CHAPTER 6

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

The Scripture gives reason why children should obey parents.
Ex. 20:12 says, "Honour thy father and thy mother that thy days
may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

I wonder how many children are AWARE that, under God's Word,
they are SUPPOSED to obey their parents?

A child is not yet able to reason right/wrong things.
They are to be taught.

The first order of learning to be under authority is with the parents!
Without that, children will be disobedient to ALL authority!

Parents are supposed to TEACH direct obedience because it is
leadership to obey God.

The Scripture adds "obey your parents in the Lord..."
The parent is ascribed the DUTY of teaching children ABOUT the
Lord, and to teach them right and wrong ACCORDING to the Lord.

Note, that this is the "..the first commandment with PROMISE.."
The promise is that "...thou mayest live long on the earth."

One will grow to be wiser, stronger and more able if they are
obedient to parents "...in the Lord..."
Thus, they will be more valuable to society.

4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them
up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Parents are SUPPOSED to be RESPONSIBLE for their children.

When discipline is necessary, it should be used in a manner which
will not cause the child to be angry.
It is important that parents use discipline, but it should be fully
EXPLAINED.
And, it should be explained according to the Word of God!

There are too many parents who use discipline with severity and
do not explain WHY the discipline was necessary.

Parents need to realize that children are a gift from God.
Ps. 127:3 says, "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the
fruit of the womb is His reward."

Parents who regard God as Supreme, will strive to rear
children who will recognize authority and be productive in society.

5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh,
with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall
he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Notice the last words there "...whether he be bond or free."
In today's world, that would include employees!

The boss is responsible for the worker, and the worker
is responsible to the boss!
When one is an employee, he/she is expected to give a day's
work for a day's pay!
Slackness on the job makes the boss's job difficult,
and brings shame on the company.

One should work "With good will doing service, as to the LORD,
and not to men."

Not doing the work is SLACKNESS toward GOD!

9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening:
knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of
persons with him.

With God, there is no "...respect of persons..."
EACH person is responsible to God, whether they be the boss
or the worker!

Communication from boss to worker is the backbone of a business!
An angry, fretful boss loses the devotion of workers!

If one needs worker satisfaction, it is imperative that communication
is explaining in terms that can be understood, and not with just a
THREAT!

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil.

In order to perform tasks properly, both bosses and workers should
consider FIRST the responsibility to the LORD!

The devil is ALWAYS using his "wiles" to disrupt society!

One NEEDS the ARMOR of God to withstand the devil's deception!

ALL of us need to enter our daily lives with the "...WHOLE armour of
God!"

Too often we go about our lives thinking we can do it ourselves.
But, this leaves us WITHOUT "the power of HIS might!"

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.

There ARE those who followed Lucifer, and were kicked out of
heaven!
They ARE here to disrupt our affiliations with others!
They OFTEN bring anxiety, and even anger, against one another.

Our STRUGGLE is against these "principalities" who are
"...rulers of darkness (sin)...." and "..wickedness in
high places."

Christians are ALWAYS in the struggle of wrestling with
these "...powers..."

Therefore.....

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.

ANY day when one is tempted, or even assaulted spiritually, he/she
NEEDS the FULL armor of God to "..stand..", or to
OVERCOME!

There are SEVEN pieces for the armor of God.
Each is symbolic from a warrior.
Therefore, as a soldier of God, in the affairs of life, we should
KNOW and be REMINDED of these protections.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having
on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Girt -- girdle or belt. This was used to tie up the long gown
and make shorts so the soldier could fight without hindrance.
It is symbolic with WRAPPING ourselves in TRUTH, which comes
from study of the Word of God.

Breastplate -- covering of the chest.
It is symbolic of making spiritual arrows (from evil devils) glance away.

Shoes -- strong binding for the feet.
They are symbolic traveling through life with PEACE from knowing
the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ.

Shield -- A large deflector held in front of the warrior.
This shield is symbolic of FAITH.
Our faith in Christ is GIVEN to us by Him when we absolutely TRUST
in Him.

Helmet -- covering of the head.
It is symbolic of KNOWING we are saved by grace.
((The first five of the armor are DEFENSIVE.
The next two are OFFENSIVE!))

Sword -- This is the wielding power of the soldier.
It is symbolic of having power from God's Spirit to UTILIZE
the Word of God in an appropriate manner.

Prayer -- Speaking to God!
Prayer is to be performed with "supplication."
It is speaking to God in pleading a petition.

Prayer is to be performed "...ALWAYS.."
In another place, the Scripture says, "Pray without ceasing."
(1Thess. 5:17)
In other words, we are to be in a constant attitude of prayer
in our daily lives.
And that prayer should include "...ALL saints.."
Our brothers and sisters in Christ should be in prayers at all times.

ALL of these pieces of spiritual armor should be:
ON our mind, in our thoughts,
INGRAINED in our hearts where we make decisions,
And, EXHIBITED by our actions in worldly affairs!

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

This admonition is for pastor, missionaries, teachers and others who are
called of the Lord to preach/teach the Gospel.

Prayer is an offensive weapon which yields a GUARD around those
who are preaching and teaching the Gospel.
With this guard, they are enabled to speak "...boldly..."!

21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a
beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to
you all things:
22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might
know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.

As Tychicus was sent by Paul, so others are sent to inform us
of the affairs of pastors, missionaries and teachers.

Pray for them also, for they bring news about HOW we can pray!

23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.
Amen.

The example of Paul's prayer here is important for all Christians
to grasp and utilize.

The prayer is for PEACE and GRACE.
BOTH can only come from actively being IN CHRIST!

Peace comes from the inward understanding that God is WITH
the Christian at ALL times. (Matt. 28:20) ANY Christian can, and should, pray for others to HAVE that peace.

Grace is the indeserved favor of God.
Again, ANY Christian, can and should, pray for others to receive
that grace.