Category: Ephesians

September 14, Reading 3 – Ephesians 6:10-24

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

It is good to meditate on relationship between the armour image and the truth each part portrays. Read Isaiah 59:15-17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:8,9. Isaiah places this armour on Christ! Have you ever thought of the Christian’s armour as Christ’s armour? Do you realise how privileged you are?

SJA Notes

* Faithful God, thank You for speaking to us today through Your word.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, …”

One very comforting thing from today’s passage, in our daily spiritual battle with evil, is that the whole armor of God is very much wrapped up in what we read throughout the rest of scripture.

We have truth. Righteousness. Readiness to tell people about Jesus. Faith. Salvation. God’s Word itself. Prayer.

These are not far-out crazy-alien ideas. This is not a magical suit of armor, a wish-fulfilment rub-the-lamp element.

These realities are grounded in God’s plan; in His steadfast love and faithfulness, His working all things for our good, His defeating death at calvary.

We come back to Jesus. God’s word become flesh. Our salvation. The author and perfecter of our faith. The Good Shepherd who preached to crowds of thousands and to individuals. The (only) righteous one. He always spoke the truth.

This is our God and Saviour, our Lord and King. And the whole armor He gives us is rooted in Him. This is a good thing!

* Father God,

Thank You that You have allowed us to put on this armor, these truths that You have shown us throughout Your word.

Please help us point to Jesus.

Please help us be more like Jesus.

Please help us Lord God, because what else can we do but cry out to You as our Saviour.

Merciful God, thank You for Jesus!

Amen.

September 13, Reading 3 – Ephesians 5:22-6:9

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

Family life is an integral facet of congregational life, as is your personal spiritual life. Wives, husbands, children and fathers are all asked to do things they find hard and a struggle. Do you give the other credit for how hard their struggle is?

SJA Notes

* Holy God, please open our hearts to understand Your word to us today.

“Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.”

This is a hard word to hear!

It’s so very counter to the world, at any time throughout history.

Submission itself is hard to practice, hard to put into place. Treating our parents with honor, the same. And obedience in a master/slave situation – we dare not raise the idea in our current time.

The world and our own pride would tell us that WE are more important than that. Our SELF is to be raised up.

But God’s word is not like other words, not like other wisdom.

God gave up His very life, in the Person of the Son (Jesus), for a people who were His enemies.

While on earth, we see God the Son _submitting_ to God the Father, even to the cross bearing the full wrath of God for the sins of His people.

If our king did this, then certainly we can practice other-centeredness here on earth (think of the inheritance waiting).

In our marriages. With our parents and our children. In our working relationships.

Let us resist the voice (inner or outer) that says pride in self is moral and righteous, and instead let us take Jesus as our example.

* God Above,

Please humble us under Your mighty hand, so that at the right time, You will lift us up.

Amen.

September 12, Reading 3 – Ephesians 5:1-21

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

Verse 1 is directly related to Genesis 1:26,27. Salvation is not an insurance policy for eternity – it is the beginning of a new life, a different way to conduct relationships. It is living or walking in the LIGHT. The way of sanctification is therefore a matter of choosing wisdom rather than stupidity, with God defining the difference!

SJA Notes

* Dear Father God in Heaven, please open our hearts to have Your word written on them today.

“Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.”

Paul gives us a clear description here of what it means to be children of light.

We are to be fruitful.

Our fruit is to be what is good and right and true.

These are active restrictions we are to place on our behaviour, into our thoughts.

If we find ourselves going after worldly things, bearing unrighteous fruit, then Paul says – Do not become partners with the world!

That way is darkness, but we are children of God’s light.

So walk as we should.

This can be hard. But we have God’s word being written on our hearts by His Spirit to guide us, to help us discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

* Dear God,

Please teach us today what is pleasing to You.

Please show us how we need to behave in this world, as children of Your light.

Please may Your light shine through us to those around us.

Amen.