Ephesians 6:10-18

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As we finish up the book of Ephesians, we’re looking at it as if it is a photo album of the Christian life. And here we have the military pictures. Maybe you see that sometimes where you see the aunt or the uncle, you see some of the pictures, maybe from from years and years ago, the black and white photos of them in their uniform as they’re going out and serving their country. Well, here, the Apostle Paul tells us what the Christian uniform looks like and what Christian warfare looks like. This is our life. Verse 10 of chapter 6 says.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

We get to see what the Christian life is. So much of the time it’s warfare, it’s a battle. And the battle is coming from outside of us and from within us. And it’s a spiritual battle, isn’t it? It’s against the devil’s schemes, it’s not against flesh and blood, but it’s these temptations inside and out, tempting us to drift away from God.

So put on your armor, get dressed,

Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)

And then Paul goes on to say, What is what are these pictures look like? What are we wearing? And he compares it to what a Roman foot soldier would be wearing.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:14-18)

When you look at these pictures of the Christian life, know that the Christian life is a struggle and it’s dangerous and it’s a battle. The battle is real, but the battle is good. If you’re still fighting, it means you haven’t gone and you haven’t given up that Christ is with you. And look at what he’s given you to defend yourself. His Holy Word, the full armor of God, the belt of truth, knowing that God’s word is actually true. The breastplate of righteousness, knowing that Jesus was righteous and perfect in your place. And he protects you with his perfection. Feet fitted with readiness that wants to go and share the Gospel that gave you peace and will give peace to others. The shield of the Christian faith all that we’ve learned from the word of God, which protects us again and takes out, extinguishes the flaming arrows of the evil one. You have a helmet covering your head that is salvation. Jesus rescuing you from sin and death. And then God gives you an offensive weapon. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

Get back into this word. Pick up your sword. Learn to use your sword so that you can fight these temptations and stand strong in the Lord. And then pray.

Ephesians 5:25-27

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As we flip through the photo album of the Christian Life from the book of Ephesians, here’s where we get to the wedding photos. As God tells us what marriage looks like in a Christian family and gives us the encouragement we need to love each other how he calls us to. Starting in verse 25, he writes,

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (Ephesians 5:25-27)

Here we see what God calls husbands to do to love their wives. How much? As much as Christ loves the church that he gave himself up for her. Looking to her needs before anything else. Showing love that results in action for your wife. But the Apostle Paul just can’t help getting to what the real picture is here. These wedding photos your wedding photo album is all also a picture of Jesus and his relationship to his believers, his church. And once again, we start to see who we are in God’s sight.

I don’t know what it was like for you husbands out there, but maybe you can remember standing at the very end of the aisle, maybe next to the pastor looking forward. And maybe you did, maybe you didn’t, but I didn’t see my wife before she came around the corner, my bride before we were married. But then you see her come around the corner and you look down at her and everything is just perfect. She’s so beautiful. The wedding dress is spotless, hair, makeup, everything is just right. And it’s just like: you take my breath away.

Maybe you can go back to that moment. But now recognize what God is saying. When he brings you to faith, how does he do it? Well, one way he says God made her holy, the church he made her holy, how? Cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. What’s that talking about? Baptism. Well, when you were baptized, you’re your cleansed, this washing with water, you were made holy and now God presents you to himself as a radiant church without any stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

God sees you like the beautiful bride of Christ that you are. Holy and radiant. You take God’s breath away.

Ephesians 4:32-5:2, 5:3-4, 8

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Today, as we look at the book of Ephesians, this photo album of the Christian Life, we see doppelgängers. Have you heard that phrase before? That’s a German word that means double walkers. It’s the brother or sister, the twin out there that you’re not actually related to, but you look just like them. Maybe you have a doppelgänger out there. Someone has told you that before.

Well, according to the Bible, according to God’s photo album, who do you look like? Well, listen to this encouragement from the Apostle Paul. It starts in Chapter 4, verse 32, and goes on, he says.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 4:32-5:2)

So whose example should we be following? Who should we be looking like? Well, following God’s example, living as his dearly loved children, loving as Christ loved us, forgiving as God forgave you in Christ. Here’s what you don’t want to look like. You don’t want to reflect this sinful world.

Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (Ephesians 5:3-4)

No, you’re not reflecting that, not even a hint of sexual immorality, because of who you are. You are God’s holy people. You reflect Christ. You reflect his light. And even more than that. Verse 8 goes on to say

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)

God doesn’t just say that you are a reflection of light, but you have been changed from the inside out. You are light. Shine that light on Jesus.

Ephesians 4:22-24

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Today, as we flip through the photo album of the Christian Life, it’s like we’re coming to the modeling portfolio. Now, I wouldn’t be a model, but maybe you can think of someone who’s going and auditioning or trying to get into magazines, and they have their profile pictures or pictures of them wearing different beautiful clothing to show that they can be a model for whatever you happen to be selling or sharing.

Here we see what the Christian life looks like, what that wardrobe looks like in Ephesians Chapter 4, starting with verse 22.

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

God gives us a complete wardrobe change. In the verses around this, he shows us what the old clothing looked like, how dirty and stained and ugly it was. It was just stained with greed and self-indulgence and lust. And he says, not that anymore. Through repentance take that off. Throw it away, cast it to the side, repent of that and put on a different wardrobe. The new self, the very image of God created to be like God. The image of God. It was lost at creation when when mankind fell into sin and it is restored through faith in Christ.

And the very essence of the image of God is what we get to wear. We’re created to be like God. How? In true righteousness and holiness. So now Christian friend, as you are covered in the perfect life of Christ, as you wear his robe of righteousness, you can look in the mirror and see somebody who is completely different. Perfect and spotless and pure in Christ. So take a look in the mirror and you will realize quickly you look good.

Ephesians 2:12-13,19

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As we look at the book of Ephesians, as if it were a photo album of the Christian Life, today in Ephesians chapter 2, it’s like we’re looking at the family pictures. And maybe you’ve seen some of the awkward family photos. As you know, this group of people gets together to get their picture taken, it can come up with some, some goofy results. Maybe you think about the people in your family and you think, man, I wouldn’t be friends with these guys unless I was related to them. I remember my younger sister at a wedding once looking around all over, and she says “Ya mean were related to these people?”

But God puts us together in families, and here, when he’s talking with the Ephesians, he even shows them how they got to be part of the family of God. Ephesians Chapter 2 beginning of verse 12, he says,

Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12)

They were gentiles. They weren’t Jewish people. They didn’t have all the blessings that the Israelites did.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:13)

And he goes on to say in verse 19,

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household. (Ephesians 2:19)

And we just get this glimpse of what the family of God looks like. People who come from all kinds of different backgrounds and races and cultures that are united by this common faith in Christ. I work at a campus ministry for a lot of my time, and it’s a joy to be able to see international students come into the building who are united by a common Christian faith and come and be able to encourage each other. This is what the family of God looks like.

And then we even get to look at our own little situations in our own churches, and you get to look across the aisle and in the different seats and in the different pews and say, this is my family, not foreigners, not strangers, but members of the family of God. And when we can look at each other like that, even with maybe our difficult family relationships, and we can see we’ve been brought near by the blood of Christ. How can we live as a family together? This is your Christian life.

Ephesians 1:3-5, 3

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For this series, we’re going to take a look at the book of Ephesians. And as I read through the book of Ephesians, it’s kind of like you’re just flipping through a photo album of the entire Christian life. Today, for our first part, we’re going to look at chapter 1, and it’s like we’re looking at the baby pictures inside of a photo album, the Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians and us, starting with verse 3.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. (Ephesians 1:3-5)

So we hear Paul just calling out this song of praise and saying, this is how you got to be part of God’s family. These are your baby photos, your adoption photos. God called us. He chose you and adopted you to be his children, to be his sons, to have his inheritance. Now, God didn’t just go through a couple of years of paperwork and expenses to make you part of his family. Instead, God chose you in Christ when? Before the creation of the world, before God had ever said, “Let there be light.” He said, I want you to be my child.

And then he moved heaven and Earth to make sure that you would be his child. He lavished his love on us. He did this in Christ. How did this happen for you? Well check out verse 13.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. (Ephesians 1:13)

Jesus adopted you, brought you into his family, in time, called you out to be his through his word, through the gospel. This is your life.