Category Archives: Bible Study

Battle Plan – Strategy 6 – Avoid the Second Look

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Strategy 6: I’ve learned to control my eyes by avoiding the second look. I have made commitments not to look on or lust after evil.

Consider Job’s testimony: ““I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?” (Job 31:1, NKJV)

Also consider this commitment from David: “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.” (Psalm 101:3, NKJV)

These are examples of two men who made the decision not to take that second look. Sometimes we cannot help what we see at first, but we can turn our eyes away from those things which incite us to lust for things which God has forbidden.

Lust is the kind of thing that is never satisfied. We think that we will be satisfied if we just take one more look, or one more bite, or view one more scene. But lust is going to come back stronger and will demand more and more from us. It is a powerful force!

When Eve was tempted to eat the fruit which God had commanded her not to eat, she looked at it too long. Look what the Scripture says, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6, NKJV). She first noticed that it was good for food. Then as she looked at it, she realized that it was also pleasant to look at. The more she listened to the serpent and thought about the fruit, she began to think that it could make her wise as well. She didn’t turn away after the first temptation as she should have done.

In Daniel 1:8 we learn that Daniel had purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the king’s food. This was a decision he had made ahead of time. We need to make that determination in our hearts and before God that we will respond in righteous ways when temptation is placed in front of us. Trying to make those decisions on the fly doesn’t work.

Priority Goal 6: Today I determine not to take that second look when confronted with any kind of temptation.

Battle Plan – Strategy 5 – Put on the Armor

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Strategy 5: I have put on the whole armor of God so that I will be able to be standing when each skirmish is over.

Paul gives us this admonition in Ephesians 6: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10–11, NKJV)

We already discussed the fact that our strength and power comes from the Lord. As we work, He works (Philippians 2:12-13). Paul tells us here in Ephesians that we are to be strong in the power of His might. Obviously we are not strong in our own might. Our defeats day by day are enough evidence of that.

In order to stand against the schemes and tricks of the devil, we are to put on the whole armor of God as explained in this passage. There are pieces of armor for the head and for all the other parts of the body. They are mostly defensive, but He has given us the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, as our offensive weapon. We are to put the armor on. It won’t put itself on.

Why do we need this armor? Because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of wickedness. This is a dirty battle and the enemy is deceitful and cruel. Therefore we need all the protection we can get.

We need the belt of truth. Don’t believe the lies, even the lies you tell yourself. Know the truth and base your life on it.

We need the breastplate of righteousness. This cannot be our own righteousness because our righteousness is porous – full of holes. Paul writes in Philippians: “[that I might] be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;” (Philippians 3:9, NKJV)

We need God’s righteousness as our breastplate.

We are to have the gospel as our footwear. We need to preach the gospel to ourselves every single day. Christ died for our sins and paid the death penalty for us. He was raised the third day and is ascended into heaven where He makes intercession for us.

We are to have the shield of faith to quench those fiery darts. Faith is believing God, taking Him at His word. Faith involves acting on what He says. Faith which doesn’t act is not faith. As James tells us, such faith is dead.

We are to have the helmet of salvation. In other words, we are to be a regenerated person. A person who has been given a new heart, a new spirit and new inclinations toward God.

And we are to have the Word of God as our defensive and offensive weapon. Remember how Jesus responded to the temptations Satan brought him?  He said, “It is written.” We must know and use our Bibles effectively.

Priority Goal 5: Today I will make sure I have the armor on. I will think through the components of God’s armor and make sure I am securely protected by them. I will do this consciously and intentionally with my mind and heart focused on its importance for a successful battle. So that having done all, I will still be standing.

Ephesians 5:19

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“…addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.”

Last time we talked about what it means to be filled with the Spirit. But Paul’s sentence doesn’t end at the end of verse 18.

Beginning in verse 19 he begins to explain some of the natural results of being filled with the Spirit. First, he addresses speaking. He says we will be speaking to one another. How will we speak to one another? In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

So, I have a question. Is he saying that since we have been filled with the Spirit, as a result we will sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to one another during the 20 minute song time in one of our worship gatherings? I don’t think so.

In the first place, he says speaking, not singing. Second, the speaking is a continuous sort of action used as an adjective. So people who have been filled with the Spirit will be speaking-to-one-another-in-psalms kind of people. I need to ask myself if I’m that kind of person.

Recently I was teaching on the book of Malachi, which in 3:16 says,   “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.”

When people speak to one another about the things of God, He listens, and, according to Malachi, he makes a note of it in His book.

Would that we could be the kind of people that would have psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs on our minds so that we could and would share these with one another often as we speak to each other.

Also in verse 19, he writes that we should be singing and making melody to the Lord with or in our hearts. As the Spirit fills us moment by moment, there will be a resulting song that arises in our hearts. Words from the Psalms will come to mind as will the lyrics of other godly hymns and spiritual songs that form the basis of much of our Christian meditation. Let me emphasize that this is a result of the filling of the Spirit, not a stand-alone command. The Spirit’s presence in our lives produces fruit, and this kind of speaking and singing is one of those fruits.

