Welcome to Bible at the Beach. Today we'll be in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 24.
We'll finish the book of Ephesians today. I'm glad that you can be with me.
He says in verse 10, now my beloved ones, I have saved these most important truths for last.
So Paul is wrapping up his beautiful epistle to the church in Ephesus, and he's going to wrap it all together here at the end.
He's going to say, like give a summary of what's important about what he's just written.
He says, be supernaturally infused with strength through your life union with the Lord Jesus.
So he's reminding us that we don't live in natural strength, but we live in supernatural strength.
So you should be asking yourself, what gives me supernatural energy in my life?
Figure out what those activities are and then invest in them so that you can be spiritually charged at all times.
I recommend the basics.
Figure out a way to pray that's invigorating.
Figure out a way to read the word that's invigorating.
Figure out a way to learn that's invigorating.
Figure out a way to worship that's invigorating for you, for your personality,
for the way that God made you so that you can have the energy that you need to run the race that God has called you to run.
He says stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through you.
When you figure out the things that invigorate you spiritually, invest in them so that God's power can flow into your life and it can overflow into the people around you.
Paul says put on God's complete set of armor provided for you.
So now he says, here's the tools that I've given you to prosper spiritually.
And so that you will be protected as you fight against the evil strategies of the accuser.
So the devil has strategies, discouragement, accusation.
Discouragement, accusation.
Discouragement lies accusation.
Those are the devil's strategies.
Discouragement lies accusation.
So now he's going to show us how to fend off those tools and tricks of the devil.
He says so put on God's complete armor.
Your hand-to-hand combat is not with human beings, but with the highest principalities and authorities operating in rebellion under the heavenly realms.
For they are a powerful class of demons and evil spirits that hold the dark world in bondage.
Because of this, you must wear all the armor that God provides so that you can be protected.
So what we learn is that we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
Sometimes the enemy can influence people, but it's not people that you're really dealing with.
People can be difficult when they're inspired by the devil.
People can be wonderful when they're inspired by the Holy Spirit.
So we want to pray for all of us to be inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Make our life easier. Make the kingdom of God easier.
And we need to be reminded that we are constantly battling a spiritual battle that we win through prayer and humility.
So this is how we win that battle.
It gives us a few pointers.
He says that you're protected as you confront the slanderer.
The devil is a slanderer.
That's why you should never slander someone else, because you're being like the devil when you do it.
So if you follow Jesus, you know, we live in the United States here in San Clemente.
We talk about freedom of speech.
What is freedom of speech if you're a follower of Jesus?
Well, you're constrained by gossip and slander.
So what that means is that you're constrained by we don't name names when we're pointing out problems with people.
That's gossip. Did you hear this? That could be gossip.
Slander is making character assessments about someone of which you don't have the full information about.
You don't have the full picture.
So we're not supposed to engage in slander because when we do that, we're like the devil who slanders us.
He says for your destiny, for all things to rise victorious, put on truth as a belt to strengthen you as you stand in triumph.
This is the truth. Put on the word into your life.
I listen to the Bible every day. I know my friend Adam Watts does as well.
Get up, listen to the word, have it wash over our mind every single day.
Read the Bible now. Four years running. I listen to it.
Wash over me, wash over my home, wash over my family every single day.
Put on holiness as a protective armor that covers your heart.
So the Bible says that without holiness, no one will see the Lord.
God has set you apart.
What does that mean? That we're not supposed to have any ongoing besetting sin that defiles us in our life.
If you need help, then you can reach out to a brother.
The Bible says if we confess our sins one another so that we could be healed.
So if you're stuck in a sin, find a friend to talk to.
And as you bring things into the light, the darkness dissipates.
Remember, we're called to live a holy life set apart for Jesus.
Stand under feet alert. You'll always be ready to share the blessings of peace.
So we want to walk in the peace of God. We want to live in the peace of God.
In every battle, take faith as your wraparound shield, for it is able to extinguish the blazing arrows coming at you from the evil one.
So we live in faith. We walk by faith. We think in faith. We live by faith.
Embrace the power of salvation's full deliverance like a helmet to protect you from your thoughts from lies.
And take the mighty razor sharp word of the spoken word of God.
So we want to fill our lives with the word. We want to walk in the word. We want to meditate on the word.
That's what keeps us strong. That's what keeps us powerful.
Pray passionately as you constantly intercede with every form of prayer at all times.
Pray the blessings of God upon all his believers and pray also that God's revelation would be released through me every time I preach the wonderful mystery of the hope-filled gospel.
So pray passionately. Walk in the spirit. Walk in the word. Live in the word.
Preach the wonderful news of God's kingdom with bold freedom at every opportunity.
That's what Steve just did with Jesus Rallies. He gathered six different ministries, 50 different people.
18 people came to Christ. 100 people were prayed for just by spending a Friday evening walking up and down the streets of San Clemente
instead of asking people to come to church, taking the church out into the world to be the hands and feet of Jesus for those who need to hear God's truth and message.
Even though I'm chained as a prisoner, I'm God's ambassador.
So we're God's ambassador. We're his representative everywhere that we find ourselves.
And then Paul wraps it up by saying, I'm sending you a dear friend. He's a beloved brother and trustworthy minister of our Lord Jesus.
So what happened was Paul would disciple people and develop trust and then get those trusted disciples to visit each other and to encourage each other.
This is our pattern. As you disciple people, get them to visit each other and get them to encourage each other.
That's straight out of Paul's life. He will share with you all the concerns that I have for your welfare.
I will inform you of how I'm getting along. This is before social media and all these channels we had that communicated everything all the time everywhere.
Paul says he'll give you a verbal update of how I'm doing. He also has the wisdom to help you address the situations that you're facing.
And he says, and he will prophesy over you to encourage your hearts. That's a prophecy he does.
When we prophesy over people, it is supposed to encourage them and build them up to be strong in their faith.
So that God may showers peace upon you, my beloved friends, and may the blessings of faith and love fill your hearts from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus the Messiah.
Abundant grace with all of you as each of you love our Lord Jesus Christ without corruption.
That's God's encouragement to us. A pure, undivoted, uncorrupted love and loyalty to Jesus.
Thanks so much for tuning in today for Bible at the Beach. I hope you're blessed by it. God's word is encouraging.
If you'll just take time to be lifted up by it every single day. Until next time, have a beautiful day.