cstlWalking in Wisdom and the Spirit, and The Mystery of Christ and the  Church
I. 15-20 Walk in wisdom and the Spirit
a. 15-17 Wisdom is the knowledge to not walk down the wrong street. If you know that there is a temptation in that direction, then you go another route.
1. “Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister’ and call understanding your intimate friend… that they may keep you from an adulteress… For out of the window of my house I looked… and saw among the naïve and discerned among the youths a young man lacking sense, passing through the street near her corner; and he takes the way to her house… in the middle of the darkness… a women comes to meet him… she says… ‘come, let us drink our fill of love till morning’… suddenly he follows her… so he does not know that it will cost him his life.” (Proverbs 7:4-10; 13; 18; 22-23) Fulfilling the lust of the flesh is not wise. If we act on wisdom instead of the momentary temptation, it will keep our feet from going in the wrong direction, the places of darkness.
2. We must not waste our time with a little filthiness, the little foxes that eat way at our walk. Just a little dirt from the world can fog our spiritual lenses just enough to keep us ineffective. We may still be saved, but we will not be producing much fruit.
3. “Each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work.  If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will be saved, yet as though through fire.” (1Cor 3:13-15) Don’t find yourself in heaven, just as one who barely escaped hell. Find yourself in heaven as one who has the testimony of defeating it, building the kingdom of heaven in the earth. We must know what to and what not to do; and be wise enough to make the right decisions, the ones which the Lord wills us to do. (See Romans 12:1-2)
4. 18 Drunkenness is a counterfeit feeling of supernatural experience. We are supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, drinking of His goodness everyday, not drinking of and getting drunk off wine for a spiritual high. We are the people of God and not of the world. We separate ourselves from this and all mind-altering sorceries. “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” (1Cor 3:16-17) Drunkenness can destroy the temple–us, the very dwelling place of God. The culmination of this passage is that the Spirit of the living God dwells in us. He has taken up residence inside of us. Theses are not a list of legalistic rules. This is a guide so that we will not grieve the Spirit of God in us and that we keep ourselves pure, displaying the image of Christ to those around us. “[We are all] being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”[1] We must walk[2] in a way that pleases Him, as we corporately[3] are becoming His dwelling[4] in the earth, the church, the fullness of Christ[5].
5. 19-21 Fellowship with joy to one another in thankfulness. If we love like Christ loved we will fear Him and love one another, and therefore subject ourselves to one another in accountability and friendship, as we are subject to Him. We need this and we need each other. This picture of needing each other prepares us for the next section: how a husband and wife love and relate to each other; and how this is a prophetic revelation of Christ and the church, and how they love and relate to each other.

II. The Mystery of Christ and the Church

1.   22-24 Wives were created to be subject to their husbands just as the church was created to be subject to Christ. This is not bondage, this is liberty. This is the place where the wife is in her realm. She is free, doing what she was created to do, helping and strengthening her husband.[6]

2.   25; 28, 29 Husbands must not take advantage of this and lord over his wife his position. He must love her and serve her. What wife, who is loved, will not joyfully subject herself to her husband? He must put her first in everything, just as Christ put the His bride (us) first, even in death and life. This is the husband laying his life down for her, daily putting her before him. He must nourish her, giving her all the physical, intimate, mental, and spiritual food that she needs. He must cherish her. She is a gift, not a toy or a slave, etc…

3. 25-32 Christ and the Church

a. Christ treated us like His own wife.   He died in our place, so we could live. He cleansed us of our sin, washing us in His blood, so we would be a virgin on our wedding day. This is also why Paul told us earlier to stay away from things that make us filthy. Jesus does not want a filthy bride. He meets us in that state and removes from us the filthiness and makes us ready in the Spirit for the wedding day. So we must walk this out. We have a wedding to attend and we must be ready for it. When husbands love their wives, they will respect and love him back. She will obey him because she is loved. Christ loves us and gives us life, so we will freely love Him back. We are not forced to obey, He wants lovers, not robots. We are free and compelled to obey all that He commands of us, because we love to be loved by Him.

b. When we are married, we leave our parents to become joined with another. We are joined to that person, and in intimacy[7] there is no distinction. We become one entity-connected.[8] Christ left His Father to be joined with us, His bride. He created a bride for Himself who would love Him because He nourishes and cherishes, and laid His life down for Her. He longs to fill us with Himself, as the marriage illustrates. Remember we are His dwelling, and we are filled with His Spirit.[9]

c. This is supernatural, not natural.[10] Being intimate with God means getting out of bed with the world. We are married and joined to Him and Him alone. This is total freedom. An authentic mature church is one that is married to God and subject to Him in everything. This is a great mystery and I am not attempting to complete an explanation here, just providing revelatory insight into the understanding of the context.

d. 33 We must have properly loving marriages and families that make up the church. They must be string if the church is going to be strong. Paul starts the next chapter with emphasis on this. Only when we understand the relationship between Christ and the church can we properly relate to each other as husband and wife, and as a family.

[1] vv 2:20.

[2] vv 4:1

[3] vv 4:3

[4] see 39

[5] vv 4:13

[6] With so much feminism and “equality” in today’s western culture, this is being fought and even being taught from an incorrect “Biblical” standpoint. Men and women are equal as far as it comes to their relationship to God. However, they were created to fulfill different roles. These roles may change at different times and vary from person to person, but there is still a divinely created order that they generally operate in. For women to do and be what she was created to be is total freedom for her. If she steps out of these roles and tries to do what a man is created to do, she is actually straying into bondage. (I am speaking of general life and family function of having peace in your place. Yes God can raise up females to do seemingly manly things as He sees fit, and as a need may arise, especially if a man is not present nor able to act in the call. This is a response to a culture that says women have to equalize themselves with men.)

[7] (a reflection of the spirit)

[8] This is why adultery and lust is so bad.  In a sense, we break the connection (and covenant) we have with our lover and join to another.

[9] I am not saying the Holy Spirit is a man’s seed. Earthly marriage according to the text reflects the spiritual between God and men. I am simply expounding on being joined to, and “one” with God (vv31-32).

[10] You must be mature to understand this and not be of a gross mindset.

Ephesians Part 1: Introduction

Ephesians Part 2: Chapter 1

Ephesians Part 3:  Chapter 2

Ephesians Part 4: Chapter 3

Ephesians Part 5: Chapter 4a

Ephesians Part 6: Chapter 4b

Ephesians Part 7: Chapter 5a

Ephesians Part 8: Chapter 5b

Ephesians Part 9: Chapter 6a

Ephesians Part 10: Chapter 6b & Conclusion

Ephesians Part 11: Heavenly Places

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