Ray Bentley

And then by dividing to destroy Jesus is about, bringing us together in relationship with him and then toward one another. So beginning of verse 12, Paul says, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. In other words, the enemy is not, it's not a human battle that we are really fighting, he said. But it's against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

How valuable is the Bible in the arena of spiritual warfare? it's our weapon for battle, for the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword. It is powerful. And you don't have to be some pastor spiritual giant. You can be a brand new baby in Jesus Christ because it's not who is holding the sword, it's the sword itself spreading.

Jesus came and said, I did not come to be ministered to, even though I'm the King of kings and Lord of lords. I'm paraphrasing here, but he said, I came to minister the night before he went to the cross. He takes off his garment and the towel, and he washes the disciples feet.And he says, now I have been an example to you. I have served you. I have done the job of a servant and a slave. I have washed your feet and loved you, and and cared for you even after his resurrection. Now you know, my image would be that he is kind of hovering above everyone, and with the clouds and and all of that.

Paul has been talking about family relationships, husbands and wives, marriage, the relationship between parents and children. And then he spoke of the relationship between, let's say, employers, employees in the workplace.And then immediately he's talking about how to be a Christian and all those, settings. Immediately after that, he goes into spiritual warfare, because that's really where the rubber meets the road. That's really where the spiritual battle happens. Is that close to you? And the reality is, it's not everything that you see is all there is. There's a whole other world happening simultaneously around us.

If Jesus tapped you on the shoulder and asked you to do him a favor, you'd probably do it with all the energy and devotion to the task you could muster, wouldn't you? Well, is that the way you do your job each day?

the secret is learn to put others first. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Listen. Because this is your eternal future. The greatest in the kingdom of heaven is to serve, not to be served. In fact, while he was here on the earth. This is what Jesus said. I did not come to be ministered to, but I came to minister.

Now, there are two reasons for this call to honor and obey our parents. The first is there is a natural law of children obeying their parents, that God is just kind of written into the genetic code of of human existence. Or as Paul puts it, for this is right. And I think that we would generally agree. And it's interesting that essentially every culture and every society is built on the premise that children ought to obey their parents.

Paul writes, children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. Which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth. And you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. Now Christ is our example. Now how did this love story begin? By the way, the Bible is a love story. It's very passionate romantic story. Every fairy tale that's ever been written borrows from this story. And you have this this beautiful, attractive, desirable bride who has been stolen, who has been taken advantage of, who has in some ways been imprisoned.

And all of a sudden you realize there are other human beings. And then in particular, the opposite sex as you begin to fall and to fall in love. Do you remember? I think the first step in falling in love again is to start paying attention again. Do you remember, when you first found the love, how much attention you paid with phone calls and with cards and and maybe flowers and expressing your heart with words.Do that again. You want to appreciate your wife. What does that mean? Appreciation. Very simply, appreciation means goes up in value. What does Jesus do with us? He builds us up. That's what the word edify means. He builds us up with his words. So, husbands, build your wives up. Sometimes we can get, you know, two familiar and two critical.