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1. Be Strong: _________________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. NIV

(Daniel 7:9-10; Hebrews 12:22; Galatians 3:3; Galatians 5:16,25; Ephesians 1:18-19; Ephesians 3:16-21)

2. Put On: _________________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. NIV

3. Recognize: __________________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. NIV

4. Stand: ______________________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. NIV

(Ephesians 4:26)

A. Stand Firm With The: ____________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, NIV

B. Stand Firm With The: ____________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹⁴Stand firm then… with the breastplate of righteousness in place NIV

(1Peter 1:15-16; 1Corinthians 15:33-34)

C. Stand Firm With The: ____________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. NIV

(Romans 10:14-15)

D. Stand Firm With The: ____________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. NIV

E. Stand Firm With The: ____________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation NIV

F. Stand Firm With The: ____________________________________!

Ephesians 6: ¹⁷ and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. NIV

(Hebrews 4:12)

G. Stand Firm With: _______________________________________!

Ephesians 6:¹⁸And 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 saints. NIV

Chapter 6

1    Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right – Tekna (children) does not refer just to young children but to all offspring. Hupakouō (obey) literally means “to hear under,” that is, to listen with attentiveness and to heed what is heard.

2    “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—³“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” -  “that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you”  (Ex. 20:12). Cf. Ex 21:15, 17.

4    Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord – Provoke to anger.

“The four primary factors necessary to prevent delinquency are: the father’s firm, fair, and consistent discipline; the mother’s supervision and companionship during the day; the parent’s demonstrated affection for each other and for the children; and the family’s spending time together in activities where all participated (Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency [Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press, 1950], pp. 257-71).

5.   Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. – Can refer to employees. Slaves = doulos = bond slave.

9    And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him – Employers are to treat employees with fairness.

10   Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power – “Be strong” is in the present tense, the passive voice and the imperative mood. Paraphrase: Command: Allow yourself to be continually made strong in the Lord in His mighty power. “Power” kratei is talking about “that which overcomes resistance” as used in Christ’s miracles. And mighty ischyos is talking about God’s inherent power.

11   Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes – schemes  = methodeia =  “methods” = someone who lies in waiting, =  “trickery.”

12   For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms – The word  Palē (struggle) was used of hand-to-hand combat and especially of wrestling. The rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms are all different ranks of fallen angels.

13   Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand – “Put on” analambanō is technical military term describing preparation for battle.

14   Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist – probably not the belt on the outside, but was underneath and used to gird up the soldiers undergarments so he could move freely -  cingulum (girdle)

…..with the breastplate of righteousness in place – The breastplate was usually made of  bronze with a leather backing. A blow through the breastplate was usually fatal. Protected the heart and vital organs.

15   and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace – The military shoes had nails sticking out of them so as to be able to grip the ground. They also wore greaves on their legs to protect them.

16   In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one – The Roman shield was 4 ft by 2 1/2 ft.  It was overlaid with linen and leather to absorb fiery arrows. Sometimes the leather would be soaked in water to also help extinguish flaming arrows.

17 Take the helmet of salvation – Helmets were made of leather and brass, or sometimes bronze and iron—so, no sword could pierce a good helmet. Cf. 1Thess 5:8

…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God – The Roman machaira  was 18-24 inches long but was double edged. The Roman army was actually nicknamed the “short swords”.

18   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 saints – Prayer = heavy artillery.

21   Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing – Tychicus is also mentioned in Acts 20:4; Colossians 4:7; 2 Timothy 4:12; and Titus 3:12.