Ephesians 5:18

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“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”

We are now into Chapter 5, verse 18. Just as in some of the previous passages, Paul writes and tells us to avoid something. But it never stops there. When there are things to avoid, there are things to replace it with.

So, in verse 18 we are told not to get drunk with wine, but …. Although the drinking of wine is not prohibited in Scripture, being drunk is prohibited. God never permits our losing our self control, turning that control over to the influence of some substance.

Rather, we are to be filled with the Spirit. We are to be under the influence and control of the Spirit, instead of wine or any other substance.

There are several characteristics of this word ‘filled’ that we need to think about. First, it is an imperative. That means it is a command. We are told to do something. Paul is the one writing, but because he is writing under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, we must respond as though it were God speaking directly to us personally.

Second, it is a passive verb. That means we are not the actor. Something or someone else is the actor and we are on the receiving end of that action. The action here is the filling of the Spirit. “Be filled with the Spirit.”

If we are not the actor, how can this be a command? I assume it means that we are to allow or to be open in some way for the action to take place. So what I think is that God is telling us that we need to allow, or open ourselves up to being filled or controlled by the Spirit of God, rather than being controlled by wine.

Suppose when you were a kid, your dad would have told you that your brother needs to practice his football passing skills. He asks you to go out and be the receiver for him for awhile.

While this is kind of a simple example, it shows that you can be directed to go and be on the receiving end of some action over and over for a period of time. To be a good receiver for your brother you have to be alert and prepared to receive the football.

Third, the word is in the present tense. Present tense means now, today. Also, in Greek, the present tense is a continuing action. Therefore, we could think of the command this way: Continually allow yourself, or open yourself up to, being filled with the Spirit, moment by moment, and day by day.

When you go out to be a receiver for your brother, you know that the intention is that you receive the pass more than just one time.

How can we do this? We have busy lives and our minds are in hundreds of different places thinking about things and making decisions all day long.

I think we need to be sure we are having regular times of prayer each day, as well as memorizing and meditating on the Scriptures. If we do this on a regular basis, we will then have the foundational and fundamental mindset that is directed toward God and spiritual things.

If this is our pattern, then, I think, we will be better equipped to yield moment by moment to the Spirit’s filling and control.

Ephesians 5:15-17

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“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Paul begins verse 15 telling us to be careful therefore. Therefore what? We are not to take part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them to the light. Let Christ shine on us. Walk in the light as He is in the light.

Therefore..

Therefore do not be unwise. He doesn’t use the word ‘moronic’ here, but unwise. Being unwise is foolish, but it has a different aspect to it. It emphasizes that there is a wise way to live life, and the warning here is to choose that wise way rather than avoiding it.

So, we are to live as wise people, making the best use of time. Literally it means to buy back the time, to ransom it back to freedom, to noble and godly purposes. We live in evil days. The days have always been evil. But we are to be alert and wise about the way we live. We are to be deliberate about how we use our time. Don’t just fritter it away. Make the best use of it.

Therefore. Because of that admonition to be careful, God tells us not to be foolish or unthinking. Instead, we need to understand what the will of the Lord is. That means we need to spend time learning more about the Lord Jesus, and we need to spend time getting to know Him, i.e., reading His word, meditating on it, and praying. As we spend significant blocks of time in this way, we will understand more and more about what the will of the Lord is. In turn, we will grow in our ability to buy back our time to make it an important tool in living for God.

Ephesians 5:12-13

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Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,

It’s been more than a month since I’ve written in this commentary. Life gets busy and attempts to bring order and discipline in the midst of busy-ness is difficult.

In verse 11, Paul told us that we should not take part in the unfruitful works of darkness. But instead, we are to expose them, to let the light shine in. That is what expose means. He makes his point clear in verse 13. “When anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible.

It’s interesting to me that just as in the discussion about putting off certain things, Paul had added that not only should we put off, but we must put something on. Here in this passage, we should not partake in or even speak of the things they do in secret. But it’s not just a matter of avoiding. There is something to do. The unfruitful works of darkness should be exposed.

Verse 13 tells us that anything exposed by the light becomes visible. Rather than being done in secret, these things must be made visible. But it is a puzzle to me how to shed light on secret, unfruitful behaviors, without speaking about them. It seems as though speaking would be the only way to expose. But perhaps he is saying that speaking is necessary, but it is shameful at the same time. For me at least, this passage is going to take more meditation.

More on this passage next time.

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 11:25 AM July 17, 2021.

Ephesians 5:11-12

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Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.

Paul is taking us through the characteristics of the Christian walk — the way Christians should conduct themselves and the attitudes they should have. He is doing this having told us to put off the old and to put on the new. These verses we have been studying in chapter 5 are showing us how to do that.

The first thing we note in verse 11 is that we are to have no part in the unfruitful works of darkness. Having no part means not to have fellowship with. In 2 Corinthians 5:14, after having told the Corinthians not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers, he asks some questions. All of these questions expect the answer, “None.”

He asks, “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? What fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial?” and What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” The answer should be none. There is nothing in common.

He’s making that same point here in Ephesians. We should not have anything in common with the unfruitful works of darkness — period!

Unfruitful means that the works associated with the kingdom of darkness produce no lasting , edifying fruit. Everything that comes from that source is rotten, and Christians should not share in it.

Rather than having fellowship in it, these deeds should be reproved and exposed. The kind of things the lost of the world are involved in should be exposed for what they are. We should make sure young people and young Christians are aware of the dangers and damage that the deeds of darkness can do. The explanations should be clear enough so that people will know what we are talking about, yet vague enough not to incite destructive trails of thought in the minds of those we are trying to teach.

Verse 12 goes on to tell us that these deeds are so bad and so evil, that it is shameful even to speak of them. That is why we have to be careful how we describe the evil we are talking about.

I think there are a lot of applications of this. But, for one thing, there are many activities and behaviors displayed on TV and in movies that portray the unfruitful works of darkness. Most of the time these works are not presented for the purpose of exposing their source in the kingdom that is opposed to God. What is troubling is that many Christians are content to hear and see these things portrayed as entertainment. How does that fit with the fact that evil and immoral deeds are to be exposed and not even spoken about because it is shameful to do so?

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 2:48 PM May 26, 2021.

Ephesians 5:10

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And try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. The word for discern here means test or examine. The Greek word is a word we get the verb document from. When you document something, you ascertain its authenticity. So I think what is being said here is that we should evaluate what we do and other potential behaviors or activities we might be involved in, and determine if those things would be pleasing to the Lord.

It’s true that we are not under law, but under grace. But even in human relationships, isn’t it true that we try to please those we love just because of that love, and not merely to be obedient to some law?

Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Isn’t that a strong implication that our goal in life is to please him?

Galatians 1:10 says, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

From this passage we can clearly see that pleasing God is the aim, no matter what the rest of the culture may think about it.

Pleasing God is the result of having a relationship with God — being born again. Paul tells us in Romans 8:8 that those who are in the flesh, i.e. those who have not been born again, cannot please God. That means that no matter how many times they attend worship services, or pray, or give to the poor, they are not pleasing God.

So as we live our lives, let’s take time to consider our plans and our activities and document the fact that they are pleasing to God.

As Paul says in 1 Thess 5:21, “Test everything; hold fast what is good.” By the way, the word test there is the same word we had in Ephesians 5:10. Document it! Is it pleasing to God?

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:27 AM May 13, 2021.

Ephesians 5:7-9

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Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),

I briefly alluded to verse 7 last time. The wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience because of the kinds of things that Paul listed earlier in the chapter. Then in verse 7, Paul says that for this reason we should not participate with them in the things that they do.

In verse 8, he gives an additional reason. At one time, or in other words, before you were born again, you were darkness. But now you are light in the Lord.

There is a difference in a person’s life when he or she is regenerated by the Spirit of God. Before the new birth, we are in darkness. Afterwards, we are light. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, God tells us that if we are in Christ, we are new creatures. The old has passed away and the new has come.

Since we are children of the light, we should live what we are. We should walk as children of light. There should not be a discord between who we are and how we act. The two should match. Since we are children of light, we should live like it. That’s the goal. Be who you are in Christ.

Verse 9 begins with another “For.” All of what has just been said is because the fruit of light … In other words the results of the light being present in a person’s life, is found in all that is good, right, and true.

Light leads us to the truth because light is truth. And we are not speaking of light as a feeling that we might feel drawn to. Our feelings have nothing to do with it. The word of God is light. It is the only light. That’s why Jesus said, “If you abide in my Word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 8:06 AM May 12, 2021.

Ephesians 5:6

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Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

We’ve come now to verse 6. Paul begins with the command, “Don’t let anyone deceive you with their empty words.” In the first part of the warning, he tells us not to allow deception. In other words, we are supposed to be able to detect deception when we hear it, and then we are to prevent ourselves from believing the deceptive rhetoric.

This is not always easy because deception often comes in the form of smooth and sophisticated language. We are to be so steeped in the Word of God that deception is easy to pick out. This means taking the time to be in the Word and to be meditating on it frequently.

In the remainder of the sentence we learn why we should not be deceived. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient. What things is he talking about? I think he is referring back to verses 3-5. Sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, and the like are not proper for Christians. We already discussed that. But here in verse 6, Paul is telling us that there will be people speaking smooth words who will try to tell us that these things are so common and characteristic of us human beings, that they are not all that bad. But the truth is, these sinful deeds are the reason the wrath of God will be coming.

In verse 7 he says “Therefore, do not be partners with them.” Do you really want to involve yourself in the same activities the godless are practicing, when you know that those very activities are what triggers the wrath of God to come upon them? What would that do to your testimony? And what would be the irony on judgment day when your friends see you released from judgment because of the blood of Christ, and they themselves are being condemned; and they know that you participated with them in the same sinful activities?

This is cruel at many levels. You knew all along that what you all were doing was going to bring judgment, and yet you, knowing the remedy and means of salvation, still participated with them in the activities that would condemn them. That is cruel on its face!

God says that the kind of activity described in this passage should not be named among us, it is not proper for saints, and these very activities are what is bringing judgment on the world. Steer clear!

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 3:56 PM May 4, 2021.