Gtcotr/ss110826
The nation of Turkey is one of my favorite vacation spots, I actually think I would enjoy living there. The countryside is beautiful and the people are friendly, helpful, and I enjoy the food and their pace of life. Added to those things is the fact that about two-thirds of the New Testament was written either in Turkey or written to people who lived in Turkey. It is such a Bible rich land.
A place I love to visit is the ancient city of Ephesus. It is beautifully situated alongside the Mediterranean very close to the port city of Kusadasi where the cruise ships dock. In years past, before the more recent political problems with the government of Turkey, I looked at property to lease or purchase around the old city imagining I’d enjoy vacationing there with family and friends. There is such a peace I’ve found walking the ruins of the city of Ephesus … maybe that’s one of the reasons Timothy, and the Apostle John, and perhaps even Mary, the mother of Jesus, chose this as the place they would live out the remaining years of their lives, serving the saints there. The Apostle John wrote the Gospel of John and first, second, and third John from Ephesus.
The Church at Ephesus was one of the largest Churches of the day. It is one of the three model Churches in the New Testament. The first was Jerusalem, the second was the Church in Antioch, and then Ephesus. The Ephesian Church was a mission minded Church, teaching and training Church leaders and missionaries and sending them throughout the known world to evangelize cities and start Churches. Luke wrote (Acts 19:9-10) that all who lived in Asia heard the Word of the Lord both Jews and Greeks from this Church’s direct mission efforts.
As we best understand, Paul started the Church in Ephesus in about AD52/53 (Acts 18) and about 10 years later Timothy, Paul’s young son in the faith, became the pastor there. Paul’s last written words of record were directed to young Pastor Timothy concerning him carrying on the ministry after Paul’s anticipated death.
The city of Ephesus was very well known in the Roman Empire and was arguably the most spiritual city of its day. Spiritual in the sense that it was a truly demonically influenced city before Jesus (Acts 19) changed everything. The Temple of Artemis and pagan inspired satanic worship had been ongoing in Ephesus for about 750 years before Christ. Paul spent two full years there preaching the Gospel. During that time the city wholly changed and the Church grew mightily. The New Testament epistle to the Church at Ephesus stands today as a light to continually guide Churches to participate in special miracles around the world.
This morning we are going to look at the final words Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus. So, without further ado, let’s read from Ephesians 6, beginning with verse 10. Today I will be reading from the New Living Translation.
Ephesians 6 NLT
10 ¶ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in
his mighty power.
11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be
able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
12 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.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor
so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the
battle you will still be standing firm.
14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of
truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from
the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
16 In addition to all of these, hold up the
shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent.
There is a devil who wants to deceive you into thinking people are your problem. Certainly, the devil works through people who are willing to channel his desires, but that is only the fruit of an otherwise demonic root.
·
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood.
·
But we do have two offensive weapons at our
disposal.
1.
The Word of
God is our sword.
2. Prayer is our strength.
There is no excuse for not knowing the Word of God. Every test is an open-book test. You can even give a shout-out or phone a friend. Prayer is easy however, knowing what to pray for can be a challenge.
Have you ever been at a place in life where you wanted
God’s will to be done but you weren’t sure what He wanted? Jesus faced that
same dilemma. The three things Jesus depended on in the Garden of Gethsemane in
His greatest moment of need were (Matthew 26:36-46):
·
The prayers of
His friends.
·
His desire to
please God.
· The guidance of the Holy Spirit.
We have that same Holy Spirit that helped Jesus in His moment of need (Romans 8:11).
Romans 8 NLT
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
John 11, verses 33, 35, and 37, show Jesus expressing Himself without words with groanings and weeping at the graveside of Lazarus. This is a picture of the Holy Spirit interceding without words; it’s reminiscent of Jesus praying great sweat drops of blood (Luke 24:44) in agony.
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Trust in the Lord and do not lean to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path (Proverbs 3:5&6).
You can depend on God’s Word, and when you desire to do what pleases Him, the Holy Spirit will direct, comfort, and guide you. He will pray for you even through your groanings and God will know what the Spirit is saying. The Holy Spirit will plead the will of God over your life.
When you are in trouble, filled with sorrow, in agony
over a situation you cannot change, open your heart and allow the Holy Spirit
to pray through you with words which cannot be expressed.
