Ephesians Teaching Series

This beautifully constructed letter can best be understood by paying attention to its amazing structure.

24. Eph 6:10-13 You're Taller and Stronger than You Think You Are

  • You live in two realities: material plus spiritual where there is a huge war raging.
  • You are joined inseparably to Jesus, so take a stand with courage and joy.

Play Audio:

Please open the handout showing this passage by Clicking here,
or download the PDF of the page here.

Goal:

That we would all grasp the nature of reality,
and how we fit in.

Overview of Ephesians: 7 Walks

  • [Chs 1–3] Christ’s Work in You:
    From Walking in sin and death to Walking as a New Creation
  • [4:1] Walk in tune with your amazing new calling
  • [4:17] Walk not in the old self, but putting on the new
  • [5:2] Walk in Love
  • [5:8] Walk in the Light
  • [5:15] Walk with Wisdom and in the Spirit

Walk with Wisdom and in the Spirit

  • Singing and giving thanks
  • Submitting to one another as Spirit-filled people
    1. Wives and Husbands Eph 5:22–33
    2. Children and Parents Eph 6:1–4
    3. Slaves and Masters Eph 6:5–9
  • Take your Stand in power and victory

You’re Taller and Stronger than You Think You Are

  1. There are two realms: earthly and supernatural
  2. Your Position and your Power
  3. Joined to Jesus—Union with the highest and most powerful

1. There are two realms: earthly and supernatural

  • Paul used an expression “the heavenly places” 5 times
    • Not heaven because demons are there
    • More like the Spiritual Realms

The Heavenly Places in Ephesians

  • 1:3 …the Father… who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
  • 1:20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
  • 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
  • 3:10 that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to rulers… in the heavenly places.
  • 6:12 For our struggle is not against blood and flesh but against… the evil spiritual beings in the heavenly places.
  • Let’s look at the passage (and your handout):

Ephesians 6:10–13 – Warfare: You Have The Power to Stand

  1. Τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν κυρίῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. Finally, be empowered in the Lord and in his mighty strength.
  2. ἐνδύσασθε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ Put on the full armor of God
πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι ὑμᾶς στῆναι πρὸς τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου· that you may have the power to stand against the schemes of the devil.
  1. ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, For our struggle is not against blood and flesh
ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, but against the rulers
πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, against the authorities
πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, against the world powers over this darkness
πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις. against the evil spiritual beings in the heavenly places.
  1. διὰ τοῦτο ἀναλάβετε τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, Because of this take up the complete armor of God
ἵνα δυνηθῆτε ἀντιστῆναι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ πονηρᾷ that you may have the power to withstand on the evil day
καὶ ἅπαντα κατεργασάμενοι στῆναι. and having prepared in every way, to stand.

Translation and structure by Andrew Fountain

There are Two Realities:

The
”Heavenly Places”

The physical
”blood and flesh”
world

2. Your Position and your Power

2 realities

2 realities

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  • Eph 5:14 “Wake up, O sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
  • Ephesians is rich with allusions to this, and we are going to go through some of them now.

Ephesians 5

  1. Wake up, O sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
  2. Watch carefully then how you walk:
    not as unwise
    but as wise,
  3. making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
  • The letter opens with a statement of our power, which matches today’s passage at the end of the book

Chapters 1 and 6

  1. …the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe
    according to the working of his mighty strength.
  1. Finally, be empowered in the Lord and in his mighty strength.
  • Here is the full reference:

Ephesians 1:15–23

  1. This is why, I also having heard about
your trust in the Lord Jesus
and your love for all the holy ones
  1. Never cease giving thanks for you
making mention of you in my prayers
  1. that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory
would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.
  1. that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know
what is the hope of his calling
what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance: the holy ones
  1. and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe
according to the working of the might of his strength 20which he worked in Christ
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavenly places
  1. far above every ruler and authority and power and dominion
and every position that exists, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
  1. And he put all things in subjection under his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church
  1. which indeed is his body, the fullness of the one who is filling all in all.
  • And then right in the middle of the letter, there is a similar prayer that we would be able to grasp the power we have in Jesus:

Ephesians 3:14–21

  1. Τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
  2. wἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται, from whom every group in heaven and on earth is named,
  3. ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory,
δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, with power to be strengthened, through his Spirit,
εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον in your inner being,
  1. κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν for Christ to dwell, through faith, in your hearts
ἐν ἀγάπῃ· ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι,in love, being rooted and grounded
  1. ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέσθαι σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις that you may have strength to comprehend with all the saints
τί τὸ πλάτος καὶ μῆκος καὶ ὕψος καὶ βάθος, what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
  1. γνῶναί τε τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
ἵνα πληρωθῆτε εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ. that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
  1. Τῷ δὲ δυναμένῳ Now to him who has the power
ὑπὲρ πάντα ποιῆσαι ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ὧν αἰτούμεθα ἢ νοοῦμεν to do all things far more abundantly than we ask or think,
κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἡμῖν, according to the power that works mightily within us,
  1. αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς τοῦ αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν. throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Translation and structure by Andrew Fountain

  • Get this—it is a core message of the book. You already have the power! You need to live in it!
    • Get hold of your new identity!

3. Joined to Jesus—Union with the highest and most powerful

Clinton Arnold, Ephesians

The prominent themes of union with Christ and the new identity of believers come to a climax in 6:10–20 because it is through this relationship and all that it entails that believers are strengthened to resist the powerful attacks from the evil one and his emissaries. The readers are admonished to be strong “in the Lord,” that is, through growing deeper in a present, dynamic relationship of dependence on the one who is powerful enough to do more than they could ask or even imagine (see 3:20). Simultaneously, they are called to grow into a self-awareness of their new identity.

Ephesians 2
Union with Christ

  1. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he has loved us
  2. even though we were dead in trespasses
    made us alive together with Christ
    by grace you have been saved
  3. and raised us up together
    and seated us together
    in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
  4. so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace
    through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
  • Taken along with:

Ephesians 1

  1. [that you will know] what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe
    according to the working of his mighty strength
  2. which he worked in Christ
    raising him from the dead
    and seating him at his right hand in the heavenly places
  3. far above every ruler and authority and power and dominion
    and every position that exists, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
  4. And he put all things in subjection under his feet…

2 realities

2 realities

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Your New Identity

  • You live in two realities: Material and Spiritual
  • There is a huge war raging in the Spiritual dimension
  • Jesus has been raised above all powers
  • You are joined inseparably to him and this power is available to you
  • Wake up! and take a stand with courage and joy, knowing that ultimate victory is certain!
Last updated on 3 Dec 2023
Published on 3 Dec 2023