Ephesians Lesson 39 of 39 part 1.5

This is why he could say in the book of Philippians chapter 1verse13, that this Gospel had reached even into the palace. We mean this is hard to comprehend, that under those horrible pagan circumstances, yet the man in the power of the Holy Spirit was constantly winning those men to Christ, who in turn were going into other places of duty and were becoming a testimony of Christ as well. It is possibly through these men that his message survived now for almost 2000 years. Because as we all know the small churches did not survive. Like ours they fell prey to the adversary as the angel of light in obdurate poverty of sin, in what is called and known as Religion. But God in each generation has those who give to Him their all, holding nothing back. It is these people great and small that He has built the body of Christ with, as living witnesses of His presence, in another wise dark and foreboding world.

Philippians 1:13

"So that my bonds* in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;"

*those chains to which he was attached to one or two Roman soldiers. And as his usual costume was, he called himself a love slave of Christ.

That is throughout Rome and the Roman empire. Come over to chapter 4 with me please and this just builds on this verse. Here Paul is closing the letter to the Philippians and says the following. 

Philippians 4:22

"All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household."

This is why I do not think Nero was yet the emperor, because Nero would never have allowed this. But because of Paul’s testimony to those soldiers who would come in and be his personal guard. And when they were rotated out to other places of service, they were actually penetrating the household of the emperor. Some of course feel that this was limited to the Roman headquarters of that garrison from which these guards were assigned, rather than the actual palace of the emperor. But whatever, Paul was having such an impact on those Roman soldiers as they would come into guard him, 24 hours a day that by the time they left that tour of duty they went out as believers. We know that they went to the ends of the Roman empire, and that is why that Paul could write to Titus in chapter 2 the following.

Titus 2:11

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath (already) appeared to all men."

Just stop and think about that a moment. What a testimony that man had, even as a prisoner, winning those pagans around him to a knowledge of salvation. He had built a network, a system of communication with them and they keep him abreast of everything the Lord was doing through their efforts. The Lord working with and among them. Now if you will come back to Ephesians chapter 6, we find that Paul writes from first hand experience of the preparations for battle that the Roman soldier had to go through. Also that all of these things that Paul mentions are defensive weapons. There is only one offensive weapon mentioned and it is also used defensively, and that is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. It along has the power to cut both ways as a double edged sword, it can cut deeply severing the bone from the marrow and it can heal.

Ephesians 6:14a

"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,..."

The loins is the upper legs, or the thigh area and that of course was to deflect the spears and the arrows of the enemy. Mans strongest point. Paul is going to bring that now into the Spiritual realm, and so as the Roman soldier had his loins protected with some sort of armor, a belt with dangling leather strips with metal end-plats and some kind of metal design plats, we too are to have our spiritual loins girt about with Truth. Those of you who have been following our postings very long know there is another term that we can always substitute for the word "truth" and not do violence to the Scripture, and what is it? The name of Christ!

If we are literally protected by the presence of Christ, then Satan cannot touch us. You know as we put the nose of the car into traffic, we have learned to just ask the Lord to just hedge us about with His presence. When that is there nothing can touch us. We run across horrible accidents constantly, or maybe came across a mishap along the way or have a close call ourselves. That is enough to just curl your hair, but we have to constantly rest in the knowledge that we are in His protective care, and Satan cannot touch us. Always remember Satan cannot touch us without God permitting it to happen. So here again we are to have our lions girt about with the very presence of Christ, the Truth. In Ephesians chapter 1 we find this.

Ephesians 1:13-14

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of Truth, this gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory."