this is really an
appropriate conclusion
00:25:47.78\00:25:51.28
to a Christ-saturated letter,
00:25:51.28\00:25:53.11
where is Christ in this passage?
00:25:53.11\00:25:55.48
And as you look
at it on the surface,
00:25:55.48\00:25:58.19
none of those prepositional
phrases occur here.
00:25:58.19\00:26:01.36
They're just not here.
00:26:01.36\00:26:03.99
However, I don't think that
the conclusion is defective,
00:26:03.99\00:26:08.43
failing to reflect that
central Christ-centered theme.
00:26:08.43\00:26:13.03
Ephesians 6, verses 11-17
00:26:13.03\00:26:16.91
work out that
overarching thesis of verse 10:
00:26:16.91\00:26:20.61
"Finally, be
strong in the Lord."
00:26:20.61\00:26:23.41
And I would remind
you that in Ephesians,
00:26:23.41\00:26:25.51
Lord
consistently refers to Jesus.
00:26:25.51\00:26:28.82
So there He is,
right at the outset,
00:26:28.82\00:26:30.69
in that overarching command:
00:26:30.69\00:26:32.32
"Finally, be strong in
the Lord [Jesus Christ]
00:26:32.32\00:26:35.26
and in the
strength of His might."
00:26:35.26\00:26:37.93
So, putting on the
head-to-toe armor of God
00:26:37.93\00:26:41.53
is Paul's ultimate illustration
00:26:41.53\00:26:44.40
of what it means to
be in Christ, you see.
00:26:44.40\00:26:47.87
Through their union with
Christ, someone has written,
00:26:47.87\00:26:50.47
believers share in His armor
00:26:50.47\00:26:53.11
and have
solidarity with Him in battle.
00:26:53.11\00:26:56.31
And so that overarching command
00:26:56.31\00:26:58.41
and then this
sense of solidarity
00:26:58.41\00:27:00.65
with Christ in battle ensures
00:27:00.65\00:27:03.12
that this is an appropriate
Christ-focused conclusion
00:27:03.12\00:27:07.76
to a Christ-saturated letter.
00:27:07.76\00:27:09.96
>>Which probably
shouldn't surprise us very much,
00:27:09.96\00:27:12.49
but it is encouraging
to be able to see that.
00:27:12.49\00:27:16.20
And we hope that you have been
encouraged this week as well
00:27:16.20\00:27:19.73
as we've spent some time
00:27:19.73\00:27:21.20
taking a look at the
call that we have to stand.
00:27:21.20\00:27:24.27
How do we stand?
We stand in Christ.
00:27:24.27\00:27:26.71
With whom do we
stand? We stand in Christ.
00:27:26.71\00:27:29.58
He can give us the strength.
00:27:29.58\00:27:31.05
He can give us the
victory regardless of the size
00:27:31.05\00:27:34.38
or number of foes that
we happen to be up against.
00:27:34.38\00:27:39.02
That's encouraging, a
message for us from Paul,
00:27:39.02\00:27:42.62
from the Holy Spirit
through Paul to you and me.
00:27:42.62\00:27:45.46
We look forward to
seeing you again next week
00:27:45.46\00:27:47.36
as we continue with
just a couple more weeks
00:27:47.36\00:27:50.47
in our journey
through the book of Ephesians.
00:27:50.47\00:27:53.47
This has been "Sabbath School,"
00:27:53.47\00:27:54.80
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:54.80\00:27:56.87
(uplifting theme music)
00:27:56.87\00:28:00.34
(music ends)
00:28:26.87\00:28:28.97