SWORDS Bible Study Eph 6:20a

By Mari

Eph 6:18-20 Praying…for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.  For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

This last verse really puts it all together for me!  This great secret, revealed to and through the Apostle Paul to us, is concerning God’s eternal purpose in Christ. Through Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace, God has now made this glorious secret known to us (Eph. 1:9) that we, in turn, might make it known to others (Eph. 3:9).

Paul said of this great mystery, “For which I am an ambassador in bonds”.  We are not in bonds, we are not in jail, we are free and have liberty to speak the truth of God to anyone!  If he prayed for utterance to be able to continue to speak the gospel even in prison, how much more should we pray this prayer living freely!

God appointed Paul an ambassador, and He has appointed every believer today an ambassador, for we are to follow Paul as he followed Christ (ICor.11:1).  The reason we learn right division is so that we will give the RIGHT gospel for today!  We want to accurately represent Christ, because God has entrusted us with giving the message of reconciliation!  We must be careful not to mix our personal story into the message, for that will only take away from the pure truth of the gospel today.

We must never forget that God is calling out to a fallen world through us, His ambassadors! As though beseeching us….begging us…to beseech the lost to be saved!

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

It is not only a great privilege but a great challenge! The privilege comes with knowing we have ALL spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Eph 1:3), and the challenge is fortified with the armor of God that the Lord has given us to use here! (Eph 6:10-20).  Our goal is to accurately depict the gospel not to the pleasing of men, but pleasing God who trieth our hearts.

1Th 2:4  But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.

When Paul asked the Ephesians to pray about the mystery of the gospel, “that therein I may speak boldly,”…he was saying that therein, in that place, in respect to giving the mystery of the gospel, he wanted to continue to speak BOLDLY!  And as he ended this prayer by saying, “as I ought to speak”, we must remember that Paul is our pattern, given to us by God in this dispensation of grace, and so this is something that WE ought to speak boldly as well!

When I say that I put on the armor of God daily, it is not done by materializing the armor.  It is spiritual armor, and it has to do with spiritual warfare!  And so when I say I put on the armor of God daily, I’m talking about remembering and acknowledging the armor, (though I have memorized the verses and think on these verses) reinforcing what I know to be true, that I am a soldier of Christ.  I stand in His armor, because it is up to me, it is my responsibility to know that I am in a battle, and the battle is mine to fight! It should be the same for EVERY believer!

The Lord has given us all we need.  Salvation!  What could be greater?  He also gave us all blessings in heavenly places! (Eph.1:3)  He has given us armour to go into battle.

He has left us here as soldiers, and equipped us with this armor as His, not to cower in the corner, or to let others do battle, but to help win souls, and to fight the good fight of the faith.

We do this in order to be “able to withstand in the evil day”.  And what evil day is this?  Every day in the dispensation of grace is an evil day, because we must live in “this present evil world” (Gal.1:4).  And because we live in the evil day, it is our responsibility to stand “having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” and so on.

We have been equipped by God to stand against the wiles of the devil, and we are responsible to use what God has given to us in this daily battle! God has given US the armor, He has given US the Sword of the Spirit, it is up to US to take them up and to use them as direction has been given to US all.  So let’s be like Eleazar, one of David’s “mighty men” (IISam.23:9).

“He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day…” (v.9).

When the battle was done, they literally had to pry his fingers off of his sword, so tightly did he cling to it.  If we too want to win “a great victory” for the Lord in our battle for the truth today, we cannot do less. Though his battle was physical and ours is spiritual, the metaphor holds true! Cling to the sword of the Spirit, it is the very word of God.

So let’s put it all together.

Eph 6:10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

We are strong not in our own wills and paltry strength, but strong in the Lord and in the power of His might!

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

We put on what God has given us by FAITH! His armour so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil. Once again we see the importance of the armor of God. In the end it is to help us make known the mystery of the gospel (Eph 6:19-20). Once again, we see what our goal is, and how the wiles of the devil try to stop us at every turn from making known the truth of God to others.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We know our enemy and how he works against us. Remember, the Apostle Paul instructs us to put on our spiritual armor because our battle in this world is a SPIRITUAL one, a warfare that involves the trickery and power of the devil, as opposed to a battle with mere men. It is not against flesh and blood, but principalities, power, rulers of the darkness of this world and spiritual wickedness in high places.  Though human beings, and our old man may certainly play a role in line with the devil and his promotion of false doctrines, they are being used for the purposes of accomplishing evil. We need to remember that it is evil and ignorance that is the true power behind those who oppose the things of God, whether or not they know they are opposing the Lord.

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Having TAKEN the armour we know we have done all and can stand. Paul is saying that “by reason of the fact that we are not warring against mere human beings, but against powerful wicked spirits—for THAT reason we must take on the whole armour of God, in order to be able to withstand in the evil day.

These verses are designed to give us an idea of the gravity of the battle in which we find ourselves as believers! This is no small skirmish! We are warring against a mighty opposition orchestrated by the wiles of Satan to keep the gospel of the grace of God from the lost through false religions and their mixed up doctrines!

Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

Why do we need the breastplate of rightousness?  Our heart is susceptible to the wiles of the devil, who would have us believe that we have no righteousness!  Our protection is the breastplate of righteousness, which assures us that we are righteous IN Christ.

The breastplate of righteousness also reminds us that our righteousness comes from Jesus Christ. There is no way we can become righteous on our own, no matter what good works we might do. We are only righteous through believing on Him, through justification, meaning we have been justified by the WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS the moment we believed!  If you are justified in Christ, you are also righteous in Christ.  And when we believe on Jesus Christ for salvation, God sees us as righteous and justified!

We are justified, “made the righteousness of God in Him” (IICor.5:21), seen by God as absolutely sinless, because of what Jesus did FOR us.  But to protect our heart from being discouraged by our sins, we must put on the breastplate of righteousness!   And the ONLY way you can wear this breastplate is by FAITH in the word of God. You must stand in what God has told us, that HE has made us righteous in His Son!

Eph 6:15  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

The wonder of it all is that God has given us armor to allow us to bring the gospel of peace to those who are perishing, just as we once were perishing. We, with and in Him, are allowed, privileged to SHARE this gift He gave us with others. He tells us that we need to have our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

How are you preparing? Remember, while it is good to go to church services and Bible studies, the point is not just to be ever learning (2 Tim 3:7), but to take what we learn as our preparation, and be ready in season and out of season to give the gospel of Christ!

2Ti_4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

We are able to do this when we have put on the armor of God. There is no need to be afraid when you are standing firm in His word, being girded up with truth and the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace!

Eph 6:16  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

This is why Paul says we are to be “taking” the shield of faith. If we can take it up, that means we can also set it down. Too many saints today think that they can just spiritually coast on their saving faith, and not build themselves up in the faith, and others as well. They effectively lay down the faith that is their shield, and leave themselves open to enemy attacks and false doctrines.

I don’t think the importance of faith can be over emphasized! Paul says we are to be:

I Timothy 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.

Here Paul is telling us to be “holding the mystery of the faith” (ITim.3:9), the grace message! If we don’t, we’ll end up like the “some” Paul mentions here who put away their faith in the grace message and “made shipwreck” of the faith! We want to build on our faith, and always spiritually carry our shield of faith daily!

Next week we will conclude this study of the armour of

God.